Administrative Announcements June 27 - July 1, 2016

Office of Financial Aid

Health Insurance Waiver Information

Temporary Office Relocation

International Students

Financial Aid Award Notice

Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan

Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan

Fall 2016 Tuition Payment

Excess Financial Aid & Refund Process for Living Expenses

Disbursement Dates

HEALTH INSURANCE WAIVER INFORMATION

Continuing students can now apply for the health insurance waiver at: https://studentcenter.uhcsr.com/usfca

You must apply for the waiver no later than September 1, 2016. Please note that you will be billed automatically for health insurance for the fall semester unless you apply for the waiver. Fall billing information will be emailed to you from the USF One Stop Student Accounts Office, in early July AFTER your register for fall classes. Registration information is available online at: https://myusf.usfca.edu/law/registration/registration-dates-and-procedures

TEMPORARY OFFICE RELOCATION

Please note the Law Financial Aid Office and Law Admissions Office will be temporarily relocation to Kendrick 212 (second floor) from June 24 through July 4 due to office renovations. Although we will have limited staffing during this time, we will be available in person and we will respond to any email and phone inquiries, but our response may be slightly delayed . Please note that we will return to our regular location on July 5.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

International students who are not U.S. citizens or U.S. Permanent Residents are not eligible for financial aid available through the U.S. Federal government.

International students who do not have U.S. bank account can utilize a payment program called Peer Transfer to submit tuition payments from their home country. More information is available on the USF One Stop web site: https://myusf.usfca.edu/onestop/billing-tuition/international-bank-wire-transfers

FINANCIAL AID AWARD NOTICE

If you are a U.S. citizen or a U.S. Permanent Resident and have submitted a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and listed USF on your FAFSA (our Title IV code is 001325), you should have received a Financial Aid Award letter in early April.

If you completed the FAFSA but have not yet received an award letter, please contact Rosanna Woods via email at rlwoods@usfca.edu or call 415.422.6210.

Please be aware that law students can complete a FAFSA at any time during the Fall 2016/Spring 2017 academic year through April 1, 2017; however, late FAFSA application processing will affect your ability to use financial aid to pay your Fall 2016 semester tuition bill. Students should be prepared to utilize their own personal funds to make the August 1 fall tuition payment deadline if they are late in applying for and receiving financial aid.

FEDERAL DIRECT UNSUBSIDIZED LOAN

If you have already been awarded the Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan, you are REQUIRED to "accept" this aid in order to receive these funds for the upcoming year. You must "accept" this aid online via your myUSF student portal. Information on viewing and accepting your aid online via myUSF student portal can be found at:

https://www.usfca.edu/law/admissions/tuition-aid/jd/deadlines-documents

Scroll to the bottom of this page and click on Accepting Your Financial Aid 2016-2017.

The University must notify the Department of Education of your intention to use the Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan funds. This notification process, called "Loan Origination," occurs only AFTER you have accepted this aid. The main campus University Financial Aid Office will begin the Loan Origination process for all continuing USF students in late June.

This process will continue throughout the summer for those awarded financial aid later in the summer. The priority deadline to "accept" the Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan was May 1, however, continuing students can still accept this aid AFTER this date. If your intention is to utilize this aid to help pay your fall semester tuition bill (which is due on August 1), it is recommended that you accept this aid as soon as you receive your financial aid award notice to insure timely processing.

FEDERAL DIRECT GRADUATE PLUS LOAN

The Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan will allow eligible graduate and professional students to borrow up to the maximum annual cost of attendance, less any other aid you have been awarded and accepted. To be eligible to borrow from Graduate PLUS, graduate and professional students are required to file the FAFSA, be awarded and accept the full amount of the William D. Ford Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan program.

The maximum PLUS Loan amount that you can borrow is the total cost of your attendance less any other aid you have been awarded and accepted. See the following web site for an example: https://www.usfca.edu/law/admissions/tuition-aid/jd/frequently-asked-questions

Your financial aid award letter listed your maximum PLUS Loan amount that you are eligible to apply for the upcoming academic year. This is a credit based loan and you must complete an online PLUS application at www.studentloans.gov and be credit approved by the Department of Education before being awarded this loan. Upon completion of the online application, you will receive notification of credit approval online within a few minutes. If you are not approved, additional information will be sent to you regarding alternative options to seek credit approval, including appealing the decision or applying with an Endorser (co-signer).

IMPORTANT: The main campus University Financial Aid Office will begin downloading PLUS Loan credit approvals in late June.

Once your PLUS Loan credit approval is received, your USF financial aid record will show the PLUS Loan award information as" offered" and "accepted" when viewing the information online via your myUSF student portal.

Instructions for applying online can be found at: https://www.usfca.edu/law/admissions/tuition-aid/jd/deadlines-documents

Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on Completing a Direct PLUS Loan Request Online

You can apply for a PLUS Loan at any time throughout the academic year through April 1, 2017 as long as you have completed a FAFSA by April 1, 2017 and have been awarded and accepted the full Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan.

NEW LOAN BORROWERS ONLY – If you did not receive any federal loans during the last academic year, 2015-16, and you are doing so for the first time at USF School of Law this upcoming 2016-17 academic year, you must review the following information.

If you have been offered or approved for any Federal Direct Loans, you must complete the following disbursement requirements online to insure that the aid is credited towards your August 1 fall semester tuition bill and disbursed to the University.

1. Upon acceptance of the Unsubsidized Loan and approval of a PLUS Loan, new loan borrowers are REQUIRED to complete an online Master Promissory Note (MPN). There are two separate MPNs for each of these two loan types. Information on completing the online Master Promissory Note can be found at: www.studentloans.gov

You only need to do this once while in law school as the MPN is applicable for any future loans while enrolled in law school.

2. New loan borrowers are also REQUIRED to complete an online Loan Entrance Counseling session. Information on completing the Loan Entrance Counseling session can be found at:www.studentloans.gov

You only need to do this once while in law school as the entrance counseling requirement is applicable during your entire enrollment in law school.

Please note that the online Entrance Counseling session can complete both the Direct Unsubsidized Loan and PLUS Loan requirements.

The main campus University Financial Aid Office will begin downloading electronic MPN completion notices from the Direct Loan Servicing center in late June.

You can check completion of the MPN completion requirement via your myUSF online student portal at that time. Online Entrance Counseling completion notices are usually received within 3-5 business days after you have completed the counseling session and these completion notices can also be viewed online via your myUSF online portal.

The Federal Direct Unsubsidized loan funds will disburse to the University in two equal installments, once each semester. This means that you only receive one-half of your total award offer for each semester (less loan origination fee of 1.068%).

Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan funds will disburse to the University in two equal installments, once each semester. This means that you only receive one-half of your total credit approved award for each semester (less loan origination fee of 4.272%).

PRIVATE LOAN

A student with additional or unmet need who does not intend to borrow from the Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan program may want to consider applying for a private loan. Private loan programs are available through a number of private loan vendors. Approval of any private loan is based on credit worthiness and is determined by each individual loan vendor. Private loans are available throughout the upcoming fall and spring academic year through April 1, 2017 as long as you have completed a FAFSA by April 1, 2017.

Once you are approved for a private loan, you must accept the loan and submit a promissory note to your private loan vendor. The loan vendor will notify the Law School Financial Aid Office of your private loan approval and receipt of your private loan promissory note. We will then "certify" your private loan. Certification is required to insure that the loan amount is appropriate for your educational expenses and to disburse your private loan.

The maximum private loan amount that you can borrow is the total cost of your attendance less any other aid you have been awarded and accepted. See the following web site for an example:http://www.usfca.edu/law/jd/financialaid/faq/

Additional private loan information including a list of private lenders used by law students is available online at: http://www.usfca.edu/law/jd/financialaid/loans/

Private loan funds will disburse to the University in two equal installments, once each semester. This means that you only receive one-half of your total private loan award for each semester.

OTHER FINANCIAL AID

VA Benefits-Certification of enrollment for the fall semester is expected to begin in early July for those eligible VA students with the required documents on file with the Law Financial Aid Office. Please be aware that it has been our experience that most VA benefits for the fall are disbursed to the University beginning late August/early September. Eligible students receiving VA benefits should plan their finances carefully. More information is available online at: https://www.usfca.edu/law/admissions/tuition-aid/jd/va-benefits

Private Scholarships-If you are awarded a scholarship or grant from a private agency or organization, the amount of the award will be deducted from your total aid package if you were already awarded financial aid (Unsubsidized Loan and/or Graduate PLUS Loan). Private scholarships will NOT be posted towards your tuition bill until the funds have been received from the agency.

TUITION PAYMENT - FALL 2016

FALL 2016 SEMESTER TUITION IS DUE ON AUGUST 1. All continuing USF students who are registered for fall classes will receive fall tuition billing information from the USF One Stop Student Accounts Office via email by mid-July. Tuition billing notices will be sent to your usfca.edu email account and you will also be able to view your bill online via your myUSF student portal at that time.

Tuition and fees are billed each semester at a flat rate for full time day students and at a per unit charge for part time evening students. Our current tuition and fees for the 2016-17 academic year can be found online at: https://www.usfca.edu/law/admissions/tuition-aid/jd

Health Insurance Fee-All USF students will automatically be billed for University sponsored health insurance each semester. Information on the University Health insurance plan, including a waiver of this fee if you are already enrolled in an insurance plan, can be found online at:
https://myusf.usfca.edu/student-health-safety/hps

Financial Aid Recipients (Federal Aid Loan Programs): If you receive financial aid and accept the aid BEFORE August 1 and complete ALL disbursement requirements BEFORE August 1 and the aid is sufficient to pay your fall tuition bill, you will NOT need to make any out of pocket payment with personal funds on August 1 to pay your tuition bill as the financial aid will appear as "Authorized Financial Aid" and thus will be applied as credit towards your tuition bill.

If you are unable to pay your tuition bill/balance due on August 1, or you have not yet been awarded any financial aid to help pay your tuition bill, you can pay a reduced payment on by enrolling in the 4 month payment plan for $50. Tuition is due in 4 equal installments with the first installment due on August 1 and subsequent payments due on September 1, October 1, and November 1. Enrollment information regarding the payment plan is available online at:

https://myusf.usfca.edu/onestop/billing-tuition/payment-plan

If you receive financial aid AFTER signing up for the payment plan and it is sufficient to pay your fall tuition bill, you must contact the USF One Stop Office at onestop@usfca.edu and request to be removed from the payment plan.

Additional information on billing, payment methods, etc., can be found online at the USF One Stop Office web site at: https://myusf.usfca.edu/onestop/billing-tuition

If your financial aid is not sufficient to pay your tuition bill, your July billing statement will indicate a balance due amount. Payment of your balance is due on August 1. For those students enrolled in the payment plan, the first installment payment will deducted from your designated bank account on August 1.

IMPORTANT: Your fall semester class registration will be CANCELED if the required payment is not covered by Authorized Financial Aid, personal funds (or a combination of both) or enrollment in the payment plan.

If your class registration is cancelled due to non-payment, you will be re-registered for the term only AFTER sufficient payment to your student account is made.

Additional information regarding USF's payment policies can be found online at:

https://myusf.usfca.edu/onestop/billing-tuition/payment-policies

IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING CREDIT CARD PAYMENTS FOR TUITION: Please be aware that the University will NOT accept credit card or debit card transactions as a means to pay your tuition bill with personal funds. You can still utilize the e-check option or send a regular check to the USF One Stop Office for payment of tuition with personal funds.

EXCESS FINANCIAL AID-REFUND PROCESS FOR LIVING EXPENSES

If your total financial aid exceeds your tuition bill, you will be refunded any excess aid funds once your aid disburses and after your tuition bill is paid. Your excess aid funds should be used to cover your cost of living expenses (food, rent, etc.) for the semester.

Federal and private loan funds are disbursed electronically to the University typically one week before classes begin. Once the funds are actually received, your tuition bill is paid first and then the University begins a refund process for any excess aid amount.

Refunds are sent electronically to your bank account as long as you have signed up for the direct deposit refund process. If you have not signed up for direct deposit refund process, a paper check refund will be made available to you.

Direct deposit refunds are typically received in your bank account 2-5 business days AFTER the aid funds have been disbursed to the University, depending on your banking institution. A paper check refund is typically made available 7-10 business days AFTER the aid funds have disbursed to the University. Refunds as a result of an overpayment from a personal check may take up to 15 business days to process.

The direct deposit refund process is the quickest way to receive excess aid funds for living expenses. It is highly recommended that you sign up for this refund process.

If you are relying on a refund for living expenses including the purchase of your books, food, etc., please plan accordingly. The USF One Stop Office will make every effort to insure that you receive your refund in a timely manner, but there can be unanticipated delays due to excessive refund processing as the University processes aid refunds for all USF students around the same time.

Please note that the earliest that a new student can expect to receive a direct deposit aid refund in their bank account may not be until the week of August 22. Be sure to plan your finances accordingly for the beginning of the semester as aid refunds may not be available until the first week of classes.

The direct deposit refund enrollment information can be found online at: https://myusf.usfca.edu/onestop/billing-tuition/refunds

Enrollment in the direct deposit refund process can be verified via your myUSF online student portal.

DISBURSEMENT DATES FOR 2016-2017

Disbursement dates are the earliest possible dates that funds from both federal and private sources can be sent to the University each semester. Funds are sent electronically by each provider in two equal installments, once each semester. Federal regulations require that aid be disbursed no earlier than approximately one week before the start of each term.

The earliest disbursement dates for both federal and private sources for the 2016-17 academic year are below:

Fall 2016: August 15, 2016
Spring 2016: January 3, 2017

Aid will continue to be disbursed throughout each semester as individual student financial aid files become complete later in the term and/or additional federal or private loan applications are processed and approved.

Please be aware that your Fall 2016 tuition bill is due on August 1. Although your fall Authorized Financial Aid is not scheduled to disburse to the University until August 15, the USF One Stop Office will apply any Authorized Financial Aid as credit towards your tuition bill as long as you have "accepted" the aid and completed ALL disbursement requirements associated with your aid BEFORE August 1.

Please note that the disbursement date is NOT the date that you receive a refund check or a direct deposit refund in your bank account for your cost of living expenses. It takes at least 2-5 days AFTERthe disbursement date to receive a direct deposit refund and 7-10 business days AFTER the disbursement date to receive a refund check.

If you have any additional questions about your financial aid, please feel free to contact Rosanna Woods at rlwoods@usfca.edu or call 415.422.6210.