FAQ's

No. You can submit your FAFSA prior to acceptance at studentaid.gov. To actually receive funds, however, you must be admitted and enrolled at the University.

No, you do not have to accept the amount offered. To accept a partial amount, please log in to your myESU portal > Student tab > Financial Aid Awards and indicate the amount you would like to accept from your offered loans. Please be advised that you must utilize your entire subsidized loan before accepting a partial amount of your unsubsidized loan.

Students must be enrolled at least half-time (6 credit hours) to maintain eligibility for Direct Loans. Students who drop below half-time during the semester may have their Direct Loan(s) revoked and funds returned to the Department of Education. If you drop below half-time, please consult with a financial aid adviser.

Financial need is the amount that you can afford to pay for college expenses. This is calculated by the FAFSA and the total cost of attendance.

Cost of Attendance – Expected Family Contribution = Your Financial Need

The loan awarded may not have posted because:

• As a first-time Federal Direct Stafford Loan borrower, you must complete an electronic Master Promissory Note (MPN) and complete online Entrance Loan Counseling before your funds will post to your account.
• Your enrollment status is below half-time (6 credit hours).
• Your FAFSA was updated to reflect a change in status reflecting default or verification documents.

Freshman students are eligible for up to $5,500 in loan money per year, sophomore students are eligible for up to $6,500 per year, junior and senior students are eligible for up to $7,500 per year, and graduate students are eligible for up to $20,500 per year, respectively. Independent students may be eligible to borrow more.

Financial aid awards are our best estimate of what you are eligible to receive at the time you are awarded and full-time enrollment. Your award may be increased, reduced, or even canceled, if:

• Your FAFSA contains incorrect or incomplete data
• You receive any outside resources, such as privately awarded scholarships, which were not listed on your award letter.
• You do not maintain satisfactory academic progress (SAP)
• You do not enroll for the required number of hours to receive aid through the programs awarded you.
• Your student status changes in any way (Residency, career, hours enrolled, class level, or expected graduation date, etc.)

The Department of Education select students for the verification process upon receipt of the FAFSA. Verification selection can be random or because a FAFSA was incomplete, estimated, or inconsistent. East Stroudsburg University may also select students for the verification process if conflicting information is found.

Review additional information about what Satisfactory Academic Progress is, its requirements, and the appeal process.

When the financial aid office authorizes your aid to your account, you will normally see a negative balance (credit). The negative (credit) balance will change to a refund status and will be disbursed to you within 10 business days.

If you answer "yes" to any of the following questions, you will be considered independent for federal purposes ONLY:

• Will you be 24 years of age as of January 1?
• At the beginning of the school year, will you be working in a program of graduate study?
• As of today, are you married, or do you have children or dependents (other than children or spouse) who receive more than half of their support from you now and through the end of the academic year?
• Are both of your parents deceased, or are you or were you (until age 18) a ward/dependent of the court?
• Are you a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces?

A student can also request from our office a dependency override.

A federal direct subsidized loan is based on your financial need, and it's interest-free while you're in college at least half time.

A federal direct unsubsidized loan is not based on need, but the interest starts accumulating when your loan is disbursed.