Financial Aid and consortium Transfer Policy 2015 2016 Ferris State University statewide
Plan ahead to fund success. What is financial aid? Financial aid is any resource that assists a student in paying for his or her educational expenses. Financial aid is an investment in your education and may not cover all costs. We encourage you to seek out all financial resources including scholarships and grants. Financial aid programs are intended to help students whose families cannot pay all, or perhaps any, of their college expenses. Financial aid programs include grants, loans and scholarships. About 82% of Ferris students receive aid. What types of aid are available? Ferris State University offers federal, state and institutional financial aid to qualified applicants. There are three main types of financial aid: Scholarships - gift funds based on high academic achievement or special talent. Some merit-based scholarships are also need-based. Visit ferris.edu/statewide/scholarships for more information about specific scholarships. To apply for scholarships once admitted, go to: MyFSU > Academics & Services > My Scholarships. Grants - gift funds based entirely on need that do not have to be repaid. Loans - either federal or alternative borrowed funds which must be repaid. Federal loans are awarded as a result of filing the FAFSA. There are strict limits on annual and lifetime amounts that students may borrow. Because the federal government guarantees these loans, there are no credit checks or cosigners involved. Alternative loans are options for students who are not awarded enough aid to cover all of their expenses. Alternative loans require credit history checks to determine the credit-worthiness of either the borrower or cosigner of the loan. Other types of financial aid: Veterans We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for the sacrifices you have made to defend our country while serving in the Armed Forces. Ferris State University offers many educational benefits such as VA grants and scholarships, Montgomery GI Bill and the various chapters/programs associated with the Veteran s Administration. For more information regarding Veteran s educational benefits, go to ferris.edu/veterans. Ferris Scholarships A number of scholarships are reserved for Ferris students attending an off-campus location. n Ferris Statewide Freshman Achievement Scholarship: Awarded to the first 25 students who meet the scholarship criteria n Ferris Statewide Adult Learner Life Changing Scholarship: Awarded to the first 25 newly admitted students who meet the scholarship criteria and submit all application materials n Ferris Statewide Transfer Achievement Scholarship: Awarded to the first 75 students who meet the scholarship criteria Additional programmatic scholarships exist as well as scholarships for students at specific locations. A complete list can be found on our website at ferris.edu/statewide/scholarships.
STUDENT BUDGET The average cost to attend - Expected Family Contribution Estimated amount your family can reasonably contribute to the cost of your education determined from your FAFSA = Financial Need Amount that our Financial Aid Office tries to help you fund Our Veteran Program Specialist is available to assist you with questions about your educational benefits. VETERAN PROGRAM SPECIALIST Ferris State University, Big Rapids Campus Timme Center - VA Certification Office (231) 591-2798 veterans@ferris.edu Third Party Billing With appropriate authorization, third parties such as employers can be billed directly. Amounts billed to third parties (including approved financial aid) are immediately deducted from student accounts. If your employer will pay the institution directly (regardless of your final grades), our preferred method is through Third Party Billing. For more information, contact the Business Office at (231) 591-3969. Employer Tuition Reimbursement Does your employer offer tuition reimbursement? Through Employer Tuition Reimbursement (ETR), we will defer any portion of tuition your employer pays toward your education. You have 30 days after the end of the semester to pay your tuition balance. For more information, visit ferris.edu/statewide. Michigan Works! Ferris State University accepts funding through Michigan Works! programs. If you are interested, contact your local Michigan Works! office to get started or visit michiganworks.org. The equation above is used to determine how much financial aid you may be eligible to receive. Community College Payment Payment plans are available and helpful in a variety of situations. Some of our community college partners hold classes until refunds are disbursed for consortium students. Other community colleges require payment before financial aid funds are disbursed. If this is the case for your community college, inquire about a possible payment plan. Deferred Payment Plans If you decide not to take financial aid or your financial aid won t cover your entire bill at Ferris, there are several Ferris payment plan options available. You may choose the deferred payment plan and pay a percentage of the charges on your first bill prior to the start of class. An updated electronic invoice will be issued for the remaining installments. Choose one of three plans: You may pay 50% up front and then 25% for each of the remaining payments, 33% in three payments, or 25% in four payments. There is a $30 deferred processing fee per semester. For more information on payment plans or to enroll in a payment plan, go to: MyFSU > Academics & Services > E-Bill Pay Online/Check Student Account > Payment Plans. How is my financial aid determined? In general, the higher your financial need, the greater your eligibility for gift aid (money you do not have to pay back) or other need-based aid. Even if you have no financial need, you are still able to receive nonneed-based aid, including certain scholarships or unsubsidized direct loans.
apply for financial aid. Where do I start? FYI We strongly encourage all of our students to apply for financial aid, regardless of their personal or family means. It s easy. Here s how: 1 In order to be considered for financial aid, you must first be admitted to Ferris State University. TIP: Apply free online at ferris.edu/statewide. Then request official transcripts from all colleges and universities you have attended. Request your official high school transcript if you have less than 60 transferable college credits or an associate degree. 2 File the FAFSA ASAP! The application is available January 1 of each year for the following aid year. (If you are applying for the Fall 2015 semester at Ferris fill out the FAFSA on or shortly after January 1, 2015.) Financial aid is awarded in the order received. Apply for a personal identification number (PIN) at pin.ed.gov. TIP: If you are a dependent student, you and your parent or guardian will need to apply separately for two different PINs. The PIN will act as your electronic signature, speed up processing and make corrections fast and easy. Keep this PIN for your records to use in the future. 3 File the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Fill it out online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. TIP: Make sure to include the federal school code for Ferris (002260) on the form so Ferris can receive your financial aid information. If you re a transfer student and you did not list Ferris on your original FAFSA, go to www.fafsa.ed.gov to make a correction and under School Selection, add the Ferris school code (002260). You do not have to wait to be admitted before filling out the FAFSA. 4 5 Your first award notice is a paper notice by mail after you are admitted. All further award notices are sent electronically to your Ferris email. You must accept or decline your loan offers via your MyFSU account. Submit your consortium form every semester you are registered for community college classes. To electronically fill out and submit your consortium form, go to MyFSU > Academics & Services tab and find the Financial Aid Forms & Links channel and click on Online Consortium Form. Check with your community college to determine what needs to be done to hold your classes until payment can be made. Forms must be submitted to Ferris by the 8th Friday of the semester. If you have questions, call the Financial Aid Office at (231) 591-2110 or (800) 433-7747 or email us at finaid@ferris.edu. We ll be happy to help you through the process.
Take the next Step. VERIFICATION Once your FAFSA has been received by the federal processor, you may be selected for verification. If selected, the verification process must be completed before financial aid may be offered to you. It is essential that all requested documentation be submitted as quickly as possible. Failure to provide requested documentation in a timely manner could result in a loss of some forms of aid. TIP: Get your documents together! Approximately 33% of all Ferris students who complete the FAFSA are randomly selected by the federal processor for verification. Once you have completed the FAFSA and are admitted to a Ferris degree program: AWARD NOTICE The Financial Aid Office will send your first award notice via US mail to your permanent address. Future award notices will be sent electronically to your Ferris email address. The award notice will include your budget, need formula and the type and amount of each fund being offered to you. TIP: We recommend students access their Ferris email account on a regular basis for any important financial updates. ACCEPTING YOUR AWARD We recommend that you accept or reject each type of aid within 21 days of receiving the offer to prevent cancellation of the aid offer. If you are unsure as to whether or not to accept or reject a particular type of aid, contact the Financial Aid Office. For more information on accepting your award, go to: ferris.edu/admissions/financialaid. TIP: Be a good steward of your financial aid resources. Accept only the amount of aid you need. This will prevent you from maxing out your yearly aid.
Save Big with less debt. Whether you re a transfer student or consortium student could affect how your credits transfer. Regardless of which one you are, you should process your financial aid through Ferris. TRANSFER STUDENTS are students who apply for entrance into degree programs at Ferris State University and whose coursework from other institutions is subject to institutional and/or program transfer guidelines. To transfer credits, a minimum grade of C is required to receive institutional and/or program transfer credit. CONSORTIUM STUDENTS are students who are obtaining a Ferris degree by earning a portion of their credits from a community college while simultaneously taking Ferris classes. A consortium agreement exists between the community college and Ferris. Once students are admitted to an approved off-campus program for which Ferris has a consortium agreement, they become Ferris consortium students. Consortium Lindsay Young Financial Aid Officer Ferris offers an affordable education by partnering with local community colleges through consortium agreements. students receive Ferris advising, benefit from taking approved/articulated Ferris courses, have Ferris as their financial aid provider, pay tuition to the local community college at the community college rate and tuition to Ferris for their Ferris courses. If you re a consortium student, there is a new policy that applies to you: Ferris Consortium Transfer Policy Once admitted into a statewide or online aid-eligible offcampus/consortium program and there is an approved consortium form on file each semester, transfer credits will be processed under the consortium transfer policy as long as Ferris is the financial aid provider or the student is not receiving any financial aid. The consortium transfer policy states that Ferris-approved, articulated courses at a community college must be subject to the same set of academic and reporting standards as on-campus students. All Ferris-approved courses taken by consortium students will be accepted by the University, regardless of grade, and will be used for federal financial aid reporting and potential fulfillment of academic degree requirements. Whether or not the approved courses fulfill academic program requirements is dependent on University and academic program standards. For more information, go to: ferris.edu/consortium.
Complete the process. Enrolling in a statewide or online program as a consortium student has many benefits: LOCATION! Take Ferris classes online or at an approved local community college and apply the credits towards a Ferris degree. Take 50-70% of your credits at the community college and ultimately receive a Ferris degree. Pay the community college rates for 50-70% of your Ferris degree a substantial cost savings. Employer Tuition Reimbursement, Michigan Works!, and Tuition Incentive Program (TIP) can all be accessed at statewide and online locations. Access scholarships designed specifically for statewide and online students. Through a consortium agreement, you can receive financial aid for courses at the community college that are applicable to a Ferris degree. Courses not applicable to a Ferris degree do not qualify for financial aid. FAQ As a consortium student, will my community college grades be counted toward my Ferris GPA? No, only Ferris classes will be factored into your GPA. Who should fill out a consortium form? All students in a statewide or online aid-eligible off-campus/consortium program should submit a consortium form for every semester registered at the community college. Only approved community college credits will be processed under the consortium transfer policy. Completion of the consortium form communicates to the Financial Aid Office, on a semester basis, that they are taking community college courses which apply to their Ferris degree. Can past credit be processed under the Consortium Transfer Policy? No, past coursework will not be processed under this policy. Do I need to be receiving financial aid to submit a consortium form? No, you can be a consortium student and not be receiving financial aid. If I get a D in a community college course and it transfers in under the Consortium Transfer Policy, will I have satisfied that course requirement? Not necessarily; whether or not the approved courses fulfill academic program requirements is dependent on University and academic program standards (i.e.: most programs require a 300 level English course. The ENGL 200 equivalent course must transfer in as a C to meet the prerequisite for the 300 level course.) Will a community college course that was not approved on my consortium form fall under the consortium transfer policy? No, when transferring classes that were not approved, the Ferris Transfer Policy applies. you need to know... MTA Ferris State University participates in the Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA), which facilitates transfer of general education requirements between participating Michigan institutions. The MTA consists of 30 lower-division general education credit hours as identified by the college or university granting the student s MTA. The MTA may be completed as part of a degree program or as a stand-alone package. The MTA pertains solely to general education courses and does not exempt students from meeting specific prerequisite and/ or course requirements for their degrees. Only courses with a grade of C (2.0) or better will transfer as part of the MTA. Students interested in completing the MTA, or who have met the requirements of the MTA, should check with their Ferris advisor to determine how this impacts their degree requirements. MACRAO Students who started college prior to fall 2014 will be able to complete coursework under the existing MACRAO Agreement until the end of Summer 2019. Transcripts for students entering Ferris after Summer 2019 with a MACRAO Satisfied endorsement will be evaluated on an individual basis.
Borrow wisely to minimize debt. Ferris State University is concerned about the average loan debt of our students. For many students, educational loans are necessary to finance their education. For this reason, Ferris offers free tools and resources to help students minimize loan debt and borrow wisely when loans are the only option. Access these tools at: ferris.edu/financialliteracy Resources available: Tips to borrow wisely Debt solutions from a budgeting and financial education service Federal loan database to check your total federal loan indebtedness Loan calculator to estimate your payments Financial awareness counseling Need more Information? Check out: ferris.edu/statewide ferris.edu/consortium Or contact one of our Financial Aid Advisors: Grand Rapids, Lansing, Muskegon locations: Lindsay Young (616) 643-5742 lindsayyoung@ferris.edu All other locations: Sheri Edstrom (231) 591-2110 cnsrtfinaid@ferris.edu Steps to get you started: 1. Download and install the free Aurasma app from itunes or Google Play. 2. Open the app on your mobile device. Tap OK to allow location tracking. 3. Scroll through intro and create an account, or tap SKIP. 4. Select the large A logo at the bottom of the screen to view the Explore screen. 5. Tap the SEARCH icon and type in Ferris Statewide. 6. FOLLOW our channel. 7. Tap the SCAN icon and hold your device over any image that has this icon next to it in the brochure. Double-tap the screen to keep the video running even if you move your device away from the image that triggered it. Have fun! Remove the Mystery. We d like to take the confusion out of financial aid, so we thought we d explain it to you personally. Surprise! This brochure utilizes augmented reality technology that will cause several of the images to come to life through video. See what Ferris students are saying about their experience and hear directly from a financial aid officer. Aurasma is available as a free app for iphones, ipads and high-powered Android devices. Breathe life into everything around you starting right now. The images with the icon will come to life with this app. Ferris State University / statewide