Financial Aid

Office of Student Financial Services

The Office of Student Financial Services has three main service functions. They are:

Financial Aid: Financial aid counselors evaluate the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form and determine eligibility for federal, state and institutional need-based funds.

Student Employment: Although positions are not guaranteed, Student Financial Services staff are available to assist students seeking work. At the Redhawk Network, you’ll find a list of jobs that are funded through the need-based work-study programs that are included in eligible students’ financial aid awards as well as those that are funded by the employer and open to any interested student—not just those with work-study awards.

Student Accounts: Student Accounts prepares and distributes bills for tuition and fees, room and board and insurance. The office takes payments, assesses late charges, sets up payment plans and distributes aid.

The office is open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, and 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday through Friday.

About Financial Aid

Seattle University offers a variety of strategies and resources to assist eligible students in meeting the costs of their education. Nearly 80 percent of undergraduate students receive assistance through grants and scholarships, work-study opportunities and low-interest student loans. Although most financial aid comes from the state and federal governments, SU also contributes. To be eligible for state and federal aid programs, and most SU institutional aid, students must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents.

The amount and types of financial aid a student receives are based on several criteria, including financial need, academic achievement and leadership accomplishments. There are primarily two types of financial aid: need-based and non-need-based. Need-based aid is awarded after a comprehensive review of the family’s income and assets and may be a combination of grant, work-study and/or loans.

Non-need-based aid is awarded to a student based on various criteria including academic performance, overall achievements and/or extracurricular activities.

Application Procedure

In order to be considered for financial aid, you must first apply and be admitted as a degree- or certificate-seeking student. In order to receive financial aid priority for fall quarter, freshmen applicants should submit all admission materials by Jan. 15. Transfer applicants should submit all admission materials by March 1.

Complete and submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online at www.fafsa.gov on or after Jan. 1 and before Feb. 1. We encourage both the student and a parent to apply for a Personal Identification Number (PIN), which can then be used to sign the FAFSA electronically. A PIN can be secured prior to completing the FAFSA by going to pin.ed.gov or from within the FAFSA application. Indicate the FAFSA processor should send results to Seattle University by entering our Federal School Code—003790—in the appropriate section.

• To be considered for institutional gift aid, new freshmen must submit the FAFSA by Feb. 1 or within 30 days of being admitted.
• Students must reapply each year for need-based financial aid by filing a FAFSA.
• Some new students, and their parents if required to provide information on the student’s FAFSA, will be selected by the Federal FAFSA processor for a process called verification. These students and their families will be required to submit signed copies of their tax return and W-2s to support the information provided on the student’s FAFSA. It’s also possible that other documentation will be required to determine a student’s eligibility to receive need-based aid.
• Based on a review of submitted materials, some students may be asked to provide additional information.
• New students may receive a financial aid award indicating the types and amounts of financial aid they appear eligible to receive before all materials have been submitted and reviewed. In these cases, the award is tentative until all materials have been received and reviewed. If that review results in a change in the expected family contribution that is large enough to change the student’s aid eligibility, a revised award letter will be sent to the student.
• Continuing students will not receive an award notification until all required documents have been received and reviewed. To help facilitate the process, students and parents are encouraged to keep copies of all relevant information including a copy of the FAFSA, tax returns and any supporting documentation.

NOTE: New freshmen are required to provide a $200 enrollment deposit to the Admissions Office by May 1 to accept their offer of admission and secure their place in the incoming class.

Eligibility for Federal Student Aid

Applicants for federal financial aid including the Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG), Federal Work Study, Federal Perkins Loan, Federal Direct Stafford Loan, Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loan or any other federal aid must meet all federal aid program requirements including the following criteria:

• Demonstrate financial need* based on information provided by the student and family on the FAFSA.
• Have a high school diploma or a GED
• Enroll as a regular student in a degree program
• Be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen
• Maintain satisfactory academic progress requirements for financial aid recipients as described elsewhere in this text
• Not be in default on a student loan or under obligation to repay federal or state aid
• Be registered with Selective Service, if required
• Not be disqualified for assistance due to conviction for possession or sale of illegal substances.

*With the exception of the Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan and the Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loan programs that are based on total cost less other aid rather than on need

Students with bachelor’s degrees are not eligible to receive the federal grants listed above. Because funding sources are limited, students enrolled in an undergraduate program for fewer than half-time (six) credits generally only receive Federal Pell Grants and Washington State Need Grants (if eligible).

Summer Financial Aid

The university does not offer aid for summer quarter if providing that aid will reduce or jeopardize the amount of aid available to meet costs during the regular academic year.

If you are an undergraduate student and elect to attend SU during the summer, you will be considered for the Federal Pell Grant and Washington State Need Grant unless you will graduate by the end of winter quarter during the academic year that immediately follows that summer quarter. In these cases, you will be considered for Federal Pell Grant, Washington State Need Grant, loans and/or work study. You will not be considered for institutional funding.

If you will not be graduating early, you will be considered only for Pell Grant and Washington State Need Grant and may also apply for a private educational loan to help cover your summer costs. 

For financial aid consideration, you must complete the FAFSA for the upcoming year because summer is the first term of each financial aid award year. You must also submit an SU summer aid application electronically by logging on to SUOnline and selecting Summer Financial Aid Application in the Financial Information section of the main student menu. The summer aid application becomes available when advance summer registration opens during mid-May and you should complete and submit it as soon as you have completed summer registration.

Deadlines

To be given priority for need-based financial aid funding, students must submit the FAFSA on or after Jan. 1 and by Feb. 1. Funding is awarded on a rolling basis and students who submit the FAFSA after Feb. 1 will be awarded any remaining funding, on a funds-available basis, after those students who met the Feb. 1 deadline have been awarded.

To be considered for institutional gift aid, new student must complete the FAFSA by Feb. 1 or within 30 days of being admitted.

To ensure funding will be available at the start of the quarter, students should complete the documentation required to support their application for financial aid by these dates:

To receive any funding during the quarter, students must complete the documentation required to support their application for financial aid by these dates:

Financial Aid Programs

The university is required by law to coordinate the various resources a student may receive from all federal, state, private and institutional sources. The strategies used to award financial aid are based on the fundamental premise that the primary responsibility for financing an education rests with the student and the family.

To the extent possible, based on both a student’s eligibility and the availability of funding, Student Financial Services combines different types of financial aid programs to create a financial aid award that meets the student’s need. Need is defined as the difference between the cost of education and the family’s Expected Family Contribution (EFC) which is calculated using a congressionally-mandated formula that is applied to the information the student and family report on the student’s FAFSA.

Generally, the maximum amount of all resources may not exceed the cost of education established by the university. The cost of education is revised annually and includes tuition, room and board, books, supplies, transportation and various personal expenses. Students with unusual additional, educational expenses may qualify for an adjustment to the standard cost of attendance.

Institutional Gift Aid Guarantee

Seattle University guarantees the amount of institutional gift aid (grants and/or scholarships) you, as an incoming undergraduate student, will receive each year over the course of your attendance at the university. Once you have submitted any documents and/or information we request and your initial year’s institutional gift aid award has been finalized, that amount will remain constant for each year of your eligibility as long as you are continuously enrolled and continue to meet satisfactory academic progress requirements for financial aid recipients (complete a minimum number of credits with a minimum grade point average).

While the names of the grants and/or scholarships that make up your institutional gift aid may change from year-to-year, the total dollar amount of those grants and scholarships will be no less than that received in your incoming year. Institutional gift aid is only awarded for fall, winter and spring quarters. It is not available during summer quarters.

As an incoming freshman, your institutional gift aid is guaranteed for four years (12 quarters) and covers one degree with one major. As an incoming transfer student, your institutional gift aid guarantee is for the years remaining to expected degree completion based on the class standing assigned to you by the Office of the Registrar when you are admitted. If you’re admitted as a junior, for instance, your gift aid will be guaranteed for two years (six quarters).

You must be continuously enrolled at Seattle University to retain your institutional gift aid guarantee. If, for example, you leave Seattle University for two quarters and then return, you will lose the guarantee made to you when you were first admitted.

Because institutional gift aid is guaranteed at the same level for each year a student maintains eligibility, and tuition often increases from year to year, it is important to have a financial plan in place for the entire span of your anticipated attendance.

The institutional gift aid guarantee includes awards from these funds:

• Seattle University Academic Scholarships: Trustee, Campion, Bellarmine, Arrupe, Ignatian, McGoldrick, Messina, Xavier and certain donor scholarships
• Chardin Scholarship, Seattle University Grant and most endowed and restricted scholarships given to the university by alumni and friends

The institutional gift aid guarantee does not include awards from these funds:

• Federal and state grants
• Student loans
• ROTC Scholarships, Athletic Scholarships, Honors Scholarships, room waivers, Bannan Scholarships, Naef Scholarships, Sperry Goodman Scholarships, Fostering Scholar awards, Ellison Family Rainier Scholars Fund and outside scholarships.

Grants for Undergraduate Students

Grants are funds that you do not need to repay and, at Seattle University, include the following:

Federal Grants:

• Federal Pell Grant
• Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG)

State Grants:

• Washington State Need Grant

Institutional Grants:

• Seattle University Grants
• Chardin Scholarships

If you are participating in Army, Air Force, or Navy ROTC, you may receive ROTC grants.

Generally, grants are applied directly to your student account. Some grants or scholarships may require you to endorse a check before we can apply the funds to your student account. We will notify you via your SU e-mail address if we receive a check that you need to come to our office to endorse.

Scholarships for Undergraduate Students

Your scholarship is provided in recognition of your ability to enhance our educational community. Trustee, Campion, Bellarmine, Arrupe, Ignatian, McGoldrick, Messina and Xavier recipients are selected at the time of admission based on information presented with the admissions application.

Chardin Scholarships are awarded during the financial aid award process based on the information presented with the admissions application plus the information reported on the FAFSA.

Institutional scholarship renewal is based on scholarship specifics, satisfactory academic progress requirements for financial aid recipients and, in some cases, continued need. Students must be continuously enrolled at Seattle University and meet satisfactory academic progress requirements for financial aid recipients to retain these scholarships.

In addition to the academic scholarships discussed above, undergraduate students at Seattle University receive scholarships from several sources. They include:

Donor Scholarships for Undergraduate Students

These institutional scholarships are generally need-based and are given to the university by alumni and friends. As a student who has demonstrated academic excellence and has financial need, you will automatically be considered for these funds that are included as part of your guaranteed institutional gift aid.

The Seattle University Costco Scholarship is a need-based award made to first-time freshmen entering fall quarter. U.S. citizens who are African-American, Latino or Native American are considered for this award based on information from their application for admission and FAFSA.  Funding for the scholarship is based upon an annual fundraising event sponsored by the chief executives of Costco. To the extent that funding continues to be available, the scholarship is renewable for three additional years for a maximum of 12 quarters. If you receive this scholarship as a freshman, you must remain continuously enrolled at Seattle University during the regular academic year (fall, winter and spring quarters), maintain satisfactory academic progress requirements for financial aid recipients and complete the FAFSA each year to continue to be eligible to receive it in subsequent years.

To let our donors know that their contributions make a difference to our students, we will ask you to write a thank you letter to your scholarship’s donor in appreciation for helping to make your education affordable. You will submit your letter to the Development Office in University Advancement. That office will then share your letter with your donor.

Service Scholarships for Undergraduate Students

Various university departments and organizations award service scholarships for services students perform for the university. Your award letter will confirm the award about which you were already notified by the awarding department or organization.

Athletic Scholarships for Undergraduate Students

Athletic Scholarships are determined and awarded by the Athletics Department and are subject to NCAA individual and team limits. Please contact the Athletics Department with any questions you have about these scholarships and how they may affect the rest of your financial aid.

Grants and Scholarships for International Students

If you are an international student entering Seattle University from a high school in the United States or an American school abroad, you will be considered for Trustee, Campion, Bellarmine, Arrupe, Ignatian, and McGoldrick scholarships based on the information you provide during the admission process.

If you are an international student transferring from a college or university in the United States, you will be considered for our Xavier and Messina Scholarships unless you are admitted through the SU Culture Language and Bridge program, in which case you are not eligible.

Outside Scholarships

Outside scholarships are scholarships students bring with them to Seattle University. Students must inform Student Financial Services if they are receiving outside scholarships because they must be included in the resources available to meet costs. These scholarships then are listed as Private Outside Scholarships on the Seattle University Award Letter.

Outside scholarships that have been announced by their donors and for which SU students may be eligible are posted at on the scholarship search page on the SFS web site where the search feature allows students to narrow their search to scholarships that are relevant to their interests.

Veterans’ Education Benefits

Selected academic programs at Seattle University are approved by the Washington State Higher Education Coordinating Board’s State Approving Agency for enrollment of persons eligible to receive educational benefits.

If you will be receiving Veterans Education Benefits and this is your first quarter at Seattle University, you must see the VA Certifying Official in Student Financial Services to set up your benefits.

Your official source for Information about all VA educational benefits is www.GIBILL.va.gov. You can also call the Veterans Administration at (888) GIBILL-1 (888-442-4551).

Work Study

Work study positions are available on campus and in the community to help students earn funds to meet their educational expenses. Students are awarded work study as part of their need-based financial aid award and select jobs from the listings available under Employment Opportunities at suonline.seattleu.edu. Although positions are not guaranteed, Student Financial Services staff are available to assist students seeking work. Students receive their pay for hours worked after the start of the quarter; therefore these awards are not used to reduce the balance due on a student’s student account at the start of the quarter.

Federal work study provides part-time employment—up to 20 hours per week—in on-campus positions and off-campus community service positions. This need-based employment opportunity is awarded based on information you provide on your FAFSA and the availability of funding.

Washington State work study provides part-time, off-campus employment—up to 19 hours per week—to upper-division students who are permanent residents of Washington State. This need-based employment opportunity is awarded based on information you provide on your FAFSA and the availability of funding.

Loans

These are low-interest student loans that must be repaid.

Federal Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Stafford Loans

Stafford loan limits vary by academic level and repayment begins 6 months after a student leaves school or drops below half-time enrollment. Within each class level, a student is limited in the amount of subsidized Stafford loan he or she can borrow.

A Federal Direct Subsidized Stafford loan is limited by the student’s financial need and does not accrue interest during enrollment or the 6-month grace period. The interest rate for 2011-12 undergraduate subsidized loans is 3.4 percent; for all others the interest rate is 6.8 percent. A Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan is limited by the program’s annual and lifetime limits and by the student’s cost of attendance. The unsubsidized loan begins to accrue interest after the first disbursement; the interest rate is 6.8 percent.

Stafford Loan terms and benefits are discussed during the student’s required entrance counseling session and are also included on the master promissory note the student signs before loan proceeds are disbursed.

If you are a first-time Federal Direct Stafford Loan borrower, you must complete an entrance counseling session and a Master Promissory Note before your loan can be disbursed. The Missing Documents Letter that came in the packet with your award letter has additional details concerning these two documents. You can also go to My Documents in the Communication section of the student menu at SUOnline for these details. While we strongly encourage you to complete both documents online (where you will use the same personal identification number—PIN—that you use to sign your FAFSA), if you are unable to do so, contact our office for a paper version of the information.

Once your financial aid file is complete and the appropriate documents have been completed, your loan funds will automatically be disbursed to your student account each quarter, provided you are registered at least half-time. For undergraduate students this means at least 6 credits each term.

A 1 percent origination fee will be charged for each Direct Stafford Loan before it is disbursed to your student account. However, that amount will be decreased by a .5 percent rebate for presumed on-time payments when your loan enters repayment so the net fee will be .05 percent. For example, if your loan is for $1,000, $995 will be disbursed to your student account.

Annual and aggregate loan limits based on the student’s academic class level are as follows:

Federal Perkins Loan

This need-based loan is awarded based on the information you provide on your FAFSA and the availability of funding. Because funding is limited, first priority is given to undergraduate students with the highest need. It has a fixed interest rate of 5 percent. Interest does not begin to accrue until repayment begins nine months after you leave school or drop below half-time enrollment. Since Seattle University is the lender, no separate application is required. However, if you are a first time borrower, prior to receiving these funds you will receive instructions from our office about how to go online to complete an entrance counseling session, loan questionnaire and a master promissory note that you will sign electronically using your FAFSA personal identification number (PIN).

Federal Nursing Student Loan for Undergraduate Students

This need-based loan is awarded to undergraduate nursing students who have completed two years of study based on the information provided on the FAFSA and the availability of funding. It has a fixed interest rate of 5 percent and interest does not accrue until repayment begins nine months after you leave school or drop below half-time enrollment. Since Seattle University is the lender, no separate application is required. However, if you are a first time borrower, prior to receiving these funds you will receive a letter from our office with instructions about how to complete the required entrance counseling session, loan questionnaire and master promissory note that you will sign electronically using your FAFSA personal identification number (PIN).

Federal Direct PLUS Loan for Parents of Dependent Undergraduates (Parent PLUS)

If you are a dependent, undergraduate student and have filed a FAFSA for the current academic year, this non-need-based loan is available to your parents. Your parent, who is the borrower, may borrow up to the amount of your total cost of education (as certified by our office) less any financial aid you have been awarded.

The interest rate is fixed at 7.9 percent. The lender will charge a fee of 2.5 percent that will be deducted from the awarded amount before the loan is disbursed. Repayment begins 60 days after the loan is fully disbursed for the academic year. For instance, for an academic year loan for three quarters, repayment begins 60 days after the spring quarter disbursement in March. However, your parent may defer payments while you are in school by calling the Direct Loan Service Center at (800) 848-0979 to request a deferment.

If interested in this loan, your parents will apply by going on-line to the Department of Education’s loan website at www.studentloans.gov. If approved to receive the loan, your parents will be required to sign a Master Promissory Note, which they can do electronically using their FAFSA PIN before funds will be disbursed to your student account. If unable to complete the Master Promissory Note online, your parents should contact our office to request a paper copy of the note.

If your parent’s Parent PLUS Loan application is not approved, you may be eligible to receive a limited amount of additional Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan.

Private Educational Loans

If you find that you need more financial assistance than we are able to offer to you, there are several private educational loan programs through which you can borrow up to your total cost of education minus any financial aid you have been awarded. Eligibility to receive these loans is based on credit-worthiness as determined by the specific lender to which you apply. To ensure that you have the amount you need at the time you need it:

• Contact Student Financial Services if you need help determining how much you are eligible to borrow.
• Unless you specifically instruct otherwise, we certify loans to be evenly disbursed over the quarters you indicated on your loan application. So, if you know you will have uneven costs, be sure to tell us so your loan can be certified and disbursed to your student account accordingly.
• If you apply for an amount that is more than the total due on your student account, the remaining balance will be refunded to you.
• Plan ahead. It can take up to three weeks after the loan is approved to actually receive your loan funds so if you know you will need a loan for the entire year, apply for it well in advance all at the same time rather than quarter by quarter.

We will certify your private educational loan from any lender you select, regardless of whether or not you have chosen to apply for federal loans or other financial aid. However, we recommend that you look at the federal loans first and carefully compare rates, terms and benefits offered with any private loan you are considering because the federal loans generally have better repayment terms and conditions.

Private Educational Continuing Education Loans

A few lenders provide loans for students who are not seeking a degree (non-matriculated) or students who are enrolled less than half-time. These loans are generally called Continuing Education Loans and can be researched on the Web using any standard search engine.

Private Lender Direct to Consumer (DTC) Loans

Some private lenders will make loans directly to you without contacting our office to verify how much you are able to borrow without affecting your other financial aid. We strongly encourage you to talk with us before taking out one of these loans because you may be eligible for other financial aid, including additional federal loans or certified private educational loans with better repayment terms and conditions, which might make it possible for you to reduce the amount of your DTC loan, or even eliminate the need for it altogether. You must report the amount of your loan to our office and we must consider it as a resource in combination with any other aid you may be receiving. If you have not coordinated with our office ahead of time, the amount of your DTC could result in a reduction or required repayment of other aid.

If you choose to take out a DTC loan, as the borrower you must complete and submit a loan self-certification form to your lender.  You can contact the lender or Student Financial Services to request a self-certification form. 

Dropping or Withdrawing from Some, But Not All, of Your Classes

If you drop or withdraw from some, but not all, of your classes at Seattle University, adjustments may need to be made to your financial aid depending on several factors. Therefore, while general information about dropping or withdrawing from classes is given below, we strongly encourage you to contact a financial aid counselor in Student Financial Services before you actually drop or withdraw from any classes.

In general, if you drop or withdraw from some of your classes after classes begin, but are still enrolled for at least one credit, and your federal and/or state financial aid has been transmitted to your student account, that aid will not be affected for the quarter in progress as long as you met the original eligibility requirements. However, if you drop one or more classes during the add/drop period, your institutional aid for the quarter will be withdrawn if you drop below full-time. Thereafter, your institutional aid will be reduced proportionally to the reduction in credits and the tuition refund level in effect at the time you withdraw.

Any credit balance that results from dropping or withdrawing from classes will be refunded to you. However, keep in mind that because your eligibility to receive financial aid in subsequent quarters may depend on the number of credits you pass in the quarter in progress—and classes you drop or from which you withdraw do not count as passed—dropping or withdrawing from classes may affect your eligibility to receive financial aid in the future.  Keep in mind that if you add a class after a refund has been processed, you may owe additional tuition for the current quarter.

If you drop or withdraw from all of your classes after you financial aid has been transmitted to your student account, be sure to see Dropping or Withdrawing From All of Your Classes below.

In general, if you drop or withdraw from some of your classes before you have established eligibility for aid, but are still enrolled at least half-time (six credits or more as an undergraduate student), your financial aid will be revised based on your new enrollment status. Again, keep in mind that because your eligibility to receive financial aid in subsequent quarters may depend on the number of credits you pass in the current quarter—and classes you drop or from which you withdraw do not count as passed—dropping or withdrawing from classes may affect your eligibility to receive financial aid in the future.

In general, if you drop below half-time enrollment (less than six credits as an undergraduate student) before you have established eligibility for aid, most or all of your financial aid will be canceled. You will, nonetheless, want to come in to talk with a financial aid counselor in Student Financial Services before you drop to less than half-time to be sure you understand the consequences on the off chance that your circumstances are not usual.

Dropping or Withdrawing From All of Your Classes

If you drop or withdraw from all of your courses for the quarter, information about how your financial aid—the amount you will receive, the amount that will be withdrawn and returned and your future eligibility—will be affected follows. Because additional, individual circumstances and information vary widely from student to student, and because dropping or withdrawing from all your classes may have different consequences for financial aid purposes than for academic purposes, we strongly encourage financial aid recipients to see a financial aid counselor in the Student Financial Services Office before actually dropping or withdrawing from all classes for the quarter.

Aid for subsequent quarters will be canceled unless you notify our office that you plan to return. You may need to make up credits for the quarter from which you withdrew in order to receive aid again from Seattle University in the future. Be sure to refer to the Satisfactory Academic Progress Requirements for Financial Aid Recipients Policy for more information.

The official date of your withdrawal will be the date of the first signature of a university official on the withdrawal form unless the form is not received by the Office of the Registrar within five days of that signature in which case the official date of withdrawal becomes the date the form is received by the Office of the Registrar. If you begin attendance but cease to attend classes without notifying the University and your last date of attendance is not documented, the required return of financial aid will be based on attendance for 50 percent of the quarter and you will not be eligible for a tuition refund.

The Student Financial Services Office will determine your eligibility for a refund of charges for the quarter based on your official date of withdrawal as described above. Be sure to refer to the published academic calendar for refund periods and amounts.

According to federal regulations, federal funds must be returned to federal programs based on the percent of the term remaining after you are no longer enrolled unless you have completed more than 60 percent of the term. If you have completed more than 60 percent of the term, no return of federal funds is required. If you have completed 60 percent or less of the term, the Student Financial Services Office will determine how much of your federal aid was unearned as defined in federal regulations, and then return the unearned aid in the following order:

• Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan
• Federal Direct Subsidized Stafford Loan
• Federal Perkins Loan
• Federal PLUS Loan
• Federal Pell
• Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG)
• Other Title IV Programs

Seattle University is required to return, on your behalf, the balance of unearned aid to the federal programs. Work study funding is not included in the calculation that determines your refund and you will not be required to repay any work study payments you have received for hours you have worked. You will be responsible for repaying, in accordance with the terms of your promissory note, any balance owed on the federal student loans disbursed to you that is not required to be returned by the university.

If you have received federal student loans while you attended Seattle University, federal law requires that you obtain loan exit counseling through SU. That counseling will give you further information on your loans(s). Loan repayment will begin at the end of your grace period(s) as defined by the promissory note(s) you completed to receive the loans.

Based on the university’s refund policy and calendar, if you withdraw during a tuition refund period (100 percent, 90 percent, 75 percent, 50 percent or 0), Seattle University grants and scholarships and Washington State grants may be reduced based on the applicable refund.

If most of your tuition costs were covered by financial aid, then most of your refund will be returned to those financial aid programs. This does not apply to any private educational loans you may have received. Repayment of these loans is solely the responsibility of the borrower—you and/or your parent or guardian—once the funds have been applied to your student account.

If you paid with cash, check or credit card, the amount refunded will be based on the applicable refund percentage at the time you withdrew.

In some cases you may be required to repay federal and/or state grant aid and/or the changes in the amount of financial aid you have earned prior to your complete withdrawal may result in a balance due from you to the university. In these cases, we send a revised student account invoice to let you know of the amount owed as a result of your complete withdrawal. Your future registration will be blocked and transcripts will be withheld until this balance is paid.

Sample Return of Funds calculations can be found on the Student financial Services web site at the bottom of the section titled “Complete Withdrawal from All Your Classes” under the “Important Info” tab on the horizontal menu across the top of the home page.

Hardship Withdrawals

Students granted a hardship withdrawal by their dean should keep in mind that this withdrawal is for academic purposes only; tuition refunds follow the standard refund policy and are based on the official withdrawal date. A separate petition is required to request an exception to the standard refund policy. These requests are typically approved only if there was a death in the student’s immediate family or the student had an illness or injury that required three or more days of hospitalization.

2010-11 Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy for Financial Aid Recipients

As a full-time student receiving financial aid, you must: 

1. Meet the minimum qualitative standard by maintaining an acceptable cumulative grade point average (GPA) and
2. Meet the minimum quantitative standards by:
   1. Completing your degree within the maximum time frame allowed and
   2. Maintaining positive progress at an acceptable pace toward degree completion by passing a minimum number of credits during each review period. 

These requirements apply to your entire period of attendance at Seattle University, and in some instances may include your enrollment at other institutions before transferring to Seattle University, even though you may not have received financial aid for all terms of enrollment.

In addition, Seattle University limits institutional financial aid to a maximum of four years (12 quarters) for undergraduate students who were admitted as freshmen, and for a prorated number of years for transfer students. Institutional aid is not available for extending a program to complete more than one major or degree. This policy applies to all institutional aid including grants and scholarships. To complete the undergraduate program within the institutional funding period, we strongly encourage you to enroll for 15 credits per quarter. 

It is important for financial aid recipients to understand that satisfactory academic progress requirements and enrollment standards for financial aid purposes may not be the same as those for academic purposes. Satisfactory academic progress for eligibility to receive federal and institutional aid is reviewed at the end of each spring quarter. For state aid, progress is reviewed every quarter you receive state aid. While you will be notified via email if you have not maintained satisfactory academic progress, it is your responsibility to monitor your own progress.

GRADE POINT AVERAGE (GPA)

Federal regulations require a qualitative measurement that is consistent with successful completion of a student’s program. As an undergraduate student, you are required to maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0, including an additional review when you have earned 90 university level credits. As a graduate student, you are required to maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0.

MAXIMUM TIME FRAME

Federal regulations require that the institution establish the standard length of time that you can receive aid while pursuing a degree. This requirement is called the “maximum time frame” for aid eligibility and, for undergraduate students, includes all applicable credits earned from all institutions attended since high school. You are eligible to receive financial aid until you have:

1. Attempted a maximum of 125 percent of the minimum number of credits required for your degree; or
2. Completed all the courses required to earn your degree. 

For undergraduate full-time students: 

• Because the standard baccalaureate program is 180 credits, the program length is four years (12 quarters), based on 15 credits per quarter and three quarters per year, the maximum period of eligibility for federal aid is 125 percent of program length which is 225 credits, or five years (15 quarters).
• For Washington State Need Grant, eligibility is limited to 15 full-time quarters and to 125 percent of the standard program length, or 225 credits.
• Institutional gift aid, including scholarships, is limited to the standard length of the program—four years if you were admitted as a freshman, three years if you were admitted as a sophomore, two years if you were admitted as a junior. 

For graduate students, the maximum period of eligibility for federal aid is limited to 125 percent of the standard program length.  

PACE

Each spring quarter, your academic record will be reviewed for “Pace”, measuring progress toward degree within the maximum time frame. Pace is defined as the number of credits successfully completed or passed divided by the number of credits attempted. The minimum acceptable pace is 80 percent at any review period. 

If you have transfer credits, they will count as attempted and passed for the purpose of evaluating pace. 

If a class is repeated, successfully completed credits count only once; but each enrollment will count as credits attempted. Incomplete grades, withdrawals, and failed classes count as attempted credits but not passed credits. Credits that may not apply to the degree such as Culture and Language Bridge courses, where credits are counted for enrollment and receipt of financial aid, may be counted as passed credits for this purpose if a passing grade was assigned. Credits by exam, as well as other credits earned outside of a college level course, do not count as either attempted or passed credits.

You must pass the minimum number of credits based on the higher of your actual enrollment status (full-time, three-quarter-time, half-time or less than half-time) or the enrollment status for which you received financial aid, as noted on the “Enrollment Status” line of your award letter. For example, if you receive a half-time Pell grant but add classes later in the term which result in full-time enrollment, your progress standard will be based on your full-time enrollment. Enrollment status is defined as: 

Institutional aid generally requires that you maintain full-time enrollment fall, winter and spring terms; institutional aid is not available during summer term. Institutional aid includes aid awarded through Student Financial Services and other offices at Seattle University. This aid originates from the institution’s general fund, departmental funds, the financial aid budget, gifts to the university, and endowed scholarship funds.

To qualify for aid with less than full-time enrollment status, institutional, state and federal aid may require proration and the reduced enrollment level will be reflected on your financial aid award notice.

Completed credits exclude incomplete grades, withdrawals, failed classes, repeated courses, audited courses and credits by examination.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR SPECIFIC INSTITUTIONAL SCHOLARSHIPS

As with all institutional aid, your scholarship is limited to four years (12 quarters) if you enter as a freshman. The number of terms allowed is prorated for transfer students. In addition to the named scholarships below, some other institutional scholarships come with specific requirements. Those requirements are disclosed in the offer letter associated with those scholarships instead of in this document.

Admits with Start Terms of Summer, 2011 or Later

If you receive a Sullivan Leadership Award, a Trustee, Campion, Messina, Xavier, Bannan or Honors Scholarship, you must meet all the standard satisfactory academic progress requirements and maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) requirement of at least 3.0. Failure to achieve this level of success for the Sullivan Leadership Award, Bannan or Honors Scholarship at the spring review may result in suspension of these awards. 

If you entered as a freshman and receive a Trustee or Campion Scholarship but do not meet the cumulative GPA requirement at the end of spring quarter, you will be placed on scholarship probation for the subsequent year. You will continue to receive the scholarship during that year, but must achieve the required cumulative GPA of at least 3.0, along with all other progress requirements, by the end of spring term of your probation year. If you have not successfully met the minimum cumulative GPA requirements by the end of spring quarter, but you have met all other institutional gift aid requirements, your scholarship will be replaced by one of lesser value. If you are unable to achieve a cumulative GPA of 3.0 by the end of spring quarter in your scholarship probation year, a Trustee Scholarship would be reduced to a Campion Scholarship, and a Campion Scholarship would be reduced to a Bellarmine Scholarship for the following year. The lower scholarship amount is set at the value of that scholarship when you were first enrolled at Seattle University.

If you entered as a transfer student and receive a Messina or Xavier Scholarship, but do not meet the cumulative GPA requirement at the end of spring quarter, you will be placed on scholarship probation for the subsequent year. You will continue to receive the scholarship during that year, but must achieve the required cumulative GPA of at least 3.0, along with all other progress requirements, by the end of spring term of your probation year. If you have not successfully met the minimum cumulative GPA requirements by the end of spring quarter, but you have met all other institutional gift aid requirements, your scholarship will be replaced by one of lesser value. If you are unable to achieve a cumulative GPA of 3.0 by the end of spring quarter in your scholarship probation year, a Messina Scholarship would be reduced to a Xavier Scholarship, and a Xavier Scholarship will be reduced to half of the amount of your original Xavier Scholarship. The lower scholarship amount is set at the value of that scholarship when you were first enrolled at Seattle University. 

If you have achieved academic progress but did not maintain the required cumulative GPA, it may be possible to improve your GPA by taking classes in the summer (without aid) on a “summer contract.”

Admits with a Start Term Spring, 2011 or Earlier

The same logic applies as is noted above, but the scholarship titles are Presidential, Trustee and Campion. If, as the recipient of one of these awards, you are unable to achieve a cumulative GPA of 3.0 by the end of spring quarter in your scholarship probation year, a Presidential Scholarship would be reduced to a Trustee Scholarship and a Trustee Scholarship would be reduced to a Campion Scholarship for the following year. The lower scholarship amount is set at the value of that scholarship when you were first enrolled at Seattle University. If you received a Campion Scholarship, your scholarship will be reduced to half of the amount of your original award. 

ADDITIONAL STATE-SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS

If you are a Washington State Need Grant and/or Washington State Work Study recipient, your progress is monitored at the end of each quarter.  If you have received an award from either of these funds, failure to complete at least 50 percent of the credits attempted in a quarter will result in the cancellation of your subsequent eligibility. If you complete at least 50 percent, but not all of the credits you attempt for a quarter, you will be placed on state aid probation. Receipt of state aid while on state aid probation is only permitted for two consecutive quarters. If your eligibility for state aid is suspended, but you had special circumstances that prevented satisfactory progress, such as a serious illness or injury or a death in the family, you may submit an appeal to request continued state eligibility; however, there is no appeal of the maximum limit of State Need Grant funding. See the “Appeals” section below.

If you are an Alaska State Loan undergraduate borrower, you must enroll for at least 12 credits per quarter and achieve a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0. If you are a graduate student borrower, you must enroll for a minimum of 6 credits per quarter and achieve a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0. Appeals for reinstatement of Alaska loan eligibility are made to the Alaska Student Loan Commission. 

APPEALS

If you fail to meet satisfactory progress standards because of special circumstances that prevented regular progress, such as illness or injury, a serious illness or death in your family, or other unanticipated circumstances that were beyond your control, you may appeal to continue on aid if: 

1. You can resume the regular progress requirements within one additional term; or
2. You can resume regular progress on an academic plan that lasts longer than one term.

An appeal must be submitted in writing on a “Satisfactory Academic Progress for Financial Aid Appeal Form” and must include a statement or explanation of the special circumstances that prevented you from passing sufficient credits, maintaining an acceptable cumulative GPA or completing a degree within the maximum timeframe, and what has changed in your situation that will allow you to regain satisfactory academic progress by the end of the next quarter. Your appeal must include supplemental documentation to support your case. In the case of maximum time frame, you must provide an action plan as described in the next paragraph.

If you cannot resume progress within one quarter on probation, in addition to the information above, your appeal to continue on aid must include an academic plan that, if followed, will ensure that you are able to meet the institution’s satisfactory academic progress standards by a designated point in time within the maximum time frame. The plan will designate the courses and grades that must be earned in order to regain progress. The plan will designate the date by which you will have regained satisfactory progress. 

If your appeal is granted, and you are allowed to continue to receive aid while on probation, your progress will be monitored at the end of each succeeding quarter until you have regained progress. If you do not successfully follow the plan each quarter, your financial aid will be suspended at the end of the quarter in which you do not successfully meet the plan’s requirements. 

All appeals are evaluated by the counseling staff in the Student Financial Services office. If you have questions or want to initiate an appeal, contact that office to determine the most appropriate way to proceed. 

REGAINING ELIGIBILITY TO RECEIVE FINANCIAL AID

If your aid eligibility is suspended due to lack of satisfactory academic progress, you may be able to regain eligibility by pursuing your education without the benefit of financial assistance from Seattle University. This may involve taking additional classes at Seattle University to raise your GPA to an acceptable level, or taking credits at Seattle University or another institution to regain “pace.” Please note that taking credits from another institution will require official transcripts and evaluation of transfer credit, and sometimes an application for readmission, before eligibility can be restored. 

Because regaining eligibility is generally difficult to do, we highly recommend that you meet with a Student Financial Services Counselor to ensure that you understand what is required to regain eligibility. When you have regained progress and are eligible to enroll at Seattle University, submit a request to the Student Financial Services office to confirm that you have regained eligibility. If additional courses were taken, submit your request after your courses have been evaluated and posted to your academic record by the Office of the Registrar.