Student Financial Aid and Tuition Exemptions

Early Awareness - Apply Now

To avoid lines and a delay in your financial aid award being processed it is recommended that you apply by May 1, 2013.

Interested in receiving financial aid for 2013-2014?

The 2013-2014 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is currently available. This application is effective for the Fall 2013, Spring 2014 and Summer 2014 semesters. Please apply online at www.fafsa.gov. You (and your parent – if applicable) must obtain a PIN to complete your FAFSA online. You must complete this process at www.pin.ed.gov.

The awarding process begins early March for new students and June for continuing students.

ALWAYS VIEW YOUR UNO EMAIL! The Office of Student Financial Aid will send communications regarding your Financial Aid Award, Verification, Scholarships, etc. to your UNO email account.   Please check your UNO email on a regular basis.

1. Summer 2013: Students will need to complete the 2012-2013 FAFSA to be considered for summer aid.  Summer aid is generally residual funding that students did not receive during the Fall and Spring semesters.  In order to be considered for Summer Financial Aid, you will need to complete a Summer Financial Aid Request Form.  This form will be available effective March 15, 2013.  You may access this form online at Access forms online >>  
   
   The 2013-2014 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is available for submission effective January 1, 2013. This application is effective for the Fall 2013, Spring 2013 and Summer 2013 semesters.
   
2. 2013-2014: The Federal Processing Center usually mails previous FAFSA applicants the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) “Renewal Applications” in November and December.   However, if a Renewal Application has not been received, it is recommended that students file their FAFSA beginning January 1, 2013, or once the 2012 Federal Tax Return has been filed.  The priority application date is May 1, 2013.
   
   APPLY EARLY! To avoid long lines and delays in your financial aid being processed it is recommended that you apply by May 1, 2013.

Financial Aid Credited to Your Account

If you have completed your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), submitted all required documents to the Financial Aid Office, and you have NOT received a Financial Aid Award Notification, then please report to the
Financial Aid Office during Centralized Fee Payment to speak to a Financial Aid Representative to see if you qualify for a Financial Aid Deferment. There are NO deferments offered for the summer semester.

Ifyou have been awarded and you have accepted your Financial Aid Award, then the Office of Student Financial Aid will automatically post your accepted award to Customer Account, which will appear on your Student Account Statement as "Anticipated Aid" funds.

Your Financial Aid Award may include Scholarships, Pell Grants, SEOG, and Taylor (Tuition) Opportunity Program for Students (TOPS), Perkins Loans, and Direct Loans for students who are eligible. You reserve the right to decline all or a portion of your financial aid award.

• If your award covers the full outstanding balance that you owe to the University, then the award will retain your class schedule.
• In the event your Financial Aid Award is less than the total amount owed to the University, you will need to complete a University Promissory Note with the Bursar's Office, and/or make the required payment in order for your class schedule to be held. Otherwise, your schedule will be purged and you will not be considered registered.
• If you do not respond to your financial aid award notification, your award(s) will remain as "OFFERED" and will not post to your student account. This will cause your class schedule to purge from the system or you will be required to satisfy the amount owed to the University by the appropriate fee payment deadline in order to complete your registration.
• If you need to see a Financial Aid Counselor, come in person to the Financial Aid Registration Station during the appropriate Fee Payment/Registration period before your deadline to pay fees for the semester.

 

IMPORTANT: If you decide NOT to attend and therefore do not want your classes locked-in, then you must OFFICIALLY resign from the University through WebSTAR. Failure to follow this procedure will result in grades of "F'" and/or "XF" for the semester, possible financial obligations to the University, and the loss of future financial aid.

ALTERNATIVE/PRIVATE LOANS: If you have an Alternative/Private Loan and your loan is received from your lender in the form of a "Paper Check", then you must endorsed the check before your funds are credited to your Student Account Statement.

• Please be aware that Private Loan Checks received from your lender must be endorsed by the student no later than 30 days after the checks are delivered to the University from the bank. All checks that are not endorsed within this timeframe will be returned to the bank and canceled.
• Prior to the fee payment deadline, the Bursar's Office will review a roster of eligible and approved Alternative/Private Loan recipients to determine if the student's class schedule could be held based on the loan funds. Please contact the Bursar's Office for instructions.

Students must be enrolled at least full-time for most Scholarships and State Aid Programs, and at least half-time for some Federal Aid Programs. Audit hours do not count toward financial aid eligibility, and funds cannot be released based on audit hours. In most cases, your financial aid award package is based on full-time enrollment (12 credit hours or more in the fall and spring; six credit hours or more in the summer). Therefore, enrollment less than full-time will require an adjustment to your financial aid cost of attendance. Subsequently, Pell Grants will be reduced and
an adjustment to other financial aid programs may also be required.

If your financial aid is reduced or canceled after the Student Account Statements are mailed, you are responsible for paying the total amount owed that your adjusted financial aid award does not cover. Failure to do so will result in
your class schedule being purged, and you will no longer be registered for the semester. You are strongly urged to monitor your account balance through WebSTAR.

General Information

Please visit the Office of Financial Aid website for the following topics:

1. Federal Pell Grants and  Federal
2. SEOGFederal Perkins Students Loans
3. Federal Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans, PLUS loans & Private Loans
4. Special Billings to Third Tuition Agencies
5. Louisiana State Teacher Tuition Exemption
6. Graduate Assistantships
7. National Guard Tuition Exemption
8. "Overaward" of Federal Financial Aid
9. Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)
10. Re-admit Returning Students
11. Resignations

Federal Pell Grants and Federal SEOG

If you have received a UNO   Financial Aid Award Notification confirming your Pell Grant and/or Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG), these funds should appear as a credit on your Account Statement. If your Fall, Spring, or Summer semester Account Statement does not reflect this credit by the appropriate fee payment   deadline, you must make the total amount owed in order to complete your registration. If you need to see a Financial Aid Counselor, come in person to the Financial Aid Registration Station during the appropriate Fee   Payment/Registration period, before your deadline to pay fees for the semester.

Note: Your class schedule will be purged if your minimum fee payment is not satisfied by the appropriate deadline. Please be sure to check your Student Account Statements prior to your fee payment deadline in order to ensure that the necessary credits appear on you student account. You are strongly urged to monitor your account balance through WebSTAR.

Federal Perkins Student Loans

If you have been awarded a Perkins Loan, you must complete Entrance Counselor and sign a Perkins Promissory Note - The Office of Accounting Services (Administration Building, Room 1006) will forward you additional information regarding this process. Your Perkins Loan cannot be credited to your Account Statement until you have signed your Perkins Promissory Note.

If your Account Statement does not reflect your Perkins Loan credit by the appropriate fee payment deadline, you must make the total amount owed in order to complete your registration. If you need to see a Financial Aid Counselor, come in person to the Financial Aid Registration Station (Financial Aid Office) during the appropriate Fee Payment/Registration period before your deadline to pay fees for the semester.  NOTE: Your class schedule will be purged if the total amount owed is not satisfied by the appropriate deadline. Please be sure to check your Account Statement prior to your fee payment deadline in order to ensure that the necessary credits appear on your student account. You are strongly urged to monitor your account balance through WebSTAR.

Federal Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans, PLUS Loans & Private Loans

 

Once your loan funds are posted to your account and your enrollment/enrolled hours have been confirmed, the Bursar's Office will release any excess funds to your bank account, or mail the excess funds to you if you have not authorized an electronic credit of funds to your bank.

Please be aware that Private Loan Checks received from your lender must be endorsed by the student no later than 30 days after the checks are delivered to the University from the bank. All checks that are not endorsed within this timeframe must be returned to the bank and canceled.

Prior to your financial aid being credited to your Account Statement, certain requirements must be met:

1. You must formally accept the award by logging in WebStar to review and Accept/Decline your award.
2. Upon logging in WebStar, you must select the appropriate academic school year to Accept or Decline your offered   Award. Note: The UNO Financial Aid Award is located on the main page of WebStar under   Finances>> Financial Aid.

   Resources

   • Satisfactory Academic Progress
   • Third Party Agencies
   • New Scholarships
3. You must be enrolled in an eligible degree- or certificate-seeking curriculum.
4. You must be enrolled at least half-time to be eligible for student loans: A minimum of six (6) credit hours   (Undergraduates) and five (5) credit hours (Graduates) during a Fall and/or   Spring semesters. During a Summer semester, three (3) credit hours is   considered half-time. Audit   hours do not count toward financial aid eligibility. Loan funds cannot be disbursed to your Student Account if you are enrolled below half-time. In most cases, your financial aid award package is based on full-time   enrollment (12 credit hours or more in the fall/spring; 6 credit hours or   more in the summer). Therefore, enrollment less than full-time may result in an adjustment of your financial aid award.
5. You must meet Satisfactory Academic Progress.
6. You must complete a Federal Direct   Master Promissory Note and Loan Counseling if you are a first time borrower.

Special Billings to Third Party Agencies (Click here for more information):

Institutional Scholarships

Please review the following links to learn about our Scholarships:

http://www.uno.edu/finaid/types/

http://www.uno.edu/admissions/aid_scholarship.aspx

Louisiana State Teacher Tuition Exemption

To participate in the Teacher Tuition Exemption program, the Bursar's Office must have an agreement on file with the parish school board where the teacher is employed. Additionally, each teacher will be required to complete a Receivable Form and submit it to the Third Party Billing Coordinator. For further information, contact the Third Party Billing Coordinator at (504) 280-6505.

Graduate Assistantships

Graduate assistantships provide a salary, tuition exemption, and a waiver of non-resident fees. Holders of an academic year (nine months) assistantship are eligible for the exemption of fees in the Summer Session, providing the assistantship was held for both the Fall and Spring semesters of the same academic year. Graduate assistants who resign or who are terminated from the University will be accountable for all tuition and fees for that semester.

National Guard Tuition Exemption

Full-time and part-time students who are members of the Louisiana National Guard are required to come IN PERSON in order to have their eligibility verified by a Financial Aid Representative. However, it is recommended that students first check with their STEP Coordinator to confirm their names are on the National Guard eligibility roster. This can be done in the Office of Student Financial Aid prior to the Fee Payment/Registration period once final grades are posted for the current semester, OR at the Financial Aid Registration Station during the appropriate Fee Payment/Registration period, before your deadline to pay fees. The National Guard tuition exemption will NOT be credited to the student's Account Statement if this procedure is not followed and may result in your class schedule being purged.

National Guard tuition exemption eligibility must be confirmed each semester. Recipients must maintain a cumulative 2.0 or higher grade point average (GPA) in order to retain eligibility on all coursework accepted by the University.

Cost of Attendance and "Overaward" of Federal Financial Aid

Each financial aid recipient is assigned a Cost of Attendance (COA) prior to the packaging of awards. The basic components to the COA are: Tuition/Fees, Room/Board, Books, Travel and Personal/Miscellaneous fees. According to Federal and UL System regulations, The Office of Student Financial Aid cannot exceed a student's Cost of Attendance when packaging awards. Initially students are awarded their maximum eligibility in Pell, SEOG, College Work-Study, Perkins and Direct Subsidized Loans for the academic year or given semester. Any scholarship, tuition waiver, fee exemption, stipend, or other type of award that is processed after the initial financial aid award is packaged may create an "Overaward". If an overaward occurs, the student's financial aid award(s) will be reduced (Scholarships, SEOG, Perkins, Direct Subsidized Loans, Direct Unsubsidized Loans, and/or Plus Loans, etc.). In the event that all funds have been disbursed, the student will be required to repay the "Overaward" portion upon notification of the "Overaward" status.