The Office of Financial Aid invites students with questions or concerns to visit the office during regular financial aid counseling hours Monday-Friday, noon – 3 p.m., in Perlstein Hall, Room 206. The office has a team of counselors who can ensure that all financial aid questions are addressed.
For reference, answers to some of the most frequently asked questions are below:
Q: Requested documents have been submitted. Why aren’t they showing up as “Needs Review” or “Satisfied” on the student account?
A: After a document is submitted, it has to be manually indexed to the individual student account by a staff member. This can be a time-consuming process when the Office of Financial Aid receives over 100 pages of documents daily. During this time of the year, it typically takes 2-4 business days for this process to be finalized.
Q: When will verification documents be reviewed?
A: Verification documents are reviewed in the order in which they are received. Before a student’s documents can be reviewed, all verification documents must be submitted. The office has about 800 verifications to complete, and they can be tedious. For this reason, the lead time on verification is about 10-15 business days. Be certain to check for email from a staff member who may need to reach out with individual questions. As a reminder, the Target Verification Deadline was August 1, 2014. Students whose documents were submitted after this date may not receive federal aid until after the add/drop period. Late fees may apply.
Q: As a graduate student, what can be done when the amount of loans in the financial aid package does not fully cover tuition and personal expenses.
A: Submit a Graduate Student Budget Adjustment Worksheet to the Office of Financial Aid. If the additional loan request is to cover personal expenses, be certain to submit documentation.
Q: Why is there a charge for health insurance if insurance is not needed?
A: A health insurance charge is applied to every student who has yet to waive their health insurance costs. With qualifying private insurance, waive the health insurance charge with the Student Health and Wellness Center by September 1, 2014.
Q: If a change in family finances makes it difficult to pay the tuition bill and personal expenses, what can be done?
A: The Office of Financial Aid is more than happy to work with families in challenging financial situations. Please submit a Special Circumstances Appeal Worksheet to be considered for additional need-based aid. Please note that processing an appeal takes 10-15 business days once all requested documentation is submitted.
For answers to more questions, visit the Office of Financial Aid in Perlstein Hall 206 or call 312.567.7219. Also find answers to more questions on Facebook.
Useful links
Graduate Student Budget Adjustment Worksheet
Student Health and Wellness Center
Special Circumstances Appeal Worksheet