Financial Assistance Award Information

1. Financial AssistanceAward Information

2. Rights and Responsibilities You Have the Right to Know: • What financial aid programs are available: What is Financial Aid • The priority date for submitting applications March 15. • How financial aid will be distributed: RECEIVING YOUR AID • How financial aid is determined: NEED • Costs of attending the university: STUDENT'S BUDGET • The good standing and satisfactory academic progress requirements for aid recipients: SATISFACTORY ACADEMIC PROGRESS The following are available at their respective web site: • University graduation/completion rates: UTEP-Graduation Statistics • Requirements for the return of Title IV funds: Return of Title IV Funds • Requirements for officially withdrawing from school: Return of Title IV Funds • Information on your rights under the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974: FERPA • Annual security report: UTEP Crime Statistics • Report on Athletic Program Support and Participation Rate. UTEP Athletic Compliance

3. Rights and Responsibilities In Accepting Financial Aid, You Accept the Responsibility to: • Complete all forms accurately and submit them on time; • Provide correct information; • Return all additional documentation, verification, corrections and or/new information requested by the Office of Student Financial Aid; • Report any additional aid or resources; • Read and understand all forms that you are asked to sign, and keep copies of them; • Live up to all agreements that you sign; • Perform the work agreed on in accepting a Federal College Work-Study job; • Be aware of and comply with priority dates for application or reapplication for aid; • Report any changes in name and/or address to the Office of Student Financial Aid and Records; • Read and understand all written materials provided to you; • To understand that giving misinformation on financial aid forms is a violation of law and may be considered a criminal offense which could result in indictment under the U.S. Criminal Code.

4. Award Letters Are Conditional In order to mail out award letters as early as possible, they are mailed out conditionally pending the meeting of Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements and the return of the Financial Aid Authorization Form mailed with the award letter packet. Please also be aware that these awards are based on information submitted on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and can be adjusted due to new information and course loads.

5. Abbreviations The following are used for some of the programs listed on your Award Letter: • Fed. Sup. Ed. Op. Grant = Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant • Tex. Pub.Ed. = Texas Public Educational Grant (in state) Grnt. Res. (TPEG-R) • Tex. Pub. Ed. Grnt. = Texas Public Educational Grant (out of state) Nonres. (TPEG-O) • Texas Legis. Grant = Texas Legislative Grant • SDS Nursing = Scholarship for Disadvantaged Students (Health Science Majors) Scholarship • Fed. Sub. = Federal Subsidized Stafford Loan Stafford Ln. • Fed. Unsub. = Federal Unsubsidized Stafford Loan Stafford Ln.

6. Determining Financial Need Your “financial need” for assistance from federal and state student financial aid programs is equal to your cost of attendance minus your calculated EFC (Expected Family Contribution) minus financial aid from other sources such as but, not limited to scholarships, stipends or third party payments. The total aid you can receive from federal and state student aid programs and other sources for the period of enrollment, when added to your EFC, cannot exceed the cost of attendance. What is Need?

7. How You Will Receive Your Aid • The Financial Aid Authorization Form authorizes use of financial aid funds for payment toward tuition, fees and any other outstanding debts to the university including housing. The form must be signed and returned to the office of Student Financial Aid. • If money is left over, after current year debts are paid to the university, it will be mailed to you by check or deposited into your savings or checking account through direct deposit. • Awards are based on full-time enrollment. If you enroll for less than full-time you may no longer qualify for the program or receive an adjusted amount. • If you withdraw or are administratively withdrawn for whatever reason and fall below the necessary course load you may be required to pay back funds that have been disbursed. This could also affect your Satisfactory Academic Progress. • Students are encouraged to register as soon as possible in order to assure a timely disbursement of funds. • If you indicated summer enrollment, be aware you will receive notification of any awards after you register for the session.

8. Questions On Awards Requests for reconsideration of awards will be made only in cases where a significant change in the student’s or the family’s circumstances has occurred and is substantiated by supporting documentation. Please visit the Office of Student Financial Aid to speak with one of our counselors, if you have a question about your awards or feel you have grounds to have your awards re-evaluated. E-Mail your Questions. The necessary applications are at: Financial Aid Application Forms

9. Stafford / Federal Perkins Loans Stafford Loans Be aware all loan recipients are required to attend a yearly loan counseling session. If a Federal Stafford Loan has been included as part of your package and you wish to receive the loan, you must sign up for the appropriate counseling session. The dates and times can be found at: Loan Counseling Perkins Loan If you are awarded a Federal Perkins Loan, you must attend a Pre-Loan Counseling Session before a Promissory Note is processed. If you have not, contact our office to make arrangements to attend one. Refer to your semester class schedule for the dates and times you can sign the promissory note. The promissory note must be signed every semester. Failure to sign will result in cancellation of the loan. For More information on Loans: Federal Student Loans

10. College Work -Study Students awarded College Work-Study for the first time must attend an informational workshop. Contact the Office of Student Financial Aid or go to Work-Study Sessions for the dates and locations of these sessions. If you are a current Work-Study employee, it is not necessary to attend another session.

11. Satisfactory Academic Progress Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Criteria

12. Report Any Changes or Additions Report any changes, additional aid or resources. The aid offered is based on the results of the need analysis you completed. If, after applying for aid, there are any changes (i.e. residency status, additional or decreased resources) it is your responsibility to inform this office. There are several outside resources that may be acquired during the school year that could impact the aid offered. They include but are not limited to the following: • Participant support (grant money provided by a department for educational enrichment), • Tuition support (grant money provided to help pay tuition by a department or outside agency), • Service award (grant money given by a department for a service done), and • GIA (Grants In Aid) scholarships (scholarship money received from an outside donor). By law, this office must review and, if necessary, adjust financial aid awards in order to prevent over awards. If an over award occurs, the student is responsible for paying back any excess funds received.

13. Keep Your Address and E-Mail Current Make certain your correct address is always on file in our office. We usually mail correspondence to students at least once during the semester. We want you to receive and respond (when necessary) to all correspondence we mail to your attention. All students have a “utep.edu” e-mail address to assist us in contacting you and since, important financial aid information can be distributed through mass e-mails.

14. Withdrawing or Dropping Classes You may have to repay all or part of your aid, depending on the date of withdrawal, as well as have any remaining Stafford Loan disbursements cancelled. Refer to the Class Schedule for more information on dropped classes and refunding for students receiving financial assistance. Students owing monies, as a result of withdrawing or drops, will be responsible for any necessary collection and attorney fees. In addition, any future financial aid application will be placed on hold.

15. Financial Aid and Concurrent Enrollment Students attending two or more colleges concurrently must be aware that financial aid can be obtained at only one school. Federal guidelines specify that students, who attend two or more colleges at the same time, are only eligible to receive financial aid at one of the schools. If, for some reason, a student receives aid at each school, they will be notified and the student’s files will be placed on hold until the ineligible funds are repaid. In order to avoid such a problem, students should advise their financial aid office that, they will be attending more than one school at the same time and which school they will be receiving financial aid.

16. Consortium Agreement Between UTEP and EPCC This agreement allows students to attend both institutions and receive financial aid at UTEP based on the combined hours. Classes taken at EPCC must be applicable toward the degree being sought at UTEP. The required application is available at the UTEP Office of Student Financial Aid or at: Consortium Agreement

17. Money Management Financial aid programs may not meet the full amount of your expenses. Therefore, you should budget available resources (including aid offered) to meet the total cost of attendance. Avoid future money worries by establishing good habits now. They will last a lifetime. It is especially critical, as a student receiving financial assistance, that you know how much money you have and that you keep your spending under control.

18. Transient Students Transient students are students enrolled at this university (usually during the summer) who take classes here and transfer them back to their home institution. Since, they are not pursuing their degree at UTEP, they are not eligible to receive federal aid through UTEP. The only program, that is available for such students, is the Emergency Loan Program.

19. Renewal of Aid Financial assistance is not automatically renewed. Remember, you must reapply for aid annually and meet Satisfactory Academic Progress criteria requirements. Every spring semester, this office conducts workshops to assist you in completing the upcoming year’s application. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is available at Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)