O H S U R F A E G I S T R A R A N D INANCIAL I D S F A E TUDENT INANCIAL I D XPLAINED Financial Aid Information for Oregon Health & Science University 2 0 1 3 – 2 0 1 4 Registrar and Financial Aid Office Mackenzie Hall Room 1120 3181 S.W. Sam Jackson Park Road, L-109 Portland, OR 97239-3098 Phone: 503 494-7800 Fax: 503 494-4629 [email protected] www.ohsu.edu/finaid FAFSA Federal School Code: 004883 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS General Information Introduction ....................................................................................................................4 About Financial Aid at OHSU .......................................................................................4 Helpful Contacts ............................................................................................................4 Application Procedures Required Forms and Filing Process ...............................................................................5 Parental Information for Health Professions Funding ...................................................5 Awarding Process Cost of Attendance and Determining Eligibility ...........................................................6 Verification ....................................................................................................................6 Determining Awards ......................................................................................................7 Receiving Your Award ..................................................................................................8 Your OHSU Student Account ........................................................................................8 Tuition Payment .............................................................................................................9 Enrollment......................................................................................................................9 Reporting Additional Resources ..................................................................................10 Tax Credits ...................................................................................................................10 Policies Withdrawals .................................................................................................................10 Refunds ........................................................................................................................11 Return of Title IV Funds ..............................................................................................11 Consortium Agreements ..............................................................................................12 D.M.D. Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy ..........................................................13 M.D. Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy ..............................................................14 Physician Assistant Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy .......................................15 Graduate Medicine, Graduate Dental, Graduate Nursing, Graduate Science & Engineering, and Dietetic Intern Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy ..............17 Radiation Therapy Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy ........................................19 Undergraduate Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy ..............................................20 Right to Inquiry and Appeal ........................................................................................22 Residency Classification Policy ...................................................................................23 Types of Financial Aid Scholarships/Outside Funding .....................................................................................23 Scholarship for Disadvantaged Students .....................................................................23 Stipend Payments & Tuition and Fee Waivers ............................................................23 Military Service ...........................................................................................................24 National Health Service Corps Scholarships ...............................................................24 Federal Pell Grant ..................................................................................................…..24 Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant ................................................24 Oregon Opportunity Grant ...........................................................................................25 Federal Work Study .....................................................................................................25 General Student Loan Information ..............................................................................25 Federal Perkins Loan ...................................................................................................26 Federal Direct Stafford Loans ......................................................................................28 Federal Direct PLUS Loans…………………………………………………………..31 2 Types of Financial Aid (… continued) Federal Nursing Student Loans…………....................................................................33 Nurse Faculty Loan Program .......................................................................................36 Health Professions Student Loans ...............................................................................37 Primary Care Loans .....................................................................................................39 Institutional Loans .......................................................................................................41 Private Alternative Loans ............................................................................................41 Short Term Loans ........................................................................................................41 Entrance Loan Counseling ...........................................................................................42 Exit Loan Counseling ..................................................................................................42 Repaying Student Loans Developing a Strategy ..................................................................................................42 Student Debt Counseling and Financial Management .................................................43 How Much to Borrow ..................................................................................................43 Federal Repayment Options .........................................................................................43 Federal Loan Consolidation .........................................................................................46 Deferment ....................................................................................................................46 Forbearance ..................................................................................................................46 Consequences of Default .............................................................................................46 Student Rights Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) ................................................47 Additional Sources of Student Consumer Information ................................................48 3 GENERAL INFORMATION Introduction Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) recognizes that students and their families may have difficulty financing postsecondary education. To ensure that all qualified students have an opportunity to attend OHSU, the university provides financial assistance through the Financial Aid Office. This guide has been developed to explain financial aid at OHSU and to acquaint you with the terms and conditions of assistance. We hope that it will answer many of your questions regarding the process of applying and receiving financial aid. Please call the Financial Aid Office if you have further questions about any of our policies. About Financial Aid at OHSU The student financial aid program at OHSU is designed to assist students in meeting their educational costs. The Financial Aid Office thoroughly reviews your application for aid, and the best possible assistance is offered to help cover the costs of attending. There are four general types of financial aid: scholarships, grants, loans and employment. The types of aid you will be awarded will depend on many things, including your program of study, financial need and available aid. You must be formally admitted into a financial aid approved degree or certificate program at OHSU before your application for financial aid will be reviewed. We therefore suggest that you apply for financial aid AND admissions at the same time in order to meet certain financial aid deadlines. Once we are notified of your admission to the university we will begin to review your financial aid application. Waiting until you have been admitted to the university to apply for financial aid may adversely affect your financial aid award. Please see the Application Procedure Section for more information. Also, we will utilize several methods to contact you regarding your financial aid, including contacting you via email. Therefore, please make sure to check your OHSU assigned email address and to update us on your other email addresses. We look forward to working with you during your time at OHSU. Our goal is to make the financial aid process as smooth as possible for you. Please contact our office with any questions you may have. Helpful Contacts and Information Registrar and Financial Aid Office 503 494-7800 www.ohsu.edu/finaid/ Office of Academic & Student Affairs 503 494-7878 www.ohsu.edu/student-services/ Oregon Student Access Commission 800 452-8807 www.osac.state.or.us/ U.S. Department of Education Direct Loan Servicing 800 848-0979 www.ed.gov/DirectLoan 4 APPLICATION PROCEDURES Required Forms and Filing Process The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) will be used to help determine your eligibility for all federal, state and university financial aid programs. When completing the FAFSA, please enter "Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR" in the section that requires you to indicate which colleges are to receive the FAFSA information. Our Federal School Code is 004883. Options for filing the FAFSA include the paper application, the renewal application, and electronic application. Paper application forms are available by calling 1-800-4FEDAID. With a Personal Identification Number, a student can complete the electronic version of the FAFSA on the Web at www.fafsa.gov. The FAFSA must be submitted after January 1 of each year. Once the U.S. Department of Education has processed your FAFSA, you will receive either an electronic or a paper Student Aid Report (SAR). Please review the SAR carefully. Follow the instructions on your SAR if you need to make any changes to the information you reported on your FAFSA. The Financial Aid Office will receive the information directly from the Department of Education electronically. The OHSU preferential filing date by which the FAFSA must be received by the Federal Processor is March 1 of each year. Applications received after March 1 will be processed, but funding may not be available in some financial aid programs. Because filing after the March 1 deadline can adversely affect your award package, we strongly suggest that you file your FAFSA with estimated income if you do not have your taxes completed. Corrections to the information can be made at a later date with no adverse effect on your priority filing status. The FAFSA process will allow applicants, who meet certain circumstances, to download the 2012 tax information from the IRS. This is recommended whenever possible to help ensure accuracy. However, if you are filing your FAFSA using estimated tax information, you must review (and correct, if necessary) your FAFSA to make sure it matches the tax information on your completed federal tax return. This correction may include the ability to download the tax information directly from the IRS. Because financial aid is based on prior year income and information, you must reapply each year. Reminder notices will be emailed to continuing students in January. Parental Information for Department of Health and Human Services Funding Students wanting to apply for Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) funding (loan and scholarship) must include parental data on the FAFSA even though they meet the criteria of being an independent student.* This is a federal program requirement. Providing parental information to determine eligibility for DHHS funding will not affect eligibility for other types of funds for independent students. If OHSU receives DHHS funding in Health Professions (HP) and/or the Scholarship for Disadvantaged Students (SDS), an email will be sent to potentially eligible students in September or early October regarding how to apply for the funding and a deadline date. The application will be available during that time at the OHSU financial aid website (www.ohsu.edu/finaid). Students are encouraged to complete the DHHS application. If you choose not to provide parental information, the Financial Aid Office will consider your DHHS application incomplete and will not consider you for DHHS funding. *The SDS and the Primary Care Loan (PCL) have exceptions to the rule regarding if parental information is required. If such funding is available, the information regarding exceptions would be included in the notification regarding applying for the funding. 5 AWARDING PROCESS Cost of Attendance and Determining Eligibility The cost of attendance includes instructional and non-instructional costs. Instructional costs are tuition, fees, books and supplies. The tuition and fees for each program are listed in the OHSU Academic Year Fee Books. A fee book covers fall through the following summer term. The fee books can be found at www.ohsu.edu/registrar/. Non-instructional costs include housing, utilities, food, transportation, clothing and other personal expenses. The OHSU Academic Year Fee Book, estimates for books and supplies, and estimates for non- instructional costs can be obtained by contacting the Registrar and Financial Aid Office. The Financial Aid Office will develop standard budgets that take into account both instructional and non- instructional costs. Your personal budget may differ from the one we have compiled. We use a general standard budget, which assures that all students are evaluated as consistently as possible. If you will incur child day care expenses during the period of time that you are in school, please go to: http://www.ohsu.edu/xd/education/student-services/financial-aid/general-forms- information/upload/Child-Care-Provider-Statement-1314.pdf to obtain the Child Care Provider Statement. The Financial Aid Office may be able to increase your standard budget by the amount of your child day care expenses. Eligibility of additional funding to cover child day care expenses will be determined by the Financial Aid Office on a case by case basis. Additionally, the Financial Aid Office has developed maximum amounts that can be added into an individual student’s budget to cover child day care expenses. Specifically, we will consider your request for additional funding based upon the costs you incur up to the following maximums: Infant to Toddler: $1385 monthly Two through Five Years: $1050 monthly Six to 12 years-Before and After School Program: $350 monthly Based on the information you submitted on the FAFSA, an Expected Family Contribution (EFC) is determined. Many components are used when determining the EFC including income, taxes paid, size of the household, assets and other factors. The EFC is then subtracted from the cost of attendance to determine eligibility for need-based assistance. The Federal Government offers the Financial Aid Office very little flexibility in altering a student’s need. However, it is recognized that certain situations are beyond a person’s control and those situations may affect a student’s ability to contribute toward his/her education. Examples of special circumstances are required medical/dental expenses (not covered by insurance), involuntary loss of employment, car repairs that are required to make the car operational (does not include regular maintenance issues), one time purchase of a computer (not to exceed $2000). If you have one of these circumstances, please contact our office at 503 494-7800. If you feel you have other special circumstance, a letter with supporting documentation may be submitted to the Financial Aid Office for review. Please note that ceasing employment in order to return to school is not considered a special circumstance. Verification The U.S. Department of Education and OHSU selects applications for a process called Verification. If your application is selected for Verification, the Financial Aid Office is required to verify certain information that you provided on your FAFSA. The Financial Aid Office will notify you if you have been selected for Verification. You will be asked to submit additional documentation that must be submitted before the file is reviewed. In addition, the Financial Aid Office may ask for additional 6 documentation to clarify your situation. When asked to submit additional documents, please do so in a timely manner. Students selected for Verification will not be awarded financial aid until all requested documentation has been submitted. If there are corrections that need to be made to your FAFSA, the Financial Aid Office will make those corrections for you electronically. If your application is selected for Verification after you have been initially awarded, any financial aid previously awarded will be on hold until the necessary documents are received from you, the verification process is complete, and any necessary revisions are made to your award. You will be notified if any changes are made to your award. Determining Awards After your eligibility has been determined, OHSU will award the best possible funds depending upon your financial need. Your offer of assistance may likely combine several financial aid programs. Students are mailed a Notification of Eligibility outlining the sources and amounts of funding for which they qualify based on the data submitted. When awarding aid, OHSU must follow all federal and state laws and regulations. Your financial aid funding depends upon the information you and your family provide, the number of eligible applicants, and the total funds available. For example, there are not enough grant funds available to meet every student’s eligibility. Therefore, we are obligated by federal law to offer these funds to students who have the greatest financial need. Policies have been developed to ensure that students with similar levels of eligibility will receive similar awards, and usually this intent is achieved. There will be times, however, when awards will differ because of circumstances beyond the control of the Financial Aid Office. Such circumstances might include applications submitted with inaccurate data, lack of parental information on the application, or applications received after March 1. Some of the general criteria for being considered for funding are listed below:  Be a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen.  Have a high school diploma or GED or have started a Title IV eligible program prior to July 1, 2012.  Enroll in an eligible program as a regular student seeking a degree or certificate.  Be registered with Selective Service if required (in general, if you are a male age 18 through 25).  Meet satisfactory academic progress standards set by your school.  Certify that you are not in default on a federal loan or owe money on a federal grant.  Certify that you will use federal student aid only for educational purposes.  Certify that you were not convicted for a drug offense that occurred while you were enrolled in school and receiving federal student aid. Ramifications of Drug-Related Offenses for new and continuing students: A student who has been convicted of any offense under any Federal or State law involving the possession or sale of a controlled substance shall not be eligible to receive any grant, loan, and/or work assistance 7 during the period beginning on the date of such conviction and ending after the interval specified in the following table: If convicted of an offense involving: The possession of a controlled substance: Ineligibility period is: 1st offense 1 year 2nd offense 2 years 3rd offense Indefinite The sale of a controlled substance: Ineligibility period is: 1st offense 2 years 2nd offense Indefinite A student whose eligibility has been suspended may resume eligibility before the end of the ineligibility period if: 1. The student satisfactorily completes a drug rehabilitation program that complies with criteria determined by the Department of Education and includes two unannounced drug tests OR 2. The conviction is reversed, set aside, or otherwise rendered nugatory. Receiving Your Award To receive the aid, you must have returned a signed Notification of Eligibility, completed any required entrance counseling and promissory notes (if necessary, the information on how to complete them would be listed on your Notification of Eligibility), be registered for the appropriate number of credits, and not have any holds. Also, for alternative and PLUS loans, your loan must be approved by the lender. In addition, for alternative loans, we must have received the funding from your lender. If the alternative loan is in the form of a check and it requires your signature, you will be contacted to sign the check so it can be applied to your account. This may add time to receiving your aid. If all these requirements are met, the earliest funds could be available is the Thursday before the term begins based on the academic calendar for your program/year (with noted exceptions). The disbursement dates for your program are listed on the Notification of Eligibility. You can also find the entire financial aid disbursement calendar at www.ohsu.edu/finaid, select ‘Financial Aid Information’ on the left side menu, then select ‘2013-14 Financial Aid Disbursement Calendar’. Your OHSU Student Account You can check your student account to review charges on your account and also aid applied to your account. To check your student account, go to www.ohsu.edu/finaid, select the ‘Logon to ISIS online’ button on the lower left hand side of the page menu and follow the instructions to log in. Refunds  Any aid disbursed to your student account is first applied to outstanding charges before determining if there is a refund. Refunds for excess financial aid are in either the form of a refund check or direct deposit.  If you would like to sign up for direct deposit, you may print the form off at http://www.ohsu.edu/finaid-forms. It is located on the General Financial Aid Form section on this page. The form and any necessary paperwork should be submitted to the OHSU Cashier’s Office at the Portland Campus (see additional information on the form). 8  Refund Checks: Portland Campus Students: The check would be available in the Cashier’s Office in the 1st floor of Baird Hall. La Grande, Monmouth, and Klamath Falls Campus Students: The checks are sent to the cashier’s office at the campus you attend. Online and Ashland Campus Students: The checks are mailed directly to you. Tuition Payment If the release of financial aid funds is delayed, or some other circumstances have occurred which prevent you from paying your tuition, a deferred tuition plan is available. For more information, contact Betty Harvey at 503 494-1196. Enrollment The enrollment level required to receive the financial aid award is listed on your Notification of Eligibility for each term of the financial aid year (Full Time, ¾ Time, ½ Time, or < ½ Time). Listed below are the credits required for that enrollment level. Enrollment Status/Code Undergraduate Graduate/Professional Full Time………....……………….12 or more credits………….9 or more credits ¾ Time………………………………9 to 11 credits……………..7 to 8 credits ½ Time……………………….……... 6 to 8 credits………………5 to 6 credits <½ Time……………………….….…1 to 5 credits….……………1 to 4 credits Not Enrolled……………..………….0 credits………………….. .0 credits If your enrollment will differ from what is listed on the Notification of Eligibility, you will need to complete and submit an enrollment plan update form. The form is available at our office or at the following website: http://www.ohsu.edu/xd/education/student-services/financial-aid/general-forms- information/upload/Enrollment-Plan-Update-1314-DRAFT.pdf. Your financial aid award will then be revised based on the enrollment level that you reported. A revised Notification of Eligibility will be sent to you. Please be aware, certain financial aid programs are available to students who are attending on a part-time basis, but funding is more limited. Please see the information listed below regarding enrollment requirements for some basic aid types. Undergraduate Enrolled full Graduate Types of Aid* time, ½ or ¾ time Enrolled full time, ½, or ¾ time Pell Grant** Yes N/A Supplemental Educational Yes N/A Opportunity Grant (SEOG) Oregon Opportunity Grant Yes N/A (OOG) Work Study Yes Yes Perkins Loan Yes Yes Subsidized Stafford Loan Yes N/A Unsubsidized Stafford Loan Yes Yes PLUS Parent Loan Yes N/A Graduate PLUS Loan N/A Yes Scholarship for Disadvantaged Requires full time enrollment Requires full time enrollment Students (SDS) Health Profession Loan (HP) Requires full time enrollment Requires full time enrollment 9 Nursing Loan Yes Yes * The amount of aid available at less than full time could be lowered based on the fund requirements as well as your lower cost of attendance. **The only federal student aid program available at less than ½ time enrollment is the Pell Grant Program. However, there are limitations on which Pell Grant recipients could receive the grant at less than ½ time. If you are enrolled in more than the minimum number of credits required for the enrollment status (but are still in that enrollment level) and your program charges by the credit, you can request that your cost of attendance be increased to reflect your actual tuition cost. This is likely to result in additional loan eligibility. Such requests can first be submitted to the financial aid office one week prior to the term beginning. All such requests must be submitted before the last term of the financial aid year has concluded or when you stop attending at least ½ time, whichever comes first. Reporting Additional Resources Federal regulations require you to report to our office if you will receive any additional resources for Summer 2013 through Spring 2014. This includes, but is not limited to: Graduate Research Stipends Departmental Tuition/Fee Payments Assistantships Employee Tuition Benefits Traineeships Private Scholarships Military Awards WICHE funding National Health Service Corp Vocational Rehabilitation AmeriCorps State (not Federal) VA educational benefits Exclude sources of aid that are awarded by the OHSU Financial Aid Office such as Pell Grants, Perkins Loans, Stafford Loans, Health Profession Loans, etc. If you will receive any additional resources, please go to http://www.ohsu.edu/finaid-forms to print out the Reporting Additional Resources form under the 2013-14 Financial Aid Forms section to report those resources to our office. If you are not receiving any additional resources, you do not need to submit this form. If your eligibility has already been met, then the addition of other resources requires OHSU to make an adjustment in the financial aid you have been awarded. This adjustment will involve the reduction of loan funds whenever possible. If, on the other hand, your eligibility has not been met, a change in your OHSU award may not be necessary. Tax Credits There are certain tax benefits in place for tuition paid and for student loan interest payments. For current information on these tax laws, contact an accountant or go to Internal Revenue Service Web site www.irs.gov. POLICIES Withdrawals If you decide to leave the university, for any reason, including official leaves of absence, you are 10