Your Financial Aid Award Package for the 2024-2025 Award Year

(Fall 2024, Spring 2025 and Summer 2025 Semesters)

Please Note: Many students accessing this web page are doing so because they have received a message from the Office of Student Financial Aid. However all students receiving, or who anticipate receiving, any type of financial aid assistance, including loans, during the 2024-2025 academic year are strongly encouraged to review the information contained within this web page.
Additionally, whether you are a new or continuing student, if you have been directed to this web page by notification from the Office of Student Financial Aid on or after March 1, 2024 you should carefully review your information on CSU X-press, when you access it, as it may include new information and funding amounts relating to the Spring 2025 semester.
Similarly, if you have been directed to this web page by notification from the Office of Student Financial Aid concerning Summer 2021 Financial Aid, you should carefully review your information on CSU X-press, when you access it, as it may include new information and funding amounts relating to the Summer 2025 semester. Additional important information regarding Summer Financial Aid, including important dates relating to Summer processing, may be found on the web page.

You have been directed to this web page due to one of the following reasons:

You recently submitted a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to the national processing agency and Chicago State University (CSU) has received a copy of your FAFSA Submission Summary and, as a result, has prepared a Financial Aid Offer Package for you, which you need to review, or
you recently submitted information to either the national processing agency, or the CSU Office of Student Financial Aid, resulting in a recalculation of your financial aid eligibility and, possibly, an adjustment in the amount(s) of your award(s), or
there has been a change in the amount(s) of your financial aid award(s) due to receipt of a scholarship, a change in your enrollment status and/or Federal, State or CSU policy and/ or availability of funds, or
we recently processed your loan request and the results are now posted to your account for your review.

Students Please Note: In many instances an update or correction to your FAFSA, either by you or the Office of Student Financial Aid, such as in the case of completing the Verification process, will cause unprocessed “Accepted” Stafford and/or PLUS loans to be returned to an “Offered” status. If you are visiting this web page at this time because you received an e-mail from the Office of Student Financial Aid after you have made a change to your FAFSA or completed Verification, you may need to review your loan eligibility and possibly re-“Accept” loans you previously “Accepted”. The Office of Student Financial Aid will make all efforts to process re-“Accepted” loans as quickly as possible.

To review your status and properly respond (if required) to this offer of financial assistance, please click on the appropriate link provided at the bottom of this web page to be taken to CSU X-Press.

If this is your first time entering the CSU X-Press web site follow the directions on the screen in order to access the site. Please pay careful attention to the order and format in which information should be entered.

Your CSU ID Number is listed at the top of the e-mail/letter notification that you received directing you to this website. Please use that number as your User ID when entering CSU X-press.

Once you have accessed the website you will immediately be prompted to change the PIN.

Please, Use a Password You Can Remember and Won't Forget!

You will need your Password to access the website in the future, until which time you are issued a Cougar One account.

After entering the site:

Click on the Financial Aid link.
On the next screen click on the Award link.
On the next screen click on the Award By Aid Year link.
Select the Aid Year referenced in the e-mail/letter we sent you.
On the next screen click on the Accept Award Offer tab (right center of screen).

Review the options presented at the top of the screen and accept any awards in an Offered status you wish to receive (in whole or in part) or decline those in which you are not interested.

Federal PELL Grants, Federal SEOG Grants and State of Illinois MAP grants are automatically accepted in our system. If you have been awarded PELL and/or SEOG and/or MAP, you will not need to accept these awards.

If there are no awards with an Offered status, please review those awards that are accepted, if any. Again, please note that some awards may have been adjusted to reflect recent adjustments/corrections to your SAR or because of a change in your enrollment status or enrolled hours.

While in CSU X-Press you are encouraged to take a few minutes and review all the information available including making updates to your contact information.

If you have a problem entering the CSU X-Press web site please call the Help Desk at (773) 995-3963 (during normal business hours of 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM, Monday – Friday) to have your Personal Access Code (PAC) re-set.

Exceptions

Awards, for admitted students, are based on full time attendance (except as otherwise noted such as in the case of the MAP grant, discussed in the "State of Illinois Monetary Award Program (MAP) Grant" section below) and your anticipated academic status, based upon available information, as reflected in the CSU student information system, for the 2024-2025 school year.

Awards for students, yet to be admitted to CSU, are based upon full-time attendance at the academic level indicated on the FAFSA. If a student is admitted at a different academic level, the amount of the awards may be recalculated.

Full-time status is based upon enrolled hours as follows:
Undergraduate:	15 hours per semester / 30 hours for both fall and spring semesters
Graduate:	9 hours per semester / 18 hours for both fall and spring semesters
Doctorate:	6 hours per semester / 12 hours for both fall and spring semesters
Pharm D	15 hours per semester / 30 hours for both fall and spring semesters

If you do not attend full time, or your anticipated academic status should change, your awards can be increased, reduced or denied/eliminated. If you change your enrollment status (e.g., add or drop a course), please inform the Office of Student Financial Aid promptly. Awards may be estimated. They will not be official until you have accepted the awards (with the exception of Pell and MAP which are automatically accepted) and a Financial Aid Advisor and/or Satisfactory Academic Progress Counselor, if required, has completed a review of your status. If you have been selected for Verification by the USDE the amount of your awards may change as a result of the completion of the Verification process. If any funds are increased, decreased, or eliminated, you will be notified by e-mail that there has been activity on your account and that you should review your award status on CSU X-Press.

PLEASE NOTE: There is the possibility that your record may reflect no awards when you access CSU X-Press. This may be due to a variety of reasons such as a) an incomplete FAFSA, b) your income is sufficiently high and you are not eligible for standard grants, c) you have exhausted your loan eligibility, d) you are in default on a student loan, or any variety of reasons too numerous to list here. If you do not see any awards reflected on your account and still have questions, please contact the Office of Student Financial Aid. We will be happy to review your award status with you.

LOANS

Federal Direct Stafford Loan

All initial student financial aid award packages will reflect Stafford loan eligibility, if available, in an “Offered” status. If you want the Stafford loan(s) you must accept the “Offered” loan(s), in whole or in part, through CSU X-press. It is not necessary to submit a paper loan request form. It will, however, be necessary for you to complete Direct Loan Entrance Counseling Direct Loan Master Promissory Note (MPN), if you have not already done so. Go to the studentaid.gov web site to complete these requirements.

Deadlines for acceptance of Stafford loans are as follows:
Full-year Loans (Fall 2024/Spring 2025)	Last day to accept - 10/18/2024
Fall-only Loans (Fall 2024)	Last day to accept - 10/18/2024
Spring-only Loans (Spring 2025)	Last day to accept - 02/28/2025

Summer 2025 – Procedures and deadlines for Summer Direct Stafford Loans will be published on the Summer Financial Aid web page on, or about, April 1, 2025.

Once you have accepted a loan(s), and your eligibility to the Direct Loans program has been certified, you will be notified that you need to access CSU X-press to review the results.

Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan

Initial student financial aid award packages will reflect Graduate PLUS loan eligibility for Masters and Doctorate candidates, in an “Offered” status if the student has sufficient Unmet Need remaining in his/her financial aid budget after Stafford eligibility has been “Offered”.

Should a student desire a Graduate PLUS loan he/she must accept the “Offered” loan(s), in whole or in part, through CSU X-press. It is not necessary to submit a paper loan request form. It will, however, be necessary for you to complete Direct Loan Graduate Loan Entrance Counseling and a Master Promissory Note (MPN), if you have not previously done so. Go to the studentaid.gov web site to complete these requirements. The deadline for accepting the Graduate PLUS Loan is the same as the deadline for accepting a Federal Direct Stafford Loan (discussed above).

When applying for a Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan, the United States Department of Education (USDE) will check your credit history. In order to be eligible for a PLUS Loan, you must have a clear credit history. If you are found to have an adverse credit history, you may still borrow a PLUS Loan if you obtain an endorser (co-signor) 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 any extenuating circumstances related to your adverse credit history.

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

Initial student financial aid award packages will reflect Parent PLUS loan eligibility for Dependent students, in an “Offered” status, if the student has sufficient Unmet Need remaining in his/her financial aid budget. If a parent wishes to secure a Parent PLUS loan the “Offered” loan must be accepted, in whole or in part, through CSU X-press. It is not necessary to submit a paper loan request form. It will, however, be necessary for the parent to complete a Federal Direct PLUS Loan Application and Master Promissory Note (MPN). The parent must go to the studentaid.gov web site to complete this requirement. The deadline for accepting the Parent PLUS Loan is the same as the deadline for accepting a Federal Direct Stafford Loan (discussed above).

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 USDE will check his/her credit history. To be eligible for a PLUS Loan, a parent must have a clear credit history. If found to have an adverse credit history, they may still borrow a PLUS Loan if they obtain an endorser (co-signor) 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

After a student and/or parent has accepted a loan(s)(online through CSU X-press), completed the appropriate MPN(s), and Entrance Counseling, the final step involves the loan processors in the Office of Student Financial Aid reviewing every accepted loan, confirming eligibility and preparing the confirmation of eligibility for electronic transmission to Direct Loans. This process is known as loan "Origination". CSU will begin Origination for the Fall 2024-Spring 2025 loans on or about September 3, 2024.

PLEASE NOTE: The university may not Originate a loan request, from a student or parent, after a student's last date of attendance, in a semester, or after the last date of the loan period.

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 CSU will be happy to accommodate the request for "revision". It will be necessary for you to submit a paper form(s) in order to have loans revised, canceled, reinstated, etc. The forms are available in the Office of Student Financial Aid or for download on the Apply for Loans web page.

Change in Loan Eligibility Due to a Grade Level Change

In the event that you accept a loan that is processed and funded, please note that if changes in your grade level after the fall, or any subsequent 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 your new status. In fact, loan(s) may be canceled if you move from undergraduate to graduate status, or Master's to Certification.

Example:

You are a senior during the fall semester.
You accept a loan for the entire academic year (fall and spring).
We process the loan as you have requested.
You graduate in December and move into a Master's program in January.
The spring disbursement of the loan will be canceled due to your new academic status.
In order to receive a loan for the spring you must follow our published procedures in order to have CSU certify your eligibility for a loan at the Masters level.

If you are entitled to, and desire, a revision to your loan(s) due to a change in grade level please submit the appropriate paper form(s). The forms are available in the Office of Student Financial Aid or for download on the Apply for Loans web page.

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

If a student has met all eligibility requirements, loan proceeds will generally be credited to a student’s account approximately 10 days prior to the beginning of any semester 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, as 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), which is available in the Office of Student Financial Aid or which may be downloaded from the Apply for Loans web page.

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.

Reminder Regarding Enrolled Hours Requirement to be Eligible to Receive a Stafford, Parent PLUS, or Graduate PLUS Loan

Please keep in mind, as was discussed in the Entrance Counseling requirement you completed, that in order to be eligible to receive a loan, you must be enrolled at least half-time during the semester in which loan proceeds are received, and at the time a disbursement is made.

During the Fall and Spring semesters half-time is defined as 6 hours for students enrolled as:

First time Bachelor candidates
Second Bachelor candidates,
Teacher Certification students,
Doctorate candidates,
Certificate students, and
Professional (Pharm D) students.

During the Fall and Spring semesters half-time is defined as 5 hours for Masters candidates.

During the Summer semester half-time is defined as 6 hours for first time Bachelor candidates, Second Bachelor candidates, Teacher Certification students and Certificate students.

During the Summer semester half-time is defined as 3 hours for Masters, Doctorate and Professional (Pharm D) students.

Special Note to Newly Admitted or Yet to be Admitted Pharm D Candidates

Until you have been fully admitted to the university and CSU's student record system has been updated to reflect your enrollment status as a College of Pharmacy student, your financial aid award package, if you have completed a FAFSA, will reflect loan eligibility based on enrollment as a regular graduate student, such as a Master’s candidate, not the higher loan limits associated with the Pharm.D. program. Once you have received your acceptance letter please allow up to 2-3 weeks for our system to be updated to reflect your correct academic status. Once the changes have been completed, the Office of Student Financial Aid will recalculate your financial aid package and notify you that you are required to access the Your Financial Aid Package web page, and ultimately CSU X-press to review and accept any offered financial aid assistance.

Federal PELL Grant

The Federal Pell Grant Program provides need-based grants to low-income undergraduate students as determined by the USDE using a standard formula, established by Congress, to evaluate the financial information reported on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The fundamental elements in this standard formula are the student's income (and assets if the student is independent), the parents' income and assets (if the student is dependent), the family's household size, and the number of family members (excluding parents) attending postsecondary institutions.

A student has 6 years (12 full-time semesters) of total Pell Grant lifetime eligibility, inclusive of all years that Pell was received prior to the 2024-2025 academic year.

Tracking Your Lifetime Eligibility Used on NSLDS

You can find your Lifetime Eligibility Used for the Federal Pell Grant by going to the Web site www.nslds.ed.gov and creating a student account. NSLDS, the National Student Loan Data System, tracks your lifetime Pell Grants, loan usage and overpayment status.

Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG) and Federal College Work-Study (CWS)

Funding for both of these grants is limited. CSU has historically awarded these grants to Undergraduate students with a $0 (zero) EFC and who filed their FAFSA as early as possible to the initial date the USDE began accepting FAFSAs. Funds were awarded until CSU's allocation had been exhausted.

If you have been offered CWS you must accept this award by June 1, 2025. If you do not accept them by that date we will assume you do not wish to receive these awards. We will remove any unaccepted CWS after June 1, 2025 and re-award any available funds to other eligible students. If you are or become the recipient of "re-awarded" CWS you will have 45 days from the date of notification to accept or decline either or both award. If you do not accept an award it will be removed from your award package at the end of the 45 day period and again "re-awarded" to other eligible students. The "re-awarding" process will continue, if necessary, until both funds are exhausted.

Federal Teach Grant

This Federal grant was introduced for the 2009-2010 academic year. Please visit the Office of Student Financial Aid Federal TEACH Grant web page to review eligibility requirements and the procedure for applying for this grant.

Federal Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant

Introduced for the 2010-2011 academic year, this Federal grant program benefits certain survivors of U.S. military personnel who lost their lives as a result of the Iraq or Afghanistan conflicts.

State of Illinois Monetary Award Program (MAP) Grant 2024-2025

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 (IL) Monetary Award Program (MAP) Grant. All MAP-approved institutions are required by the State of Illinois to announce MAP Grant awards to students who are enrolled or intending to enroll at their institution. An award amount is included in your financial aid package if you have met the eligibility criteria. The MAP Grant award amount is an estimate made by the financial aid office and is identified as a "State of IL MAP Grant (Est)". Please be aware that the number of available MAP Grants is limited by funding levels approved by the Illinois General Assembly and the Governor, and reductions to estimated or actual MAP Grants are possible.

There are also limitations to how long you can continue to receive a MAP Grant. Usage is tracked by the number of credit hours for which you’ve received MAP benefits and is referred to as MAP Paid Credit Hours (MPCHs). The maximum number of MPCHs that can be received is 135, which is equivalent to approximately four and a half years of fulltime enrollment. For your reference, and to learn more about MPCH limitations, you may access a record of your MPCHs, as well as other student resources, through the ISAC Student Portal at studentportal.isac.org. Eligibility for the need-based MAP Grant award may be an indicator that you are eligible for state or federal benefits to assist you with cost of living expenses such as food or
housing. For information about programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), contact the Illinois Department of Human Services at 1-800-843-6154 or visit www.dhs.state.il.us for eligibility and application information, or contact the Illinois Hunger Coalition Hunger Hotline at 1-800-359-2163 or visit www.ilhunger.org.

If a State of IL MAP Grant (Est) is not included in your award letter, you are not eligible for the grant at Chicago State University.

Please review the "2024-25 Monetary Award Program (MAP) Right and Responsibilities" as published by ISAC.

SNAP Benefits

As a student enrolled at least half time at Chicago State University, you could be eligible to receive SNAP Benefits. Be certain to log on to IDHS to determine eligibility and for information on how to apply for benefits.

Cost of Attendance (aka Cost of Education or Student Budget)

Cost of Attendance (COA) is an estimate of the total amount it will cost you to go to school at CSU. It is determined using rules established by federal law. The COA includes CSU tuition and fees, on campus room and board (or a housing and food allowance for off-campus students), an allowance for books and supplies, transportation, loan fees, and, if applicable, dependent care. It also includes miscellaneous and personal expenses, which include an allowance for the rental or purchase of a personal computer. The COA is designed to be a reflection of costs associated with attending CSU. COA does not accommodate a lifestyle of luxury but rather addresses basic costs associated with going to school and maintaining a modest lifestyle. COA is the cornerstone of establishing a student’s financial need as it sets a limit on the total aid that a student may receive for purposes of determining eligibility for the Campus-Based Programs such as SEOG, Work-study, and Stafford/PLUS loans. CSU has established COA for the 2024-2025 academic year for both undergraduate and graduate students. To review all budgets, you can access and download, the 2024-2025 Cost of Attendance chart which reflects all 2024-2024 figures. You may also review your individual COA figures on CSU X-Press. Please note that since most students are "Offered" loans as part of their financial aid award package, the COA includes estimated/average Loan Fees as a component. In the event that you choose not to accept a loan(s), or for some reason you are not eligible for a loan(s), the Loan Fees component may be reduced to zero.

Scholarships

Your Financial Aid Award Package may indicate that you will be receiving a scholarship, grant or stipend, hereafter collectively referred to as scholarships, from a source other than those managed by the Office of Student Financial Aid. All such scholarships must be reported to the CSU Scholarship Coordinator, as the receipt of same may have an effect on a student’s eligibility for other forms of financial assistance including loans and work-study funding. For more information please visit the Procedures for Reporting Scholarships, Grants, Stipends and Other Forms of Gift Aid web page.

Satisfactory Academic Progress

CSU's Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy measures whether students are progressing at a reasonable rate toward the completion of their educational objective. Students must be in compliance with this policy in order to maintain continued financial aid eligibility. The Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy is available for review and download from the Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) web page, and is published in both the CSU Undergraduate Catalog and the CSU Graduate Catalog. Copies of the policy is also available from the Office of Student Financial Aid. If a student fails to maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) their financial aid awards may need to be revised, returned or canceled.

Transfer Monitoring 7- day hold

Schools are required to monitor the financial aid history of students who transfer from one school to another. This is done by requesting the USDE's National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) to monitor the student's financial aid history. The request is made to NSLDS at the time CSU receives the Student Aid Report (SAR). A mandatory 7-day hold is placed on disbursing any aid to the student account until NSLDS has completed the monitoring process by the end of the 7-day waiting period. Most SARs are received in advance of 7 days before aid is scheduled to disburse to the student account and therefore the 7-day hold does not normally interfere with aid disbursement. In the event, however, that CSU receives your SAR less than 7 days before the beginning of any disbursement period, your aid will be held until the hold period has run its course. If you are relying on your financial aid funds to "secure" your classes and prevent them from being dropped for non-payment, please be informed that, dependent upon the timing of when your SAR is received, that you may be required to make a down payments in order to prevent your classes from being dropped for non-payment. For further information please contact a Financial Aid Advisor in the Office of Student Financial Aid.

Credit Balance Disbursement

Full-year Federal Direct Loans (Subsidized, Unsubsidized, Parent PLUS and Graduate PLUS) will be disbursed in two installments. The first disbursement, from Direct Loans, is scheduled to take place approximately one week prior to the beginning of the Fall semester. The second disbursement, from Direct Loans, will take place approximately one week prior to the beginning of the Spring semester. Students will receive a disclosure statement from Direct Loans once the loan(s) is processed confirming the actual dates. If there is a credit balance on the student's account, after all financial aid and loans are received, tuition and other charges have have been paid, the student will be issued the credit balance remaining on the student account. Credit balances are issued by the Office of the Bursar, not the Office of Student Financial Aid. The Office of the Bursar will notify the CSU community as to when credit balances will be issued.

Change in Enrolled Hours

If a student's enrollment should drop below half-time status the occurrence must be reported immediately, in writing, to the Office of Student Financial Aid so that the appropriate adjustments can be made to any grant and/or loan disbursements. Remember students must be enrolled on at least a half-time basis in order to maintain loan eligibility. Failure to report changes in a timely manner may result in significant delays in processing your credit balance, or might result in you owing a balance to CSU if the credit balance is issued prior to any required adjustment(s) being made due to untimely notification (or no notification) of a change in your enrollment.

REMEMBER: Awards are based upon full-time attendance (except as otherwise noted) in an eligible academic program and the information currently available on your SAR. Should you enroll at a less than full-time status, change academic programs or enrolled hours, or if the information on your SAR should change (either through the Verification process or changes you make to your SAR) the amount(s) of any award(s) may decrease, increase or be eliminated entirely.

To review and properly respond to this offer of financial assistance, continuing students may access and review their packages by entering Cougar Connect and continuing on to CSU X-press.

Students who have yet to be admitted, but have completed a FAFSA and have listed Chicago State University as one of the schools to which they would like their financial aid profiles submitted, may access and review their packages through CSU X-press.