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Priority Date April 2, 2024

Financial Aid

Student Financial Services

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Financial Aid

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Financial success begins with Planning AHEAD

Before the beginning of the school year, all students must have financial clearance to cover all expenses. Accounts with other schools or with this University must have been settled prior to obtaining financial clearance. In order to maximize the available resources, students are urged to obtain financial clearance as early as possible before the quarter begins.

For the convenience of our customers, appointments are available by calling (951-785-2175). We accomodate in-person and phone appointments for those who are unable to travel to our campus during business hours.
The University is CLOSED Saturday, Sunday, major holidays, and the day after Thanksgiving. Please refer to the University calendar for additional information about closures and special events.

Three payment options are available to meet the financial needs of students:

Payment of the year's charge in full by the Fall Quarter Financial Clearance deadline. **
Payment in full each quarter by the Financial Clearance deadline for each quarter.**
Monthly payments on the yearly balance, coordinated through the Financial Aid/Student Financial Services office. This option is available and a processing fee of $45 is assessed per quarter. **

**A Commitment Scholarship may be available to students who meet the financial clearance deadlines. Commitment scholarships are not available in the summer or on discounted or off-campus programs, except for the Criminal Justice off-campus program. Monthly payments are due by the 10th of each month, from August through April (CJ students will follow this schedule), or September through May. 12-month payment plans are available but must be setup by the SFS Financial Counselor. Students who do not pay their amount due in full by the Financial Clearance deadline in any given quarter will automatically be issued the $45 monthly payment processing fee for that quarter.

Financial Clearance Deadlines

Fall Quarter: September 10
Winter Quarter: December 10
Spring Quarter: March 10

Summer Financial Clearance

The summer financial clearance process is different than during the school year. Payment for a summer class is due by the Wednesday before the enrollment period of the class. Enrollment periods always start on Mondays, so even if the first class session doesn't meet until Thursday, payment for it would be due the Wednesday of the prior week. Payments are due in full, as payment plans are not available during the summer. Students who enroll at least half-time may be eligible for financial aid and should work with their Financial Aid Counselor if they would like for financial aid to assist towards the summer cost. Classes will be dropped at the beginning of each enrollment period for students who have not paid or made satisfactory financial arrangements with the Student Financial Services office. All students must meet with their Financial Aid Counselor prior to registering for a summer class.

Credit Balance Refunds

Financial aid funds begin to disburse onto student accounts during the second week of each quarter (except for Summer quarter which has many start dates, and therefore different disbursement schedules based on the student's class load). A credit balance occurs when the student's financial aid exceeds the charges on the account. Students may request a refund of their credit balance by submitting a signed request form to Student Financial Services. Processing time of the request varies from five to ten working days to allow time for all records, such as cashier receipts and registration records, to clear through the normal accounting procedures. Students receiving Title IV (federal) aid in excess of their charges who have not signed an authorization to retain funds to pay for future charges will be issued a refund check within 14 days of the date of the credit appearing on the account. These checks will be mailed to the student’s current address, unless the student authorizes the funds to be deposited directly into his/her bank account. Direct Deposit forms can be picked up in the Financial Aid office or downloaded here.

Financial Clearance

Students are required to obtain financial clearance prior to the beginning of each quarter: Fall, Winter, and Spring. Arrangements are made with the Office of Student Financial Services according to the options detailed at the beginning of this section. In all cases, any previous balance must be resolved before clearance. Financial clearance must also be obtained before the release of a certificate or diploma, statement of completion, or other certification to any person, organization, or professional board.

The Summer financial clearance process is different than during the school year. Payment for a summer class is due the Wednesday before the enrollment period of the class. Enrollment periods always start on Mondays, so even if the first class session doesn't meet until Thursday, payment for it would be due the Wednesday of the prior week. Payments are due in full, as payment plans are not available during the summer. Students who enroll at least half-time may be eligible for financial aid and should work with their Financial Aid Counselor if they would like for financial aid to help cover summer costs. Classes will be dropped at the beginning of each enrollment period for students who have not paid or made satisfactory financial arrangements with the Student Financial Services office. All students must meet with their Financial Aid Counselor prior to registering for a summer class.

Interest

A quarterly service charge of 2.5 percent is applied on the unpaid balance at the end of December, March, June, and September. This is an annual interest rate of 10 percent, compounded quarterly.

Statements

Students are encouraged to view their account information at the University’s self-service website which can be accessed under the Quick Links at https://lasierra.edu. All current account activity is available at this site. A financial statement is emailed once each month to the student’s university email address. The amount due, indicated on the statement, is payable upon receipt, except for students enrolled in the monthly payment plan. Monthly reminders are sent via email to students enrolled in a monthly payment plan. Under the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974, postsecondary students have full rights of privacy with regard to their accounts. Students may sign-up online to have financial statements emailed to persons other than themselves. Students who wish to receive a paper statement must make a request in writing to the Bursar Office.

Study Load Change

A student who adds a course during the first five class days of the quarter or who drops a course during the first week of the quarter will be charged tuition for the added or dropped course from the beginning of the quarter unless the resulting class load is not above or below that which is covered by the flat rate charged for tuition. No financial adjustment is made for the student who adds and drops the same number of units on the same day. A student who drops a class during the first 60% of the quarter may be eligible for a partial refund (see "Total withdrawal"). No refund can be given until the drop form is turned in to and accepted by the office of the Registrar. Financial aid may be prorated when a student changes study load by adding or dropping classes.

Total withdrawal

A total withdrawal is the action of dropping all courses for the current quarter. Total withdrawals may be initiated at the Records Office or online and completed as follows:

Establishment of the Date of Withdrawal: The student may either request a Total Withdrawal form, which is date-stamped by the Records Office, or he/she may go online to withdraw. The date on the Total Withdrawal form, or the date the student withdraws online, is used to determine the withdrawal date and the percentage of financial aid earned and the amount (if any) of tuition refunds. If the student leaves without notifying the University, then the last recorded date of attendance by the student, as documented by the institution, will be used to determine the date of withdrawal. The refund will be calculated based on this date. If the student began attendance but there is no specific record of the last day of attendance, the refund will be calculated at 50 percent in accordance with federal regulations. If a student receives all “F's” for a term, it is assumed that the student completely withdrew (unofficial withdrawal), unless the student can provide appropriate evidence of completing any of the classes attended.
Tuition: There is no charge for withdrawing during the first week of each quarter (except during summer* term). There is a minimum charge of 10 percent of the billed tuition for withdrawal during the second week of school regardless of whether or not a student attended classes. A minimum charge of 35% of the billed tuition is charged for withdrawals occurring during the third week of school. Thereafter, an additional 15 percent of the billed tuition is charged per week, up through the 7th week of the term. After the 7th week the student is charged 100% of tuition costs. See below for Summer term withdrawal penalties.
Fees: The general fee is prorated on the same schedule as tuition. Course material and lab fees are only refunded if the office of Student Financial Services receives written authorization from the academic department.
Board: The charge for meals will be prorated on a daily basis, calculated on the daily minimum to date or actual use, whichever is higher.
Room: The charge for room is governed by the Residential License Agreement. (See Section IV of the agreement).
Damage Deposit: Refund will be made to the student’s account when the residence hall dean returns the signed residence hall release to the Bursar’s office. The amount refunded will reflect any deductions made for damages or cleaning.
Illness: Special consideration will be given for tuition refunds in the case of accident or prolonged illness, if certified by an appropriate health professional. All requests should be submitted to the Financial Exceptions Committee via the student's Financial Counselor.

Financial Aid: When a student totally withdraws from the institution after beginning attendance, his/her institutional and state financial aid is prorated in the same manner as tuition, as stated under item two above. Federal financial aid is prorated based on a calculation prescribed in federal regulation which is slightly different from that used for institutional aid. The calculation determines the amount of federal aid the student earned while enrolled. The amount earned is calculated by multiplying the total financial aid for the term by the percentage of the term completed. The unearned federal aid (total financial aid less earned financial aid) must be returned within 45 days of determining that the student has withdrawn to the student financial aid programs in the order prescribed by law and regulation:

Unsubsidized/Direct Loan
Subsidized/Direct Loan
Direct PLUS Loan
Pell Grant
Federal SEOG
Federal TEACH Grant
Iraq/Afghanistan Service Grant
Other Title IV Programs

If any portion of the unearned financial aid was paid directly to the student (rather than applied to institutional charges), the student is responsible for returning these funds in the order listed above. The student (or parent, in the case of a Federal Parent PLUS Loan) must return the unearned funds for which he/she is responsible, to loan programs in accordance with the terms of the loan, and to grant programs as an overpayment, as per federal regulations.

The University does billing and collection of repayments, but a student who fails to repay will be referred to the U.S. Department of Education for collection (unless overpayment is a result of school error) and will no longer be eligible for further federal financial aid funds.

If the federal financial aid calculation indicates that the student has earned federal funds that have not yet been disbursed to the student’s account, then the university will disburse any grant funds within 45 days of determining that the student has withdrawn, and will notify the student of any loan funds that are available to be disbursed, giving the student 14 days in which to accept the loan funds. If the student accepts the loan funds, these will be applied first to the student’s account, and any resulting credit balance will be released to the student no later than 14 days from the date the funds are posted to the student’s account.

Any credit balance that exists on the student’s account after the required federal calculation has been made, and all funds either returned, or post-withdrawal payments posted, will be released to the student within 14 days.

*Summer term withdrawal penalties are issued differently than during regular quarters because the summer is made up of many sessions with different durations. Withdrawal penalties in the summer are issued from the very first day of the summer session, regardless of whether or not the class has yet met. For example, all summer sessions begin on Mondays and end on Fridays. If the first class does not meet until Tuesday of that week, a withdrawal on the first day of the session would result in a withdrawal penalty. For this reason, it is extremely important that a student meet with their SFS Counselor before withdrawing from a class, so that the student can make a fully informed decision about withdrawing.

Administrative Withdrawals

Students who cannot complete the quarter due to medical or significant extenuating circumstances may appeal for an Administrative Withdrawal. The initial request and student statement may be sent to registrar@lasierra.edu. Administrative Withdrawal Appeals will be considered until five years after the term of enrollment, after which time no appeal is possible.

Withdrawals

Based on Federal Regulations, federal financial aid funds (grants and loans) are awarded under the assumption that a student will attend the institution for the entire period in which federal financial aid was awarded. When a student withdraws from all courses for any reason, including medical withdrawals, he/she may no longer be eligible for the full amount of federal funds that he/she was originally scheduled to receive. The return of these funds is based upon the premise that students earn their financial aid in proportion to the amount of time in which they are enrolled. A pro-rated schedule is used to determine the amount of federal student aid funds he/she will have earned at the time of the withdrawal. For example, a student who withdraws during the third week of classes has earned less of his/her financial aid than a student who withdraws in the seventh week. Once 60% of the quarter is completed, a student is considered to have earned all of his/her financial aid and will not be required to return funds disbursed to his/her student account. Federal law requires schools to calculate how much federal financial aid a student has earned if that student:

completely withdraws, or
stops attending before completing the quarter, or
does not complete all modules (for example, sequential classes offered in the summer term).

Based on this calculation, La Sierra University students who receive federal financial aid and do not complete their classes during a quarter could be responsible for repaying a portion of the aid they received. Students who do not begin attending any classes must repay all financial aid that paid onto their account for the term. We strongly encourage all students who are considering withdrawing from the institution to speak to their Financial Counselor first. Withdrawals can not only affect finances, but students could be affected academically as well. For instructions on how to withdraw or drop a course, please contact the Records Department.

Contact Info

sfs@lasierra.edu
951-785-2175
951-785-2942 (Fax)

Office Hours

Monday - Thursday:
8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Friday:
8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

During the school year, all service offices close on Tuesdays from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. for University Worship.

Office Location

Administration Building, Room 101.

Connect with us

SFS Social Media @lasierrasfs