Useful Information For New Students 2022-2023

ELECTRONIC STUDENT BILLING STATEMENTS

The Business Office sends monthly electronic billing statements to students at their PLU email during the first week of each month. If you, the student would like this e-Bill also sent to another person(s) you may designate up to 3 additional recipients to receive it.
Follow the directions below.

To add up to 3 alternative emails (not including your PLU email):

• Go to banweb.plu.edu
• Click on Banner Self Service
• User Login with your PLU ID and ePass
• Choose Personal Information
• Choose Update E-Mail Addresses
• Carefully read the directions for student e-billing
• To designate an email address other than your PLU email address:

a. Select E-Billing Alternate Student Email Address and/or designate additional recipients
b. Select E-Billing -Additional Recipient’s Email Address from the Type of E-mail to insert dropdown box under the current email address listed.
c. Choose Submit
d. Enter the email address and Submit. You may select the E-Billing –Additional Recipient’s Email Address option, up to 3 times for additional recipients.

TUITION AND FEES DUE DATES AND FINANCIAL HOLDS

Please note that a financial hold will be placed on a student’s account after the due date for Fall (August 25) J-term (December 25) and Spring (January 25) if the account still has an owing balance after deducting their financial aid (if applicable). This hold prevents basic university privileges, such as, but not limited to: the right to register, add/drop classes, pass/fail, cash checks, or receive a diploma. Tuition is due on the following dates unless you are making monthly payments via our partner Nelnet Campus Commerce. PLU strictly adheres to payment dates for all students.

Payments (see below) not received by the due dates will jeopardize the student’s continued enrollment for that semester. A Financial Hold will be placed on the account. Past due balances are subject to a 1.5 percent monthly interest charge or a minimum of $2.00.

Summer tuition and fees  –   due  –  1st day of Summer Term, Session One.
Fall tuition and fees  –  due  –  August 25
J-Term fees  –  due  –   December 25
Spring tuition and fees  –   due  –   January 25

Any charges incurred after the due date for each term/semester are due immediately. Students should check their accounts often to make sure they remain current with any owing balance.

REFUNDS

If your financial aid (not including work study) exceeds your costs and you want a refund go to:

https://www.plu.edu/testing/refunds/

WITHDRAWAL FROM THE UNIVERSITY (ALL CLASSES)

Students are entitled to withdraw honorably from the University if their record is satisfactory and all financial obligations are satisfied. Students must complete and sign the Notification of Student Withdrawal form in the Student Financial Services. Partial tuition refunds may be available depending on when the student withdraws. Refer to the Tuition, Charges, and Fees section of the catalog for more information. Grades of W will appear on the student’s transcript for the term.

MEDICAL WITHDRAWAL

Students may also petition to withdraw completely from the University for a term for medical reasons. The student must complete a Medical Withdrawal Petition, provide written evidence from a physician and a personal explanation to the dean of students. This must be completed in a timely manner and in no case later than the last day of a class in any given term. If granted, the grade of WM will appear on the student’s transcript. Physician clearance is required prior to re-enrollment. For more information contact the Dean of Students.
Questions contact: 253-535-7159
srr@plu.edu

HEALTH CENTER

The PLU Health Center is a crucial part of maintaining a healthy campus. The Health Center offers primary healthcare services to all PLU students. We provide high-quality, confidential medical care right here on campus. There is never a charge for an office visit for any reason, but you still need to bring in your Insurance card/policy number in case you need a referral outside of the Health Center. Please Note: The PLU Health Center will assess a fine for students who no-show for appointments or cancel a scheduled appointment less than 24 hours in advance. Students receive a warning for their first infraction for each academic year, and are charged $30 for each subsequent infraction.
Questions contact: 253-535-7337
https://www.plu.edu/health-center/

VETERAN’S ASSISTANCE

Student Financial Services has a Veteran’s Certifying Official available for educational assistance and financial planning.
Questions contact: 253-535-8317
Email: henkelnd@plu.edu

STUDENT EMPLOYMENT

Finding a job during college can be a daunting process, especially for new students. The Student Employment Office works with current students to assist them in their employment endeavors– whether through work-study or on-campus employment. Have a question about work study or finding a job? You’ve come to the right place!
Questions contact: 253-535-8786 or to browse current jobs, please visit our website at:
https://www.plu.edu/studentemployment/

ACADEMIC ASSISTANCE CENTER

At the AAC, you’ll find free academic support services that can help you become a more effective, independent learner. Meet with a tutor, join a foreign language conversation group, work on study strategies, attend a group review session for one of your courses, or just stop by for free flashcards. Please stop by our office on the first floor of the library!
Questions contact: 253-535-7518
https://www.plu.edu/aac/

DISABILITY SUPPORT SERVICES

Students with disabilities have access to, participate in, and receive the benefit of any program or activity operated by PLU. PLU has zero tolerance for discrimination on the basis of race, color, creed, national origin, sex or disability. Reasonable accommodations will be provided at no cost to the student on a case-by-case basis as recommended in the student’s documentation of a disability and as determined by the DSS coordinator.
Questions contact: 253-535-7206 TDD: 253-535-8242
https://www.plu.edu/dss/

OVERVIEW AND REGULATIONS

For the purpose of receiving financial aid, satisfactory academic progress is monitored using the following three factors: maximum timeframe, pace of completion, and grade point average (GPA).

MAXIMUM TIME FRAME
Federal and Institutional Aid Policy
Undergraduate students at PLU may receive financial aid for no longer than 150% of the published length of the academic program. Since a PLU bachelor’s degree requires 128 credits, financial aid cannot be awarded to any student beyond 192 credits.
128 (credits required to graduate) x 150% = 192
A student is ineligible for financial aid once it becomes mathematically impossible to complete the program within 150% of its published length. In other words, a student’s financial aid eligibility terminates immediately as soon as it is deemed impossible for the student to graduate within the maximum timeframe of 150%, which could occur well before having 192 credits.

State Aid Policy
Eligibility for Washington State financial aid funding is program specific as follows:

Washington College Grant:  Ten semesters of as full time students, regardless of the aggregate number of credits completed, or until a bachelor’s degree has been conferred.
The Washington Bound Scholarship and the Washington Opportunity Scholarship:  Eight semesters as full time students, regardless of the aggregate number of credits completed, or until a bachelor’s degree has been conferred.

Washington State Work Study:  Employment in the SWS program is available to undergraduate and graduate students enrolled at least half-time.  Full time employment is also available during periods of non-enrollment IF the student will continuing their enrollment in the term following their full time employment.

PACE OF COMPLETION
Federal and Institutional Aid Policy
Students receiving financial aid are expected to successfully complete at least 67% of the credits they attempt on a cumulative basis. For example, if a student’s cumulative attempted credits are 45, the student must have successfully completed at least 30 of those credits. For the purpose of this measurement, all of the following apply:

a) Successful completion is defined as a grade of D- or higher, or a grade of P for courses that are pass/fail.
b) All other grades – including incomplete grades – are counted in the attempted credits total, but not in the completed credits total. If an incomplete grade is later converted to a grade that is considered to be a successfully complete grade, pace of completion will be recalculated.
c) Students who drop courses but remain enrolled at the university will not have those dropped courses counted in the attempted credits total provided the courses are dropped prior to the 10th day of class for the term. Courses
dropped after the 10th day of class for the term will be counted in the attempted credits total.
d) Repeated courses are counted as attempted credits during all attempts.
e) Modular courses that are dropped prior to their start date do not count as attempted credits.
NOTE: Modular courses are courses that do not span the length of the entire term. For the combined J/Spring term, students enrolled in both the J term and Spring term are considered to be enrolled in modular courses for that period of enrollment. Many summer courses are also considered to be modular.
f) All transfer credits accepted by the Office of the Registrar count as both attempted and completed credits.

State Aid Policy
To retain Washington State College Grant, College Bound, WA Opportunity Scholarship, and State Work study eligibility, awardees must earn the required number of hours based on the number of credits for which they registered at the time the State College Grant is disbursed, as outlined below.

Students may receive the WA College Grant, College Bound, WA Opportunity Scholarship funds and continue their employment in the State Work Study program during the one semester Warning Status period. Failure to satisfactorily complete 100% of the Credits Required (listed above) during the warning semester will result in denial of further eligibility for WA College Grant, College Bound, and WA Opportunity Scholarship funds. Furthermore, earnings under the State Work Study program will no longer be eligible for employer reimbursement (which may result in the student’s employment being terminated).
Students whose eligibility in the WA College Grant, College Bound, WA Opportunity Scholarship, and State Work Study programs has been terminated for failure to meet the progress requirements must satisfactorily complete the Credits Required (listed above) in a subsequent semester of enrollment without state financial aid funding to re-establish eligibility.

GRADE POINT AVERAGE (GPA)
All undergraduate students enrolled at PLU are expected to maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0.

FINANCIAL AID SUSPENSION
If a student fails to make SAP for a second consecutive semester while on warning, the student’s financial aid will be suspended at that point. A notice will be sent to the student explaining how to restore financial aid eligibility and/or submit an appeal of the suspension.

OTHER ELIGIBILITY CONSIDERATIONS

128 Credit Limit
A bachelor’s degree at PLU requires 128 credits. Once students have completed 128 credits and have met the graduation requirements for their declared major, all federal grant aid will be terminated. Termination of federal grant aid will occur even if students did not apply for graduation, or wishes to continue their enrollment beyond 128 credits in order to earn a second major, add a minor, or earn educational endorsements.

Twelve Semester Limit (or its equivalent)
The following financial aid programs have a limitation of twelve semesters of full time enrollment:

• Federal Pell Grant: Includes any grant amounts received under the grant’s previous name, the Basic Education Opportunity Grant (BEOG). Additional semesters are available if the grant amount received was for a term of part-time enrollment.

Ten Semester Limit (or its equivalent)

• Washington College Grant and Washington Opportunity Scholarship: This program has a limit of ten semesters of full-time enrollment. Additional semesters are available if the grant amount received was for a term of part-time enrollment.

Eight Semester Limit (or its equivalent)
Students who enter PLU as new first year students (less than 30 earned credits) are eligible to receive up to eight semesters of PLU funded scholarships and grants. Nine full semesters of PLU funded scholarships and grants are available if student is admitted into the Nursing or Music Education programs. First year students who enter PLU with 30 or more credits due to Running Start or a College in high school program are eligible for eight semesters of PLU gift aid. No PLU gift aid is available after this eight or ninth semester respectively, but you may appeal for an additional semester if you used a semester of aid but have to withdraw due to a medical or family emergency.

Students eligible for the Washington College Bound Scholarship are limited to eight semesters of funding. Additionally, eligibility for the College Bound award terminates five years after the student graduates from high school, even if the student has not yet received eight semesters of the scholarship.

Six Semester Limit (or its equivalent)
Transfer students (those who have earned credits at a community college or four year university AFTER graduating from high school) who enter PLU as a sophomore (30 – 59 earned credits), junior or senior (60+ earned credits) are eligible to receive PLU funded scholarships and grants for a maximum of six semesters. No PLU gift aid is available after this sixth semester, but you may appeal for a seventh semester if you use a semester of aid but have to withdraw due to a medical or family emergency.

UNDOCUMENTED STUDENTS

Undocumented students attending PLU are considered for the university’s academic and artistic achievement scholarships in the same manner as domestic students. Academic awards are made on the basis of a student’s record of academic achievement in high school or college and artistic achievement scholarships are awarded on the basis of an in-person or video audition or by submitting a portfolio of their work. For a full description of these scholarships go to our First-year and Transfer scholarships page. Information about the artistic achievement scholarships can be found on the College of Professional Studies website.

Washington Student Achievement Council: Undocumented students who are also Washington residents may also be eligible for financial aid funding through the state of Washington, including the WA College Grant, the Washington State College Bound Scholarship, and the Washington State Work Study program. Application for these programs are made through the Washington Application for State Financial Aid (WASFA) at https://wsac.wa.gov/wasfa.

U.S. Department of Education:  Current federal law limits federal student aid funding to U.S. citizens or persons in the U.S. with permanent resident status. Although undocumented students are currently ineligible for federal student aid, the U.S. Department of Education has provided a Resource Guide: Supporting Undocumented Youth, which includes an extensive list of Scholarships Available to Undocumented Students. After students have been admitted to the university, the PLU Office of Student Financial Resources will generate a financial aid award letter that outlines the types and amount of assistance being offered as well as the university cost for tuition and on-campus living. For the 2022-23 academic year, financial aid awards were distributed beginning December 17, 2021.