Receiving Your Aid(Disbursement)

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What is Disbursement?

Disbursement is the process of having your financial aid, scholarships or other awards pay for your NAU tuition and other university charges. If your funds are not successfully disbursed, you will be placed on the Tuition Payment Plan and charged with a $50 processing fee through the Office of the Bursar. Once payment of your fees has been made, your remaining award funds (if applicable) will be directly deposited into your checking or savings account. Under the 'New LOUIE' system, the disbursement process is referred to as 'Refunding' your extra financial aid.

Sign Up For Direct Deposit Sign up for Direct Deposit with the Office of the Bursar to receive your extra financial aid money as quickly as possible. For questions, please contact the Bursar's Office at (928) 523-3122 or bursar@nau.edu If you do not have Direct Deposit, your extra financial aid money will be mailed in the form of a check to your 'Refund' or 'Mailing' address, listed on LOUIE. Checks are not available for in-person pick up.

Preparing for Financial Aid Disbursement

You must be registered in a degree-seeking program for at least the number of credit hours indicated on your Award Notice and/or scholarship agreement. Audits do not count! You must complete Loan Entrance Counseling prior to disbursement of any Federal Direct and/or Alaska Student Loans if you are a first-time borrower at NAU (regardless of whether you have borrowed loans at other schools). If you are a first time loan borrower, you must sign an Electric Master Promissory Note (or EMPN). You can do this by going to www.dlenote.ed.gov. You must also complete entrance counseling online at www.dlssonline.com If you have already signed a Master Promissory Note, it will typically remain in effect for up to ten years. If you are unsure whether or not you've signed a MPN please contact our office.

Causes in Delay of Disbursement

Once you have prepared for disbursement as indicated above, you will want to ensure that you don't have any of the following circumstances which will delay or prevent disbursement: Satisfactory Academic Progress - You must meet Satisfactory Academic Standards. Academic Suspension - You are not eligible for financial aid if you are suspended for academic reasons. Holds - Prior financial debts of $100 and more will prevent disbursement. Most aid is awarded and disbursed by semester and cannot pay charges incurred in prior semesters. Residency Status Change - Some types of funding are allocated to students based on their residency status. A change in residency requires re-evaluation of eligibility for funds. Scholarship and Waiver Requirements Not Met - Most scholarships and waivers have very specific criteria for eligibility and renewal. Scholarships usually require full-time attendance and a minimum GPA regardless if you meet requirements for other financial aid. If you have a waiver, any additional tuition and university or class fees must be paid in full either out-of-pocket or from cash scholarships or other financial aid before your waiver can be applied to fees, to avoid the $50 late fee. Resources Not Yet Available - Some awards, such as a Parent PLUS Loan, may require processing time before funds are available to you. Make sure that you apply for such funds with time to allow processing or make other arrangements to pay your fees. Not Registered for Enough Hours - Students must be registered for all of the hours for which they are funded.  If you indicated on the FAFSA that you will be a full-time undergraduate student taking 12 hours but only register for 9 hours, aid will not disburse.  Students must either register for the full amount of hours for which they are funded or contact the Office of Student Financial Aid to have the financial aid hours reduced.                       Graduate Student Full time - 9 hours Part time - 5 hours Undergraduate Student Full tme - 12 hours Three quarter time - 9 hours Part time - 6 hours

Some Common Questions

What expenses are paid with my financial aid? Tuition, fees and insurance (if applicable): Pre-registered students receive a bill from the Office of the Bursar prior to the fee payment deadline showing the amount owed for registration and fees. On-Campus Housing: If you have financial aid in excess of tuition and university or class fees, this amount may be applied to existing on-campus housing charges. Financial aid will pay both housing payments for the semester, if the charges are on the system; if you live in 12-Month Housing, financial aid will pay for three months. For further information, contact the Residence Life Office at (928) 523-3978. Can I pay for my fees via the Web? Yes, by Visa, MasterCard, American Express or JCB. Visit the Office of the Bursar homepage at http://home.nau.edu/bursar/ddpm.asp for more information. When does disbursement take place? When can I expect to receive my remaining financial aid award funds? If you have selected a disbursement option and have met all the criteria, disbursement begins one week prior to the start of classes and is scheduled regularly thereafter (for specific disbursement dates, contact the NAU Office of the Bursar). Your funds will show in your account or you will receive a check via U.S. mail 3-10 days after disbursement. Can I receive financial aid from more than one school during a semester? NO! You may only receive financial aid from one institution at a time. If you wish to attend more than one school in one semester, you may be eligible to participate in a Consortium Agreement with that other school. What if I receive additional resources after my financial aid has disbursed? Your eligibility will be re-evaluated to ensure compliance with federal regulations. If you continue to be eligible for the amount you have already received, then your new resources will be disbursed to you. If your additional resource affects your existing awards, then we may need to make adjustments and you may owe money back. You are responsible for notifying the Office of Student Financial Aid of any outside resources paid directly to you.

Withdrawing from the University

Note: (You are not eligible to be funded if you do not attend) You must 'officially withdraw from NAU' if you do not plan to attend. Go to our "Withdrawing From the University" page more for details (printable version). If you are currently receiving student loans or have in the past, you must complete exit counseling and notify your lender(s) of your withdrawal. If you are receiving financial aid, you will not receive a refund of tuition/fees when you withdraw (see "Return of Title IV Funds" below). If you are pre-registered, signed up for Direct Deposit and decide not to attend, YOU MUST WITHDRAW TO STOP THE PROCESS! If you don't officially withdraw from the university for the semester, the following will occur: Your aid will automatically pay for your classes. You will receive a grade of "F" in all classes. This will appear on your transcripts and may result in academic and/or financial aid suspension. You will be in default at NAU and ineligible for federal/state aid at all institutions until 100% of the aid has been repaid to NAU and the Department of Education. Return of Title IV Funds after Withdrawing from the University Students receiving financial aid will not receive a refund of tuition/fees when they withdraw. The student's financial aid will be re-evaluated to determine the amount of aid the student has earned and how much needs to be returned to the federal programs. The refund of tuition/fees will be applied toward the financial aid programs (Direct Loan, Pell Grant, etc.) that paid for tuition and fees. This is true even if a student pays with credit card/cash/check and is reimbursed later with a financial aid disbursement. The amount of aid earned will be calculated on a per diem basis through the 60% point of the semester. Federal financial aid will be considered to be 100% earned after this point. Federal financial aid consists of Pell Grant, SEOG Grant, LEAP Grant, Federal Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans, Parent PLUS Loans and Perkins Loans. Federal Work Study is excluded from this calculation. A student's withdrawal date is considered to be the date the student began the withdrawal process or otherwise notified the university in writing of the intent to withdraw. If a student attends but leaves without notifying the institution, the withdrawal date may be considered to be the midpoint of the semester and the student may be responsible for paying back some financial aid. The university's policy on Refund of Fees is a separate calculation of the amount of unearned institutional charges. Any refund will first be applied to amounts that the student will owe the university and then to any loans the student received.

Your responsibilities following Disbursement

Once disbursement has taken place, you must complete the credit hours for which you are funded to continue eligibility for federal or state-funded financial aid, including the Federal Direct Student, Parent PLUS and Alaska State loans. Failure to maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) may result in financial aid probation and/or suspension. The Office of Student Financial Aid monitors both the number of credit hours you complete each semester and your total cumulative credit hours. Notification at the end of each semester is attempted, if a problem is detected; however, it is your responsibility to be aware of the Satisfactory Academic Progress Standards and to ensure compliance. It is imperative that you use the "NAU DANA student email" account to receive Office of Student Financial Aid notifications. Detailed information on the SAP policy and appeal process is available online or through the Office of Student Financial Aid. Satisfactory Academic Progress Standards for some waivers and/or scholarships vary; contact the NAU Scholarship Office or your tribal scholarship office for specific requirements. All students are responsible for maintaining minimum grade point averages. Additional information regarding those standards may be obtained by calling the Director of Academic Retention at (928) 523-4821.

If you have any further questions please contact us.