Financial Aid Policies & Procedures
Aid Recipients
Aid recipients must be U.S. citizens, permanent residents, or have refugee status in the U.S. Students classified as non-degree seeking by the RSU Office of Admissions are not eligible for financial aid. Students seeking financial aid must meet the standards of the Satisfactory Progress Policy for Financial Aid.
Included in the standards are a quantitative standard for credit hours completed each term (as compared to hours attempted), a minimum cumulative grade-point average, and a maximum length of eligibility based on attempted credit hours. Attempted credit hours include all hours attempted throughout your entire college career.
The academic year, beginning with the fall semester, consists of 32 weeks of instructional time for the fall and spring semesters. Two week intersession courses are offered after each semester. The academic year concludes with an eight week summer term.
The RSU Business Office will use your first available financial aid to pay for educational expenses (tuition, fees, housing, and books) owed to the university. If you are awarded a Federal Pell Grant, Federal SEOG, and/or a Federal Stafford Loan in an amount in excess of our tuition and fees, check with the RSU Business Office to see if you are eligible to charge your books at the RSU Bookstore. If you are allowed to charge at the bookstore, the amount will be for books and course required supplies only.
You may be awarded at any time during the semester. The normal process takes two weeks after all necessary information has been received by the RSU Office of Financial Aid. Any questions you might have regarding your awards must be addressed by our front counter staff or your individual financial aid counselor. If you are unsure of your counselor’s name, the front counter staff will be happy to tell you.
If you have not met the priority deadline of March 1, please be prepared to buy your own books and make arrangements with the RSU Business Office to pay all tuition and fee charges. A payment plan option is available and further details may be obtained at the RSU Business Office.
If you receive financial aid from any other source such as Veteran’s Benefits, J.T.P.A, P.I.T.C., Advance Study Scholarships, or Tuition Waivers, you must notify the RSU Office of Financial Aid of these awards. In accordance with federal regulations, your financial aid awards may be adjusted.
Your financial aid award letter may list several types of aid. You may accept all, part, or none of the financial aid awarded. However, you must sign and return the letter within two weeks, showing your decision to accept or reject the awards. Returning students will not be mailed award letters. Returning students will need to login to MyRSU and accept/reject the awards online. You may also view any missing documents the Financial Aid Office may be requesting.
If your enrollment status changes after you have received your financial award letter, your financial aid awards will be adjusted to reflect your new enrollment status.
Most financial aid programs are based on a nine-month academic year. Therefore, if you receive two full semesters of aid (fall and spring) you may not be eligible for grants during the summer term. If you desire to receive financial aid for the summer term, you must notify the RSU Office of Financial Aid of your enrollment.