Advising, Financial Aid, and TOPS This online session will give advisors general information to be able to answer questions that they may encounter during an advising session concerning financial aid and TOPS.

Process to receive financial aid Student must complete the FAFSA application (by May 1) Student receives Student Aid Report (paper or electronic depending on method of filing). UL Lafayette gets electronic copy of Student Aid Report (SAR) Student must submit all documents requested by UL Lafayette Financial Aid Office.

What kind of documents? Documents can include: *Data form (available on ULink) *Verification Worksheet *Tax Returns for parent and student (if applicable)

What happens next? Student receives award letter which states federal programs and amounts awarded to student. Student signs and returns the award letter to Financial Aid Office as soon as possible.

Types of Federal Financial Aid Programs  Grants Pell Grant SEOG Grant ACG Grant SMART Grant  Loans Stafford Student Loan *Subsidized *Unsubsidized Perkins Student Loan PLUS (Parent Loan)  Federal Work Study

Grants Pell Grant *Awards range from $555-$5,550 per academic year SEOG Grant *Awards average $600/year *Must be full Pell Grant eligible

Grants ACG (Academic Competitiveness Grant) *Must be Pell Eligible *Only for students who graduated after 1/1/05 *Rigorous High School Program of Study  TOPS Core *1 st Year Awards are a maximum of $750 per year *2 nd Year Awards are a maximum of $1,300 per year

Grants SMART Grant (National Science & Mathematics Access to Retain Talent Grant) –Must be Pell Eligible –3 rd or 4 th year of study –Must have a 3.0 cumulative gpa –Must major in certain Science or Math curriculum –Awards are a maximum of $2,000/semester

Stafford Loans $3,500 max per year for Freshmen (effective 7/1/07) Subsidized interest rate is 4.5% Unsubsidzied interest rate is 6.8% Direct lending through Federal Government Entrance Counseling On-Line required before Loan will be certified.

Stafford Loans Subsidized –Need Based –No Payments are made and no interest accrues while in school. –Government pays interest while student is in school Unsubsidized –Student responsible for interest while in school –Interest can be capitalized until student is no longer enrolled at least ½ time

Perkins Loans Need Based $5,500 maximum annual award 5% interest rate Borrow from University Cancellation Privileges –Some Teachers –Medical Careers with patient contact Nurses EMT –Police Officers –Child and Family Service Careers

PLUS LOANS Parent loan interest rate is 8.9% Payments begin 60 days after loan is disbursed No adverse credit history Amount of loan is limited by –Cost of Attendance less other resources

Federal Work Study Students who have submitted their signed award letter can check in Foster Hall Room 221 for work-study eligibility and/or availability. Students who are only receiving an Unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loan would not be eligible for the Federal Work-Study program.

State Programs Louisiana Go Grant –First time freshmen and adults over 25 who have not been enrolled for 1 year. –Pell Eligible –Louisiana Resident –Degree Seeking Award –Full-time students - $900/year –At least ½ time students - $450/year –Less than ½ time students - $225/year

Transfer Students and Financial Aid Students transferring to UL Lafayette from another institution or students who attended another institution previously and are applying for financial aid must: –Submit a copy of their Student Aid Report and a complete grade transcript from the last school attended. A request letter will be mailed from the Student Financial Aid Office if further information is needed. –Grade transcript will be evaluated to determine whether or not student is making satisfactory academic progress according to UL Lafayette’s standards. –Student will be notified in writing of eligibility after transcript has been evaluated.

TOPS Tuition Opportunity Program for Students  Award Eligibility 8 Semesters of Eligibility opportunityperformancehonors 2.5 GPA on Core 3.5 GPA on Core 3.5 GPA on Core 20 ACT23 ACT27 ACT

TOPS Stipend Per Semester Based on 2010 figures  Opportunity$1,  Performance$1,  Honors$1,875.00

UL Lafayette Semester Costs Based on 2010 figures  Tuition$2,200  Room and Board$2,379 (traditional dorms)  Books and Supplies$ 600

Deadlines for TOPS May 2 – FAFSA for Federal Aid July 1 – Application for TOPS (preferably the FAFSA)

TOPS Rules In order for the university to bill LOSFA for a student’s TOPS funds, the student must be registered full-time through the 14 th class day. Student must meet the following GPA at the end of the Spring Semester: –Opportunity 2.3 (1 st academic year) 2.5 (all subsequent years) –Performance 3.0 –Honors 3.0

TOPS Rules Student must have a 2.0 GPA at the end of the Fall Semester to receive Spring TOPS Student must have continuous full-time enrollment Should file a FAFSA every year by July 1 TOPS awards are usually posted in student accounts by: Mid-October in Fall semesters and Mid-March in Spring semesters

TOPS The Most Important 24 Hours of the Year Must earn 24 hours of credit each academic year Hours earned in summer session do count Hours earned in advanced placement courses do not count Hours earned in remedial courses required by the institution do count Winter and Spring intersession credit hours and GPA will be calculated for TOPS eligibility. The TOPS cumulative GPA is calculated on all course work attempted and may not be the same as that calculated by UL Lafayette. TOPS Awards are cancelled if students do not have 24 earned hours by the end of the Spring semester. TOPS IS LOST FOREVER!

Financial Aid and Student’s Bill FEDCSH (Fed Cash) or TOPCSH (TOPS Cash) on Statement of Account means student has a tuition deferment and student’s schedule will be reserved.

Financial Aid and Class Schedules Students who have submitted all required documents for Financial Aid, including their award letter, and are registered ½ time (6 hours or more) can request a Tuition Deferment (FEDCSH) via ULink beginning in mid-July until the last day to pay fees. TOPS Deferments (TOPCSH) will be posted automatically on student’s accounts if they are listed on the TOPS Master Roster and are registered full-time (12 or more hours) to reserve class schedules.

University Policies Student cannot receive financial aid for more than 30 credit hours of remedial coursework must have a complete admission application on file must be pursuing a degree or certificate in order to be eligible for Federal Student Aid must be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen must be enrolled at least half-time in order to receive any type of student loan(s) and Federal Work Study. Undergraduate half-time enrollment is 6 hours for fall/spring semesters and 3 hours for the summer session. Graduate half-time enrollment is 5 hours for fall/spring and 4 hours for the summer session. enrolled at the University for Summer ONLY, currently pursuing a degree at another school (Summer Visitor), and who do not plan to attend a regular fall/spring semester at UL Lafayette are NOT eligible for Federal Student Aid at UL Lafayette. must register for classes before financial aid will be applied to their University account. Financial aid will be applied to a student’s account based on the number of registered hours. must be registered for classes by the preregistration deadline date established for the semester in question in order for financial aid to be credited and available during registration. is responsible for tuition and fees for all credit hours registered for as of the class day after the schedule adjustment period ends. This means even if a student drops a class(es) or resigns after this date, the full amount of tuition may still be owed after the University refund policy is applied.

Financial Aid Probation A student is placed on Financial Aid (FA) Probation if he/she does not meet the minimum GPA and hours earned. While on FA probation student must meet the Academic Satisfactory Standards or the student will be placed on FA Suspension. Student will remain on probation until the minimum adjusted GPA has been met. Student is eligible to receive FA while on FA probation but not on FA Suspension.

Satisfactory Academic Progress Financial Aid Academic Guidelines Financial Aid Academic Guidelines can be viewed at:

Financial Aid Suspension If a student is placed on FA Suspension, they have the following options: –Pay for tuition with a minimum of six hours in fall or spring semesters or three hours in the summer term, earn the GPA and complete the minimum number of hours shown in the Financial Aid Academic Guidelines The student would then earn back FA. (Does not apply to students over the maximum hours.) –Appeal FA Suspension online through ULink. Additional requirements may apply if the appeal is approved.

Short-Term Loan A short term loan is an advance on the student’s refund. Student must have enough financial aid and scholarships to pay all University charges and be receiving a financial aid refund in order to be considered for a short term loan.

Questions? UL Lafayette Financial Aid Office Foster Hall Lobby Option “0” –View Frequently Asked Questions at UL Lafayette Scholarship Office Martin Hall, Room LOSFA – TOPS Office ext FAFSA FED-AID ( )

Reference Information for this training was compiled by the Academic Success Center from The University of Louisiana at Lafayette Student Financial Aid Office website at aid/ aid/