Federal Loan Exit Counseling Group Sessions

March 3rd and March 4th, Plus One-On-One Appointments Available

Congratulations on your upcoming graduation! All students that have applied to graduate in the spring semester, and have borrowed Federal Loans at the IIT Downtown Campus are required to complete Federal Student Loan Exit Counseling. In order to provide you with the most updated information and give you the chance to ask questions, we will be holding group exit counseling sessions. For students with more complex questions, you are able to schedule one-on-one appointment with the presenter. This is a great opportunity to get personalized assistance.

You only have to attend one group session. Seating space is limited therefore, we urge you to RSVP ASAP HERE. See the dates and times below:

Tuesday March 3rd
12pm-1pm
Auditorium

Tuesday March 3th
3pm-4pm
Auditorium

Wednesday March 4th
6pm-7pm
Room 520

OPTIONAL
One-On-One Appointments available 9am-5pm in the Office of Financial Aid, 2nd floor:

Wednesday March 4th

Thursday March 5th

RSVP ASAP HERE.

Please follow these steps after you attend the session:

1. Attend the in person Exit Counseling Session: It is very important that you attend the in person loan exit counseling session. By attending the session, you may gain a more in depth understanding of your student loans, your loan repayment options, and realistic loan repayment examples and scenarios. During the session, please take the opportunity to get answers to your student loan questions. You will also obtain your personal Loan Portfolio that lists all of the federal loans that you received while attending the IIT Downtown Campus. Please bring an ID and arrive early to pick up your Loan Portfolio. This will allow the presenter to go through all the material and answer all your questions.

2. You must complete the Online Loan Exit Counseling Session: We will take attendance during the in person loan exit sessions. After the in person session, all students who attended will receive an email with instructions for completing the Online Loan Exit Counseling Session. Once the online session is complete, your Federal Loan Exit Counseling requirement will be fulfilled.

The Office of Financial Aid understands that this is a very busy time for you but we strongly recommend that you take the time to complete your loan exit counseling requirement now rather than later. We have scheduled the sessions now so that distractions from your finals, job interviews and bar exam studying are minimized. It is our goal that when you graduate you feel informed and more at ease about your loans and your repayment options. Please keep in mind that if you are unable to attend any of these sessions we will make accommodations for you to meet this requirement at a later date.

*One-on-One Appointments: These sessions are for students with complex financial situations that need more detailed guidance. Space is limited, and for this reason appointments will be made on a first come first serve basis. Students are encouraged to bring in their loan history print out from the National Student Loan Database (NSLDS: www.nslds.ed.gov) and their log in. This will allow the presenter to give you the most accurate and detailed information possible. Please RSVP as soon as possible and indicate the time slot that you would like. If you cannot make your appointment time, please let us know as soon as possible by emailing our office at finaid@kentlaw.iit.edu. We will make every effort to reach out to other students who may benefit from the personalized appointment.

FAFSA Reminder 2015-16

In order to qualify for financial aid for the 2015-2016 academic year, you must complete the 2015-2016 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The priority completion date is March 1st.

You can complete your FAFSA online at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov. In order to apply you will need your Personal Identification Number (PIN). Please remember to include our school code, E00773, when completing your FAFSA and keep in mind that the school name will be listed as Chicago-Kent College of Law.

If you need help completing the FAFSA, the Department of Education provides several helpful resources with complete instructions, videos, and contact numbers. Additionally, if you have any questions please feel free to call the Office of Financial Aid at (312) 906-5180, or send an email to finaid@kentlaw.iit.edu.

Information for 3L Students Taking Over 87 Credits

In order to receive federal financial aid at Chicago-Kent College of Law you must meet certain enrollment criteria. Students that do not meet these criteria are not eligible for federal financial aid. The enrollment criteria are as follows:

Be enrolled at least-half time in courses that count toward the 87 credits required for graduation. Any credits taken above the 87 credits required for graduation are not eligible for federal financial aid.
According to the Registrar’s Office, at least half time enrollment is considered to be: 6 credits for fall and spring semester and 3 credits for the summer term. For more information about registration, see the Registrar’s Office.
If you plan to take between 6 and 11 credits, it is best to send your fall and spring enrollment intentions to our office via email. This will prevent delays of your disbursements and refunds. Once we receive your enrollment intentions, we will customize your cost of attendance budget to reflect your projected enrollment. It is best to let us know your enrollment intentions at least 3 weeks before classes start to ensure your financial aid is not delayed.

We understand that you may be close to graduation and not need as many credits as in past semesters. However, you must still demonstrate at least half time enrollment to maintain your federal financial aid eligibility. If you do not meet the enrollment criteria your options are make to payment arrangements with the Student Accounting Office or to apply for a private educational loan (tuition only).

Still haven't received your Financial Aid Award?

Has it been 3 weeks since you completed your FAFSA and you have not received a financial aid award? If so, follow these instructions to make sure your FAFSA information is sent to the Chicago-Kent College of Law, Office of Financial Aid.

2014-2015 FAFSA: Fall 2014, Spring 2015, and Summer 2015: Complete 2014-2015 FAFSA (Available starting January 1st)

Go to www.fafsa.ed.gov and view your Student Aid Report (SAR). Make sure the Chicago-Kent College of Law school code E00773 is listed on your FAFSA. Once you correct the school code it will take 1 to 2 weeks to receive a Financial Aid award notification.
If you have the correct school code listed on your FAFSA, check your SAR comments. Your SAR comments will let you know if the data that you entered on your FAFSA has caused an error that prevents your FAFSA information from being transmitted to the school. If there is a problem with the data that you entered on your FAFSA, please update the data elements requested. Once you update the information, it will take 1 to 2 weeks to receive a Financial Aid award notification.
If your comment codes are showing no problems and you have E00773 listed as your school code please contact the Office of Financial Aid so that we can find out why you have not received an award.

Don't Forget to Accept Your Awards

If you still have not accepted or declined your loans, please do so as soon as possible. You must use your myIIT account to accept/decline your loans. If you do not accept your loans, we cannot process them. That is why we urge you to accept them now to avoid delays with disbursement. If you do not wish to wish to receive any of the funds, you may decline the loan(s) using the myIIT portal.

Please select one of the options below on the myIIT portal at: https://my.iit.edu/cp/home/displaylogin.

Accept: If you wish to receive any portion of the loans still listed as offered, you must accept the funds. Also, please be aware that you may be required to complete a Master Promissory Note and Loan Entrance Counseling with Direct Loans at studentloans.gov before the funds can be disbursed. Please refer to your 'Requirements' section on the myIIT portal, and see our website for more information about loan requirements.

Decline: If you do not wish to receive any of the funds still listed as offered please decline the loan(s) using your myIIT portal.

A Note For 2L Students

Q: It looks like my 2014-2015 financial aid package is a lot smaller than the financial aid package that I received as a first year law student, is this correct?

A: Yes, for most students this is correct and here are the reasons why:

A one-time lap top allowance is included in your first year Cost of Attendance (COA) budget. This line item is not included in the COA for continuing students.
As a first year JD student, your COA is based on a flat rate tuition charge. As a continuing student your initial COA is based on a per credit tuition charge. The tuition component of the COA is based on a minimum of 12 credits per term for full time and 6 credits for part time students.
Eligible continuing students are awarded Federal Work Study (FWS). It is a need based employment program that requires students to earn their award amount through work. FWS reduces the amount a student can borrow in federal student loans. If you do not plan on participating in the program and need additional funds you may email to request the amount be converted into additional loan funds.
If your current cost of attendance does not meet your financial requirements please send your fall and spring enrollment intentions, and if you are authorizing a FWS conversion, via email to the Office of Financial Aid. In your email, please specify the following in your email authorization request:

Exact dollar amount that you need
Number of credits that you intend to take in both semesters
If you are declining FWS

Please note, the Office of Financial Aid cautions students against borrowing up to the Cost of Attendance limit.

Changes to Federal Work Study Awarding

If you plan on receiving federal financial aid for the summer and/or 2014-2015 academic year, please read this announcement regarding a change in the awarding policy for Federal Work Study (FWS).

FWS is an employment program that requires students to earn their award amount through work. It is a need based, self-help financial aid program. Students must demonstrate financial need in order to be eligible. The FWS program is a way for students to gain work experience while earning money to help pay educational expenses. Funds are limited and awarded on a first come, first serve basis each academic year.

How the FWS change in awarding policy will impact you:

FWS only awarded to students that answer “yes” to question 31 on the FAFSA: “Are you interested in being considered for work-study?”
Students that answer “no” will not receive a FWS award as a part of their financial aid award

Exceptions to the new FWS awarding policy:

Students that answered “no” but are already working in an FWS approved position
Students that answered “no” but want to participate in FWS during any part of the summer term and/or 2014-2015 academic year

You must contact the Office of Financial Aid if you answered “no” to FWS FAFSA question 31, but want to participate in FWS during the summer term and/or the 2014-2015 academic year. If you answered “no” and do not contact our office and are working in a FWS position, you may not be eligible for compensation under FWS.

Planning to Study Abroad?

In order to determine if your study abroad program/course is eligible to receive financial aid please stop by the Office of Financial Aid. If you've been granted permission to study abroad through Chicago-Kent College of Law and are borrowing educational student loans to meet your educational costs, please complete the Chicago-Kent Study Abroad Application Form with the Office of International Law and Policy, and obtain the Office of Financial Aid signature, or submit a copy of the form. Please be sure to list the program name, semester of study, and credit hours. The financial aid process for the study abroad program can take 4 to 6 weeks.

If credit is approved by home school (Chicago-Kent), student may be considered enrolled at home school for financial aid purposes. You must still follow the same eligibility criteria as if you were taking classes at Chicago-Kent. You must complete a FAFSA, be enrolled at least half time, and be degree seeking. Please be aware that your Cost of Attendance during your study abroad term will be based on the living expenses and tuition charges of the program, not the standard Chicago-Kent budget.

The Office of Financial Aid does not determine the Cost of Attendance for host schools. For this reason, it is very crucial for each student to thoroughly research the host school's charges and costs of living prior to their departure. It is the students responsibility to budget themselves until their financial aid is processed.

Planning to Visit Another Law School?

If you have been granted permission to study at another law school for credit toward your Chicago-Kent law degree and are borrowing educational loans to meet your educational costs, you must notify the Financial Aid Office as soon as possible. You must complete the Financial Aid Request Form to Visit Another Law School, if you wish to use federal student loans.

We will ask the host school's Financial Aid Office to complete a Consortium Agreement with cost of attendance amounts, and their Registar's Office to provide enrollment verification with dates of attendance, and credit hours.

Once we receive all the required documentation from the visiting school, we will finalize your financial aid award, and you can accept the loans you wish to borrow on the myIIT portal. The funds will be scheduled to disburse to your student account according to your enrollment period at the visiting school. If you are expecting a refund, the Student Accounting Office will process it. It is the student's responsibility to pay tuition at the visiting school. Please be sure that you have set up direct deposit of your refund.

Reminder: Direct Deposit Available

Please be aware that the university allows students the option of having their financial aid refunds direct deposited into their checking or savings account. The university encourages all students to sign up for direct deposit. Click here for more information on the new TouchNet service.

Bar study loan information

Bar Examination loans are intended to assist students in paying for bar preparation courses and meeting other financial needs while studying for the Bar Exam.

Students may submit the application for the Bar Exam Loan funds during their last year before graduation. The terms, conditions, and credit criteria for Bar Examination Loans are similar to those for alternative loan programs. Unfortunately, students with negative credit ratings are generally not eligible for Bar Exam loans.

To apply for a Bar Examination Loan, review the Bar Loan Information, on our website. Once you are approved, the lender will contact our office to certify your loan. The funds will be disbursed directly to you from the lender.

Free Credit Report

Financial Aid Contact Information

The Office of Financial Aid is dedicated to assisting students in financing their education and making financially informed and responsible decisions. Please feel free to contact our office at any time during the office hours listed below.

Office of Financial Aid

Week of February 23, 2015