Viewing and Accepting Your Aid Offer
This page contains sections explaining how to view and understand your award offer, including the necessary next steps in confirming and receiving your awards and understanding the terms and conditions that apply to the awards. The sections are:
Viewing Your Award Using Self Service
Step 1: Log in to Self Service
Log in to SSU Online Services using your Seawolf User ID and password. For instructions on setting up your access or retrieving a forgotten password, please visit our section How Do I Start Using Applicant Self-Service? on our Using Applicant Self Service and Seawolf Email web page.
If you have been notified of an award offer for an aid year, and this is your first time viewing your financial aid information, you should review your award and eligibility information through the View Financial Aid link as opposed to the Accept/Decline Awards link.
Newly Admitted Students
If your page is not titled “Student Center,” click on the following links in your menu: Self Service, then Campus Finances, and finally View Financial Aid.
Other Students
From your Student Center, click the View Financial Aid link in the Finances section.
While you are in Self Service, the Cancel button at the bottom of each page causes you to exit Self Service and return to your Student Center or menu. To stay within Self Service, use the links that appear on each page instead of the Cancel button.
Step 2: Navigate to Your Award Summary Page
Select the appropriate Aid Year to view your awards on the Select Aid Year to View page. After you click the link for the appropriate aid year you will be directed to the Award Summary page in Self Service.
The Aid Year section at the top of the page shows your academic year award amounts.
The Terms section in the middle of the Award Summary page shows your awards broken down by Terms.
Each section also contains links that provide you with additional information. These links are explained next.
- Eligibility Summary link
- The Eligibility Summary link takes you to the Eligibility Summary page that contains information you will use to confirm certain assumptions we made when we constructed your award offer. The use of the Eligibility Summary link is described in further detail in the Using Your Eligibility to Check Assumptions section of this page.
- Accept/Decline Awards link
- The Accept/Decline Awards link takes you to the Award Package page in Self Service where you are required to visit and accept/decline your student loans. More details about the Accept/Decline Awards link are provided in the Accepting/Declining Your Direct Loan Offer section of this page.
- View Scheduled Disbursement Dates link
- The View Scheduled Disbursement Dates link displays loan fee and scheduled disbursement date information. The scheduled disbursement date listed will be the earliest date scheduled for the term. Your actual disbursement date may be later than the earliest date. Processing of financial aid disbursements and production and mailing of financial aid refund checks take time—at the earliest, students generally receive their refund checks near the first day of school each semester.
- More on offered and accepted link
- If an award has an amount under the Offered column, but no amount under the Accepted column, click on the More on offered and accepted link near the bottom of the Terms section of the Award Summary page. This link will open a web page in a new browser window containing a table that explains whether you need to take action on the award or just wait for further processing to occur.
- Loan Details link
- The Loan Details link provides additional information on the processing status of your Direct Loan awards. This link first appears when we submit your loan request to the Direct Loan processor (beginning in July for the Fall semester.)
- View Declined Awards and/or View Canceled Awards links
- The View Declined Awards and/or View Canceled Awards links list declined or canceled awards. These links only appear after we have processed a request to decline an award, we have canceled an award, or you have chosen to decline a Direct Loan through Self Service as explained in the Accepting/Declining Your Direct Loan Offer section of this page.
Accepting/Declining Your Direct Loan Offer
If you are interested in receiving a Direct Loan (subsidized or unsubsidized), you MUST accept it using the Accept/Decline Awards link in Self Service. Direct Loans are awarded as offered only and will not be processed, and funds made available, unless they have been accepted by you. You will use the same link to decline the Direct Loan offer if you do not want the loan(s).
The Accept/Decline Awards link appears in the middle and bottom of the Award Summary page.
The Accept/Decline Awards link takes you to the Award Package page, which allows you to accept or decline Direct Loans.
From the Award Package page, check the corresponding box on the right of the fund to accept or decline your loan(s). You may also use the “accept all” and “decline all” buttons on the bottom of the page. If you make a mistake, you may uncheck the appropriate box or use the “clear all” button. If the offered amount of the loan is more than you wish to accept, you may request a reduction once you have accepted the loan by submitting a Change Notification Form (CNF) to our office.
Use the “update totals” button if you want to recalculate the amount(s) of your accepted awards before submitting your request.
Once you have made your selection to accept or decline loans, click on the “submit” button to have your request processed. Your request will be completed at the start of the next business day. Check back later to confirm the loan portion of your award is as you expect.
The Previous Transactions link will be displayed on the Award Package page approximately two business days after you submit your first request to accept or decline a loan, indicating the request has been processed by our office. The link will display a date history of prior transactions.
If you decline your Direct Loan(s) and later decide you want them reinstated, you will no longer have the ability to accept them through Self Service. You will need to download a Supplemental Loan Request form at the Other Items page of our web site, and then submit it to our office.
Please Note: Once a disbursement of a Direct Loan has been made, you will not be allowed to decline the loan using Self Service. You will need to return the loan funds to Customer Services in order to cancel the loan.
If your award also includes a Direct PLUS (Parent) Loan (PLUS), and your parents do not want the loan, you may also use this page to decline the loan. However, the Accept/Decline Awards page cannot be used to accept the PLUS loan. To accept the PLUS loan, your parent must submit the PLUS loan application, downloadable from our web site at our PLUS Loan Application page, and then submit the application to our office.
Using Your Eligibility Summary to Check Assumptions
Your award offer was affected by certain assumptions we made when we constructed it. You must review these assumptions by viewing the information available under the Eligibility Summary link at the Award Summary page in Self Service before proceeding.
Your Eligibility Summary lists your Estimated Financial Aid Budget, your calculated Expected Family Contribution, your Estimated Need, your Total Aid, and your calculated Remaining Need. These terms and calculations are explained in the Explanation of Terms in Your Eligibility Summary sub-section below.
Using the information in your Eligibility Summary, you must review important assumptions that we made when we constructed your financial aid award offer. These assumptions are:
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Your housing plans while attending SSU
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Your residency status for fee purposes
To view your Eligibility Summary, click either of the two links on the Award Summary page. One link appears in the Aid Year section and the other link appears near the bottom of the Award Summary page.
Your Housing Plans While Attending SSU
The Estimated Financial Aid Budget listed in your Eligibility Summary is based on the housing plans you reported when you filed the FAFSA application. If your plans have changed, you must notify us using the Change Notification Form downloadable from our web site.
Clicking on the dollar amount of the Estimated Financial Aid Budget takes you to the Estimated Financial Aid Budget page that contains the Estimated Financial Aid Budget Breakdown, which shows each component of the budget. You can tell whether your current award offer is based on the assumption that you will live Off Campus, On Campus, or With Parents by referring to appropriate academic year table below.
2009-2010 Housing Assumptions
| If your Room and Board amount is: | We assume you will live: |
|---|---|
| $5,985 | Off Campus |
| $5,165 | On Campus (Fall 2008) |
| $5,253 | On Campus (Spring 2009) |
| $2,169 | With Parents |
Your Residency Status for Fee Purposes
Check your California Residency for fee purposes. Please note this section does not apply to Extended Education students.
You can tell whether or not your award offer is based on the cost of fees for a California resident by reviewing the dollar amount listed for Fees in your Estimated Financial Aid Budget Breakdown. If you believe you are a California resident for fee purposes but your Fees amount per semester doesn't match the table below, please contact the Financial Aid Office.
California Resident Fee Assumptions
| Resident Student Academic Classification | California Resident Fees Per Semester |
|---|---|
| Undergraduate | $2,309 |
| First teacher Credential | $2,579 |
| Post-baccalaureate | $2,699 |
Explanation of Terms in Your Financial Aid Summary
Estimated Financial Aid Budget
The Estimated Financial Aid Budget, also referred to as the student budget or Cost of Attendance (COA) is a standard estimated total of your expenses while attending school. Except for registration fees and the books & supplies allowance, the budget components vary according to whether you will be living off campus, on campus, or with parents while attending school. Your COA is based on our estimate of typical expenses students encounter during the academic year. The estimated COA is the basis for your overall financial aid award package. Some students are eligible for enough funds from different financial aid programs (including loan programs) to equal their estimated COA. Other students are eligible for less and might find that there is a significant gap between the estimated COA and the total of the awards listed in their award offer.
Expected Family Contribution
Your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) was calculated by the FAFSA processor according to a formula established by your representatives in the federal House and Senate. If your parents were required to provide their financial information on your FAFSA, then their income and assets were considered in calculating your EFC. If not, then only your income and assets (and those of your spouse, if applicable) were considered in calculating your EFC. Your EFC is not the amount you will pay to the University to attend school. Instead, your EFC represents an index of your financial strength and your ability to contribute to your own educational expenses from your income or assets (and those of your spouse or parents, if applicable) or by borrowing through student and parent loan programs.
Estimated Need
The numerical difference between your Estimated Financial Aid Budget and your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) is called your Estimated Need. We used your EFC and your Estimated Need to determine your eligibility for certain need-based federal and state financial aid programs.
Total Aid
The sum of the offered amounts of your financial aid awards is your Total Aid.
Remaining Need
The numerical difference between your Estimated Need and your Total Aid is your Remaining Need. Contact the Financial Aid Office if you wish to learn about student or parent loan programs that you might have previously declined, or to find out if you may be able to meet some or all of your Remaining Need through a private, alternative educational loan program.
Necessary Next Steps to Confirm and Receive Awards
Check Your Student Aid Report
Carefully read and review your Student Aid Report (SAR) at www.fafsa.ed.gov under FAFSA Follow-Up. If you filed a paper FAFSA, a paper SAR may have been sent to you by the federal processor. Follow all instructions given to you in the messages on your SAR. If any information (especially income, taxes paid, household size, and number in college) is missing or incorrect, make the corrections immediately. Such corrections may result in changes to your award offer.
Follow Up Promptly on Any Requests for Additional Documentation
Respond promptly to any requests we make for additional documentation. If any documents are required, you will receive a To Do List Notification email. Review the required items in your To Do List carefully and follow all instructions. Documentation requirements may change after further review of your application information. Watch for additional requests and respond promptly to them. If you do not submit requested documentation by the deadline stated in the request, we will cancel your award offer. Further review of documentation may result in changes to your award offer. If changes are made, we will send you a modified award offer email notification.
Report Any Additional Financial Resources Not Listed in Your Award Offer
You must notify our office of any resource you will receive that is not currently listed in your award offer as viewed through Self Service.
Resources are any source of funding given to you or to the University on your behalf from any agency or organization, including scholarships, veteran’s educational benefits, and fee waivers. To notify us, use the Change Notification Form downloadable from our web site.
Enrollment Conditions and Disbursement Requirements
Your financial aid awards have enrollment conditions that you must understand. Many awards have additional disbursement requirements that must be fulfilled. Carefully review the following section of this Help Book and check the list of financial aid awards in your Award Summary in Self Service.
Enrollment Conditions
You must enroll in and attend classes in order to receive and maintain eligibility for your financial aid awards. Thoroughly review the information in the Enrollment section of the Help Book to understand how changes in enrollment may affect the amount you receive from some awards, what will happen if you fail to begin attendance in classes, what will happen if your drop or withdraw from some of your courses, and what will happen if you withdraw from the University.
Additional Disbursement Requirements
Many awards have additional disbursement requirements that are explained in the Disbursement Requirements section of the Help Book. Thoroughly review this information.
Declining/Reducing Offers of Perkins Loan or Federal Work Study
To decline or reduce an offer of Perkins Loan or Federal Work Study (FWS), you must use the Change Notification Form available at the Downloadables section of our web site.
If you decline or reduce your FWS award, you might be eligible for an increase in your student and/or parent loan eligibility. If you would like us to re-evaluate your loan eligibility, check the appropriate box on the Change Notification Form.
Declining or Reducing a Loan That Has Disbursed to You
If you receive a disbursement of Direct Loan or Perkins Loan funds that you wish to cancel or reduce, you have 30 days from the date of disbursement to return the funds to Customer Services, located on the first floor of Salazar Hall. If the disbursement paid charges on your student account, then you will have to pay those charges out-of-pocket if you choose not to make use of the loan funds.
Declining Your Entire Award Offer
If you will not attend SSU, please complete the "Enrollment Change" section of the Change Notification Form and return it to our office.
If you are declining your entire award offer because it consists only of student/parent loans and you do not wish to accept the loans, you must decline it through Self Service using the Accept/Decline Awards link. Instructions for declining the loans are provided in the Accepting/Declining Your Direct Loan Offer section on this web page.