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Frequently Asked Questions

  • Financial aid is government assistance for higher education. In order to get financial aid, students must complete the FAFSA and that information will determine what the student is eligible to receive.

  • If you have accepted all the aid that you were offered, you may be able to apply for a Parent PLUS loan. Otherwise you may need to consider Private Education Loans (elmselect.com) or discuss a payment plan with the Bursar's Office.

    If you feel your financial situation has significantly changed, you may consider completing a Special Circumstance Appeal. Note that these are only approved under very specific and unique circumstances.

  • Students are selected by the government at random or if there are significant changes made to the FAFSA that would require this process. Verification is done through third party company called Inceptia and the majority of requested documentation will be submitted directly to them. Dependent students will be required to have an account for themselves and the parent.

  • A grant is gift aid that does not need to be repaid, but is contingent on certain guidelines to continue receiving the grant.

    Loans will need to be paid back and may require interest to be paid depending on the type of loan.

  • The main difference between the Subsidized and Unsubsidized loan is when they begin to accrue interest.

    The subsidized doesn't accrue interest until you have to start paying it back, which would be 6 months after you graduate or are enrolled for less than 6 credits. 

    The unsubsidized begins to accrue interest when it pays into the account.

     

  • We don't award aid separately for books, but if the financial aid you receive covers the bill and there is aid remaining, that remaining amount will be issued in a refund check. That refund can be used for anything you need, including books.

    We recommend that if you are over-awarded and don't need the additional refund, it would be beneficial to have that go back towards any loans you may be receiving. 

  • Award information is available on eWeb and it is updated in real-time. If something changes in the account that adjusts the financial aid, it will be reflected there right away. You would need to go to the financial aid tab and then go to award offer. 

  • After accepting Federal loans, both subsidized and unsubsidized, there are a couple steps that must be taken. Students will need to complete Entrance Counseling and a Master Promissory Note in order for the loans to pay into their account. Both of these processes can be completed on studentaid.gov and this will use your FAFSA login information.

  • Our office doesn't award separately for the Winter session, but we do have a Summer Aid Application that can be completed to determine eligibility for Summer Aid. This application does not guarantee additional aid. Eligibility I based on the academic year leading into the summer session.

  • A student is Independent based on specific questions asked on the FAFSA. Our office may request additional documentation to support this claim. A student may also be considered independent once they turn 24 years old.

    A student would be considered Dependant if they are being financially support by legal parents or guardians. If a student has parent/guardian financial information on the FAFSA, they would be considered Dependent.