CASHIER’S OFFICE CONTACT INFORMATION Assistance from one of the staff members of the Cashier’s Office is available Monday through Friday between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. by calling (281) 649=3471. Our mailing address is: HBU, Financial Services Office, Atwood II-113, 7502 Fondren Road, Houston, TX, 77074-3298. Our Web address is www.hbu.edu, and our email address is cashier@hbu.edu.
FINANCIAL AID Financial aid may be in the form of loans, grants, scholarships, work-study awards, or a combination of all of these. Although the primary responsibility for meeting postsecondary educational expense rests with students and their families, the financial aid programs listed below have been established to assist students who can establish need.
Procedures for Applying For Financial Assistance 1. File an application for admission to the university. 2. File the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Go to www.fafsa.ed.gov to submit the FAFSA. HBU code #003576. 3. Submit to the Financial Services Office all requested documents needed to complete the aid application. 4. Students must enroll at least half-time (six hours undergraduate or four hours graduate) to be eligible for federal loans. Financial aid is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis as funding permits. The amount of the student’s award is based on a calculated financial need and annual limits as specified by program requirements. A student’s financial need is determined annually by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
Student Aid Satisfactory Progress Federal regulations require students to make satisfactory progress toward the completion of their degrees in order to receive Title IV aid. Title IV programs include the Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, Federal Work Study, Stafford Loans, and Stafford Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students. See HBU’s website for the Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy and specific requirements.
Dependency Status Dependent students are considered to be financially dependent on their parents and must report parents’ financial information as well as their own. A dependent student is one who does not fall into one of the categories given under the definition of an independent student. An independent student reports only income information (and that of a spouse, if the student is married) when applying for federal student aid. Under the federal definition, an independent student is one who is 24 years old by December 31 of the award year, a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces, an orphan or ward of the court, has dependents other than a spouse, married at the time of applying for aid, or is a graduate or professional student.
Renewal of Scholarships, Loans, Grants Application for federal financial aid must be submitted each year. The renewing and awarding of loans, scholarships, grants, etc. is based on the student’s current financial need, availability of funds, academic policy and standards set forth by the particular aid involved. Financial aid will be made reasonably available to all eligible student applicants as long as funds are available.
Deadline Dates Financial aid applications must be submitted by the following dates in order to receive a financial aid award by registration: March 1 is the preferred deadline for applicants to submit the FAFSA to the Federal Student Aid Programs. All requested documents should be submitted by April 15.
Disbursement of Financial Aid Financial aid, with the exception of Federal Work Study, is disbursed at the beginning of each enrollment period. If the aid package is for a regular nine-month period, one-half is disbursed at the beginning of each semester. University policy requires that all aid must be used first to pay general registration and maintenance fees, room and board or other institutional expenses. Financial aid is credited to the student’s account first, and after direct costs such as tuition, fees, room and board are met, any excess aid is disbursed by the Cashier’s Office.
2012-2013 HBU Catalog
www.hbu.edu/catalog
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