Financial Aid FAQs

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is a form that students and their families complete to apply for federal financial aid to help pay for college. It’s the initial step in accessing federal grants and loans. Completing the FAFSA is free and can lead to various types of financial aid, some of which are grants that don’t need to be repaid.

The LAPU federal school code is 042788.

Verification is the process used to confirm that the data reported on your FAFSA is accurate. Some FAFSA applications are selected because of inconsistent information, and others are chosen randomly.

UEH is a flag used by the U.S. Department of Education to identify students who have received federal student aid (like Pell Grants or direct loans) from multiple institutions within the past four academic years. This flag is intended to help prevent fraud and abuse in title IV student aid programs.

To qualify for financial aid through the FAFSA, you must meet the following criteria: Be enrolled as a student in an eligible degree or certificate program of study. Be a U.S. citizen or Eligible Non-Citizen. Must have a valid Social Security Number (SSN). Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). Must not be in default on Federal Student Loans or owe money on a Federal Grant.

SAP refers to the requirement that students receiving financial aid maintain satisfactory academic performance to remain eligible for those funds. This means successfully completing coursework and progressing toward a degree or certificate within a reasonable timeframe.

R2T4 refers to the federal requirement that institutions calculate and return unearned Title IV funds to the U.S. Department of Education when a student withdraws from school before completing 60% of the payment period.

Dropping or withdrawing from classes can affect financial aid eligibility by potentially requiring a return of funds and impacting future aid awards. If you drop below half-time enrollment, you may have to repay a portion of your aid and could lose eligibility for future grants or scholarships. If you are considering dropping or withdrawing from one or more classes, you are strongly encouraged to contact your Success Coach regarding academic impact or Student Financial Services regarding potential financial impact. Unfortunately, we may not be able to tell you exactly what the financial impact will be if you withdraw because we have to wait for our financial aid office run the R2T4 calculation to determine what portion of aid you have earned and what portion will need to be returned.

Title IV funds are federal student aid funds, which are from federal student aid programs administered by the U.S. Department of Education. Title IV funds include Direct Subsidized/Unsubsidized Loan, Direct Graduate PLUS Loan, Direct Parent PLUS Loan, Federal Pell Grant, and Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG). The FAFSA is also used to administer the California state grants.

LAPU awards students based upon the grade level, Student Aid Index (SAI) from the FAFSA and Cost Of Attendance (COA). See the LAPU Catalog for more details for the COA. You can also use the Net Price Calculator to give you an early indication of how much and what types of financial aid you might qualify for.

The FAFSA uses your income (and your family’s, if applicable) to calculate your Student Aid Index (SAI), which is a measure of how much your family is expected to contribute toward your education.

Yes. You must complete a new FAFSA for every academic year that you wish to receive loans. The FAFSA form must be completed each year, as soon as October 1, for the academic year you plan to attend and apply for student aid. If you completed a FAFSA for the current academic year for another school, and you are transferring to LAPU, you will need to go back to the FAFSA website and add LAPU to your existing FAFSA.

To begin the federal student loan process, first complete and submit the FAFSA. This application determines your eligibility for federal student loans, grants, and other forms of financial aid. After submitting the FAFSA, LAPU will send you a financial aid offer, which may include federal student loans. In the financial aid offer, there will be instructions how to complete the Loan Entrance Counseling and the Master Promissory Note.

LAPU has a “passive acceptance” policy in regards to the Federal Direct Loans. That means we assume you are accepting the full amount of your offer unless you tell us otherwise. If you would like to decline all or a portion of your offer, you will need to submit the Loan Adjustment Form through your student portal.

Yes. If you would like to only borrow enough to cover your tuition charges, you will need to submit the Loan Adjustment Form through your student portal. Federal Direct Loans are funds that must be repaid. We encourage all students to borrow wisely and only borrow what is needed to cover their tuition charges.

The origination fees are an expense for borrowing a Federal Direct Loan. It is a percentage that is subtracted from each loan disbursed by the Federal Direct Lending Program.

Federal Stafford loans are awarded for a gross amount and are disbursed to your student account in a net amount after the loan origination fees have been deducted.

You can access your information in the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) by logging into your account on StudentAid.gov. This involves using your FSA ID (username) and password. Within your StudentAid.gov account, you can find details about your federal student loans, including amounts, outstanding balances, and loan statuses.

If you are enrolled in an eligible program at least half-time, in most cases your loan will be placed into a deferment automatically. If you were enrolled at least half-time at your previous school but did not automatically receive a deferment, you should contact your loan servicer to notify them of your status. If they request that you fill out an in-school deferment request form, please contact the LAPU Office of the Registrar at (626) 624-4673 or registrar@lapu.edu for assistance.

You can request a book voucher by completing the form in the Student Services portal via my.lapu.edu. New students can request a book voucher for the first session they attend. Continuing students can request a book voucher for the first session only. It is expected that the refund check will be received prior to the start of the second session and books will need to be purchased using the excess funds in the refund check.

Excess Title IV funds occur when the total amount of Title IV aid funds disbursed to your student account for the academic period exceeds THE charges for tuition for the same academic period.

If you completely withdraw from all classes and have already received your refund check, you may end up owing the university a balance after the calculation is performed. Unfortunately, we won’t be able to tell you what that exact amount is until the calculation is performed. Keep in mind if you have already received your refund check, you may have to pay back LAPU a portion of that refund check.

A Title IV refund, which is excess federal financial aid, can be used for various purposes. It can be used to pay down student loans, or it can be applied to other educational expenses like tuition or the cost of purchasing a computer. Additionally, it can be used to cover future college expenses by depositing it into a savings account.