[ Financial Aid ]

About Your Financial Aid Award

Terms and Conditions

Estimated Direct Expenses
If you live in a residence hall, Elmhurst College will bill you for tuition, fees, room and meal plan charges. If you live with your parents or off-campus, you will be billed for tuition and fees.  Other educational expenses including estimates for books, miscellaneous expenses and transportation are a part of your estimated cost of attendance, but Elmhurst College will not bill you for these items.

Financial Aid Awards
The following is important information on different types of financial aid awards a student may recieve. Not all students will receive all of the types of awards.

Academic Scholarships are offered at the time of admission to Elmhurst College and are renewable with the maintenence of the following required grade point average(GPA):
   Presidential and Transfer Excellence: 3.25 GPA
   Dean's and Transfer Achievement: 3.00 GPA
   Founder's and Transfer Recognition: 2.75 GPA 

Grants and scholarships are financial aid that does not have to be repaid. Grants and scholarships on your award notice will automatically be credited to your account.

Federal Work Study (FWS) is not deducted from your tuition bill. The amount you are paid from your FWS award will be determined by how much you work in an on campus job. To find a job on campus please go to www.elmhurst.edu/finaid "student job opportunities" or attend the On Campus Student Employment Fair on August 28, 2009. Job openings for the Fall term will be posted after July 1. Some student jobs on campus do not require FWS.

Loans are financial aid that must be repaid. For more information on federal student loans go to www.elmhurst.edu/finaid "Loans" or www.studentaid.ed.gov. Elmhurst College is a Direct Lending school. Students receive Stafford Loans (subsidzed or unsubsidized) directly from the U.S. Department of Education.

To finalize your Subsidized or Unsubsidized loans, you must have a Direct Loan Master Promissory Note (MPN) on file. If you are a first time Direct Loan borrower, you may complete the MPN at www.dlenote.ed.gov. First time borrowers must also complete entrance couseling at www.dl.ed.gov.

If you were offered a Perkins Loan you must have a Perkins Master Promissory Note (MPN) on file. If you are a first time Perkins borrower, you may complete the MPN at www.signmyloan.com.

If you are a dependent student, your parent may apply for a PLUS Loan up to the amount of your cost of attendance minus all other financial aid awarded. The PLUS Loan application can be found at www.elmhurst.edu/finaid "Important Forms" and should be completed by one parent and returned to the Office of Financial Aid. A credit check will be done to further determine eligiblity. A Master Promissory Note must be on file for the parent and if needed can be completed at www.dlenote.ed.gov.

If you are an Illinois resident, by applying for financial aid and agreeing to share that information with the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC), you have been considered for the State of Illinois Monetary Award Program (MAP) grant.  If you were determined to meet the eligibility criteria for the MAP grant, an award is included on this award letter.  This award may be an estimate made by the financial aid office and, if so, is identified as a "State of IL MAP Grant (Est)". MAP grants are limited based on the number of applicants and funding levels appropriated by the Illinois General Assembly. Please be aware that in light of state funding constraints, reductions to estimated or actual MAP grants are possible.
          Eligiblity for a MAP grant is tracked by the equivalent number if semester credit hours of MAP benefits paid on your behalf. This is called the MAP Paid Credit Hours. Payment for each term is being made according to the equivalent number of credit hours eligible for MAP payment, with a minimum if 3 and a maximum of 15 MAP Paid Credit Hours.
          There is a limit on the number of MAP Paid Credit Hours that can be paid while you are classified by your school as a freshman or sophomore. This limit is the equivalent of 75 MAP Paid Credit Hours.  If this maximum is reached, you must attain junior status for your MAP grant eligiblity to resume.  The maximum number of MAP Paid Credit Hours that can be received is capped at 135.
          If State of Illinois MAP(Est) grant does not appear among the awards listed on this notice, it means you are not eligible to recieve a grant at Elmhurst College.
          For more information on State of Illinois financial aid programs go to www.collegezone.com.

Please call the Office of Financial Aid at (630)617-3075 if you have any questions about your award notice.

Eligibility Parameters for Financial Aid
Any student interested in receiving need based financial aid must apply each year.Application materials become available in January. File as early as possible.

A student must be enrolled full-time (at least 12 hours per term) to be eligible for an Elmhurst College Grant, Supplemental Grant, Academic Competitive Grant. SMART Grant, Federal Work-Study, or other scholarships awarded through the College. A student must be enrolled at least half-time (six hours per term) to be eligible for other types of federal and state financial aid.

Because federal loans have annual maximums, a student is eligible to borrow summer loans only if he or she did not borrow all of his or her loan eligibility during the previous academic year.

Students who choose to defer enrollment after receiving a financial aid award should not assume that the same types and amounts of financial aid would be available for a subsequent period of enrollment.

The College will withdraw a student's financial aid if inaccurate or misleading information is discovered on any material supplied by the student, a parent or spouse.

For students enrolled in the Adult Accelerated Programs, academic sessions do not conform to traditional schedules. A session that starts between August 15 and December 31 is considered Fall Term; between January 1 and April 15 is considered Spring Term; and between April 16 and August 14 is considered Summer Term. An award letter describing "fall" and "spring" financial aid pertains to assistance offered for periods of enrollment within these parameters.
Financial aid can be used only for courses that are part of a degree program.

If a student plans to take courses concurrently at Elmhurst and at another institution, the courses taken at the other institution must first be approved by the Office of Advising, to assure that they apply to a degree program at Elmhurst.

Changes in a Student's Status
To keep any form of financial aid, a student is expected to attend classes. If a student withdraws from one or more courses, financial aid is adjusted, relative to changes in tuition. Financial aid awarded based on campus residence is reduced if the student moves off campus. If a student is unable to attend classes for one week or longer, the student or a family member must contact the Office of Financial Aid.

Satisfactory Academic Progress
Failure to make satisfactory academic progress in courses can result in a loss of eligibility for federal, state, and College aid.
Students must maintain a cumulative grade-point average of 2.00. Students must earn 66 percent of the course credits for which they register, not including those dropped within the first week of a term. Continued eligibility for financial aid is evaluated on an ongoing basis.
If a student has failed to make satisfactory progress according to these standards, financial aid normally is denied for the next academic year. Following a one-year suspension, a student may reapply for financial aid. Withdrawal from a course, or an unresolved incomplete grade, constitutes failure to complete the course. Repeated withdrawals can lead to the loss of financial aid eligibility for a student whose GPA is 2.00 or above. Students may appeal suspension of aid decisions by writing the Director of Financial Aid within two weeks after notice of lost eligibility. Successful appeals will allow the student one additional year of aid eligibility, at which time the student's cumulative record must fully meet the requirements for satisfactory progress.

Elmhurst College Financial Aid Code of Ethics
As a member of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, the Elmhurst College Office of Financial Aid embraces NASFAA’s Statement of Ethical Principles which provides that the primary goal of the institutional financial aid professional is to help students achieve their educational potential by providing appropriate financial resources.  To this end, this Statement provides that the financial aid professional shall:

• Be committed to removing financial barriers for those who wish to pursue postsecondary learning.
• Make every effort to assist students with financial need.
• Be aware of the issues affecting students and advocate their interests at the institutional, state, and federal levels.
• Support efforts to encourage students, as early as the elementary grades, to aspire to and plan for education beyond high school.
• Educate students and families through quality consumer information.
• Respect the dignity and protect the privacy of students, and ensure the confidentiality of student records and personal circumstances.
• Ensure equity by applying all need analysis formulas consistently across the institution’s full population of student financial aid applicants.
• Provide services that do not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, disability, age, or economic status.
• Recognize the need for professional development and continuing education opportunities.
• Promote the free expression of ideas and opinions, and foster respect for diverse viewpoints within the profession.
• Commit to the highest level of ethical behavior and refrain from conflict of interest or the perception thereof.
• Maintain the highest level of professionalism, reflecting a commitment to the goals of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators.

In addition, the Office of Financial Aid has always been bound to act in compliance with the vision of Elmhurst College’s mission to support a diverse and caring community of scholars, teachers, students and staff who work together for the purpose of learning. To this end, Elmhurst College and its employees

WILL:
§  Educate students and families through quality consumer information;
§  Maintain fiscal responsibility while ensuring that all sources of financial assistance are administered in a fair and equitable manner;
§  Maintain an open line of communication to ensure that individual financial needs are understood and considered;
§  Provide services that do not discriminate against any student or family;
§  Disclose to Elmhurst College any involvement with or interest in any entity involved in any aspect of student financial aid;
§  Commit to the highest level of ethical behavior ; and

WILL NOT:
§  Have any revenue-sharing agreements with any student loan providers;
§  Accept gifts, meals, travel or any other items other than of a nominal value from student loan providers;
§  Serve as members of loan provider advisory boards;
§  Permit student loan providers to use the name or symbols of Elmhurst College in their marketing materials;
§  Accept money, equipment or printing services from student loan providers; or
§  Conduct business with loan providers whose employees claim to be employees of Elmhurst College.