Notification, Adjustments, and Disbursement

Checking Financial Aid Records

Students may access financial aid records by logging onto their MyConcordU account. MyConcordU is the campus web portal used to provide students with easy online access to Concord University records. Any student who has problems accessing their MyConcordU  records should email helpdesk@concord.edu or call 304-384-5291.

Instructions to give permission to parents or others to view or speak with staff about your records can be found at FERPA/Information Release. Not giving a proxy access means staff in the Financial Aid Office cannot discuss your awards, requirements, eligibility status, or other information with parents or others outside the University. You can then maintain your information release through your MyConcordU  portal under “Your FERPA Maintenance”.

Understanding Financial Aid Awards & Requirements

For incoming freshman and transfers only, financial aid notifications are mailed to the home address, along with being made accessible through the application portal and MyConcordU. Online financial aid notifications via the MyConcordU  account are the official method by which students receive information regarding their financial aid applications and awards every year thereafter.

Email is the primary means of communication between students and the Concord University Financial Aid Office. Emails are sent to the student’s Concord University email account. It is the student’s responsibility to monitor email notifications from all university offices. Failure to read and respond to email communications from the Financial Aid Office may result in delay or cancellation of financial aid awards.

Important Dates

Date Event
January 6, 2025 Last day to file an appeal for Academic and/or Financial Aid Ineligibility for Spring 2025
January 22, 2025 Disbursements begin for Spring 2025
January 24, 2025 Refunds begin for Spring 2025
February 12, 2025 First-time Freshman loans begin disbursing for Spring 2025
March 7, 2025 Second disbursement for Spring only loans begin
March 15, 2025 Cancellation of accepted loans missing promissory note and/or entrance counseling
May 2, 2025 Last day to adjust student loans for Spring 2025

Awards, Requirements, and Adjustments

If you are a first-time student at Concord University, you will be sent a notification by mail once you have completed the FAFSA and are awarded federal aid. Returning student will receive an email when you have been awarded financial aid. All students will receive an email when a revision to your financial aid awards has been made. Your awards will list specific types of financial aid offered, the corresponding dollar amounts, and in some cases special messages or instructions related to your awards. Messages usually provide you terms and conditions of the awards. Also, if you must take additional action to receive your awards, you need to follow the instructions provided.

  1. Log into MyConcordU
  2. Select “Financial Aid” underneath “My Self-Service” on the left-hand side of the page
  3. Select the “Award Offer” Tab
  4. Confirm the correct academic year is displayed (2024-2025)
  5. Scroll down to the “Loan” section
    • Accept the full amount of the loan by selecting Accept
    • Decline the loan by choosing Decline
    • Accept a partial amount by selecting Modify and entering an amount in the Modified Amount field – the amount to enter will be split between the Fall and Spring semester
  6. Click “Submit

Tips when accepting or declining your aid:

  • Read the Terms and Conditions
  • You have two options to accept:
    1. Click Accept only – will accept the full loan amount to be equally divided over the fall and spring semester.
    2. Click Modify and enter an amount in the Modified Amount field – will accept the amount indicated and it will be equally divided over the fall and spring semester.

The Financial Aid Office assumes that you have accepted your grant and scholarship offers. However, if you are offered a student loan, you must inform the Financial Aid Office whether you “ACCEPT” or “REJECT” that award offer. You may do so online by accessing your awards in your MyConcordU  account.

Alternatively, if you wish to cancel, reduce, or increase any portion of an accepted student loan, you may submit an online Loan Adjustment Form and submit it to the Financial Aid Office. Please note, grade level is only required to be reviewed on an annual basis; if your undergraduate grade level is moving from a Freshman to Sophomore, or Sophomore to Junior after the completion of the Fall semester and you wish to adjust your student loan, you may request this adjustment through the online Loan Adjustment Form as well. To adjust aid for Fall 2024, Spring 2025, complete the Loan Adjustment Form. Your loan offer will not credit unless you complete Entrance Loan Counseling, sign a Federal Direct Loan Master Promissory Note, and “ACCEPT” your loan offer online in your MyConcordU account. If you fail to follow through on providing documentation or information to fulfill any outstanding requirements, your financial aid offer is subject to cancellation. Also, if you do not complete the required entrance loan counseling or sign a master promissory note, your loan offer will be canceled.

Your financial aid awards will automatically credit to your student account when all eligibility requirements are met. Your financial aid will not credit to your student account unless all of your Student Requirements are met, you are making Satisfactory Academic Progress (or your Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal has been approved), and you have no financial aid holds on your account. Awards are initially offered based on assumed full-time enrollment. If you meet any of the criteria listed below, please contact the Financial Aid Office at financialaid@concord.edu.

  • You plan to enroll part-time
  • You plan to enroll for one semester only
  • You anticipate receiving financial aid from a source not included in your Award Package, such as a local scholarship
  • Your housing status differs from what was noted in your Award Package
  • You anticipate graduating in December or at the conclusion of a summer session

Federal Work-study offers cannot be accepted by the student. Awards must be earned and do not credit to your account. Once you have been authorized to work, financial aid will accept the award. When you work and submit time sheets, you are paid in the form of a paycheck or direct deposit.

Changes in Funding

Your financial aid award is based on projected funding from federal, state, and institutional sources. If the projected funding is more than the actual funding available, your financial aid award(s) will be adjusted to reflect these changes.

Changes in Federal and/or State Regulations

All federal and state-funded programs are subject to change at any time as a result of legislative action. If there are changes which impact your eligibility, your financial aid award(s) will be adjusted to reflect these changes.

Residing Off-Campus

Since the cost of living with parent varies for each student depending on where you live and your spending habits, we use a standard cost of attendance estimate for all students. Given that the estimated cost of living with a parent is significantly less than the cost of university housing, students may see a reduction in their financial aid. In addition, some institutional aid programs require on-campus living.

Scholarship and Grant Eligibility Requirements

Scholarships and grants listed on your MyConcordU. Financial Aid Award Summary may require you to maintain a specific grade point average, other academic or performance requirements, or to live on-campus. If these requirements are not met, you may not be eligible to continue receiving this funding.

Receiving Financial Assistance From Other Sources Not Included on Your Financial Aid Award Notification

If you receive any additional funds from outside sources, including scholarships or private loans, that were not included on your financial aid award notification, please contact the Financial Aid Office at financialaid@concord.edu as soon as possible so we can include the funds in your Award Summary. Students are required by federal regulations to notify the financial aid office of all outside scholarships and/or private loans. If the amount of funding from the outside source changes from what is listed on your award, please contact our office immediately so we can adjust your award accordingly.

Verification Review

If you are selected for a review process known as verification, you are required to submit additional documentation in order for us to determine your financial aid eligibility. Once the verification process is complete, your awards may be revised to reflect your correct eligibility. Students who fail to complete the verification process will not receive the financial aid funds provided on their initial award notification.

Mid-Year FAFSA Updates

Mid-semester or mid-year changes or updates to your Free Application for Student Aid (FAFSA) can result in selection for the verification review process. This review may result in an adjustment in your financial aid eligibility. Disbursement of future aid will not occur until the verification review process is complete. If you attended another school and we are notified that there has been a change in your Federal Direct Stafford loan(s) or Federal Pell Grant amounts, your award will be reviewed and may be revised.

Change in the Number of Credit Hours in Which You Are Enrolled

The amount of your financial aid award depends on the number of credit hours you are taking. Your initial award is prepared based on full-time, full-year enrollment. If you are not enrolled in at least 12 credit hours or do not plan on returning the next semester, your awards will need to be adjusted to reflect these changes.

Financial aid award amounts vary depending on the number of credit hours you are enrolled for during that term. Please review the various financial aid programs to determine the enrollment necessary for the disbursement of your financial aid awards.

Before you make a change to the number of credit hours you are enrolled in, please contact the Financial Aid Office at financialaid@concord.edu. A change in credit hours can affect your financial aid award even after you have accepted the award. This will also ensure your financial aid is properly disbursed. It is your responsibility to notify us of any changes in the number of credit hours you are enrolled for that specific term.

After the add/drop period has ended, the Financial Aid Office reviews financial aid eligibility for students in conjunction with their financial aid awards. Please note, financial aid may be adjusted due to a variety of factors.

Repeat Coursework

You are only allowed to repeat a class with a passing grade, D- and above, one time and receive financial aid for it. Regardless of your performance in this second attempt (pass or fail), you will not be able to receive financial aid for that same course again.

Approaching Federal Direct Loans Aggregate Limit and/or Pell Grant Maximum Lifetime Eligibility Used

If we receive information from the federal government that you are approaching the maximum amounts of your awarded loans or Pell Grant, your awards will be adjusted accordingly.

Class Attendance

You must attend class and/or complete an academic activity in order to receive your financial aid. Federal financial aid regulations require confirmation that you have begun attendance in your courses before aid is disbursed.

If you are reported as not attending or have not completed the “academic activity,” our office cannot include the course credit hours in your financial aid award disbursement. The reduced number of credits may reduce the amount of financial aid that you are eligible to receive for the term. As instructors report your attendance and/or you complete your “academic activity”, your awards will be adjusted.

An “academic activity” is defined as but not limited to:

  • Physically attending a class where there is an opportunity for direct interaction between the instructor and students;
  • Submitting an academic assignment;
  • Taking an exam, an interactive tutorial or computer-assisted instruction;
  • Attending a study group that is assigned by the school;
  • Participating in an online discussion about academic matters; and
  • Initiating contact with a faculty member to ask a question about the academic subject studied in the course.

Special Circumstances

Please contact the Financial Aid Office at financialaid@concord.edu if you have a special circumstance come up during the semester. A special circumstance may include involuntary loss of employment, high medical expenses, or other things that impact your financial situation.

Disbursement

Financial aid will begin being disbursed the second Friday of the semester. After that aid is disbursed on a daily basis to students’ billing account. However, financial aid will not credit to the student’s account unless all eligibility requirements have been met and verification has been completed if you were selected. In addition, if the student is taking out a student loan, the student must have completed loan entrance counseling and completed a master promissory note for the respective loan program. If you are a first-year undergraduate student, and a first-time borrower, you will have to wait 30 days after the first day of the semester before your loan can be credited to your account. Single semester loans are required to be disbursed in 2 equal installments (the first occurring at the beginning of the semester, and the second occurring at the mid-point of the semester). Authorized financial aid is a temporary status and is used for financial planning purposes only. Authorized financial aid allows Student Account’s to defer payment of a student’s tuition, fees, and residential and board payments until the financial aid is finalized and credited to the student’s account. Students are responsible for making payment for the difference between student account charges and financial aid awards by the designated due dates established by the University. Financial aid awards are not final until they have been credited to the student’s account.

When your financial aid for the semester/term exceeds your direct charges (tuition, fees, etc.) on your student bill, you are entitled to a refund for the difference to use toward other educational expenses such as books and living expenses.

The Student Account’s Office issues refunds to students beginning the second Friday of the semester, and then daily. After this office has credited/disbursed your aid to your student account, refunds for any payments in excess of your university balance will be issued by the Student Accounts Office in 7-10 business days through BankMobile. For more information about financial aid refunds and how to select a refund preference, please visit the Student Accounts Office webpage.