Mission Statement
The mission of the Midwestern State University Financial Aid Office (FAO) is to remove the financial barriers which could potentially prevent a student from pursuing higher education. The FAO staff is dedicated to providing a customer-friendly environment to students, parents, the university community and the public at large and subscribes to exemplary standards of professional conduct in performing all duties and responsibilities. The FAO staff promotes effective communication, timeliness, knowledge and problem-solving skills to ensure students/parents have a positive and successful experience with the financial aid process. MSU provides assistance with the financial aid process by hosting presentations to current students, interested high schools, community organizations and clubs. MSU ensures compliance with federal and state guidelines for all financial aid programs for the university and fully utilizes the maximum federal, state, institutional and local funds available to our students.
Philosophy of Financial Aid
The Financial Aid Office at Midwestern State University is available to assist those students who have difficulty meeting the cost of attending the University. Although the primary responsibility for financing an education rests with the student and the student's immediate family, it is recognized that many students will require additional assistance in order to finance their educational goals. Therefore, MSU offers need-based and non-need based financial assistance to those students who would otherwise not be able to attend the University.
Statement of Nondiscrimination
Midwestern State University is an equal opportunity, affirmative action, coeducational institution which does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, gender, disability, national or ethnic origin.
General University Information
Students interested in obtaining further information concerning the academic programs, accreditation, and other aspects of Midwestern State University may visit the MSU Registrar's Office or request a university catalog from the Registrar's Office by calling (940) 397-4321, or by writing to MSU Registrar's Office, 3410 Taft Blvd., Wichita Falls, TX 76308-2099. Information regarding MSU's admission requirements and application for admissions can be obtained from the MSU Admissions Office or call 940:397-4334. The MSU Registrar's Office and MSU Admissions Office are located in Hardin Administration (South Wing) on the MSU campus. Additionally, information regarding current tuition, fees and room/board charges are available at the MSU Business Office.
General Eligibility Requirements
To be eligible for federal and state student aid, an applicant must:
- be a U. S. citizen or reside in the U.S. for other than a temporary purpose;
- demonstrate a documented need for need-based financial assistance;
- be in good academic standing and maintain satisfactory level of academic progress
- be working toward a degree or certificate
- enroll for the course load required by the requested aid program; and
- not be in default on any educational loan, or owe a refund or repayment on any educational grant.
Student Rights and Responsibilities
It is the student's right to: know what financial assistance is available; know the admission requirements, know the Priority Deadlines for submitting applications; know the cost of attending the University; know the elements of determining financial need and how much need has been met (see below regarding "Determining Financial Need"); know the University's withdrawal process and refund / repayment policy; know the University's satisfactory academic progress policy; know how drug convictions affect financial aid eligibility; know the terms of student loans; request additional clarification or reconsideration of any aspect of the aid application or package by completing the 'Additional Benefits/Expenses' form; and be familiar with MSU's Code of Conduct for Financial Aid Professionals. It is the student's responsibility to: review all information about the University; complete all required application forms accurately; submit all requested information in a timely manner; read and understand forms which require a signature; know and comply with all deadlines; know and comply with the refund and repayment policy; maintain a satisfactory level of academic progress; notify lender of any status changes.
Aid to Students With Disabilities
Special aid to students who have certain physical or emotional disabilities is offered through the Texas Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services (DARS).To be eligible for DARS services, the individual must have a physical or mental disability which constitutes or results in a substantial impediment to employment. In addition, there must be a reasonable expectation that the vocational rehabilitation services will benefit the individual in terms of employment. DARS clients are entitled to vocational counseling and guidance, job development, placement, and follow-up. In cases where economic need can be demonstrated, college students with disabilities may be eligible for compensation of tuition and required fees, books and supplies, physical restoration, and supportive devices. Severely disabled students may also be eligible to receive financial help with room and board costs, mobility assistance, note-takers, tutors, and attendant care. Appointments to see a DARS counselor may be arranged by calling the Wichita Falls office (940) 235-1710 or toll free 1-800-269-2680 or contact the MSU Disability Services Office for additional assistance.
Further Financial Aid Information
Further information concerning financial aid can be found with the U. S. Department of Education or the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
Financial Aid Counseling
The Financial Aid Office is located in the Hardin Administration (South Wing), Room 102, and offers personal counseling to students and parents concerning aid opportunities, application requirements, program guidelines, and student eligibility. Students and parents may call our office at 940:397-4214 or visit our office 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday for additional assistance. No scheduled appointment is necessary. Or, you may email us at financial-aid@msutexas.edu.
The Application Process
Applying for Financial Aid
The application period begins October 1 of each year for the following award year (Fall / Spring / Summer semesters, respectively). As soon as possible after October 1, an applicant should complete and submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) electronically. By filing the FAFSA electronically, the software immediately identifies potential errors and allows for on-the-spot corrections. Once transmitted, the information is submitted to the U.S. Department of Education's Central Processing System (CPS). The CPS will process the application in one to five days, provided the applicant (and parents, if applicable) have provided electronic signatures with their FSA ID. The applicant should review Part I of the Student Aid Report (SAR) for any additional steps required by the processor. Remember, completing the FAFSA is a YEARLY process so students should plan to submit a FASFA each October for the upcoming academic year. The application process must be completed by the last class day of the application period to be considered for aid for that enrollment period. Financial aid cannot be received for periods of non-enrollment. When the result of the FAFSA are received in the MSU Financial Aid Office, the student/parent may be required to submit additional documentation, such as tax information, verification worksheet, etc...Applications for assistance cannot be fully considered until all of the required application forms are received by the Financial Aid Office and the applicant's admission status as a regular degree-seeking student is approved by the Admissions Office. Additionally, tools such as the College Navigator, and the Net Price Calculator may provide you with an early estimate of your eligibility for federal student aid. But REMEMBER - these tools only provide an ESTIMATE- your aid package could be significantly different depending on the information your report on your actual FAFSA application.
Net Price Calculator
The Net Price Calculator (NPC) is intended to help current and prospective students and families estimate the 'net price' for a student attending an institution of higher education and allows the student to compare the 'net price' for one or more institutions. The NPC is intended to provide more useful consumer information regarding college costs AFTER financial aid is taken into consideration and provides more information than just the Cost of Attendance (or, 'sticker price') of the institution. Remember, the NPC is ONLY AN ESTIMATE - your aid package could be significantly different depending on the information you report on your actual FAFSA application. Additional information about MSU's Net Price Calculator:
- the NPC is NOT a financial aid packaging tool; it is NOT intended to calculate an individual's exact net price.
- the NPC data is comprised of different Types of Aid including grants, scholarships (academic, non-MSU and athletic) and student loans. Grants and scholarships are disclosed based on meeting any deadline dates.
- the NPC data does NOT take into consideration awards that are not offered to our students at the time of initial awarding like College Access Loans and Alternative Private Loans or outside scholarships.
Priority Deadlines
In order to receive full consideration for financial assistance and to ensure the determination of eligibility by the beginning of a given application period, an applicant must submit all required application forms to the Financial Aid Office by the priority deadline dates below:
Summer Terms Fall/Spring Semesters Fall Only Semester Spring Only Semester March 1 March 1 March 1 October 1
Determining Financial Need Financial need is the difference between the cost of attending the University and the resources available to the student to help meet that cost. Thus, financial need is determined to be the:
Cost of Attendance
Minus
Expected Family Contribution (EFC)
Minus
Other Available Resources
Equals
Financial Need
The EFC is determined by filing the FAFSA and is a combination of the student's contribution and the parents' contribution (for dependent students). All applicants are required to inform the Financial Aid Office of any additional assistance to be received from outside sources during the application period by completing MSU's 'Additional Benefits / Expenses' form.
Awarding Financial Aid
Once need is established, a financial aid officer will consider the types of aid for which the applicant is eligible. Every effort will be made to meet the applicant's documented need through a combination of aid programs. The amount awarded will be based on the financial need of the applicant, the limitations imposed by the various financial aid programs, and the availability of funding. The total award may be less than the documented "need" (as explained above) because of fund limitations, an unusually large student budget, the applicant's aid request limitation, and/or prescribed program allowances. Aid applications will be electronically processed and awards made; when a financial aid package has been determined, an award notification will be sent to the student with instructions to review and accept/decline the awards on-line at MSU's Portal. If a student accepts a loan(s) as part of his financial aid package, he will be required to complete Entrance Counseling. When the student is no longer enrolled at least 1/2 time at MSU, the student will be required to complete Exit Counseling and begin loan repayment. If a student is unable to make scheduled repayments due to unforeseen circumstances, deferment options are available, or the student may find that Loan Consolidation is beneficial to help lower monthly payments or lock in a fixed interest rate. Also, if it is determined that an additional resource (ie: scholarship, DARS, etc...) is awarded to the student to help meet the cost of attendance, the Financial Aid Office will be required to recalculate the applicant's eligibility to include the additional resource. If the additional resource causes an 'over-award', the student's aid package will be adjusted to rectify the over-award. Adjustments may include canceling or decreasing previously awarded aid. A revised award notification letter will be sent to the applicant indicating any revisions made to the aid package. Students are encouraged to complete the "Additional Benefits/Expenses" form to advise the MSU Financial Aid Office of any scholarships/benefits the student expects to receive.
Cost-of-Attendance / Student Expense Budgets
The cost of attending Midwestern State University varies with enrollment status, housing situations residency status, and personal lifestyles. Standard student expense budgets are prepared each year to be used in determining a student's financial need. Budgets are constructed for students living with parent/relatives or living on/off campus. Each standard expense budget includes cost components for tuition and fees, room and board, books and supplies, transportation, miscellaneous personal expenses. Increases may be allowed for dependent care costs and disability expenses in documented individual student circumstances. Budgets are constructed to estimate expenses for periods of enrollment for the Fall and Spring semesters as well as the Summer terms.
Disbursing Financial Aid
Financial aid awards will be credited to the student's account. If the amount of financial aid is greater than the student's expenses, a refund will be issued to the student by the MSU Business Office. Awards are generally disbursed in an amount equal to one-half of the total award each semester; if a student attends one semester only, the full amount of the award(s) will be fully disbursed at the beginning of the enrollment period. Work-Study earnings will be paid bi-monthly to the student.
Return of Funds Due to Withdrawal
WITHDRAWAL PROCESS: Any student who desires to withdraw from the University must report to the Dean of Students Office located in the Clark Student Center, Room 116. Following an exit interview with the Dean's Office, the student will be issued a copy of the Official Withdrawal Request form and the Dean's Office will forward a copy of the withdrawal form to the necessary University offices (Business Office, Financial Aid Office, and Registrar's Office). If possible, a student who has received a prior student loan(s) will be required to visit with the Financial Aid Office to complete an Exit Interview session. A student who is not able to report to campus may have the withdrawal request processed via phone or email but still will be required to complete an Exit Counseling Session with the Financial Aid Office. Upon receipt of the withdrawal form in the Financial Aid Office, the appropriate federal and/or state refund calculation will be performed to determine if the student must repay all or part of the aid awarded, as detailed below. Refer to the information below regarding the REFUND / REPAYMENT POLICY to determine if you will be required to repay any financial aid monies as a result of your withdrawal from the University.
REFUND / REPAYMENT POLICY: A student who withdraws or is administratively withdrawn from Midwestern State University (MSU) may be eligible to receive a refund for all or a portion of the tuition, fees, and room/board charges that were paid to MSU for the semester. HOWEVER, if the student received financial aid (federal/state/institutional grants, loans, and/or scholarships), all or a portion of the refund may be returned to the financial aid programs. NOTE: should the student invalidate registration or never attend any class(es), ALL financial aid funds will be cancelled AND the student must contact the Dean of Student's Office (Clark Student Center, Room 116 or call 940:397-7500) to officially withdraw from the University. As described below, two formulas exist in determining the amount of the refund and may be modified at any time without prior notice in order to comply with federal and state guidelines. Examples of each refund calculation will be made available upon request.
FEDERAL "RETURN OF TITLE IV AID" (R2T4) POLICY: The federal refund formula is applicable to any student receiving Title IV aid, which includes the Federal Pell Grant, Federal TEACH Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, Federal Perkins Loan, Federal Stafford Loan (Subsidized and/or Unsubsidized) and Federal PLUS Loans (Graduate and Parent). This refund calculation excludes Federal Work-Study. The federal refund formula provides a return of Title IV aid if the student withdraws, is administratively withdrawn or voluntarily ceases attendance in all classes before completing more than 60% of the enrollment period. Furthermore, a refund calculation must be performed for financial aid recipients who fail to earn a passing grade in all classes as identified by the Financial Aid Office at the end of the term/semester; these students are considered "unofficially withdrawn" and the R2T4 calculation must be performed to determine how much aid was 'earned' and how must must be 'repaid' by the student. The amount is based on the student's last documented date of attendance as reported by the Registrar's Office and/or documentation from the professor. If any refund remains after the required return of the Title IV aid, the refund will then be used to repay other state/institutional grants and/or scholarships, as detailed below in the State Refund Policy. If any financial aid funds are released to the student prior to the student's withdrawal (via a refund check as a result of a credit balance on the student's account), the student may then be required to repay all or a portion of the financial aid funds that had been previously released to the student. A student not receiving Title IV aid will have his/her refund calculated using only the State Refund Policy, as detailed below.
The following steps are used to calculate the amount of aid that must be returned to the appropriate program(s) under the auspices of the R2T4 policy:
1. Determine the withdrawal date as documented by the Dean of Student's Office or documentation from the professor regarding the student's last date of attendance.
2. Determine the amount of aid the student earned by multiplying the percentage of the completed period of enrollment (or 100% if the student completes more than 60% of the enrollment period) x the aid that was disbursed and/or could have been disbursed as of the date of withdrawal. If the student received less aid than the amount earned, a post-withdrawal disbursement will be offered to the student as long as the student meets the current required conditions for a late disbursement; the post-withdrawal disbursement will be made within 120 days of the student's withdrawal date.
3. Determine the amount of aid the student did NOT earn by subtracting the 'Earned Amount' from the aid disbursed as of the date of withdrawal.
4. Determine the amount of aid the University must return which is the amount equal to the total institutional charges for the payment period x the percentage of unearned aid; the amount of Title IV funds for which the University is responsible to return must be done as soon as possible but no later than 45 days after the withdrawal date.
5. Determine the amount of aid the student must return which is the amount equal to the aid received by the student for non-institutional expenses x the percentage of unearned aid.
Further rules apply to the return of unearned aid, which include:
1. The University is required to return the amount of unearned aid that is equal to the total institutional charges for the payment period x the percentage of aid that was unearned.
2. In order to satisfy the amount the University must return to the aid programs, a combination of the following resources may be used:
a. Aid not yet disbursed to the student, and/or
b. The student's refund as determined by the official refund schedule as posted in the Schedule of Classes (or, see State Refund Policy below), and/or
c. An additional amount to be repaid by the student.
3. The student must return the balance of the unearned aid less the amount returned by the University
4. The student's loan amount(s) to be returned are to be repaid in accordance with the terms of the promissory note.
5. The student's grant amount(s) to be returned are 50% of the initial grant amount to return.
6. Excess funds will be returned in the order as indicated below in the 'Distribution of Funds'.
STATE REFUND POLICY: As stated in the current catalog, a student who withdraws from the University will receive a pro-rated refund of tuition, fees and room/board charges, in accordance with the following schedule:
Fall/Spring Semester(s)
1. Prior to the 1st class day 100%
2. During the first 5 class days 80%
3. During the second 5 class days 70%
4. During the third 5 class days 50%
5. During the fourth 5 class days 25%
6. After the fourth 5 class days 0%
Summer Term(s)
1. Prior to 1st class day 100%
2. During the 1st,2nd, or 3rd class day 80%
3. During the 4th, 5th, or 6th class day 50%
4. After the 6th class day 0%
DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS: If a student is entitled to receive a refund in accordance with the Federal and/or State Refund Policy, as described above, the refund must be applied to the appropriate program in the following order:
1. Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan
2. Federal Direct Subsidized Loan
3. Federal Perkins Loan
4. Federal Direct PLUS Loan (Graduate)
5. Federal Direct PLUS Loan (Parent)
6. Federal Pell Grant
7. Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant
8. TEACH Grant
9. Other Title IV Aid
10. Other State/Institutional Aid