Next Steps After Being Awarded Financial Aid

Please review and follow the below steps carefully.

1.

Access Buzz In
 

Buzz In is the name given to our online campus system that provides you access to numerous available resources such as your email, transcript information, class schedules, tuition and housing billing, library resources, and financial aid information. To access Buzz In, you will need to be familiar with your username and password.  Your username was provided to you upon admission and your password will be as follows:

  • “Esu” followed by the last 6 digits of your E#.  To find your E#, go to http://buzzin.emporia.edu.  Click on “Look Up Your E-Number.”  Enter your username from your postcard into the Username field.  Enter your password or Social Security Number into the Password field.  Your E# (also known as your student id number [SID]) will be displayed.
If you do not know your E-Number or your username, or if you have any problems logging into your BUZZ IN account, please contact the IT HelpDesk in Butcher Education Center 008. Their on campus phone extension is 5555, or the local number is 341.5555 or toll free at 877.341.5555. You may also email them at helpdesk@emporia.edu.
   

2.

Accept, Reduce, or Decline your Financial Aid
 

To access your award information in Buzz In:

  • Click on the Academic Life tab
  • Click on Financial Aid Awards to the right
  • Select the correct aid year (summer 2013 through spring 2014 is Aid Year 2013-2014) and click Submit
  • The initial display (General Information tab) should show that the Accept Award Offer Tab is disabled - in order to accept, reduce, or decline your financial aid, you will first need to click on the Terms and Conditions tab and review and accept the information presented there.
  • After accepting the Terms and Conditions, click on the Accept Award Offer tab
The Accept Award Offer tab will provide your most recent award information at the very bottom.  Not all funds are required to be accepted (grants and scholarships are automatically accepted).  When your awards are revised, information on the awards prior to the revision will display above the current awarding.
   

3.

Report Additional Aid
 

If you are receiving any aid from an outside resource (high school, church, charitable organization, etc.), you must report this to the Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships.  You can report these resources by clicking on the Resources/Additional Information tab.
   

4.

Report Planned Changes in Enrollment or Graduation
 

Your financial aid is based in part on your expected enrollment and expected graduation date.  If you are planning to graduate within the aid year, please notify our office (finaid@emporia.edu).  Also, with the exception of the summer term, your financial aid is based on being enrolled at least full-time.  If you do not plan to enroll full-time, please notify our office (finaid@emporia.edu).  Please note that if you are awarded a Federal Pell grant, it will fluctuate with your enrollment.
   

5. 

 If You Are Accepting a Direct Loan
 

If you are accepting a Direct loan, please note that you must be enrolled at least half-time and if you are accepting for the first time, you must also complete the following requirements at https://studentloans.gov:

  • Direct Loan Master Promissory Note
  • Direct Loan Entrance Counseling
If the Direct Loan is a Direct Parent PLUS loan, the parent must complete a Parent PLUS application in addition to a PLUS loan master promissory note both of which are available at https://studentloans.gov. When completing the PLUS application and PLUS loan master promissory note, the parent borrower should log in to the website using his/her Social Security Number and FAFSA PIN. Please note that a credit check is performed at the time of applying and is good for 90 days.  If no disbursement is made under the credit check, a new application and credit check will need to be completed.  Therefore, PLUS loan applicants are encouraged to wait at least 90 days before the funds are needed to complete a PLUS loan application.

  • Loan Repayment - Should you decide to take a loan, it is important that you understand the cost of borrowing the loan.  A student loan repayment calculator can give you an estimate of the number of payments you might make, the total interest cost, and the total loan cost.  You can find a student loan repayment calculator at the following website:  http://calculator.usafunds.org/
  • Sharing Information with the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) - If you accept a federal loan, your information will be shared with the appropriate agencies.  The loan will be submitted to the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS), and will be accessible by guaranty agencies, lenders, and other institutions determined to be authorized users of NSLDS.
   

 6.

Subsequent Changes to Your Financial Aid Package
 

You will be notified via your Student Email account of any subsequent changes to your initial award package.  You can access your Student Email account from within Buzz In's home tab, under the Quick Links, or https://mail.google.com/a/g.emporia.edu.
   

Other Important Information

  • Federal Financial Aid Shopping Sheet - starting with the 2013-2014 aid year, students have the option of using this consumer tool.  It is a standardized form developed by the U.S. Department of Education that is designed to simplify the information that prospective students receive about costs and financial aid.  To view your shopping sheet, a link is available to you on the General Information tab (see step 2 above).
  • Federal Pell Grant Lifetime Eligibility - please note that the Consolidate Appropriations Acts of 2012 has changed the duration of eligibility for the Federal Pell Grant to 12 semesters, or its equivalent (600%).  Your Federal Pell grant may change as updated information is received from the National Student Loan Data System.
  • Course Attendance - If you are a recipient of federal Title IV financial aid, particularly the Federal Pell Grant, federal regulations state that you must begin attendance in all courses for which the Pell grant was calculated and disbursed for.  If the institution is unable to determine that a student has begun attendance in all their courses, recalculation of the Pell grant, and possibly other aid, may be necessary due to a change in attending enrollment.  Since financial aid is disbursed based on course enrollment and attendance, dropping courses or not attending may require you to repay all or a portion of financial aid received. 
  • Title IV Authorization - Federal student financial aid can only cover “institutional charges” as defined by the U.S. Department of Education.  This definition includes current year charges for tuition and fees, and on-campus room and board.  It also includes other fees, such as:  lab fees, workshops, university registration fees, facilities usage fees, and other specialized departmental or college fees associated directly with taking a class.  Unless authorization is received, federal financial aid cannot be used to cover non-institutional charges such as: parking fines, library fines, breakage fees, returned check fees, application fees for short-term installment plans or any charges not directly tied to taking a class.  Federal student aid funds can only be used to pay for “non-institutional charges” with written authorization from the student to to pay those charges.  This Title IV Authorization form (found at http://www.emporia.edu/busaff/student-information/tuition-payment-options.html) will allow Cashiering Services to apply your federal financial aid to your non-institutional charges.
  • Federal TEACH Grant - some students may be eligible for this federal grant program.  For more information go to http://studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/students/english/TEACH.jsp.  To be considered for eligibility, please complete our institutional application at www.emporia.edu/finaid/forms.