Award Notification
Information about Your Award Notification
WVU College of Law Financial Aid Office is pleased to offer you financial assistance for the 2009-2010 academic year. You must have a MIX account and password to review your award notification. If you have not received your MIX account and password, you need to submit a supplemental application to the WVU College of Law Admissions and Records Office. You can complete the application at http://wvulaw.wvu.edu/2012, which is the College of Law Admitted Student website. If you already have a MIX account and are having problems logging in, contact Admissions and Records at (304) 293-2124. The Financial Aid Office does not have access to student MIX account and password information.
Review your award by doing the following:
1) Log on to your MIX account at http://www.mix.wvu.edu
2) Click on STAR tab
3) Click on “Click here to enter STAR”
4) Click on “Student Services, Housing and Financial Aid”
5) Click on “Financial Aid” tab
6) Click on “Award”
7) Click on “Award by aid year”
8) Select aid year (2009-10)
9) Click on “Accept Award Offer” tab
The following information will help explain your financial aid offer:
ESTIMATED COST OF ATTENDANCE (COA)
Figure that includes estimated cost for tuition, required fees, books, supplies, room and board, transportation and reasonable personal expenses. For the cost of attendance used to calculate your aid offer, refer to the STAR system.
EXPECTED FAMILY CONTRIBUTION (EFC)
The EFC is determined by the US Department of Education using the information reported on the FAFSA. It is based on income, assets and the number of family members in the household and the number attending college. This does not represent the amount you owe to WVU.
CALCULATED RESOURCE TOTAL
This figure on the STAR system is a total of other sources of assistance of which we have knowledge that are not awarded through our office such as private scholarships, tuition waivers, etc. If you receive additional outside scholarships or financial aid, you must notify our office of this assistance. You can email this information to eric.meadows@mail.wvu.edu. The email should include the name of the funding source, amount, when it is paid (e.g. both fall and spring) and if it is renewable. Additional resources may result in an adjustment to your aid package.
CALCULATED FINANCIAL NEED
This figure is calculated by subtracting your EFC and Calculated Resource Total from your estimated Cost of Attendance. This is the amount of need-based assistance for which you may qualify.
VISITING/TRANSIENT STUDENTS
If you are taking part or all of your credit hours at another school as a visiting/transient student, additional documentation is required before aid can be released. Contact the WVU College of Law Financial Aid Office.
PAYMENT OF UNIVERSITY CHARGES AND DISBURSEMENT OF FINANCIAL AID
No paper bills are sent by the University unless requested. Students can view their account information online through the STAR system. Students will be notified of important due dates via their MIX email. For more information about your student account contact the Office of Student Accounts at (304) 293-4006 or by email at OSA@mail.wvu.edu. Any financial aid that is available for payment will first be applied to your WVU charges approximately 10 days prior to the beginning of each term. Any remaining funds will be released to you during the first week of classes. If you are expecting any type of assistance outside of WVU it is your responsibility to check on the availability of such funds with the Office of Student Accounts or by contacting the donor of the funds.
SATISFACTORY ACADEMIC PROGRESS
To remain eligible for financial aid, students must maintain satisfactory academic progress as determined by the WVU College of Law.
WVU REFUND POLICY
The refund policy for students who withdraw from all classes is outlined under “Refund of Fees” in the WVU Undergraduate Catalog, accessible on-line at http://coursecatalog.wvu.edu Refunds range from 90% to 50% depending on the date of withdrawal. Students who withdraw and who are scheduled to receive a refund of tuition and fees and/or University housing costs, may have all or part of their refund used to reimburse the financial aid programs from which funds were disbursed. No refunds are given after the 6th week of class.
FINANCIAL AID REPAYMENT POLICY
When a student withdraws from WVU before the end of the enrollment period, federal regulations require that WVU determine whether any of the student’s financial aid must be repaid. A student “earns” financial aid based on the length of time actually enrolled. If more than 60% of the term has passed, all aid is considered “earned”, and no funds have to be repaid. If charges, such as tuition and housing, over the amount of the “earned” aid are not paid, the student will be billed for the difference. Students owing a repayment for any federally sponsored aid is not eligible for aid during future enrollment periods unless and until satisfactory repayment arrangements have been made with either WVU Office of Student Accounts or the US Department of Education. Students who receive all “Fs” in a semester are considered to have unofficially withdrawn from WVU and may owe financial aid back to the federal programs unless continued participation in classes can be documented.
TAXES
Any gift aid (scholarships, fellowships, etc) received in excess of tuition, fees, books and supplies is taxable. Questions should be directed to your accountant or to the Internal Revenue Service (www.irs.gov).
TYPES OF AID
WVU COLLEGE OF LAW SCHOLARSHIPS
If you are receiving a WVU College of Law Scholarship please click here to review the criteria for the scholarship(s) you have been awarded. It is an expectation that scholarship recipients send a thank you letter to the donor. You will receive instructions on this process from the WVU Foundation during the Fall Semester. If you have any further questions about the thank you process, please contact the Office of Development at (304) 293-8277.
FEDERAL DIRECT LOANS (SUBSIDIZED & UNSUBSIDIZED)
Subsidized and Unsubsidized Federal Direct Loans are available to students enrolled at least half-time. A subsidized loan requires that the borrower demonstrate financial need as determined by taking the Cost of Attendance (COA) and subtracting the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) and any Calculated Resources (refer to definitions above). The government pays the interest while the student is enrolled in school at least half-time on a subsidized loan. An unsubsidized loan is not based on financial need and can be used to replace the EFC and/or be used for the any remaining COA less any other aid. The borrower is responsible for any interest that accrues and the borrower must either pay the accrued interest or it will be capitalized (added to the principal of the loan).
The academic year limit (9 month) for the Direct Loan (combined subsidized and unsubsidized) is $20,500. The maximum annual subsidized loan is $8500. The subsidized loan amount is determined by your Calculated Financial Need. Keep in mind that the total aid awarded (from all sources) cannot exceed the Estimated Cost of Attendance. The current interest rate on subsidized & unsubsidized Direct Loans is fixed at 6.8%. A small fee (not to exceed 2.5%) is retained by the federal government; therefore the awarded amount and the disbursed amount will differ. A signed Direct Loan Master Promissory Note is required before funds can be released.
The promissory note is completed on-line using your Federal Student Aid PIN (commonly referred to as the FAFSA PIN) at http://dlenote.ed.gov. Click on “Complete New MPN for Student Loans and then select “Subsidized/Unsubsidized”. If you are a first-time loan borrower, you are also required to complete entrance counseling online at www.dl.ed.gov prior to disbursement of loan funds. Click on “Entrance and Exit Counseling” and then click on “Go” for Entrance Counseling. Finally click on “Tutorial and Quiz (New Session)” for Stafford Loan. If you are taking out a Federal Grad PLUS Loan see instructions below for Grad PLUS loan.
FEDERAL DIRECT GRADUATE PLUS LOANS
The PLUS loan is credit based and is available to students who are enrolled at least half-time. There is no annual limit. Eligibility is determined by subtracting other aid awarded from the Cost of Attendance. The loan is unsubsidized; therefore interest will begin to accrue on it the day the funds are released. The current interest rate is fixed at 7.9%. A small fee (not to exceed 4%) is retained by the federal government; therefore the awarded amount and the disbursed amount will differ. Repayment begins 60 days after the final disbursement (for an academic year loan repayment would begin around March). You can file an in-school deferment each semester and postpone payment until you cease to be enrolled at least half-time. If your award offer includes a pending Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan you cannot accept, decline or reduce the amount of the Graduate PLUS online.
To be considered for the loan, you must complete a Federal Direct Graduate/Professional Loan Application. Click here to download the 09-10 Grad PLUS application. If you are approved and are a first time Graduate PLUS Loan borrower, a signed Graduate PLUS Loan Master Promissory Note is required before funds can be released. The promissory note is completed on-line using your Federal Student Aid PIN (commonly referred to as the FAFSA PIN) at http://dlenote.ed.gov. Click on “Complete New MPN for Student Loans and then select “Graduate PLUS”. If you are a first-time loan borrower, you are also required to complete entrance counseling online at www.dl.ed.gov prior to disbursement of loan funds. Click on “Entrance and Exit Counseling” and then click on “Go” for Entrance Counseling. Finally click on “Tutorial and Quiz (New Session)” for “Combination – Stafford and PLUS loans”. To decline the loan, email eric.meadows@mail.wvu.edu.
FEDERAL WORK STUDY
Federally funded need based aid that provides students with paid work experience as part of your financial aid offer. Payment from your work study award will be made as you work rather than in a lump sum; therefore, these funds will not be available to pay expenses such as tuition and fees at the beginning of the semester. Student employees are paid twice a month, and earn at least the federal minimum wage. To request Federal Work Study, contact the College of Law Financial Aid Office at 304-293-5302 or email eric.meadows@mail.wvu.edu .