Welcome

The staff of the Office of Financial Aid is committed to assisting you and your family with finding funding sources to help with financing your CAU education. If you have not already done so, let me encourage you to complete your Free Application for Federal Financial Aid (FAFSA) via FAFSA On-the-Web. You may access this site at www.fafsa.ed.gov. Our financial aid priority deadline is March 1. Let me take a moment to alert you to a few very important aspects of the financial aid process.

Technology: We have made the financial investment and commitment to remain on the cutting edge of technology within the Office of Financial Aid. As a result, we have reduced and/or eliminated the need to send you paper documents via U.S. mail. Our goal is to place our students and parents in the driver's seat of the financial aid application process. With a personal computer, you are just a few clicks away from being able to completely manage the financial aid process. Just as with online banking, all financial aid functions can be accessed and controlled without your ever having to come into the Office of Financial Aid. Simply access Bannerweb with your user ID and PIN and, with ease, you can experience our virtual office without being in the office. Your user ID and PIN were included in your admissions packet. If you failed to receive them, please contact the Office of Admissions. You will need them to access your financial aid file online.

Financial Aid Offer: Your offer of Financial Aid must be accessed via Banner Web. You WILL NOT receive a paper Financial Aid Offer Letter. Should you decide to reject or reduce any part of the offer, you must come into the office and meet with a financial aid advisor. Your offer of Financial Aid is only an offer of financial assistance. If your award includes a Subsidized and/or Unsubsidized Stafford Loan, you will need to complete our online process. That process includes completing an online application and Promissory Note, with a lender of your choice, and an online Entrance Interview (if a first-time student borrower at CAU). You may access the online process via Bannerweb. If your award includes a PLUS Loan (parent loan); your parent will need to apply for the loan using our online process. Please note that the PLUS Loan is based upon the borrower's credit history. The amount shown on the offer of Financial Aid on Banner Web indicates only the amount of eligibility. It is no guarantee of funds. The parent borrower will undergo a credit check and final approval rests with the lender.

Cost: The primary responsibility for paying for your education rests with you and your family. We are committed to assisting you in so much as you and your family's financial ability permits and the University's resources allow. Our Student Expense Budget includes both direct and indirect costs. Direct costs are those charges paid to the University such as tuition, fees, room and board (if living on campus), and books (if purchased from the University bookstore). Indirect costs are those charges you may incur for travel or transportation, room and board (if living off campus) or miscellaneous expenses included in the Student Expense Budget. Please understand that all financial aid will be applied to direct costs first to reduce/eliminate a student's indebtedness to the University. Refunds will be generated to students only after a student's indebtedness to the University has been satisfied.

How Much Will I Owe the University? To determine how much you owe the University, subtract your direct cost from certain financial aid offered (all financial aid offered cannot be included). A PLUS Loan cannot be included unless the parent borrower has applied for the loan and it has been approved by the lender. College Work-Study cannot be included because the funds must be earned after job placement. The University has no control over the student's potential earnings. Outside scholarships will be treated as a resource until the funds are received by the University. If you are a recipient of an outside scholarship, we encourage you to have the donor remit the funds to the University as soon as possible. You are liable to the University should any outside funds not be received by the University.

How Do I Pay the Balance Not Covered by Financial Aid? The University has made arrangements with several private agencies to offer alternative funding options to our students ranging from monthly payment plans to low-cost private loans with affordable interest rates. We encourage you to explore these options several weeks in advance of the beginning of the term should you find yourself in need of additional funding options. Because these are private sources, you need to allow ample time for processing.

Contacting the Office of Financial Aid: If you use your Banner Web via the CAU Web site, you can minimize the need to visit the office. Because of the volume of processing that takes place within the Office of Financial Aid, we strongly encourage students and parents to use Banner Web and complete the application process by our advertised deadlines - March 1 for the fall term and October 1 for the spring term. Our goal is to have aid applications completed and funds applied to the student's account by the beginning of the term for all students meeting our application deadlines. Summer and the beginning of the term are peek processing times for our office staff. Filing your financial aid application by the priority deadline will prevent any necessary delays.

Special Note: We will begin to post offers of Financial Aid to Banner Web on April 1. Please check your Banner Web account periodically on and after this date. All correspondence to you will be sent via e-mail to your Clark Atlanta University e-mail address. Check your e-mail address regularly throughout the academic year.