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Fielding Graduate University – Financial Aid FAQ

 
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is it necessary to wait until the income tax forms have been completed before submitting the FAFSA?
Submit the FAFSA as soon as you are able. It is better to have your taxes completed before doing your FAFSA, but it is not required. When you do file your taxes you will have to go back to your FAFSA and make corrections before funds can be disbursed. If your taxes are not finished, you may put close estimates of your income and other figures on the FAFSA. However, you must complete your FAFSA corrections soon so that there is enough processing time for your student loan disbursement to be received before your tuition is due. Use our financial aid checklist to get started.

When will I receive my loan money?
Most loans are created to be disbursed in three equal disbursements, and the anticipated disbursement date is set for the earliest possible date at the beginning of each term.  Your Award Letter, available through our student service center WebAdvisor, displays your loan period, amounts, and anticipated disbursement dates.  You must be eligible to receive the loan funds in order to have funds disbursed to your student account.  The Student Accounts Office will process any credit balance for refund within 14 days of disbursement.

Does the loan disbursement money come to me directly?
No. Regulations require that education loans (federal and private) are processed by the school. A disbursement of funds is credited to your student account after the Financial Aid Office verifies your eligibility. Any credit balance after applicable charges have been paid will be refunded to you in the form of a check or automatic deposit within 14 days of disbursement.

On my SAR there is an "*" after the EFC figure under the date. What does that mean?
It means your FAFSA has been selected for verification. The verification process is used to make sure the information that is reported on your FAFSA is accurate. Verification prevents ineligible students from receiving aid and ensures that eligible students receive all the aid for which you qualify. Financial Aid Office will ask you for specific documents needed to conduct the required verification process. See the financial aid checklist to for more information.

I received my award letter and now think I borrowed too much money. Can I reduce my award?
Log into WebAdvisor, Fielding’s online service center, to reduce or cancel the loans listed on your award letter. If you have already accepted your loans, call the Financial Aid Office as soon as possible and return the signed award letter noting which student loan awards you wish to reduce or cancel. If you have already received your loan check from Fielding, you may return the money back to Fielding (Attn: Student Accounts), instead of accepting the funds. Include a note that you need your loans refunded. Fielding will send the money back to your lender and will cancel the loan.

Should I wait to be accepted before applying for student loans?
No. Please apply for financial aid right after your have applied for admission to Fielding. Waiting to apply for financial aid until you have been accepted will delay your financial aid unnecessarily and could cause timing problems with the receipt of your aid. Submitting an application for financial aid does not obligate you to receive financial aid. Use our financial aid checklist to to get started.

What scholarship opportunities are available to me?
Fielding offers several scholarships to new and continuing students; some are specific to programs in which the student is enrolled, and others are available to all students. Our Scholarships page contains links to both detailed information on those scholarships and links to external scholarship database resources that we recommend. The Fielding Common Scholarship Application is available through WebAdvisor at the beginning of each term for continuing students to apply for funded scholarships during that awarding cycle.  Questions can be directed to scholarships@fielding.edu.

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