Summer Financial Aid

Undergraduate students (first Bachelor candidates), who did not use their full Pell grant during the Fall 2023 and/or Spring 2024 semesters, may have 'Remaining Pell' eligibility for the Summer 2024 semester. Pell eligible Undergraduate students who were not enrolled at all during the Fall 2023 and/or Spring 2024 semesters, will have Pell eligibility (hereinafter also referred to as Remaining Pell) for the Summer semester.

Undergraduate and Graduate students who did not use their full annual Stafford loan eligibility during the Fall 2023 and/or Spring 2024 semesters, and who have not exceeded their aggregate lifetime Stafford loan maximum(s), may be eligible for a Stafford loan(s) for the Summer 2024 semester. Masters and Doctorate candidates may also be eligible for Graduate PLUS loans. Additionally, parents of dependent Undergraduate students, may be eligible for Parent PLUS loans.

Please remember, in order to receive any type of financial aid funds (Pell and/or loans) during the 2024 Summer semester a student must be in compliance with the Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) policy.

Pell For Undergraduate Students

Remaining Pell, i.e. Pell, that was not fully used during the fall and spring semesters, will be awarded for the Summer semester based upon anticipated full-time enrollment. Full time is defined as at least 12 hours, or more, for first Bachelor candidates.

Continuing CSU Undergraduate Students (first Bachelor candidates) who were enrolled on a part-time basis during the current academic year (Fall 2023/Spring 2024), and therefore did not take full advantage of their Pell Grant eligibility during those semesters, may be eligible for remaining Pell for the 2024 Summer semester.

Undergraduate Transfer Students (first Bachelor candidates) who were enrolled on a part-time basis (at another college/university) during the current academic year (Fall 2023/Spring 2024), and therefore did not take full advantage of their Pell Grant eligibility during those semesters, may be eligible for Remaining Pell for the 2024 Summer semester.

If you establish eligibility for Remaining Pell, funds will be disbursed for the Summer semester, as follows:

Enrolled for:
12 hours or more	100%
9, 10 or 11 hours	75%
6, 7 or 8 hours	50%
3, 4 or 5 hours	25%
less than 3 hours	None

Year-Round Pell

Students may be eligible to receive up to 150 percent of their Scheduled Pell Award for an award year. This provision is called “Year-Round” Pell, or additional Pell.  It is called “Year-Round” because it allows students to receive additional Pell funds, during the summer semester when the student had already exhausted their full Scheduled Pell Award for an award year during the fall and spring semesters. To be eligible for an award, for the summer semester, in excess of 100% of their Scheduled Award, students must be enrolled at least half-time (6 hours) during the summer semester.

Loans (Stafford, Parent PLUS and Graduate PLUS)

In order to be eligible for a loan during the Summer semester a student must be enrolled at least half-time.

Half-time is defined as 6 hours for first time Bachelor candidates, Second Bachelor candidates and Teacher Certification students for the Summer session.

Half-time is defined as 3 hours for Masters and Doctorate (non-Pharmacy) students for the Summer session.

In most instances, students who have remaining Stafford and/or PLUS eligibility will see the amount of their remaining eligibility for each loan in an "Offered" status on CSU X-press. If a student was in attendance during the Fall 2023 and/or Spring 2024 semesters and withdrew prior to the conclusion of either of those semesters, or declined all or part of a loan that was offered to him/her for those semesters, it may be necessary for them to submit the following paper application to the Office of Student Financial Aid:

• Request for Increase, Decrease and/or Cancellation of Federal Loan(s) (PDF)

You may download the form from this web page or obtain it in the Office of Student Financial Aid.

In the event that a student does not achieve at least half-time attending status as of the beginning of the semester, his/her funds will be held and disbursed upon which time that the student actually is attending on at least a half-time basis.

Important Information Regarding Loans (Please Read Carefully)

Federal Direct Stafford Loan

If you have not previously done so, it will be necessary for you to complete Direct Loan Entrance Counseling and a Direct Loan Master Promissory Note (MPN). Go to the studentaid.gov website to complete these requirements.

Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan

If you have not previously done so it will be necessary for you to complete Direct Loan Graduate Loan Entrance Counseling and a Master Promissory Note (MPN). Go to the studentaid.gov web site to complete these requirements.

When you apply for a Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan, the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) will check your credit history. To be eligible for a PLUS Loan, you must not have an adverse credit history. If you are found to have an adverse credit history, you may still borrow a PLUS Loan if you get an endorser (cosignor) who does not have an adverse credit history. An endorser is someone who agrees to repay the PLUS Loan if you do not repay the loan. In some cases, you may also be able to obtain a Direct PLUS Loan if you document to the USDE's satisfaction that there are extenuating circumstances related to your adverse credit history.

Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loan (Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students)

If your parent has not already done so it will be necessary for him/her to complete a Federal Direct PLUS Loan Application and Master Promissory Note (MPN). They should go to the studentaid.gov website to complete these requirements.

Direct Loan's decision to fund a Parent PLUS Loan is based upon the applicant parent's credit rating/standing. When a parent applies for a Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loan, the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) will check their credit history. To be eligible for a PLUS Loan, a parent must not have an adverse credit history. If they are found to have an adverse credit history, they may still borrow a PLUS Loan if they get an endorser (cosignor) who does not have an adverse credit history. An endorser is someone who agrees to repay the PLUS Loan if they do not repay the loan. In some cases, they may also be able to obtain a Direct PLUS Loan if they document to the USDE's satisfaction that there are extenuating circumstances related to their adverse credit history.

Important Information Concerning MPNs

When completing an MPN online at StudentAid.gov you (student and/or parent) will have the option of completing a "serial" MPN which will provide for disbursements for 10 years, or a "one-year" MPN which will only provide for disbursement until the first anniversary of the date you complete such an MPN. Should you choose to complete a "one-year" MPN, or have done so in the past, you will need to complete a new one every year thereafter until which time you no longer wish to receive Federal Direct Loans.

Certification of Eligibility

The final step in the loan application process, after a student has accepted an "Offered" loan(s) online (if necessary), through CSU X-press, or has submitted the Request for Increase, Decrease and/or Cancellation of Federal Loan(s)(PDF) and has completed the appropriate MPN and Entrance Counseling, involves the loan processors in the Office of Student Financial Aid completing a review of every loan, to confirm eligibility, and readying that confirmation of eligibility for electronic transmission to Direct Loans. Direct Loans refers to this process as loan "Origination". We will begin Origination for the Summer 2024 loans in early May 2024.

Requests for Revision of Accepted (or Declined) Loans

There may be instances after you have accepted a loan, either in whole or in part, or declined a loan, that you change your mind. In that instance we will be happy to accommodate any request for a "revision". It will be necessary for you to submit the Request for Increase, Decrease and/or Cancellation of Federal Loan(s) (PDF) form in order to have loans revised, canceled, reinstated, etc.

Change in Loan Eligibility Due to a Grade Level Change

In the event that you accept a loan, and it is processed and funded, please be informed that if your grade level changes after the spring, or any, semester (either to the next undergraduate level, such as sophomore to junior, or into a different academic program, such as Certification or Masters) your loan(s) will not be automatically adjusted based on you new status. In fact, your loan(s) may be canceled if you should move from undergraduate to graduate status, or Masters to Certification.

Example:

• You are a sophomore during the Spring semester.
• We process the loan as you have requested based on Sophomore status.
• You have an incomplete grade for the Spring which is changed to a passing letter grade in June, which results in you moving up to Junior status.

In order to receive a Junior level loan for the Summer it will be necessary for you to request this adjustment.

You may do so be submitting the Request for Increase, Decrease and/or Cancellation of Federal Loan(s)(PDF).

Notice of Disbursement and the Right to Cancel Federal Direct Stafford, PLUS and Perkins Loans

Loan proceeds will generally be credited to a student’s account approximately 10 days prior to the beginning of any semester, if a student has meet all eligibility requirements on that date, or on a periodic basis (usually daily) thereafter as a student becomes compliant with all terms and conditions necessary to establish loan eligibility. All loan disbursements applied to a student’s account will immediately be available for review by accessing the student’s account through CSU X-press.

A student, and/or a parent in the instance of a Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loan, has the right to cancel a portion or all of any Federal Direct Stafford, Federal Direct  Parent PLUS, Federal Direct Graduate PLUS and Federal Perkins loan prior to disbursement, or within 14 days of actual disbursement of any such loans. The request to cancel or reduce any loan must be in writing and must be submitted to the Office of Student Financial Aid. Chicago State University requires that you use its established form, Request for Increase, Decrease and/or Cancellation of Federal Loan(s)(PDF), which you may download here or obtain from the Office of Student Financial Aid.

If a credit balance created by a loan disbursement has been released to a student, and/or parent, the funds released must be returned to the university within the 14 day cancellation time frame in order for the university to complete a requested cancellation.

Private Education Loans (Alternative Education Loans)

There may be instances where you may not qualify for Direct loans or it may be that you are not eligible for sufficient funding of your needs under this federal program. If that is the case you might wish to pursue a Private Education Loan. In most instances lenders will notify our office if you have applied for, and been approved for, a Private Education Loan and request that we certify your enrollment status/eligibility. In some instances you may need to either notify us that you have been approved or you may need to provide us with a paper certification form.For more information concerning this process check with your lender.

CSU does not maintain a Preferred Lender list for entities that offer Private Education Loans nor do we recommend any particular private lender or private loan product. We will perform eligibility certification for any private lender, or any loan product they offer, that you desire. We do, however, maintain a "Historic List of Private (Alternative) Education Loan Lenders", which will provide you with information on lenders who have funded Private Education Loans for CSU students over the past 5 years.

Before applying for an Private Education Loan, we recommend you explore all other financial aid options (e.g., grants, scholarships, federal loans, and federal work-study options). Private Education Loans may cost more than federal loans because of higher unsubsidized interest rates and uncapped interest rates.

As part of the application process for a Private Education Loan you must complete a "Private Education Loan Applicant Self-Certification" form and submit it to your chosen lender. In most cases your lender will provide you with this document. In the event that they do not you may download the form from this web page.

Friday, July 26, 2024, is the last day that we will honor online acceptance of an "Offered" loan(s), or accept a Request for Increase, Decrease and/or Cancellation of Federal Loan(s)(PDF)

ALL TRANSFER STUDENTS PLEASE NOTE  -  In some cases the Office of Student Financial Aid will not be able to process Summer Pell (for Undergraduate students) or a loan until your previous college/university has reported to the U.S. Department of Education all Federal student aid you received at those schools during the Fall 2023 and/or Spring 2024 semesters. This may not be until late May or possibly, sometime in June or later.

ALL SUMMER FINANCIAL AID RECIPIENTS PLEASE NOTE:  The processing (posting to your account) of Summer Financial Aid (including loans) will be held until all grades for the Spring 2024 semester have been recorded and all continuing students’ records have been evaluated as to compliance with the university’s Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy. It is estimated that processing will begin on or after May 20, 2024. Results will be posted to CSU X-press.