Financial Aid Disbursement
Financial assistance is disbursed in several ways. The type of financial aid awarded will determine how the funds will be
disbursed. For some forms of assistance, the university will credit the student’s account, while other aid types may require
students to negotiate the check with the Student Accounts Office. The university’s academic year begins with the summer as
the first term, followed by the fall and spring terms. Please contact the Financial Aid office for disbursement procedures
applicable to the various financial aid programs.
Federal Perkins Loans and Tuition Credit Loans
These loans will be credited directly to the student’s account after the student has signed the promissory notes at the
Loan Administration Office. Each semester the applicable award is applied. If adjustments are needed to the award as a result
in changes to a student’s status or other program criteria, the revisions will be made in the spring semester. Students may
request a refund check from the USD Student Accounts Office if there is a credit balance on the account, after tuition charges
have been paid.
Federal Stafford Student Loans (Subsidized and Unsubsidized) and Graduate Plus Loans
The School of Law students participate in Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) with the following lenders: Chela, Citibank, Chase Manhattan, Wells Fargo, Key Bank, Access Group,
and Firstar Bank (T.H.E. Program). Students who borrow from the Federal Stafford Programs and Graduate Plus Loans through
any of the above lenders will have the loan funds automatically deposited in their student accounts. Students who borrow
from other lenders receive their student loan monies by paper checks. Student loan checks are received by the Financial Aid
Office which must review the student’s enrollment/eligibility status and process the checks before they are sent to the
Student Accounts Office for disbursement. Most checks issued under these programs are made co-payable to the student and
USD. Regulations require that the disbursements correspond to the start of each academic semester. All loan programs’
proceeds are divided in two equal disbursements. Student loan funds are applied to the student account no sooner than ten
days before classes begin. Students may access their refunds no sooner than ten days before classes begin. Students are
responsible for payment of tuition and fees due at the time the loan check is endorsed or EFT funds applied to their student
account. Students who have received student loans by paper checks or EFT and subsequently drop units, may have a portion
of their loan proceeds returned to the lender. Students who pay a portion of their tuition by credit cards, and subsequently
receive financial aid disbursement applied to their student account may have a portion of their tuition charges credited back
on their card.
Private Loans (Access Loan, T.H.E., Other Alternative Loans)
Private loan lenders will generally follow the same procedures as outlined for the FSSL programs. If the funds are
received by paper check, these loans are not co-payable and if a student’s account has a credit or a zero balance a student
may receive the check without endorsing it to the university.
Federal Work Study
Students are responsible for completing time cards and submitting them to their supervisor via their USD e-mail
accounts. A schedule of due dates for submitting their electronic time cards will be available in the Financial Aid Office for
review. Paychecks can be picked up at the Cashier’s Office. Students who submit time cards after the pay period deadline
may have delays in getting paid. The student is responsible for taxes on all FWS/Law Work Opportunity money earned, and
a W-2 form is issued at the end of each calendar year the student worked.
Scholarships
The scholarships, which are directly administered by the USD School of Law, will be automatically applied to the
student’s account. The scholarships are usually divided and applied equally to the fall and spring semesters’ tuition.
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