Essential facts to know:
- Your student has been offered loans as part of their financial aid award; they must accept or decline their loan(s). Please visit How To: Adjust My Financial Aid In Navigator for information on adjusting financial aid.
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Please be advised loans will not appear as "Anticipated Aid" on your student's account balance in TouchNet unless they have been accepted.
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- If your student has been awarded Federal Work-Study, it has been accepted on their behalf. However, they have the option to decline their work-study award. Please visit How To: Adjust My Financial Aid In Navigator for information on adjusting financial aid.
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Be sure they are viewing the current aid year to make adjustments.
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- If your student has incomplete financial aid items in their To-Do List in Navigator, they will receive an ESTIMATED aid package. Please have them complete their financial aid items to finalize the award(s).
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The To-Do List is under the Tasks tile in Navigator.
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Students must complete all items on their To-Do List before their financial aid is disbursed to their account.
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- Undergraduate day students are packaged at full-time (twelve credits). All students must register for at least six credits each semester to be considered for aid.
- While twelve credit hours will assign them full-time student status, they should complete fifteen credits each term to graduate within four years.
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Your student's bill and aid will be the same if they are enrolled in twelve or fifteen credit hours. They can save a full year's cost of attendance if they can complete their degree within four years.
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- If your student receives a federal Direct Loan for the first time at Salem State, they must complete a Master Promissory Note (MPN) and Loan Entrance Counseling at studentaid.gov. Please be aware that your student is the only person who can legally complete these tasks.
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These items will be posted on their To-Do List after they attend orientation.
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- With few exceptions, all awards are split evenly between the major terms: half in Fall and half in Spring.
- If your family has additional financial needs, please visit our Financial Aid website and select Financing Your Education to learn about additional funding sources, including Parent PLUS loans, private education loans, and interest-free payment plans.
- If your family's financial circumstances have changed since the tax return used for completing the FAFSA, your student may file a Financial Aid Appeal to have their aid reviewed. Please visit How Do I File A Financial Aid Appeal? for more information.
- Students may assign their parents or guardians as Authorized Users to their TouchNet billing account. An Authorized User can see the account activity, current bill, and anticipated aid. For information on tuition, fees, and billing, please visit the following:
- When financial aid funds are disbursed, any outstanding balances owed to the university are paid first. If there are any excess funds after the balance has been paid, a refund will be generated and sent out by the Student Accounts Office.
- Refunds are directly deposited into the student's checking or savings account if they have set up an account for direct deposit. If no direct deposit is set up, a physical check will be mailed to the student's permanent address on file with Salem State within two weeks of the loan disbursement. For more information on setting up direct deposit, please visit How To Set Up Direct Deposit/eRefund.
- Students must have a completed FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) waiver on file before the Financial Aid Office can speak with a parent regarding their student's financial aid. Students may elect to give a parent or other individual the right to access some or all of their education records. For more information on completing a FERPA waiver, please visit Complete or Update Your FERPA Release/Waiver
- You can find more information for parents and families on our Parent Resource Guide.