Office of Financial Aid

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently asked questions

General

Will I qualify for financial aid?

There is no simple formula to determine if you will be eligible for financial aid. If you have concerns about college costs and you are a United States citizen or permanent resident you should apply for financial aid to determine your eligibility. Remember that financial assistance is awarded for academic and artistic achievement as well as financial need.

When do I apply for aid and when will I be notified?

You cannot submit the FAFSA until January 1st. Most families apply during January, for optimal aid awarding. (Please note separate deadlines for the merit- and talent-based scholarships.) Students who have been accepted for admission and have submitted the FAFSA will receive their financial aid awards on a rolling basis starting in February. Your application is based on the previous year's income tax information.

How do I apply for aid as a foster youth or homeless minor?

If you were in a foster home or homeless as a minor, complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) without parental or guardian information (unless you are now a legally adopted dependent).  You will need to provide documentation of your status either from the applicable court system or from your high school or school district homeless liaison administrator.  Contact us (staablj@plu.edu) if you need assistance in navigating your way through this process.

What if the amount I receive falls short of the cost?

If the FAFSA analysis determines that the amount you and your family can contribute falls short of the cost to attend PLU, we will make every effort to help you cover the rest of your expenses with financial assistance. If the amount of financial assistance falls short of meeting your outstanding educational expenses, contact us for possible options to close that gap.

I received my award, now what?

You must validate your offer of financial aid by accepting, signing and returning your PLU award notice. This can be done by returning the award letter in the mail, or accepting your offer on-line. You must also submit a $200 Advance Tuition Payment and the Residential Life Information Form (mailed with the offer of admission) by May 1.

When do I receive my financial aid funds?

Financial aid is not disbursed (onto your PLU student account) until after the 10 day add/drop period has elapsed at the beginning of fall and spring semesters.  If you have accepted your award and completed all required additional paperwork, your scholarships, grants and loans will disburse onto your account on a semester-by-semester basis.  If the disbursed amount exceeds your university charges, you may request a refund of that credit balance by completing a Refund Request Form from the Student Services Center.

What can we do if our financial condition has changed since filing the FAFSA?

We understand that the 2008 incomes reported on the FAFSA may not be sustained into the 2009-10 academic year.  If your financial situation has deteriorated, you can let us know by completing the Special Circumstances Request Form.  We will make every attempt to take your changing financial situation into account. 

How do I (or my parents) access my PLU information?

Students accepted for admission are assigned a PLU ID# and a Personal Identification Number (PIN).  With these two numbers, you can access and accept your financial aid award, see your student account information, and register for classes.  Because of the Family Education Rights & Privacy Act (FERPA), parents of enrolled students do not have access to their student's information without their consent or the student's PLU ID AND their PIN.

Why Didn't My Financial Aid Disburse?

Fall semester financial aid will be disbursed onto your student account to pay your university charges, beginning Sept 22 (Feb 23 for spring semester).  Your aid will NOT disburse if:

  • You have not yet accepted your financial aid award (your awrad still sits at the "offered" status). 
  • You have been selected for verification and have yet to submit the Verification Worksheet and/or the applicable 2008 U.S. federal tax returns
  • You have need-based financial aid and your FAFSA estimated income information has not been updated with actual figures and the tax filing status from "will file" to "already completed".
  • You are a first time borrower of a Federal Stafford or Grad PLUS Loan and have not yet completed the application/promissory note with your lender and/or the required Entrance Interview.
  • You have a Federal Perkins or Nursing Loan and have not completed/signed the required on-line "paperwork".
  • You have ignored your PLU email account that included notifications of the above missing steps.
Check Banner Web to determine if any of the above conditions apply to you.
How Do I Apply for Summer Financial Aid?

Continuing PLU students wishing to receive financial aid for the summer term must complete a 2009-10 Summer Financial Aid Application in addition to the 2009-10 FAFSA. Summer aid is limited to the Federal Pell Grant and, if enrolled at least half time,  the Federal Stafford and PLUS Loans.  Please note that any loans borrowed for summer attendance will reduce the amount available for fall and spring semesters. Undergraduate students beginning their initial enrollment at PLU in the summer are not eligible for aid until the fall or spring semesters.  Entering Graduate students in cohort programs applying for financial aid will automatically be awarded summer aid if enrollment is half time or greater.   

Work Study

If I accept work study, am I obligated to work?

No, but remember that work study is part of your financial aid package to help meet your educational expenses (and in some cases, reduce the amount you might need to borrow in student loans).  In most cases, students use their monthly work study pay checks to pay for their on-going personal, miscellaneous or transportation expenses.

I declined my work study, but have now found a Job. Can I get it back?

If you still have work study eligibility, federal work study can generally be reinstated, even if you had previously declined the award.  Off campus state work study, assuming the employer is a contracted state work study employer, can also be reinstated, subject to availability of funds.

Can I receive financial aid to replace a declined work study award?

If you decline work study, it can be replaced with a scholarship that has been awarded to you by an outside organization or by increasing the Federal Stafford Loan (if you have not yet already borrowed your annual maximum).  Additionally, you could decline the work study award in order to increase your eligibility for a Federal Parent PLUS loan.

Why can't I use my work study award to reduce what I owe on the university bill?

Work study is only an opportunity to work.  Employment is not guaranteed, nor are the hours necessary to earn your full work study award.  You are welcomed to use your paychecks to pay on your account.  However, the university does not count work study toward your university bill because in order to have earnings to apply to your account, students must first find a position, apply for and be hired, put in the hours, and finally apply their paychecks against their account. 

How Do I Apply for Summer State Work Study?

To determine your eligibility for the summer full-time (40 hours/week) state work study program, you must complete the 2009-10 FAFSA.  Full time State Work Study is available only to students returning to PLU for the 2009-10 academic year with sufficient financial need.  Summer State Work Study may reduce your fall/spring aid eligibility because the program expects you to save 40% of your gross summer earnings as a resource for your fall/spring education expenses.  If interested, complete the Referral Agreement for SWSP with your employer and return it to the Financial Aid Office or the Student Services Center.

Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG)

How do I find out if I am eligible for the ACG?

The Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG) is available to recipients of the Federal Pell Grant who completed a rigorous high school curriculum (as defined by the U.S. Department of Education) who are enrolled in their first of second year of college.  If you fit this criteria and indicated on your FAFSA that you completed an International Baccalaureate degree program, earned college credits via an AP exam, or completed a curriculum that met the federal definition of "rigorous", PLU will review your final high school transcript to determine your eligibility for the ACG.  If you qualify, you will receive a revised aid award with this $750 first year grant, sometime after the start of fall semester. To receive the second year award, you must continue to be eligible for the Federal Pell Grant, have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better and successfully complete 30 (but no more than 59) cumulative credits.

Student & Parent Loans

How should I decide which lender to use?

Schools are prohibited from recommending a lender, so the choice of lender is strictly up to you.  All lenders are required to use the same terms and conditions when participating in the different federal loan program, so there is no cost advantage from one lender to another. Private loans, however, have different fees, different interest rates, interest rate caps, etc., so their costs will vary.  If you will be borrowing from more than one loan program, one consideration might be if your lender participates in all loan programs so you can make combined payments when repaying your loan.

If I decline my loan(s), can I get them back later?

If you decline the Federal Stafford Loans, it can be reinstated, as long as you let us know before the last day of the final semester in which you are enrolled during the academic year.  The Federal Perkins or Nursing Loans, however, are limited resources and are immediately re-awarded to another student when it is declined.   It is highly unlikely that it can be reinstated.

I will become a sophomore or junior after fall/jterm credits. How do I increase my Stafford loan to the higher annual loan limit?

Your Stafford loan application can only be processed at the class level commensurate with your current cumulative credits.  If your fall/jterm credits increase your class standing from freshman to sophomore or sophomore to junior, you are eligible to increase your loan to the higher annual loan limit associated with each class standing.  Contact the financial aid office to request this increase at finaid@plu.edu..

I was awarded only $4000 (or $5000) in the Federal Parent PLUS loan. Can't I borrow more?

The $4000 is the maximum amount a freshman or sophomore could borrow in additional unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loans, should their parents application for the Federal Parent PLUS be denied.  If parents are approved for the Federal Parent PLUS, the loan amount may be increased up to the gap between the student's accepted financial aid award and the student's cost of education.  (The $5,000 amount applies to juniors and seniors in the same situation).  If parents are denied the PLUS, the lender will notify PLU and we will automatically offer the additional unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loan to the student in a revised award letter.

How do I apply for the Federal Parent PLUS Loan or an alternative loan?

Go directly to your chosen lender's web site and apply for the alternative loan.  Your lender will notify PLU of your approved application.  We will then certify your application and add your loan to Banner web with a "CERT" (certified) status.  This process also applies to parents wishing to borrow the Federal Parent PLUS loan.

Do I apply for the Stafford/PLUS loan for a semester, the academic year or all four years?

Federal Stafford and PLUS loans are borrowed for no more than one academic year at a time.  Unless otherwise notified, PLU will process loan applications for all semesters the student expects to be enrolled during the academic year at least half time or more. 

Office of Financial Aid, Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma WA 98447