For financial aid purposes, summer is considered the last term of the 2007-08 funding year, which ends June 30, 2008. To receive summer aid, a student will need to be admitted as a regular student seeking a degree, licensure, or certification through Bemidji State University AND register for all summer 2008 classes by June 4, 2008.
Financial Aid Office
114 Deputy Hall, #14
Bemidji State University
1500 Birchmont Drive NE
Bemidji, MN 56601-2699
1-218-755-2034
To apply for summer 2008 financial aid, you will need to complete 2007-08 financial aid material. This includes the 2007-08 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the 2007-08 BSU Financial Aid Application form. In addition, you will need to complete a Summer 2008 Financial Aid Supplement form. If you received aid at BSU for the 2007-08 academic year, you will only need to complete the summer supplement form. All forms are available from the BSU Financial Aid Office.
Although course start and end dates may differ, summer is considered one enrollment period when determining Federal and State aid. All credits taken between June 2, 2008, and August 8, 2008, are considered summer term credits. Grants are based upon enrolled credits and remaining eligibility from fall and spring. Loan awards are determined by budget, need, other resources, and loan limits and are not pro-rated by enrolled credits as are grants. To receive a loan, you must enroll for a minimum of six (6) classroom undergraduate credits or five (5) graduate credits.
Caution: Changing enrollment after receiving aid will result in a recalculation of your aid eligibility. If the change makes you ineligible for the aid received, you will become immediately liable for repayment of the aid, including Federal Direct Loans. If a class is canceled or your enrollment changes after aid is established and/or disbursed, you will need to contact the Financial Aid Office immediately to determine your correct award and to return any overaward that may have occurred. Failure to attend a summer enrollment period, after receiving aid for it, will result in an overaward requiring your immediate return of Federal and State aid, including loans. It is important that the exact summer enrollment be communicated to the Financial Aid Office at all times and that the aid disbursed to you reflects that enrollment. You should accept loan and other aid only if your enrollment for the entire summer (June 2 - August 8, 2008) is final and not subject to change.
Guided/Self-Directed Study courses are not considered classroom credits for financial aid. Students are encouraged to enroll for six (6) classroom credits and/or online credits in addition to their Guided/Self-Directed Study credits to receive aid.
Summer financial aid consists primarily of Federal Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans and Minnesota SELF Loans. Pell and Minnesota State Grants are available for some eligible students. Students should be aware that aid from some programs may not be available if the maximum eligibility limits were reached during the current academic year. Summer jobs on campus fall under the Regular Student Payroll, which is open to most enrolled students. Summer job vacancies are posted at the start of the summer on the employment bulletin board in Deputy Hall or on the BSU website.
You will need to have your FAFSA data sent to BSU (Code 002336) as soon as possible. This may be done by calling 1-800-433-3243. Have your Student Aid Report (SAR) handy when you call ? you will be asked to provide identifying information from your SAR. Your admission to BSU as a regular student is necessary before your financial aid application can be processed. It is important, therefore, that you request to have academic transcripts sent to the BSU Admissions Office from all of your prior institutions early in the process. Without academic transcripts, you may be admitted only as a special student, which does not allow your financial aid application to be processed.
Finally, new transfer students need to be aware that a mandatory BSU loan counseling session is required prior to the disbursement of their first loan check. BSU loan counseling is required even if you completed a session at your prior institution.
New applicants should complete all forms by April 1, 2008, to allow sufficient time for the processing and awarding of aid. Late applicants will be processed, but students should have sufficient funds of their own to pay their initial summer costs, which become due and payable after the free drop period. Students eligible for a Federal Pell Grant must finalize their course registration within the free drop/add period (first two class days) to receive their maximum Pell award. A completed FAFSA must be received by the Federal Aid Processing Center within the first 30 days of the term to be eligible for a Minnesota State Grant. Funds from some programs must be disbursed by June 6, 2008, prior to the end of the fiscal year. Summer applicants are encouraged to contact the Financial Aid Office receptionists for assistance or to review the status of their summer application at any time.
REPAYMENT REQUIREMENTS FOR STUDENTS WHO CEASE ATTENDING ALL OF THEIR CLASSES:
Financial aid recipients who withdraw or cease attending all of their classes prior to 60 percent of the term being completed (including courses with a grade of "F" for non-attendance) are subject to the federal return of Title IV fund rules for any federal aid not earned and the refund calculation for the Minnesota State Grant and SELF loan. The percentage of unearned aid is equal to the number of calendar days remaining in the term divided by the total number of calendar days in the term. In the event that a last date of attendance cannot be determined, the mid-date (50 percent) of the semester will be used.
The Business Services office will determine your repayment based upon federal and state procedures, the last date of attendance, type of aid awarded, and the tuition, fee and residence hall charges. The repayment amount is considered unearned aid that a student was not eligible to receive because of not completing the term, necessitating the repayment of funds. The university may have an obligation to return funds to an aid program that was previously applied to the student's account. The student may have an obligation to repay funds that were paid directly to him/her. If the university returns funds that were applied to the student's account, a balance due will result. The student will owe that balance to the university. Failure to repay will prevent future registration at BSU and initiate delinquent collection procedures, which will adversely affect the student's credit rating.
Actual Sample Withdrawal Case: (1) Student received a $1,970 Federal Direct Loan and a $2,025 Federal Pell Grant. (2) Student completed only 27 percent of the semester. (3) Student was required to repay $2,535 of the $3,995 total aid received.