Office of Financial Aid:
News & announcements for the week of
March 6, 2000

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FINANCIAL AID FORMS FOR 2000-2001 ARE NOW 
AVAILABLE

The following forms are available for download:
1. Summer 2000 Financial Aid Request Form
2. Chicago-Kent Study Abroad Financial Aid Request Form
3. Chicago-Kent Visiting Away at Another Law School Request Form
4. 2000-2001 Verification Worksheet

These forms can be download from www.kentlaw.edu/depts/finaid/forms.html
 

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2000-2001 FINANCIAL AID PACKETS
 

The 2000-2001 financial aid packets for continuing students will be available in our office starting Tuesday, February 22, 2000. New students financial aid packets will be provided through the Admissions office.  If you have any questions please feel free to contact our office.

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Loan Disbursements

The Fall 1999 and Spring 2000 Stafford and Alternative loan disbursements are continuously arriving in the Office of Financial Aid.  Once students' loan disbursements are received, the financial aid file is reviewed for completeness and accuracy.  The disbursement is processed, forwarded to the Bursar's Office and the student receives a notification email message.  This process takes approximately 3-5 business days. 

Once your loan disbursement has been credited to your account, either by EFT or paper endorsement, a Refund Check will be issued if a credit balance remains on your account.  Refund Checks are issued by the Bursar's Office typically 3-5 business days of the credit balance date.  If you have any questions about your Refund Check, please consult with the Bursar's Office.


Entrance Interview

ATTENTION FIRST YEAR LAW STUDENTS:
If you will be a first year day or evening law student at Chicago-Kent in 1999-2000 and planning to borrow a federal Stafford loan, an Entrance Interview is required.  The entrance interview process is mandated by the U.S. Department of Education.  Failure to complete an entrance interview can result in your federal loans being canceled with your lender.

For you convenience, you can complete your entrance interview on-line.  You will have to supply your name and date of birth, and then carefully review your borrower rights and responsibilities.  Next, you will answer a few simple questions about loan types, interest rates, deferments, repayment, etc.  Your completed entrance interview confirmation is then sent electronically to our office.  Be sure to print your confirmation page and keep it for your records.  Remember that you must complete your loan entrance interview before your loan can be disbursed to you.

It is as easy as it sounds!  Complete your entrance interview right now at either site below:

USA Group

Bank of America

If you missed the sessions that was held during Orientation and still have not completed your Entrance Interview, please do so at one of the above sites or come to the Office of Financial Aid as soon as possible.  Please note that student loan disbursements cannot be made without your Entrance Interview. 



1999-2000 Financial Aid Processing

The Office of Financial Aid has nearly completed processing Stafford and alternative loans for the 1999-2000 academic year.  However, student are still submitting loan requests on a daily basis.  These "last minute" loans are being processed as quickly as possible.  Students can expect to receive pre-printed applications/promissory notes from their respective lenders 7-10 business days from the date the loan is certified by Financial Aid.  The promissory notes should be read over carefully and then completed with references, signature and date.  For disbursement, mail the promissory note to the indicated address.  Please remember that federal Stafford and alternative loans cannot be disbursed unless the promissory note is received by the lender.

In processing student loans, files will be carefully reviewed.  If documents are missing, if there are any discrepancies in information, or if any matters are unclear about your borrowing plans a counselor from our office will contact students by either email, telephone or mail.  We will make every effort to be proactive and efficient to ensure your student loans are disbursed in a timely manner for the fall semester.

Recall that the priority deadline for 1999-2000 financial aid processing was June 1, 1999.  Files will be processed in the order received and completed.  If the FAFSA has not been submitted and/or the FINANCIAL AID GUIDE AND APPLICATION materials have not been picked up from the Office of Financial Aid, please do so immediately.  If you have questions about the status of your financial aid file, feel free to contact our office for assistance.


Office Hours

The Office of Financial Aid is open Monday through Thursday, 8:30 AM to 6:00 PM and Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM.  We are located on the second floor in Suite 230.  Please feel free to stop in our office during business hours with any concerns or questions you may have.


Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What types of financial aid can I receive at a law student at Chicago-Kent?

A: Because the federal nor state governments have grant programs for graduate students, as a law student at Chicago-Kent you would be eligible to receive the federal Stafford loan, alternative loans and/or merit and/or need-based scholarships.  In order to receive student loans, you have to be enrolled in a degree-seeking program and enrolled at least half-time (6 semester hours for federal loans and 3 semester hours for alternative loans).

Q: How can I receive a Chicago-Kent scholarship?

A: the Admissions Office administers all scholarships.  You can reach their office at (312) 906-5020 or email at admit@kentlaw.edu. You can also do a scholarship search on the web at fastweb.com.

Q: How do I apply for financial aid?

A: The first step to take in order to receive financial aid for each academic year is to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid or the FAFSA.  You should complete the FAFSA on January 1st of the academic year you plan to enroll.  Remember to use the Chicago-Kent school code on your FAFSA—E00773.  When you have completed the FAFSA, you will be mailed a Student Aid Report (SAR) in approximately 4-6 weeks.  Be sure to review your SAR thoroughly and make corrections if necessary.  The Chicago-Kent Office of Financial Aid will receive an electronic copy of your SAR and determine what types of aid you are eligible to receive.

Q: Are there other forms to complete in addition to the FAFSA?

A: Yes.  The Office of Financial Aid will send you an award letter outlining your financial aid edibility.  After you have reviewed your award, there will be certain forms to complete to begin the student loan process.  For the 1999-2000 year, students planning to borrow the federal Stafford loan must complete an Express Loan Application.  This form will indicate to our office what your requested loan amount is and your choice in lender.  Then our office will electronically certify your loan and your lender will send you a pre-printed application/promissory note to your home address.  If you are planning to take an alternative loan in addition to your Stafford loan, there is also an Express form for this loan type that will be processed in the same manner.

Q: What is an application/promissory note?

A: This is your contract to receive a student loan and your agreement with your lender to promise your repayment of the loan.  A student loan cannot and will not be disbursed in an application/promissory note is not completed. 

Q: When will I sign the application/promissory note?

A: You will usually receive your pre-printed application/promissory note 7-10 business days from the date the Office of Financial Aid certified your loan.  You should review the printed information for accuracy, making any necessary changes.  Complete the application/promissory note with two personal references, your signature and date.  It should then be mailed to the addressed indicated on the application.  For the Stafford loan you will need only sign the Master Application/Promissory Note once while at Chicago-Kent.  For the alternative loan, you will be required to sign an application/promissory note every year for every loan you borrow.

Q: What is the Master Application/Promissory Note?

A: This new form was the product of the 1998 Reauthorization of federal student aid.  It is called a "Master” promissory note because when you sign it the first time, you are giving your school and the government to process and disburse a student loan for you every year you are enrolled.  Your lender associated with the promissory note will remain the same.

Q: How will the Office of Financial Aid know how much I want to borrow in a Stafford loan is I do not have to submit a promissory note every year?

A: The Office of Financial Aid will process your Stafford loans subsequent to your Master Application/Promissory Note signing based on the information you provide on your Express form.  Remember, you submit the Express form to our office once you have reviewed your Award Letter and have determined how much you will need to borrow for the academic year.  A Stafford loan will not be processed unless you submit the Express form. Receipt of your Express form gives our office your permission to certify a Stafford loan and for your convenience, your lender and the government will disbursed that loan based on your one-time signing of the Master Application/Promissory Note.

Q: Why do I have to submit my federal Tax Return to the Office of Financial Aid?

A: By law, every college/university is required to “verify” 30% of their student body.  The government randomly selects a 30% population of students to perform the Verification Process.  In completing this process, our office simply compares your actual federal Tax Return to the tax figures you reported on your FAFSA.  If there are any discrepancies, they are corrected and your financial aid awards are reviewed again for eligibility.  If any changes are made to your award due to Verification, you will be contacted.

Q: What else?

A: On occasion, depending on the student and the circumstance, our office may request citizenship verification, copy of social security card, marriage license, confirmation of prior default status cleared, verification of registration with selective service, etc.  Be assured that if our office requires any additional information from you to complete your financial aid file, you will be contacted and one of our counselors will answer any questions you may have.

Q: When will I receive my student loan disbursement?

A: The arrival of disbursements to the Office of Financial Aid will vary, depending upon loan type, lender and disbursement method.  When our office receives your disbursement, your file will be reviewed for completeness, your enrollment status will be confirmed and then your disbursement will be forwarded to the Bursar’s Office.  The Bursar will notify you by email that a disbursement has been received for you.

Q: When will I receive a Refund check?

A: Once your tuition balance has been paid and if you have a credit amount remaining on your student account, a Refund check will be issued to you.  Refund checks are issued 3-5 business days of the date of your credit balance from the Bursar’s Office.

Q: What if the financial aid your office has awarded me is not enough to cover my education and school expenses?

A: You have the right to appeal your financial aid package with our office.  Contact our office and consult with a counselor about your circumstances and how to go about an appeal action.

Q: What if I am visiting another school.  Can I still receive financial aid?

A: Yes. You will have to complete a Study Abroad Request for Financial Aid form.  This form will provide us with the information needed to contact your visiting school and set up a Consortium Agreement.  If you are planning to visit another school, see a counselor in our office for more details.




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