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Financial Aid News

Important Spring 2013 Financial Aid Information

1. FAFSAs and other financial aid information and requests received in January will be considered in date order after February 1st due to the volume of processing in January.
2. Check Financial Aid Information on STARS:
   • To see if information is needed to complete the review of your file.
   • To see your Financial Aid Award Letter.
   • To see if you need to sign a Master Promissory Note (http://www.studentloans.gov)
   • To see if you need to complete the Entrance Counseling (http://www.studentloans.gov)
   • To see current financial aid awards.  Actual awards may adjust nightly if your enrollment changes.
   • To cancel or reduce any of your loans.  Reductions requested after January 1^st may take up to 10-15 business days to process and may delay your loan disbursement.
3. Check B/R Account Detail on STARS for information from the Billing and Receivables Office:
   • To confirm when aid has been credited to your university account.  Aid may adjust nightly if you add or drop courses and your tuition and fees change.
   • To confirm when a refund disbursement has been initiated.  Allow 2 business days for direct deposit to personal account.
4. Important dates in January:
   • 2^nd – first day any Spring aid and Spring charges can display on B/R Account Detail.
   • 3^rd - Billings Office emails the first monthly bill for Spring.  Spring loan disbursements will not show as a credit on the January bill.
   • 4^th - per federal regulations, the earliest that any federal loan funds can be applied to your university account.  Please be aware that many loans must be manually reviewed which will delay that release.  The day after the release, you will see the credit applied on B/R Account Detail.
   • 10th - first day short-term loans are available through the WIU Scholarship Office - requests can be made by visiting the Scholarship Office at 308 Sherman Hall (http://www.wiu.edu/student_services/scholarship/shortTerm.php).
   • 11^th – first day for direct deposit of refunds from Billings if you have more aid than allowable costs.  You may sign an Authorization Statement with Billings to allow aid to go toward all costs.  A link to the Authorization Statement is available at www.wiu.edu/billing.
   • 15^th – first day any private alternative loans will display on B/R Account Detail.
5. Talent/Athletic awards are credited as soon as notification is received from the department. If your award is not credited, you may contact the awarding department.
6. Illinois National Guard and Illinois Veteran grants are credited as soon as the information is provided by ISAC.  If your award does not appear on your account, you may contact ISAC at 1-800-899-4722.
7. The WIU Foundation Office applies outside scholarships to the billing account as they are received.  If you have a check from an outside scholarship, take it to the WIU Foundation Office in Sherman Hall 303.
8. Wanting to work?  For employment information, go to www.wiu.edu/studentemployment.  All 2012-13 Federal Work-Study funds have been awarded.     
9. Repeating a course?  See information about the Financial Aid Policy for Repeated Courses at http://www.wiu.edu/student_services/financial_aid/policies/RepeatedCoursework.php .
10. Grades matter!  See information about the Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy at http://www.wiu.edu/student_services/financial_aid/policies/progress.php.