Spring 2011 Student Financial Aid
ADM 207 • (773) 995-2304
Eligibility
Satisfactory Academic Progress
ISAC Monetary Award Limitations
Student Loans
Refund / Repayment Policy
Federal Work-Study
Deadlines and policies are available in the Office of Student Financial Aid and on the financial aid website. The University provides an established financial assistance program designed to best meet the needs of Chicago State University students. Assistance is available to eligible students in the form of scholarships, grants, assistantships, student employment and loans. All students wishing to be considered for financial assistance must complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid).
To be eligible for Federal Grants
Students must be enrolled in a program leading to a degree/certificate, to be eligible
for Federal Pell Grants, Federal Supplemental Educational Grants, Federal College
Work-Study, Federal Stafford Loans, Federal Perkins Loan and the Illinois Student
Assistance Commission MAP Grant.
Special students (at-large, conditionally admitted graduate students, or students enrolled in contract courses) are not eligible for state or federal financial assistance. Generally, students must be enrolled for at least halftime to be eligible for assistance from these programs.
Undergraduate students must be enrolled for at least nine hours, to be considered three-quarter time, and twelve or more hours in order to be considered full time. Nine hours is considered full time for master’s and doctoral candidates; five hours part-time. A change in enrollment status (hours enrolled and/or grade level) that occurs after a financial aid recipient’s original registration must be reported immediately, in writing, to the Office of Student Financial Aid. Failure to report changes in enrollment status may result in overpayment, cancellation of benefits, and jeopardize future eligibility for student financial assistance.
Students selected for verification by the U.S. Department of Education or the University will be required to provide requested documentation before their financial aid awards can be processed.
Review your financial aid status anytime
Students may review their financial aid status at any time on the CSU X-press website.
This website provides students with information relating to the amount of their financial
aid awards, if any, as well as, any requirements that they might need to fulfill,
such as, but not limited to, submitting verification documents, tax forms, SAP (Satisfactory
Academic Progress) petitions, etc., before their financial aid package may be finalized.
The Office of Student Financial Aid no longer mails document tracking and award letters to continuing students. Instead, students are notified via e-mail that there is “activity” on their financial aid accounts and that they should go to the CSU X-Press website to review their status. All continuing CSU students have been assigned an e-mail account. It is every student’s responsibility to access his/her e-mail periodically and to review any communication from the Office of Student Financial Aid.
Student Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress
Policy and procedures
Federal and state regulations require Chicago State University to establish and implement
a “Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy” for students. Chicago State University’s
SAP Policy measures whether eligible undergraduate/graduate students are progressing
at a reasonable rate toward the completion of their educational objectives. Students
must comply with this policy to maintain their continued financial aid eligibility.
Copies of the current SAP policy are available for students in the Office of Student
Financial Aid. The document is also available for review in both the undergraduate
and graduate catalog, as well as on the Chicago State University website.
Mitigating Circumstances / Appeal Process
Students who fail to make satisfactory academic progress may petition for reinstatement of their eligibility who fail to make satisfactory academic progress may petition
for reinstatement of their eligibility to the Financial Aid Appeals Board. The student
must document mitigating circumstances, such as injury, illness, family death or other
emergencies. Students appealing for reinstatement of their financial aid eligibility
will be required to seek assistance through academic support services offered by the
university. Students whose appeals are denied will be required to sit out financial
aid for one semester.
In that semester they must:
a) fulfill stipulations of a new contract and
b) attain a minimum semester G.P.A. as specified; and
c) successfully meet requirements of the quantitative measure. Students who have fulfilled all of the above requirements can apply for probationary financial aid status. If granted, they must spend a semester on financial aid probation. To exit this probation, they must fulfill requirements specified under “Exiting Probation.” Students who are terminated from financial aid eligibility and subsequently reinstated are considered to be in probationary status.
NOTE: The Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy is subject to change without notice. The Office of Student Financial Aid will make every attempt to provide students with timely notice regarding their satisfactory academic progress status. However, it is every student’s responsibility to read the policy and monitor his/her own progress.
ISAC Monetary Award Limitations
The State of Illinois MAP grants, which are administered by the Illinois Student Assistance
Commission (ISAC), are tracked by the equivalent number of semester hours of MAP benefits
paid on a student’s behalf. This is called “MAP paid credit hours.” Payment for each
term is being made according to the equivalent number of credit hours eligible for
MAP payment, with a minimum of three and a maximum of 15 MAP paid credit hours. There
is a limit on the number of MAP credit hours that can be paid while a student is classified
as a freshman and sophomore. This is the equivalent of 75 MAP paid credit hours.
If this maximum is reached, a student must attain junior status for MAP grant eligibility
to resume. The maximum number of MAP paid credit hours that can be received is capped
at 135.
NOTE: ISAC reserves the right to change the terms of the State of Illinois MAP grant program, at any time, prior to the beginning of the Spring 2011 semester.
Student Loans
The Federal Stafford Loan program limits, if combined, cannot exceed the established
limits and cost of attendance. During the 2010-2011 year a student may be eligible
to borrow a Federal Stafford Loan based on the following limits:
Level | Subsidized | Unsubsidized |
Freshman | $3,500 | $6,000 |
Sophomore | $4,500 | $6,000 |
Junior | $5,500 | $7,000 |
Senior | $5,500 | $7,000 |
Fifth Year | $5,500 | $7,000 |
Certification | $5,500 | $7,000 |
Certificate | $5,500 | $5,000 |
Master’s/Doctorate | $8,500 | $12,000 |
You will only be eligible to borrow one loan for one academic year. For example: If you borrow $3,500 subsidized Stafford Loan as a freshman, you will not be allowed to borrow a subsequent loan until you advance to the sophomore level.Procedures for obtaining a loan for the Spring 2011 semester will be published on the Office of Student Financial Aid web site, at www.csu.edu/financialaid/, by November 15, 2010.
Financial Aid Refund/Repayment Policy
If a student who receives any federal and/or state student financial assistance completely
withdraws prior to the end of an academic term in which s/he receives federal/state
aid, federal regulations require CSU to prorate or reduce the award(s) received, according
to the actual number of calendar days in which the student was enrolled. Funds, to
which the student was not entitled, due to the proration calculation, must be returned
to the federal/state award program(s). If a student's charges exceed the prorated
awards remaining on her/his account, a balance will be owed to the university. If
a student receives a disbursement check prior to obtaining a complete withdrawal-or
uses some of the awarded funds for a book voucher-based upon the proration, s/he will
be required to repay a portion or all of such funds to the University and/or the award
program(s). Before initiating a complete withdrawal, contact the Office of Student
Financial Aid at (773) 995-2304 for a complete explanation.
Timeline dates will be posted in the Office of Student Financial Aid for recipients of the basic state and federal financial aid programs. Timeline dates do not apply to recipients of other aid that may be based on academic performance, pursuit of a specific program/degree, etc., or aid from private sources.
Loan Counseling
Students who receive loans are required to complete Entrance Counseling prior to receiving a disbursement and Exit Counseling when they graduate, drop to less than half-time enrollment, or completely withdraw from the University. Online Entrance Counseling and Exit Counseling may be accessed through the StudentLoans.gov web site.
Federal Work-Study (FWS)/Student State Aid
A limited number of positions are available throughout the University through the
federal work-study and state aid funded student employment programs. Students with
exceptional need are awarded FWS/SA eligibility and given the opportunity to be employed.
Students wishing consideration for student employment should indicate their interest
on the FAFSA. Rates of pay vary, depending upon the type of work and the level of
responsibility. A student must be paid at least the minimum wage. Students are responsible
for monitoring the time/hours they work so that they will not exceed their award balance.
Veterans Affairs Office
Students receiving veteran's benefits are required to adhere to the University’s
academic standing policies as outlined in the University’s catalog. A change in enrollment
status which occurs after the veteran’s status has been certified must be immediately
reported to the Veterans Affairs Office which is located in the Office of Student
Financial Aid. Failure to report changes in enrollment status may result in overpayments.
An unapproved change of program may cause termination of future benefits.
Financial Aid Website, E-mail and CSU X-Press….
All information provided in this Student Financial Aid section is subject to change.
Any such changes and/or modifications will be reflected on the Office of Student Financial
Aid website. It is the responsibility of all students to keep themselves informed
as to issues that may affect their financial aid eligibility by regularly monitoring
e-mail correspondence from the Office of Student Financial Aid and accessing the Office
of Student Financial Aid website and CSU X-Press.