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Policy & Procedures for Financial Aid at ABU

ABU'S FINANCIAL REGISTRATION POLICY AND PROCEDURE

What is financial registration?

  • When ABU determines how much money a student owes ABU when registering for classes (and living in a dorm, etc.) during a given semester.
  • When the student decides how to pay the money owed to ABU for a given semester.
  • When the student makes the required initial payment when the initial payment is due.
  • When the student’s academic enrollment is approved, and the student can attend classes (and live in the dorm, etc.)

When is the initial payment due?

  • Financial registration must be completed, and the initial payment made on or before the last day of regular registration for a given semester.

What happens when a student does not complete financial registration?

  • ABU takes the position that the student has decided not to attend and cancels the student’s academic enrollment (also requires the student to move out of the dorm, etc.)
  • The student can reregister (a late registration fee will be charged) but is not guaranteed the same classes or schedule.
  • The student will have to make the necessary payment arrangements and pay the initial payment by the end of the day when reregistration is done.

What are the payment options available?

  • Cash, check, or credit card can be used to pay in person at the business office.
  • Credit card payments can be made over the phone by calling the business office.
  • PayPal payments can be made by logging into the student portal.
  • Payment plans are available to spread out the payments over a semester.
  • Federal Student Aid is available for those who qualify.
  • Scholarships are available for those who apply and qualify.

What is required for Federal Student Aid?

  • A FAFSA application must be completed and submitted to the U.S. Department of Education
  • If the DOE requires verifications, those verifications must be completed.
  • For a pending award to be applied to a student’s account, the FAFSA must be submitted at least 1 week before registration and required verifications must be in progress.
  • Once verifications are complete, the student must approve the aid that is awarded within 1 week after the approval is requested.
  • Once the student approves, the award will be applied to the student’s account.

What if a student changes his/her mind about using Federal Student Aid as a payment option?

  • The day the student chooses not to approve and receive the Federal Student Aid award, the pending award will be removed from the student’s account.
  • The total balance will become due immediately and payable that day.
  • If the student chooses to not make the payment that is due, ABU will take the position that the student has decided to voluntarily withdraw from his/her classes (and move out of the dorm, etc.).
  • The student will be blocked from classes (and requested to move out of the dorm) unless or until an agreed upon payment arrangement is made with the business office

What happens if a student fails to make timely payments on a payment plan?

  • The first time a payment is not received by a due date, the student will be charged a late fee.
  • If the payment that is late is not received by the next due date, then the student will be given a chance to “catch up” by making a double payment.
  • If the student does not “catch up” by the next due date, ABU will take the position that the student has decided to voluntarily withdraw from his/her classes (and move out of the dorm, etc.).
  • The student will be blocked from classes (and requested to move out of the dorm) unless or until an agreed upon payment arrangement is made with the business office.

STEPS TO COMPLETE FINANCIAL AID

·        Step #1 - Students must complete a FAFSA (school code is 014305). The FAFSA opens on Oct. 1 every year, so you can begin it the year before you plan to enter college. 

·        Step #2 - Complete the Entrance Loan Counseling. (If you are a 1st time student at ABU, this MUST be completed)

·        Step #3 - Sign the Master Promissory Note. (If you are a 1st time student at ABU, this MUST be completed)

·        Step #4 – Admissions Office – All admission documents must be completed and you have been accepted to ABU in order for your financial aid to be processed. Contact the Admissions Office at admissions@abu.edu with inquiries.

FAFSA is required to be considered for ABU scholarships.

For more information regarding Financial Aid, contact Stephanie Castillo at scastillo@abu.edu.

FAFSA stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The FAFSA is the U.S. Department of Education's way of qualifying which students are eligible for financial aid.

The U.S. Department of Education uses the financial and family information provided on your FAFSA to determine your Expected Family Contribution (EFC). Your EFC represents the amount of money the Department of Education believes you and your family should be able to provide to help pay for your college expenses. This amount is not what you will pay, but what money may be available for you to contribute. 

The EFC number is used by the Department of Education to determine your level of need for financial aid assistance. The lower your EFC the more need-based aid, such as the Pell Grant, may be available to you.

Submitting the FAFSA also establishes your eligibility for the Federal Direct Stafford Student Loans. Your EFC helps to determine the type of loan money, subsidized or unsubsidized, that is available to you. For more information about the Direct Stafford Student Loans, go to www.studentaid.gov.

You must have applied for FAFSA before the fall semester begins and brought in any documents to complete your file by the first week of school. Attendance to class will be suspended with unexcused absences until your financial aid package is complete.

What if I'm Selected for Verification?

Verification is the process by which the information on the FAFSA is checked for accuracy. A student’s FAFSA can be selected for verification by the U.S. Department of Education or by the school. About 30-40% of all FAFSA’s sent to ABU are generally selected.

How do I get selected for Verification?

The reasons for being selected include but are not limited to the following:

  • Your FAFSA was randomly selected. 
  • Your FAFSA includes incomplete information.
  • The information on your FAFSA is contradictory.
  • The tax informaiton on your FAFSA was estimated.

​What happens if I am selected?

The ABU Financial Aid Office will contact you if your FAFSA is selected for verification. Your SAR (Student Aid Report) will also indicate if you are chosen for verification.

Tax Transcript

If you are selected for verification, you may verify your tax information in one of the following ways:

If you have any questions regarding whether you have been chosen for verification or questions regarding the verification process, please email Stephanie Castillo at scastillo@abu.edu.

FINANCIAL AID DEADLINES

  • Academic Scholarships - Click Here for Scholarship Applications and Here for Scholarship Information
  • Summer Financial Aid Priority Deadlines - March 15
  • Fall Financial Aid Priority Deadlines - June 1
  • Spring Financial Aid Priority Deadlines, if not previously applied September 1

For more information regarding scholarships, contact admissions@abu.edu.

ANNUAL MAXIMUM LOAN LIMIT (Updated Fall 2022) 

This limit restricts the total amount of direct student loans that you may borrow annually. 

The annual maximum loan amount an undergraduate student may borrow must be prorated when the student’s remaining period of study is shorter than an academic year and the student is enrolled in less than 12 hours. A student who’s planning to graduate at the end of the fall semester is subject to this requirement. 

 

Dependent StudentIndependent Student

Freshman (0-31 credit Hours)$5,500 (no more than $3,500 subsidized)$9,500 (no more than $3500 subsidized)
Sophomore (32-63 credit Hours)$6,500 (no more than $4,500 subsidized)$10,500 (no more than $4,500 subsidized)
Junior/Senior (64+ credit Hours)$7,500 (no more than $5,500 subsidized)$12,500 (no more than $5,500 subsidized)