Disbursement of Financial Aid
The Financial Aid and Scholarship Office credits federal and state aid just prior to the first day of class for each semester. Students must be enrolled for the required number of hours before aid will be credited. You must accept any loans offered to you through your MySUU Portal, and you must have a completed financial aid file before funds will be credited to your student account.
Loans are disbursed in accordance with the guidelines governing the individual loan program and SUU policy. Federal Stafford, PLUS, and Alternative loans will typically be disbursed at the start of each the fall and spring terms. Federal loans, as well as most private loans, require at least half-time enrollment (six credits for undergraduate students, five credits for graduate students).
Your loan funds will be electronically applied to your student account. If the loan proceeds are greater than your university bill, the excess amount will be refunded to you by the Controller’s Office.
Disbursement of funds
Funds will be credited to your student account starting 10 days before the start of each semester, although refunds will not be issued before the first class day.
Funds will not be credited to your account until your awards have accepted and you have a complete financial aid file. We strongly recommend that you submit all documents to complete your file by May 1st to ensure funds will be available at the start of each fall semester.
You must be enrolled in a degree seeking program, have a completed financial aid file, and meet all other eligibility requirements before the following aid can be disbursed to you:
- Federal Pell Grant
- Federal SEOG Grant
- Higher Education Success Stipend (HESSP) Grant
- Academic, Departmental or Outside Scholarships
The following funds may have additional requirements, which if required, can be viewed through the mySUU Portal:
- Federal Student Loans - Entrance counseling and the Master Promissory Note must be complete before disbursements will be issued for student loans.
Availability of refunds
All of the financial aid and scholarships listed above will be paid towards your tuition and fees and other education charges. Once your billed charges have been paid, a credit will be available on your account. Refund checks are cut and made available on the first class day, at the earliest.
Please note: Federal Title IV funds cannot be used to pay late fees, parking fines or any other fees that are not direct education costs.
Applying Financial Aid Funds to your SUU student ID Card
If you have financial aid that exceeds your billed charges, you can go to the Cashier’s Office and apply for the overage (up to the amount of your refund each semester) to be applied to your Student ID Card as T-Bird Bucks. Your file must be complete, and you must have financial aid in excess of your billed charges in order to apply money to your card. You can begin applying financial aid to your card 10 days prior to the start of each semester. You can then use the funds to purchase your books at the SUU bookstore or any other place T-Bird Bucks are accepted.