Financial Aid Frequently Asked Questions

What is your Title IV Code?
The College's Title IV code number is 002051.

Should I wait to hear if I am admitted to the College before I apply for financial aid?
Not necessarily. It is important to meet our priority deadline to be considered for all aid programs. You may submit your documents even if you have not yet received word regarding admission.

When will I hear about financial aid?
We begin mailing new student offer letters at the beginning of November. Returning student offer letters are not mailed until after spring grades and credits have been reviewed. We usually begin to mail returning offer letters during the first week in June.

How do I accept my financial aid offer?
Your enrollment deposit is the actual confirmation to the College that you plan to attend. Making your deposit, completing the online counseling and master promissory note online for the federal funds tells us that you will want your financial aid if you attend Saint Joseph's College. Please note that the deposit is refundable prior to June 1st.

How do I estimate my balance for tuition, fees and room and board?
We have provided an estimate for tuition & fees and room & board (if you have received an On Campus letter) in the paragraph that follows the types of aid you have been offered. Your official bill will be sent by our Bursar.

How will I find a job on campus?
Jobs are listed on our website in September - the list is updated as positions are filled or are added. If you plan to work on campus, you will need to complete forms for the Human Resources Office. Student employees are required to participate in an orientation session. More details about this will be available in August.

How can I pay my balance after aid?
You will receive a billing statement from the College in June for the fall semester and in November for the spring semester. The bills are due in July and December. You may pay by semester or use our interest-free payment plan with Nelnet Campus Commerce. Some families may prefer to borrow funds to cover all or part of the bill for the year. The Federal Parent Loan and Private Education Loans are the most common. We will also send you information about these options in May.

What if my circumstances have changed?
Please be sure to notify us if your family's income will be significantly less for the current year. Your aid is based on the previous year's financial information. You can request our Special Circumstances Form to report these changes. Be sure to attach documentation of the change, e.g., layoff notice, unemployment benefit check copy, etc. We will review your new information to see if you qualify for more aid.

What if I transfer in from another school?
The financial aid package is based, in part, on the number of credits accepted in transfer to the degree program at Saint Joseph's. For more information about the financial assistance programs offered by Saint Joseph's College, call us at 1-800-752-1266 or (207) 893-6612. Go to our Forms page for application requirements.

What if I study abroad?
Generally, there is no change to any financial aid if you study abroad through the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE). You are billed by the College and your aid is paid to your account. However, you cannot use work-study funds while you are away from campus.

Why is there a difference between my federal EFC and the amount I will have to pay?
The FAFSA EFC is used to determine your eligibility for federal and state funds, but it is not based on any particular school's cost or funding levels. Therefore, you may actually pay less than your EFC in some cases and more than your EFC in other cases.

How do I renew my aid?
The College tries to keep the financial aid package as similar as possible from year to year if the family's circumstances have not changed considerably. Some of the most important factors we consider in our decisions include parent & student income, parent & student assets, family size and number in college. Some funds have specific EFC or academic requirements that we cannot control. We recommend that you apply by the priority deadline to receive full consideration. Students are eligible to receive institutional financial aid for up to eight full-time semesters (transfer credits are included in this calculation) or until degree requirements are completed, whichever comes first. Some federal aid may be available for up to 12 semesters.

Financial aid recipients must maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress to renew aid. Please carefully review our current policy for students attending our on campus program. New federal rules require changes to our former policy.
These changes will be effective for any period of attendance beginning on or after July 1, 2011.

What is Satisfactory Academic Progress?
To be eligible for financial aid you must earn at least 70% of the credits you attempt (quantitative progress) and you must meet the cumulative grade point average for the number of credits you have earned (qualitative progress). See below.

You must have at least a 2.00 cumulative grade point average at the end of two years of study, regardless of your enrollment status. Your progress is reviewed after the end of each semester.

If you have not met the required quantitative and/or qualitative standards you may be provided a warning period.  A warning period may be provided to a student who has not met, but is very close to the required standards and we anticipate that she or he ill meet the progress standards required at the conclusion of the next semester. If you are granted a warning period, you will receive a letter from our office. If we determine that you are not eligible for aid based on your progress, you may appeal our decision. If your appeal is successful you will be granted one semester of probation.

The appeal process follows federal rules and you will be asked to:

• explain and document the mitigating circumstances (e.g., major illness, death in the family, other special circumstance) that prevented you from meeting the required standards;
• explain what has changed or will change for you so that you will be able to earn the required cumulative grade point average and meet the 70% credits earned threshold by the end of the probation period; and
• detail how your degree will be earned within a maximum time frame of 150%, which is equivalent to 12 semesters if you are attending on a full-time basis, or 192 credits (including transfer credits).
• Please note that most financial aid programs are not available for this length of time.

During a semester of probation you may receive aid.  At the end of your period of probation you must meet the benchmarks (including earned credits and cumulative grade point average) we establish for you before you will receive aid again.

NOTES: All attempted credits, including transfer credits, are included in our calculations unless there is a "W" assigned. Some students need to enroll in our May term or in summer school. Be sure to have courses pre-approved at the Registrar's Office.

Is there a refund policy?

The College must anticipate for fiscal reasons that enrolled students will complete the term to which they were admitted. However, should it be necessary for any valid reason to withdraw prior to the end of a term, the amount of tuition refund is determined using a schedule. Learn more on our Policies page.