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 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 - 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 amount.
• Student marks they are unmarried and have no dependants but lists 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 Department of Education regulations:
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 may be 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 year’s 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 a student does not use total amount of a 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?
Lewis University awards academic scholarships to international students (non U.S. citizen or resident) based on ACT composite scores or SAT critical reading and math scores along with a Grade Point Average (GPA) based on an evaluation report produced by an approved international credential evaluation service. The awards range from $4,000 to $5,500. To be eligible for an academic scholarship, complete an admission application and be accepted to Lewis University by July 1.

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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