Student Financial Services’s FAQs

Financial aid includes all sources of federal and institutional funds you will be using to pay your school bill, such as loans, grants, work study, scholarships and tuition discounts.

To be eligible, you must:

• be a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen
• have a high school diploma or GED certificate
• be working toward a degree or certificate in an eligible program
• have a valid Social Security Number (unless you’re from the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, or the Republic of Palau).
• register with the Selective Service if required.
• maintain satisfactory academic program once in school
• certify that you are not in default on an education loan
• certify that you will use federal student aid only for educational purposes

You must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Yes. Your financial situation must be reassessed every year.

No. Apply as soon as possible after January 1 and include Evangel’s federal school code (002463) on your FAFSA. Note: You will not receive an award letter until you have been admitted to Evangel.

The FASFA uses a formula established by Congress to determine how much you are eligible for. This formula takes the information that was provided on your FAFSA and determines your annual expected family contribution (EFC).

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the form used for the awarding of federal student aid. This is a free application that must be completed by all students in order to receive financial aid. The application can be completed online by visiting www.fafsa.ed.gov.

The priority deadline for Evangel to receive your FAFSA is March 1, 2010.

Yes, FAFSA information will still be accepted after this date, but available aid may be limited.

The personal identification number (PIN) serves as your electronic signature and as your access code on federal web sites.

Evangel’s federal school code is 002463.

• Call 1-800-433-3243 and have the Information Center send your information to Evangel, or
• Put Evangel’s code (002463) on Part II of your Student Aid Report (SAR) and send it back to the processor to make the change.

According to federal guidelines, an independent student is one of the following:

• at least 24 years old
• married on the date you completed your FAFSA
• a graduate or professional student
• a veteran
• a member of the armed forces
• an orphan or ward of the court
• someone with legal dependents other than a spouse

You can use estimated income figures to file your FAFSA. However, it is best to complete your tax return early and transfer that information to your FAFSA to have the most accurate application and avoid corrections later.

Yes, unless you are considered an independent student as defined by federal guidelines.

The parent you lived with most in the last 12 months. If you lived with each parent for an equal number of days, use the parent who provided the most financial support during the last 12 months, or during the most recent calendar year that you were actually supported by a parent. Support includes money, gifts, loans, housing, food, clothes, car, medical and dental care, payment for college costs, etc.

Yes, if your parent is married on the day you completed your FAFSA.

You must report your marital status at the time you file your FAFSA.

You can complete an Evangel Special Circumstance form with the required documentation of circumstances and submit it to Student Financial Services. The form will be evaluated to see if any adjustments in your federal aid can be made based on your individual circumstances.

Verification is a process to confirm information you provided on the FAFSA. If discrepancies are found, your financial aid eligibility may be affected.

Each year, the federal government randomly selects 30% of ALL students submitting the FAFSA for verification. Most applications are selected at random; others because of inconsistent information.

You will be asked through email from Student Financial Services to submit the following documents of proof for both the parents and student:

• W2 form’s or 1099
• 1040 (Full federal tax return/signed)
• Verification Worksheets

No federal financial aid will be awarded until verification is completed, discrepancies are resolved, and the necessary corrections are submitted and processed by the US Department of Education.

Vicki Jacobson, Federal Grant Coordinator for Student Financial Services, coordinates the verification process.

If a mistake is found during verification, Student Financial Services submits a correction to the US Department of Education, who in turn notifies the student that his/her FAFSA has been updated.

An award letter lists the types and amounts of financial assistance that you are qualified for. Award letters are mailed out by the Financial Aid Coordinator and are also viewable through the student portal in “My Financial Aid” under the awards tab. Your award letter includes your PIN and User ID that will allow you access to your financial aid information on our website.

Award letters are initially mailed out the first week of April. It can take a few weeks after you submit your FAFSA for us to process your aid eligibility and prepare an award letter.

To check on the status of your award letter, email the Financial Aid Coordinator.

Yes, all awards are based on your fulltime semester enrollment of 12 hours or more. If you drop below fulltime status, grant and loan amounts may change. Check with the Student Financial Services office to determine how changing your class load may affect your financial awards.

No, you can accept or decline the aid offered to you by clicking the "Accept Awards" tab on your My Financial Aid page.

A loan is money that is borrowed and must be repaid; grants do not have to be repaid.

• Subsidized Federal Stafford Loan
• Unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loan
• Parent Loan for Dependent Undergraduate Students (PLUS)
• Additional Unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loan
• Federal Perkins Loan
• Private Loans

Learn more about loans.

Subsidized loans—the federal government is responsible for the interest that accumulates while you are in college at least halftime. Unsubsidized loans—you are responsible for the interest that accumulates while you are in college.

Interest is a loan expense charged by the lender and paid by the borrower for the use of the borrowed money. The expense is calculated as a percentage of the unpaid loan amount that is borrowed.

Yes, view our scholarships.

The Federal Work-Study (FWS) program is a student employment program through which the federal government subsidizes earnings for hours worked in campus employment positions. It is a need-based program, meaning students must demonstrate a financial need on their FAFSA in order to work and earn FWS dollars that will assist in educational and living expenses while attending school. Visit our Work-Study site.

To apply for participation in the FWS program, students must complete and submit the FAFSA. Be sure to mark “yes” to work on the FAFSA when you are completing it. Once the FAFSA has been submitted and Evangel receives a copy of it, the Financial Aid Coordinator will determine your financial need to receive FWS, as calculated based on Information reported on the FAFSA. The Student Financial Services Office will then award FWS to all students who demonstrate sufficient financial need. However, due to funding restrictions, FWS positions may not be available to all eligible students. For priority consideration, students should complete the FAFSA as soon as possible prior to each academic year and secure a campus job.

Upon notification of work-study eligibility, check out Evangel’s job posting site. If you see a position you are interested in, contact the employer as directed on the job listing. Inquire about the basic terms and conditions of the job, and arrange an informal Interview time and date.

It is an account established to maintain your Evangel University charges and credits and is identified by your student ID number. Your student account will include all the charges and credits assessed to you during your enrollment at Evangel, including but not limited to: tuition, room, board, fees, fines, payments made to your account, and financial aid payments and adjustments.

Payments can be made at the cashier’s window.

Yes, we accept MasterCard, Visa, Discover, and American Express credit or debit card payments by phone.

A financial statement will be sent out each month showing all transactions on your student account during the previous month.

The financial statement will be sent to the address you select when you complete the Personal Information step on your financial registration checklist.

Currently, online payments can only be made as a part of the financial registration process.

Yes. You must be a current student and have your student ID.

The billing offices are located on the main floor in Riggs Hall.

For additional information, please call Heather Toro at (417) 865-2815, ext. 7347.

This is the number that’s used to determine your eligibility for federal student financial aid. This number results from the financial information you provide on your FAFSA and is calculated on a formula established by law.

You must file a FAFSA to be eligible for federal financial aid. This is a free application that must be completed annually and can be completed online by visiting www.fafsa.ed.gov.

Your PIN serves as your electronic signature and as your access code on federal websites.

Your Student Aid Report summarizes the information you submit on your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and provides you with your Expected Family Contribution (EFC).

A student must be completing an acceptable percentage of attempted course work Within a reasonable amount of time and have an adequate grade point average to maintain satisfactory academic progress. Indicators that a student is not making satisfactory academic progress includes:

• A GPA lower than 2.0
• Suspension from the University
• Points deficient in transfer
• Dropping required hours
• Withdrawal from the University
• Incomplete grades
• Exceeding maximum credit hour limit