Terms and Conditions for Financial Aid

By accepting my financial aid, I understand and am agreeing to the following Terms and Conditions to maintain my eligibility for financial aid:

• I understand that a current year FAFSA/ORSAA is needed in order to receive any Raider Financial Aid (Institutional Grants)*. I understand that the role of the Financial Aid Office is to assist me in maximizing my Financial Aid package to assist with affordability and consideration for need based funding.
• I agree to fill out my FAFSA/ORSAA accurately and honestly. Errors can result in delays and changes to your Financial Aid offer. False or misleading information is a criminal offense and is subject to fine, imprisonment or both.
• I understand that Financial Aid is awarded and disbursed to me provisionally. My Financial Aid offer is based on Full Time enrollment for 3 academic terms. Any changes in my enrollment may reduce my financial aid eligibility and financial aid offers. I agree that I will notify the Financial Aid Office as soon as I know that I will be attending less than Full Time.
• I understand that I must attend and participate in my classes in order to receive and maintain my financial aid. Not attending and participating in classes may result in a reduction in my financial aid.
• I understand that I begin earning my Financial Aid the first day of my class. Withdrawing at any point after the term starts will result in a recalculation in my Financial Aid and possible charges to me. I understand that even if I withdraw on or before the 100% refund date, I am still responsible for the recalculation of my financial aid and the balance that may result from that.
• I agree to notify the Financial Aid Office of any changes to the information used to determine my financial aid award.
• I agree to use the Financial Aid self-service functionality (InsideSOU) and accept/decline my aid electronically. I understand that I can also email the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships to give consent to update and/or accept my Financial Aid on my behalf. I understand I may contact the Financial Aid Office regarding alternative methods of communication; and that I can rescind my permission at any time by contacting the Financial Aid Office.
• I understand I understand that if I do not accept my financial aid offered to me by the end of the term they may be canceled and may not be able to be reinstated once canceled.
• I understand that the Financial Aid Office uses SOU email as the main point of contact and it is my responsibility to monitor my SOU email for communication from the Financial Aid Office.·
• I understand I may receive Federal aid from only one school each term and accepting Southern Oregon University financial aid means I am not receiving aid for attendance at any other school for that same time period.
• I agree that I must report any additional financial assistance missing on my award notice, such as scholarships, vocational rehabilitation funds, and employer tuition assistance. I understand that my aid may be adjusted if additional aid exceeds my demonstrated financial need or my cost of attendance.
• I understand that I am responsible for canceling my registration if I choose not to attend Southern Oregon University. I will be responsible for any charges made to my account if I fail to cancel my registration.
• I understand that if I completely withdraw from the term, I may be required to repay all, or a portion, of the aid disbursed to my account.
• I understand that Institutional Aid in forms of merit scholarships, Diversity scholarship, Athletic scholarships, SOU need based aid and other forms of SOU specific scholarships are subject to a return calculation similar to the Title IV return of funds.
• I understand I understand that any grade outside of an A-F (NC, I, E) may impact my Financial Aid eligibility and SAP status.
• I understand I understand that a grade of a Pass/No Pass will impact my GPA and therefore will impact my SAP.
• I understand I understand that not all programs offered at SOU are Financial Aid eligible and it is my responsibility to check with the Financial Aid Office to confirm that I am in an eligible program of study.
• I understand that I must only be enrolled in classes required to complete degree requirements or specified program of study. You should refer to your degree requirements to determine that the coursework you are enrolled in is required. Federal law requires that you be degree-seeking and making Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) to receive Title IV Federal Financial Aid.
• I understand I understand that my SAP status is reviewed once a term on the day that grades are posted for that term. My SAP status will not be processed at any other point after grades are posted.
• I understand that it is my responsibility to check my SAP status each term and review the published deadlines concerning SAP appeals. I also understand that late SAP appeals will not be accepted.
• Oregon Opportunity State Grants are updated throughout the aid year. State funds are subject to change as enrollment information is reported to OSAC. Please refer to oregonstudentaid.gov for more information.
• I understand that if I am awarded a Merit-based Scholarship that it is renewable if I maintain an SOU GPA as follows: Raider Scholar – 3.5, Laurels – 3.25, Churchill – 3.0, Provost – 3.0, Jefferson – 3.0 and Siskiyou – 2.5. If I am awarded a Churchill, Laurels, Siskiyou, Diversity, or Raider Scholarship for Fall 2020 or after, that GPA requirement is a 2.5. I understand that any renewable scholarships I receive have a maximum of 4 years or up to 12 terms excluding summer term. If I do not earn the GPA required for my scholarship It will be canceled for all future terms.
• I understand that I must maintain a 2.5 GPA for International scholarships including the Cascade Scholarship awarded through International Programs. If I do not earn the GPA required for my scholarship It will be canceled for all future terms.
• I understand that any renewable scholarships I receive have a maximum of 4 years or up to 12 terms excluding summer term if I remain eligible.
• I understand that to remain eligible for a Merit-based scholarship I must maintain full time enrollment each term and maintain the GPA requirement or I lose it for all future terms.
• I understand that if I am awarded an Honors College Scholarship that it is renewable and I remain eligible if I maintain an institutional GPA of a 3.25 and am enrolled in at least 12 undergraduate credits. 
• I understand that any renewable scholarships I receive have a maximum of 4 years or up to 12 terms excluding the summer term. If I do not earn the GPA required for my scholarship It will be canceled for all future terms.
• I understand that there isn’t an appeal process for Instuitional Merit scholarships if the GPA is not maintained.
• I understand that scholarships awarded to me from applying through sou.scholarshipuniverse.com have varied criteria and it is my responsibility to make sure I have read and understand the expectations of receiving those funds and continuing to maintain them. I understand that I must accept these funds and by accepting these funds I am agreeing to meet the criteria for that scholarship. If I do not meet the criteria and/or I do not accept it, it will be canceled.
• I understand that if I receive Raider Aid such as the Affordability Grant FRAFFO, FRSOU, VDFR, or any other Institutional funding I need to maintain full-time enrollment of 12 credits or more and have a valid FAFSA on file for the current academic year.
• I understand that Federal Work-Study, The FSEOG Grant, and institutional grants (Raider Aid)  are awarded first come first serve basis and that I must accept the award to receive these funds.
• I understand that recalculations to my financial aid may cause a balance due on my InsideSOU account and that I am responsible for reviewing my InsideSOU account to see if I owe a repayment of a Pell Grant or other Financial Aid
• I understand that any excess funding  will be processed within 14 days by the Business Office after financial aid has actually been applied to my charges.
• I understand that if I withdraw or stop attending, my financial aid may be adjusted because the school is required to complete a Federal Return to Title IV Refund calculation to determine how much financial aid was earned. If Southern Oregon University is required to return any funds to the US Department of Education, I will be required to repay those funds to Southern Oregon University.
• I understand that I will receive financial aid in three installments (one third is disbursed for fall quarter; one third for winter quarter; the last third for spring quarter), unless otherwise noted and that my Financial Aid will be awarded based on a Fall, Winter, and Spring award schedule. Disbursements are made directly to my student account.
• I understand that if I do not continue to meet the criteria required for any of the funding that I am awarded that it will be canceled without notice. Agreeing to these terms and conditions is the notification of this.
• I understand that my Financial Aid information will not be shared with any other office or entity unless that office is involved with a process that has funding available to offer students.

I understand that it is my responsibility to review my SOU Debt Letter and stay up to date on my PELL and loan limits so I am borrowing responsibly.

• If I borrow Direct Student Loans, I will be required to complete exit counseling and a hold will be placed on my student account until this requirement is completed.
• If I do not attend my scheduled classes during the first week of the term and am reported by my instructor as a no show for those classes, my loans may be canceled.

I understand that my Cost of Attendance (a financial aid budget) will be:

• used to determine the amounts and types of financial aid I am eligible to receive and, thus, my financial aid may be reduced when my Cost of Attendance is adjusted;
• based initially on the assumption of full-time enrollment in financial aid eligible credits;
• adjusted based on my enrollment on the Financial Aid Census date and in each of the situations described below for Pell Grant recalculations.
• Assumption of Fall, Winter, and Spring attendance.

I understand that my Pell Grant will be recalculated:

• Based on the number of financial aid eligible credits for which I am enrolled as of the Financial Aid Census Date.
• If I withdraw or receive a non-passing grade and my professor is unable to document my attendance and participation in academic-related activities.
• If I do not attend my scheduled classes during the first week of the term and am reported by my instructor as a no show for those classes, my Pell may be reduced.
• When I drop a class before the census date my Pell Grant will be recalculated to reflect my enrollment.
• If I do not attend my scheduled classes.

I understand that this is a contract between me and Financial Aid and it is my responsibility to understand and acknowledge the contents within this document. If you have not reviewed this document and agree to the terms you are still held responsible for these terms. Terms are subject to change and will be updated as needed for compliance purposes.*

I understand that if I purposely give false or misleading information on any financial aid form, I will subject to the college’s disciplinary process. Additionally, I may be subject to criminal prosecution under which I may be fined up to $20,000, maybe sent to prison or both.