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General Policies

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Colorado State University Pueblo makes every attempt to inform students about important policies related to financial aid. We want to make sure you know all of your rights and responsibilities.

Please become very familiar with these policies so that you are well informed about how your academic decisions will impact your financial aid.

As an institutional member of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA), CSU Pueblo follows the NASFAA Code of Conduct.

At Colorado State University Pueblo, we strive to meet the financial need of students by maximizing the use of our federal, state, and institutional funding. Our office explores funding sources in the following priority:

  1. Grants and scholarships
  2. Work study programs
  3. Low interest loans

Policies

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    Student's Rights and Responsibilities

    As a student at CSU Pueblo you have the right to:

    • Know all the types of financial assistance available to our students - including federal, state, and institutional sources.
    • Change or decline any financial aid awarded.
    • Appeal financial aid eligibility, including a financial aid award.

    As a student at CSU Pueblo you have the responsibility to:

    • Accurately and honestly complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and CSU Pueblo Scholarship Application each year by the priority deadline of March 1.
    • Use financial aid solely for expenses related to attendance at CSU Pueblo.
    • Be admitted in a degree-seeking program in order to receive financial aid.
    • Maintain at least 6 credit hours of enrollment per semester to receive financial aid.
    • Keep all contact information up to date with CSU Pueblo.
    • Notify Financial Aid if you are attending two schools at the same time (you may not receive financial aid at two schools at the same time).
    • Read and understand the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy, the Withdrawal Policy and other general policies related to financial aid.
    • Officially withdraw from CSU Pueblo if you are unable to attend classes.
    • Report all scholarships that you receive to Financial Aid (all scholarships are counted as part of your financial aid and may impact other financial aid).
    • Review and be aware of all Student Billing policies.
    • Monitor your CSU Pueblo e-mail account for important Financial Aid information.
    • View your financial aid, balance due, and other individual student information via PAWS.
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    Consortium Agreements

    A Consortium Agreement is a signed document by which an individual student is enrolled and receives financial aid at CSU Pueblo (Home Institution) while taking coursework at another (Host Institution). Because financial aid is only disbursed by CSU Pueblo, the agreement allows the student's enrollment and costs at the Host Institution to count toward total financial aid eligibility.

    Criteria for use:

    • Coursework is transferable and counts toward degree at CSU Pueblo
    • Student is degree seeking
    • Student is PELL eligible
    • Student is enrolled in 6 credits at CSU Pueblo
    • Cannot be used for correspondence or remedial courses
    • Student must provide proof of enrollment at the Host Institution
    • Student is responsible for paying tuition and fees at the Host Institution

    Consortium Agreement

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    Financial Aid Committee

    The state of Colorado requires that each institution receiving state-funded student aid have a Financial Aid Committee to advise the Financial Aid Director regarding institution policies. In addition to those duties, at CSU Pueblo the Financial Aid Committee also acts on Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) appeals, some scholarship award decisions and appeals, and serves in an advisory capacity on general financial aid policies and procedures. The Financial Aid Committee consists of two students, two faculty, two staff, and two Financial Aid Counselors.

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    Merit Policy

    Financial aid awards are based primarily on need, but also merit as funding allows. The merit awards may include funding from the State of Colorado, CSU Pueblo or both. Academic performance is the chief consideration for merit awards, although other factors may be considered.

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    Award Schedule

    New students entering fall semester are awarded beginning in March each year. New students will receive a financial aid award letter once all Admissions and financial aid application requirements are completed. The award letter contains instructions on how to acknowledge the terms and conditions of your award online (see below). Please note that financial aid will not disburse until the acknowledgment is completed online.

    Currently enrolled students returning for the fall semester are awarded in mid-May each year, after the conclusion of the spring semester. Students may view their application status and award online (see below), and an e-mail message is sent to CSU Pueblo e-mail accounts whenever there are outstanding requirements or action has been taken. Please note that financial aid awards will not disburse until the terms and conditions are acknowledged online through PAWS.

    PAWS - Personal Access to Web Services, allows students to access a variety of new Web student services, including the ability to:

    • View/Print Financial Aid application status, award, and disbursements.
    • View/Print student employment disbursements, and student payroll check/stub details.
    • View/Print a summary of their disbursements from grant/scholarships, loans, and student employment per semester.
    • View their current bank EFT (Electronic Fund Transfer) account information and stop fund transfer into the account.

    Please note that PAWS is only available to those students who have been assigned a netID.

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    Disbursement

    The following criteria must be satisfied before financial aid will be applied toward the student account or disbursed to the student:

    • Must sign and return all requested documents to Financial Aid
    • Must be admitted to the University in a degree-seeking program
    • Must be enrolled in a minimum of credit hours for particular financial programs
    • Must pay any prior balance to the University
    • Must not be on academic or financial aid suspension
    • First-time Federal Direct Loan borrowers must complete a Master Promissory Note and Entrance Counseling.

    Your financial aid funds will be used to pay for your tuition, fees, room, and board. If any funds remain, they can be electronically transferred to a designated student checking account prior to the beginning of each semester. You may complete a Direct Deposit form and return it to Financial Aid to have the funds automatically deposited into your designated account.

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    Distance Education

    The Office of Extended Studies offers a variety distance education courses for the student who needs flexibility in their schedule. Listed below are types of courses that may be covered by financial aid:

    Traditional Courses are offered at various extension sites, which can be viewed on the Extended Studies website. Students may qualify for financial aid while taking these traditional courses as long as they are admitted to the University as a degree-seeking student.

    Independent Study Courses are basically home study courses that allow students a great amount of flexibility. Although this is the best method of study for some students, it is important to take note of specific limitations and rules required by the federal government concerning how financial aid is administered:

    • You may only receive financial aid for correspondence courses if you are enrolled in a degree-granting program.
    • A student enrolled solely in correspondence courses cannot be considered more than a half-time student no matter how many credits the student is taking.
    • Students enrolled in correspondence courses are only eligible to receive financial aid to cover the costs of tuition, fees, books, and supplies.
    • Financial aid will only cover courses offered by Colorado State University Pueblo.
    • Students may only receive Federal Pell Grant disbursements upon completing at least one-half (50%) of their coursework and no later than the last day of the published end of the semester.
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    Return to Title IV Funds (R2T4)

    Students who totally withdraw from the University, for any reason, and it is past the drop/add period, must initiate the Official Withdrawal process by contacting the Pack Center. A withdrawal from the University is not considered official until the following three required steps are completed:

    1. Students must begin the Official Withdrawal form in the Pack Center
    2. Students must speak with a Financial Aid Counselor in Student Financial Services
    3. Students must turn in Official Withdrawal form with all required signatures from the above named offices to the Registrar's Office to finalize the withdrawal

    This process ensures proper notification of instructors for grading purposes. The withdraw date for an Official Withdraw is determined by the earliest date the student initiated the withdraw.  Please note that Official Withdrawals will affect the degree Completion Rate (pace) of the student and may affect their eligibility for financial aid. Please review the University's Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy (SAP)

    Students who totally withdraw from the University after the drop/add period through 60 percent of the semester will have their tuition prorated. A federal formula is used to determine the amount of federal financial aid earned by the student, which will be calculated for students who withdraw within 60 percent of the semester based on the percentage of the semester completed. The University will complete the calculation to determine the amount of unearned Federal financial aid within 30 days of the withdraw date.  Unearned Federal funds will be returned to the Department of Education within 45 days of the withdraw date.  If the student received less assistance than the amount earned, the student may be able to receive those funds, called a Post Withdrawal Disbursement. For grant aid, the Post Withdrawal Disbursement will occur within 45 days of the withdrawal date and for aid requiring authorization (loans) a letter requesting the student's signature will be mailed within 30 days of the withdrawal date. Students have 14 days to accept or decline the loan funds.  If the student received more assistance than earned, the excess funds must be returned. The amount of federal financial aid unearned will be deducted from the adjusted tuition amount credited to the student's account; however, there may be additional institutional charges that were not covered by federal financial aid and will be reflected in the total amount owed by the student. Students may use the following calculation to estimate the amount of Title IV aid he or she earned prior to the withdrawal date.

    # of days student completed*/ total # of days in period of enrollment = percentage of aid earned
    *Scheduled breaks of five or more days will be excluded from calculation

    Students who complete an Official Withdrawal after 60 percent of the period of enrollment will not have their tuition adjusted or the federal financial aid received adjusted. Please note that federal financial aid received may not cover the total amount of institutional charges owed by the student. Students can review their account balance through their PAWS account.

    Students who complete official withdrawals within 60 percent of the period of enrollment and did not receive federal financial aid will have their tuition prorated based on the day the official withdrawal was initiated by the student through the office of the Center for Academic Enrichment.

    Students who cease attendance from the University during the drop/add period, drop all courses, will receive a 100 percent tuition refund and will be responsible for repaying all of their federal financial aid funds received back to the University. The student is not eligible to receive federal financial aid when they have dropped all courses and no longer attend. Please review the Financial Aid Policies for more information.

    Students who do not earn any passing grades for the semester (the grade point average for the semester is 0.0) and do not complete the Official Withdrawal process are subject to repayment of the unearned financial aid received. Students will be notified by letter advising them of the opportunity to prove their attendance after 60 percent of the semester and that any failing grades were earned by providing acceptable documentation before the stated deadline. Acceptable documentation includes: graded course work dated passed the 60 percent point of the semester, a letter from a class instructor stating that the student was in attendance after 60 percent of the semester and the failing grade was earned, computer-assisted instruction, and/or other course documentation that clearly states the student's name and last date of attendance which is passed 60 percent of the semester. If a student or professor provides documentation of attendance, the latest last date of attendance will be used to determine the withdraw date.  It is the responsibility of the student to provide the requested documentation. Any documentation received after the deadline will not be accepted unless other written arrangements have been made with a Financial Aid Counselor and it is received five days prior to the deadline established by federal regulations for the return of the federal funds. Student Financial Services is required to return unearned federal financial aid to the Department of Education within 45 days from the date the school determined the student may have unofficially withdrawn. If a student is unable to provide any documentation, an unofficial withdrawal will be processed using the midpoint of the period of enrollment as the withdraw date and a return of federal financial aid received will be calculated.

    When a student has not earned all aid and some must be returned, it will be returned by fund type in the following order:

    1. Unsubsidized direct loans (other than PLUS loans)
    2. Subsidized direct loans
    3. Federal Perkins loans
    4. Federal Plus loans
    5. Federal Pell Grants
    6. Fed SEOG
    7. Federal Teach grants for which a return is required

     If the Return of Title IV calculation results in an amount to be returned that exceeds the school’s portion, the student must repay some funds.  If the Return of Title IV calculation results in a credit balance on the student’s account, the credit balance will be disbursed within 14 days of the completed calculation.

     Withdrawal Exemptions:

    1. Exemption for graduates/completers
      1. A student who completes all of the requirements for graduation from his or her program before completing the days or hours in the period that he or she was scheduled to complete is not considered to have withdrawn.
    2. Exemptions for programs offered in modules
      1. A student is not considered to have withdrawn if they successfully complete one module that includes 49% or more of the number of days in the payment period, excluding all scheduled breaks of five or more consecutive days and all days between modules.
      2. A student is not considered to have withdrawn if the student successfully completes a combination of modules that when combined contain 49% or more of the number of days in the payment period, excluding scheduled breaks of five or more consecutive days and all days between modules.
      3. A student is not considered to have withdrawn if the student successfully completes coursework equal to or greater than the coursework required for a half time student for the payment period.

    Exit Counseling

    For students who are totally withdrawing or dropping below 6 credits of enrollment from the University - you must also complete Exit Counseling if you have ever borrowed a Stafford or Federal Direct Loan, a Perkins loan, or a TEACH Grant from any educational institution. Please visit Financial Aid and speak with a Financial Aid Counselor if you are required to complete Perkins Exit Counseling. (Students seeking information about repayment options, grace periods, and consequences of not repaying your student loan can visit (Student Aid on the Web).

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    Summer Financial Aid

    Students wishing to receive funds for summer school should complete a FAFSA and may inquire with Financial Aid about availability.

    If you have not already completed a FAFSA, we recommend that you complete it by April 1 to receive a summer aid award prior to the Student Accounts summer tuition deadline of May 15. We cannot guarantee Financial Aid awards for a FAFSA received after June 1. All Federal Direct or Perkins loan borrowers at Colorado State University Pueblo are required to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Any additional requirements will be listed in the Financial Aid->Documents tab of your PAWS account.

    Colorado State University Pueblo considers summer school the end of the school year. Therefore, the eligibility of each student is based upon each student's remaining annual limits for grants and loans. Students who receive their maximum grant and/or loan eligibility for the Fall and Spring semesters may not have any remaining eligibility for summer financial aid.

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    Other General Policies

    Students may elect to charge to their student account for the purchase of textbooks if they choose to purchase through the CSU Pueblo Bookstore. Please note, however, that charging books to the student account does not in any way guarantee that financial aid awarded will be enough to pay for them - and students could incur late charges on any unpaid portion of their bill. It is the student's responsibility to monitor their account through PAWS to make sure their bill is paid in full, including any book charges. Additionally, to charge books, students must not have a previous outstanding balance with the University, and must not be enrolling in correspondence or Independent Study courses. Please check the Student Billing calendar for accurate dates to charge books, the time frame is subject to shift with the current semester.

    Students are not required to utilize this option to purchase textbooks through the CSU Pueblo Bookstore. Waiting until disbursement and using any excess funds received to purchase books, or simply purchasing books "out-of-pocket" without the use of financial aid are options also available to students. The method of textbook purchase plays no role in a student's financial aid award.

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