FINANCIAL AID
www.du.edu/financialaid

Welcome to the DU family! We're so excited that you have chosen to attend the University of Denver. And now that you're officially a Pioneer, we want to make sure you take all the necessary steps to secure your financial aid before the start of fall classes. So, here's a checklist of items you should complete over the summer months:

✓ Be sure you completely understand your financial aid award.
Have you read through the Guide to Your Financial Aid Award? If you haven't yet, we highly recommend that you do, as it contains a lot of important information about the financial aid process. If you have questions that aren't answered in that guide, please visit our website, review past Financial Aid 101 emails or contact us. We want to make sure you completely understand all of your financial aid awards before you move onto the next step: accepting your awards.

✓ Say YES (or NO) to your awards.
With the exception of most DU scholarships and grants--which are usually accepted on your behalf--you must choose to accept or decline each award in your financial aid package. To do this, you will need to log into webCentral:

• Log into http://webCentral.du.edu.
• Go to the Admitted Students tab and click on the "View and Accept Award Offer" link in the Financial Aid Information box.
• Select the 2013-2014 Aid Year from the drop-down box. 
• Go to the Terms and Conditions tab and read through the terms of accepting financial aid at the University of Denver. Then, click on the "Accept" button at the bottom of the page.
• Go to the Accept Award Offer tab. Next to each type of aid, select "Accept" or "Decline" in the drop-down menu. You can also accept a smaller portion of a particular award (such as a loan) by entering that amount in "Accept Partial Amount" box.

Want to see the process of accepting your award step-by-step? Watch our Accepting Your Award video!

Some types of aid, including work-study and the Perkins loan, requires students to accept it by July 1st. So, if you were offered either of these awards in your financial aid package, be sure to accept them by that date or we must cancel them and offer those awards to someone on the waitlist. 

Remember: Any financial aid you accept will automatically be split evenly between fall, winter and spring quarters. Be sure to keep that in mind if you only accept a partial amount of a loan, as that partial amount will be split evenly as well.

✓ Complete Student Loan Requirements
If you were offered (and you accepted) either a Perkins loan and/or a Direct loan, you must complete these steps over the summer before you will get your loan funds in the fall:

For a Federal Perkins loan:

• Complete online entrance counseling through www.MappingYourFuture.org.
• Download the Master Promissory Note and submit it to the DU Bursar's Office when complete.

For a Federal Direct Subsidized/Unsubsidized loan:

• Log into www.StudentLoans.gov. (You will need the same PIN you used to complete the FAFSA. If you forgot it, you can request a duplicate PIN.)
• Complete both Entrance Counseling and the Master Promissory Note. The links to both of these items will be on your homepage after you log in.

Once you have completed these requirements, we will automatically be notified electronically.

✓ Formulate your financing plan for unmet costs.
You will need to determine a financing strategy to help cover the costs your financial aid does not. If you haven't already, download and complete the budget worksheet to help you calculate your unmet cost to attend DU. Remember the past Financial Aid 101 email about managing unmet cost? Use the information included in that email to help you formulate your financing plan.

✓ Apply for additional loans (if desired).
One of the ways many students choose to cover unmet cost is through additional loans. Review our past emails about Federal Parent PLUS loans and private education loans for more information (including application instructions) about these options.

If you do apply for an additional loan, the lender will send us a request to certify your eligibility for the loan, and we will add it to your financial aid award. Once added, you will receive an email when an updated award letter is available for you to view on webCentral.

✓ Sign up for a payment plan (if desired).
Included in last week's email was information about utilizing a DU payment plan. The Bursar's Office recommends that you wait to receive your estimated bill--which you will receive in July--before signing up for a payment plan.

✓ Keep an eye on your financial aid account through webCentral.
You can always check the status of your financial aid by logging into webCentral. In fact, we recommend that you visit it frequently, as it will always have the most up-to-date information about your financial aid. 

For example, you should regularly check the "Financial Aid Requirements" box on your Admitted Students tab. If you see any item with a red flag next to it, it almost always means we are missing something from you (and red flags may prevent you from receiving your financial aid on time!). Click on each requirement to learn what you need to do. If there is a green check mark next to a requirement, however, you're good to go! Download our webCentral Quick Reference Guide to learn more.

(One quick note: If you have accepted a Direct Subsidized/Unsubsidized loan, you will see a requirement for the Master Promissory Note (MPN) in webCentral. Because of changes made by the federal government due to sequestration, we can't attach completed MPNs to student accounts until July. So, even if you have completed the MPN--and the Department of Education notified you that it was sent to DU--this requirement will still have a red flag next to it until we can update your account in July. But don't worry; we have it!)

✓ Keep in contact with us!
This is the last of the Financial Aid 101 emails we currently have scheduled for this year. We hope you have found them informative and that they have helped make the financial aid process a little easier for you and your family! In the next week or so, we will be sending a survey asking for feedback on the Financial Aid 101 email series and the other communication you have received from our office. We'd love for you to share your opinion!

We will continue to communicate with you periodically over the summer and throughout your time at DU, so make sure you read those emails! They always contain important information about your aid or additional steps you need to take. And be sure stay in contact with our office in the future to let us know if you change your enrollment plans, received a private scholarship, or just have questions! We're always here to help.

From all of us in Financial Aid, welcome to the DU community!

Want to review past Financial Aid 101 emails? Check out the archives!