In general, once a student's financial aid award(s) has been finalized (all requested forms received, verification completed, enrollment verified and default status reviewed), the aid awarded for that semester will be credited to their account beginning with the second week of the semester.  Stafford Loan and PLUS Loan proceeds must have a completed master promissory note and entrance counseling session completed before they can disburse. Federal Work-Study and Institutional Work-Study funds are disbursed biweekly to the student in the form of a payroll check based on the number of hours worked during the pay period.

Definition of Eligible Enrollment Status

Federal regulations and institutional guidelines require students to be registered before any financial aid monies can be disbursed. In addition, all federal and state financial aid programs specify minimum enrollment requirements in order for a student to receive any (maximum or partial) assistance. These requirements are broken into four enrollment classifications: full-time, three-quarter-time, half-time and less-than-half-time. The chart below indicates the number of credits used to determine a student’s enrollment status.

Eligibility Chart

Listed below is an eligibility chart that defines the credit-hour requirements for all aid programs, as well as the percentage of the maximum award a student may qualify for under the enrollment classifications.

Note: Federal and state financial aid awards may be adjusted according to this chart for any student whose enrollment status (as defined above) changes before 60 percent of the enrollment period, e.g., fall or spring semester, or a special summer session, has elapsed.

Financial aid which exceeds the amount the student owes to the University (tuition/fees, University meal plans and room charges) will be disbursed to the student in the form of a refund check to cover non-institutional educational costs, such as books and supplies, off-campus housing and transportation. Typically, these refunds are mailed to eligible students starting the second week of the semester if the student has satisfied the eligibility requirements for each award.

Please Note: Even though refund checks will be available starting the second week of the semester, refund checks may be delayed or cancelled if you meet one or more of the following: your federal and/or state aid has not been finalized, you have not enrolled for sufficient credits, your Master Promissory Note (MPN) was filed late and/or your MPN or "Free Application for Federal Student Aid" (FAFSA) is delayed due to missing or incorrect information.