FINANCING YOUR
K U T Z TOW N UNI V ER SIT Y EDUC ATION
TO OUR SUDENTS AND FAMILIES Welcome to Kutztown University! We know your education and your future are top priorities, and we are committed to making a quality education financially possible for you and your family.
This brochure offers information about the types of aid
receive merit-based scholarships, grants, loans or campus
available and provides guidance on what to do next.
employment to defray their educational expenses.
If getting a college education seems out of reach to
Please feel free to call us at (610) 683-4077 or e-mail
you financially, don’t be discouraged from applying
financialaid@kutztown.edu to ask questions or make an
for admission to Kutztown. Our Financial Aid
appointment for a personal visit. We are here to help you.
Services Office will work with you and your family to offer aid that meets your eligibility and allows room
Applying for Financial Aid at Kutztown
for work, study and personal time.
When you look at the quality and cost of a Kutztown
There is a broad range of resources available to help you, and more than 75 percent of our students annually
University education, you can see it is a tremendous
“Because of sound decisions made by the Financial Aid staff, my sons Steven and Kevin now have college careers. I really appreciate all the staff have done for us and cannot thank them enough!� Sue Kasopsky, KU parent
value. But the cost of attending college is a significant investment and one to be carefully considered. If you think you need assistance to pay for educational expenses, we recommend you apply for financial aid early in the admissions process. While you and your family have the primary responsibility of paying for your education, funding is available from the federal and state governments, private sources and KU to help pay for tuition and fees, room and board, books and supplies, and transportation.
TYPES OF
A I D AV A I L A B L E
Our commitment to meeting your full demonstrated financial need continues through your academic career. In order to remain eligible for need-based aid each year, students must maintain satisfactory academic progress, reapply for aid by the application deadline and continue to demonstrate financial need. The level of support is based on the family’s demonstrated need during each year using annual income and need assessment.
Learn more @ FinancialAid.kutztown.edu
Scholarships and Awards
Work-Study
Scholarship programs provide non-repayable gift
Kutztown University offers qualified students part-time
assistance to students who are academically and/
positions on campus. Actual amounts average 15 hours
or financially qualified. General conditions and
per week, and the hourly rate is at least minimum wage.
eligibility requirements are set forth by the donors
Openings are posted online on the university website
or governing body.
under “Student Employment.”
Grants and Loans
Cost of Attendance
The federal government offers a number of grant, loan
You will incur direct costs to the university for
and work-study programs. When you file the Free
which you will be billed: tuition, fees, room and
Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), the
meals. Other, indirect costs include books, supplies,
Financial Aid Services Office reviews your eligibility for
transportation and personal expenses. Both direct
these programs and provides awards within program
and indirect costs are added together to determine
guidelines and formulas, subject to available funds.
the “Cost of Attendance” upon which financial aid is based. Use this information only as a guide.
2011-12 Kutztown University Direct Billed Costs PA Resident Non-PA Resident Tuition Total Fees
$6,240 $15,600 $2,119
$2,297
Room
$5,280 $5,280
Meals
$2,750 $2,750
TOTAL
$16,389 $25,927
Meal and room costs are for the 14 premium meal plan and standard double-occupancy room, respectively; actual costs dependent on selection.
First-time students have two additional fees (first semester only) that equal $108 total.
Note: Please add $1,000–$1,500 per year for the cost of books and supplies.
JUST THE
FAC T S
Application Process
The Financial Aid Services Office will automatically
Complete the Free Application for Federal Student
certify a Federal Direct Stafford Loan for students
Aid (FAFSA) by the filing deadlines indicated below.
who complete a FAFSA. Families should go to www.
Complete the FAFSA online at www.fafsa.gov. This
studentloans.gov to (1) complete entrance counseling
is the only application needed to apply for aid at
and (2) sign a master promissory note in order for the
Kutztown University.
funds to be forwarded to the university.
Note: This is the official website to apply for financial
Other programs include a Federal Direct PLUS Loan
aid and it is free. There are other websites bearing similar
for the parent borrower and nonfederal alternative
names, but they are private companies and charge a fee to
loans for students who have a creditworthy cosigner.
complete the FAFSA.
KU’s Title IV federal school code is 003322
“Many people told me that going to school on my own would be impossible. A KU Financial Aid staff member guided me through the paperwork and aided me with my financial planning. She was a big part of how I achieved my goal, and I will always be thankful to her.” Dana Haraske Miller, Class of 2003
Filing Deadlines
Billing Process
The FAFSA must be filed every year for the upcoming
The KU Bursar’s Office will send an email notification
school year. Students are urged to file as early as possible
to students’ KU email accounts informing them it is time
after January 1. The following are priority deadlines:
to view and pay their bill in MyKU. This will occur each
• January 1 — Earliest date to file FAFSA for upcoming
semester and should reflect expected financial aid as a
academic year. • March 1 — KU’s priority filing deadline to be
credit. You will be responsible to pay the balance by the due date in order to maintain your class schedule. Payment
considered on time in applying for university-based
plans are offered through Tuition Pay administered by
scholarships and high-need campus-based aid
Sallie Mae. Visit the website at TuitionPay.SallieMae.com
(Perkins Loan and SEOG Grant).
to sign up or call (800) 635-0120. You may also contact the
• May 1 — Pennsylvania (PHEAA) State Grant filing deadline.
Bursar’s Office at (610) 683-4133, bursar@kutztown.edu, or bursar.kutztown.edu.
F R E Q U E N T LY A S K E D
QU E S T IONS
How can I get the FAFSA?
When will I find out how much aid I can expect to receive?
Every year, complete the FAFSA online at www.fafsa.
The Financial Aid Services Office processes the aid and
gov. First, apply at www.pin.ed.gov for a PIN for the
sends a one-time paper award letter to freshmen
student and another for the parent. The PIN serves as
beginning in March. Subsequent changes can be accessed
an electronic signature. This is the only application
online at the Financial Aid Self Service portal. Returning
needed to apply for aid at Kutztown University. By
students may access their financial aid online after spring
listing KU as a school of choice, the FAFSA data is
grades are posted. The award notice lists the type of aid
electronically transmitted to the school.
and the amount of each type of aid you can expect to receive for the fall and spring semesters.
How much aid will I be eligible to receive? The amount of financial aid a student is qualified to receive is determined by the results of the FAFSA. The FAFSA asks about your family size, the number of family members in college, and the student’s and parents’ income and assets. The calculation tells the Financial Aid Services Office how much aid you are eligible to receive. Grants and scholarships are applied to your aid package, if you are eligible for any, and then the student loan is processed. When will my financial aid be disbursed so that I will be able to get my refund? For students who are officially registered and have cleared their bill, aid will be disbursed around the
Will I receive enough financial aid to pay all
end of the first week of classes. Eligibility for aid is
my expenses?
rechecked at the end of the Drop/Add period in order
Most students and families will receive some financial
to generate any refunds the second week of classes.
aid, but most often the aid is not enough to cover the total cost. In addition to the Federal Stafford
One of my parents lost their job, and my family is in a
Student Loan, families often use Federal Parent PLUS
financial bind. Can the Financial Aid Office help me?
loans, alternative loans and payment plans to meet
If your family experiences a change in income due
educational costs.
to unusual circumstances (e.g., loss of employment,
Note: The cost of textbooks is not included in the
separation or divorce, high non-reimbursed medical
semester’s bill. Books are approximately an additional
expenses, etc.), contact the Financial Aid Services
$700 per semester.
Office about a possible reevaluation of aid eligibility. Do I need to qualify for aid each year? Yes. In addition to filing the FAFSA every year, students must maintain satisfactory academic progress. At the conclusion of each period of enrollment, the student must successfully complete two-thirds (.6666) of their total cumulative credits attempted and have a minimum 2.0 GPA overall.
Learn more @ FinancialAid.kutztown.edu
TOOLS YOU CAN USE
Cost of Attendance www.finaid.org/calculators/costprojector.phtml
Financial Aid Estimator www.finaid.org/calculators/finaidestimate.phtml
How much will college cost? Use the College Cost
Choose “Federal Methodology� when you go to the
Projector to estimate how much college will cost when
Financial Aid Estimation Form and estimate your
you are ready to enroll.
financial need using a formula similar to that used by the federal processor to determine federal aid eligibility.
Savings Plan Designer www.finaid.org/calculators/savingsplan.phtml The Savings Plan Designer shows you how much
Student Loan Repayment www.finaid.org/calculators/loanpayments.phtml
money you must contribute each month to an interest-
The Loan Payment Calculator computes an estimated
bearing bank account or investment fund in order to
monthly loan payment in equal installments using a
reach your savings goal for a college education.
standard repayment schedule.
Kutztown University Financial Aid Services 209 Stratton Administration Center Kutztown, PA 19530
Kutztown University of Pennsylvania P.O. Box 730, Kutztown, Pennsylvania 19530 (610) 683-4000, TDD (610) 683-1315 or (610) 683-4499
www.kutztown.edu