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Office of Financial Aid

NSO FAQs for Financial Aid

Frequently Asked Questions

1. I want my parent to help me with my financial aid. Can the Financial Aid Office share my financial aid information with my parent?

If you want the Financial Aid Office to share your financial aid information with a parent or another individual, you can complete our Privacy Release Form. The form authorizes the Financial Aid Office and the Cashier’s Office to release your financial aid information and billing information to the people you list on the form.

Due to federal privacy laws, the Financial Aid Office cannot share your financial aid or billing information with anyone (including your parent) unless you have completed this authorization.

2. I completed my FAFSA, but I have not received my Award Offer. What can I do?

Once you complete your FAFSA, it will take up to two weeks for the results to be received at SDSU and another week for you to receive your awards. If you filed your FAFSA more than three weeks ago, you should

  • Log into your FAFSA and verify that you included SDSU as one of the schools you wanted to receive your FAFSA results. If SDSU is not listed, you can add our school code (003471-00) and resubmit your FAFSA.
  • Check your Financial Aid Self Service portal to make sure you have not been awarded since you last checked. This video provides instructions for accessing awards on Financial Aid Self Service.
  • View the Requirements tab on Financial Aid Self Service to see if you have any outstanding issues listed. Follow the links and instructions on the Requirements tab to complete any outstanding requirements.
  • If you were selected for Verification and submitted your Verification documents, check with the Enrollment Services Center or the Financial Aid Office to see if there are additional documents that you need to provide.

3. Is there a deadline for accepting my financial aid offer?

You should accept your awards on or before July 31. You will still have the opportunity to accept awards after July 31, however, the funds may not be ready to pay before the bill is due.

Please view our video explaining how to access your awards and accept your award offer online.

4.I’ve accepted my Federal Direct Student Loan, what else do I need to do to receive the loan?

You will need to complete a Master Promissory Note and Entrance Loan Counseling at StudentAid.gov. Log in with your FSA ID (the same login as you used for the FAFSA).

5. How can I figure out how much I owe?

Your bill for the fall term will be posted in mid-July and can be viewed on SDePay. Visit Billing and Payments for information on how to access your SDePay account.

Your orientation packet includes a cost estimator worksheet that you can use to help estimate expenses before the official costs are posted to your account.

6. When will financial aid apply to my bill?

Financial aid that is ready to pay will post to your SDSU account about a week before the start of the fall term. When your bill is posted in mid-July, your billing statement will list any financial aid that is ready to pay as authorized.

7. How do I pay my remaining balance?

The SDSU Cashier’s Office offers payment plans that allow you to pay the remaining balance over the course of the semester. Learn more about payment plans.

Students have the opportunity to apply for alternative loans made through banks, credit unions, and state agencies. To qualify, students need a credit-worthy cosigner. Interest rates and terms vary depending on the lender and the credit of the cosigner. Please visit Alternative Loans for additional information.

Parents can apply for a Federal Direct PLUS Loan to help finance educational expenses. If a parent’s application for the PLUS Loan is denied due to credit, the student may qualify for additional Direct Loans. Parents of dependent undergraduate students can complete the Parent Direct PLUS Loan Application by logging into studentaid.gov.

8. My scholarship donor sent the scholarship check directly to me. How do I get the scholarship posted to my fall bill?

Please mail your scholarship checks to the address listed below. Be sure to include your full name and student ID. If the check is made out to both the student and SDSU, please sign the back of the check before mailing.

SDSU Financial Aid & Scholarships
Enrollment Services Center
Box 511A
Brookings, SD 57007

9. My scholarship check will not arrive until after the bill due date. What can I do?

If your scholarship check will not arrive until after the due date, you may request a 3-week deferment (extension) of the due date of your Spring 2024 bill based on pending financial aid or external funding that will not be received until after the January 18, 2024 due date. To request this extension, please complete the Bill Due Date Extension Request Form. A deferment will prevent you from being assessed late fees on the portion of the bill the scholarship will pay. Be sure to include the following information in your deferment request:

  • Student’s full name
  • Student’s SDSU ID#
  • Name of the scholarship
  • Amount of the scholarship
  • Date the scholarship is expected to arrive

10. How do I apply for scholarships?

Incoming students should visit Academic Undergraduate Scholarship for information on how to apply for SDSU scholarships.

Students are encouraged to contact local businesses and organizations as well as employers of family members for additional scholarship opportunities. The U.S. Department of Education provides reliable information on how to navigate your scholarship search.

11. My family’s income has been significantly reduced, and the information we provided in the FAFSA is no longer a good representation of our ability to pay. What can I do?

If the income you listed on the FAFSA is significantly higher than your current income, please contact the Financial Aid Office to discuss options.

12. What steps do I need to take to receive financial aid?

Step 1: Fill out the FAFSA

Before you fill out the FAFSA, you will need to create an account. The student and one parent of dependent students will need to create an FSA ID.

The FAFSA can be filled out at FAFSA Form.

You will need to complete a new FAFSA each year.

Step 2: Accept your financial aid offer

It takes SDSU roughly two weeks to receive your FAFSA after it is submitted.

Students should monitor their Jacks email account after submitting their FAFSA, as this is where we would send requests for any more information that we may need to create an award offer. When your award offer is ready for you to view, you will also receive an email to your Jacks email account.

Watch a step by step video about how to accept your financial aid offer in your financial aid self-service.

How to accept your financial aid offer

Learn more about the different types of aid that you may see on your financial aid offer.

Types of Financial Aid

Step 3: Complete your MPN and Entrance Loan Counseling

If you have accepted federal direct loans, you will need to complete a Master Promissory Note and Entrance Loan Counseling before your loans will pay to your student billing account.

The Master Promissory Note (MPN) is the students agreement to the terms of the loan and a promise to repay the loan.

Entrance Loan Counseling is a simulated activity that gets students familiar with the terms of the loan, and lets them know what to expect during repayment.

Both of these can be completed at StudentAid.gov. The student needs to log in with their FSA ID to complete these two items. Use the buttons below to complete both the MPN and Entrance Loan Counseling

Master Promissory Note  Entrance Loan Counseling

Resources

Creating an FSA ID

Manage FSA ID & Password