Financial Aid
Frequently Asked Questions
Financial Aid
I would like to speak to a counselor in person – how
can I make an appointment?
You can come into or call the Office of Financial Services at (815)
836-5263, Monday through Thursday 8:30am – 6:30pm, Friday 8:30am – 5:00pm
and request to speak with a counselor or make an appointment. Appointments
can also be made through e-mail at finaid@lewisu.edu.
How late is your office open?
The Office of Financial Aid Services hours of operation are:
-
Monday – Thursday 8:30am – 6:30pm
-
Friday 8:30am – 5:00pm
Where are you located?
We are located on the main campus in Romeoville on the 1st floor
of the LRC
building.
Your office has requested additional documentation from
student/parents – why?
At the discretion of the Office of Financial Aid Services, additional documentation
may be requested for one or more of the following:
-
To resolve conflicting information
-
For Professional Judgment
-
Verification
What constitutes conflicting information?
Common examples of conflicting information:
-
Student’s parents filed federal taxes as Head
of Household even though they are married.
- Student and/or parent(s) list an Adjusted Gross
Income amount on FAFSA, and list an income of $0 for FAFSA income
questions.
- Income amount entered on FAFSA equals Worksheet
A amount.
- Student marks they are unmarried and have no
dependants but list a household size/number in college as greater than
one.
- Student or parent(s) indicate an amount on Line 17 of Federal 1040
taxes and list $0 for investments/real estate
question on FAFSA.
What is professional
judgment?
According to IFAP regulations, professional
judgment is:
An aid administrator may use professional
judgment (PJ), on a case-by-case
basis only, to alter
the data elements used to calculate
the EFC. The alteration
is valid only at the school making it.
The only professional judgments Lewis University’s Office of Financial
Aid Services will review are:
Income Reduction – to qualify a loss of income must be over $10,000 from
previous year’s income.
Medical Dental Expenses – to qualify
medical/dental out-of-pocket expenses must be greater than
5% of the previous years Adjusted Gross Income.
Elementary
and Secondary Tuition – to
qualify the family must pay private or secondary tuition
in the previous calendar year January 1 through December
31.
Parent In College – to qualify
parent must be attending an accredited university in a
degree-seeking program and at least part-time status.
Dependency Appeal – to qualify must be dependent student able to provide
documentation of extreme hardship and financial independence.
Please Note – because professional judgments are reviewed case-by-case,
please allow for an extended timeframe for a decision to be reached.
I
am planning on dropping below full-time status (12hours) – how
will my financial aid be affected?
Your financial aid award letter is based on full time enrollment
(at least 12 credit hours per semester) a change in the
amount of hours enrolled could
result in a change to your financial aid awards. All institutional
money is based on full-time status as well as some federal
and state aid – if
you intend on taking less than 12 hours you must contact the Office
of Financial Aid Services, (815) 836-5263.
MAP eligible students:
Please Note – MAP is awarded based on registered credit hours,
an increase or decrease of registered credit hours will result in
a change in MAP award.
I
would like to request additional financial aid – how
would I do that?
To request additional financial aid or to make a change to your award, the
Office of Financial Aid Services will need the request in writing from the
student. If the student submits a written request this information must be
included:
- Student name
- Student ID number
- Specify what changes are to be made and for what semester
The student can also request a Revision Form from the
Office of Financial Aid Services.
The Office of Financial Aid Services will process the
changes and send out a Revised award letter.
My sibling(s) attends Lewis University or another college/university,
why does his/her financial aid eligibility differ so
much from mine?
Need for aid is calculated as the difference between
the cost of attending a particular school and the Expected
Family Contribution
(EFC). Other colleges
and universities are likely to have different costs
as well as different amounts of financial aid (especially
grant funds)
to
offer to students. Therefore awards
will vary from school to school.
Differences between you and a sibling, if both attend Lewis University
may be a result of the difference in your earnings and assets during the
last calendar year. It may also be that you are at different grade levels.
Maximums in loan eligibility, for example, are different for freshman and
sophomores than for juniors and seniors.
Why
are you requiring me to complete an Entrance Interview?
Per Federal Regulations, every student who receives Federal Stafford student
loans for the first time is required to complete Entrance
Counseling before
the University can disburse Stafford student loans. The purpose of completing
Entrance Counseling is to inform the student of their rights and responsibilities
when taking out student loans while in school.
My
family has special circumstances not reflected on the
FAFSA – will
the Office of Financial Aid Services take them into consideration?
Yes. For certain exceptions Lewis University will review special
circumstances on a case-by-case basis.
How do I go about getting a bookstore voucher?
Students may request a bookstore voucher from the Office
of Financial Aid Services when there is a credit
balance on their account. To request a bookstore voucher
a student must have:
- Student ID
- Registered for classes
- Cost of books
If student does not use total amount of bookstore voucher
the balance will be credited back to the student’s
account.
Please Note – student’s requested bookstore
amount cannot exceed credit balance on their account.
I have not received my award letter yet, why?
There could be several reasons why you have not received an award letter:
- A student must be admitted in a degree seeking
program
- An official FAFSA must be received by Lewis
University
-
All requested documentation such as, federal tax documents, selective service
documentation, entrance counseling/billing disclosure forms, etc. must be received
by Lewis University – before financial aid will be processed
If you believe that your financial aid should have already
been processed, please contact Financial Aid Services:
(815) 836-5263 or e-mail finaid@lewisu.edu.
I was living on-campus this semester but I will be commuting next semester.
How will that affect my financial aid?
Your financial aid will be affected due to a decrease in your cost of attendance
(COA) or budget. With a decreased budget, there is the potential need for additional
loans (PLUS loan/Alternative loan) to be decreased as well as some institutional
money such as the Lewis University LaSallian Grant. If a change in commuting
status does occur you must contact Financial Aid Services.
As an International student am I eligible for any financial aid?
In most cases, no. However, if the international student has a credit worthy,
U.S. citizen co- borrower, they may be eligible for an International
Student Loan.
I will be transferring into Lewis University next semester (mid-year). How
will this affect my financial aid?
The same basic formula for awarding financial aid will still apply:
Cost of Attendance (COA) – Expected Family Contribution
(EFC) number = Financial Need
However, the student’s COA will be based on a one semester
budget and any loans the student obtained at prior institution
will be deducted from their
loan eligibility. Any state or federal grants the student was eligible
for at prior institution will still apply.
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