CSU | Course Scheduleling: Summer 2011 Student Financial Aid

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 College Work-Study, Federal Stafford Loans and Federal Perkins Loans.

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.

Summer Enrollment Equivalents

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. Six hours is considered full time for master’s and doctoral candidates; three hours half-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 undergraduate/graduate/professional students. Chicago State University’s SAP Policy(s) measures whether students are progressing at a reasonable rate toward the completion of their educational objectives. Students must comply with the applicable SAP policy to maintain their continued financial aid (including loans) eligibility. Copies of the current SAP policies are available for students in the Office of Student Financial Aid. They are also available for review in both the undergraduate and graduate catalogs, as well as on the Chicago State University website.

Mitigating Circumstances/Appeal Process

A student who fails 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. Petitions are available in the Office of Student Financial Aid, and are available for download from the Office of Student Financial Aid web site.

You will only be eligible to borrow one loan for one academic year. For example: If you borrow $3,500 through a subsidized Stafford Loan as a freshman, you will not be allowed a subsequent loan until you advance to the sophomore level.

Procedures for obtaining a loan for the Summer 2011 session will be published on the Office of Student Financial Aid website at www.csu.edu/financialaid/ by April 1, 2011.

Financial Aid Refund/Repayment Policy

IIf 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 StudentLoans.gov web site.

Federal Work-Study / Student State Aid Employment

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 veterans benefits are required to adhere to the University’s academic standing policies as outlined in the University’s catalog. A change in enrollment status that 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, ADM 207. Failure to report changes in enrollment status may result in overpayments. An unapproved change of program may cause termination of future benefits.

Financial Aid Web Site, Email 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 stay informed about issues that may affect their financial aid eligibility by regularly monitoring email correspondence from the Office of Student Financial Aid and accessing the Office of Student Financial Aid website and CSU X-Press.