<p>Okay, does anyone know when financial aid becomes available (for example is it the day classes start, 2 week after, etc). Also, are there any bookstores that allow you to purchase textbooks with financial aid? Finally, does anyone know how long after classes start we generally get any overage disbursements from financial aid?</p>
<p>Thanks in advance, I'm trying to see just how much money I need to plan on budgeting for the next few months to go toward books for fall, etc.</p>
<p>Does anyone know when financial aid becomes available (for example is it the day classes start, 2 week after, etc)? One of the financial aid officers told us during orientation that when the bill comes at the end of September, the financial aid (scholarships and grants) is automatically applied. I am not too sure about the loans and work-study though.</p>
<p>Sorry can't answer any of the other questions.</p>
<p>Loans and everything else are applied automatically. So if total cost of attendance is $20,000 for the semester and your financial aid is $19,900 (including all your loans), all you have to do is write a check for $100 for your September bill, which is the month you pay for the fall semester. Sometimes, the school will write a check to you if your FA exceeds the cost of attendance. You only have to pay tuition once a semester unless you're on the Monthly Tuition Payment Plan. And of course you're billed once a month for over-printing. </p>
<p>Work-study is something you have to earn on your own, so you shouldn't include that in your Awards unless you have a work-study job.</p>
<p>Okay, to be very specific my C.O.A. is $22,500 that includes room/board, textbooks, personal money, etc. I got $20,000 in scholarships, grants and $2,500 in work study (plus I'm going to add a $2,000 loan for a computer). I realize that I'll work for the work study or convert it to a loan.</p>
<p>The question comes because I am not living on campus. So I wanted to know how many weeks into the semester it would be before the release the excess aid that I will be using for room and board (ie how many weeks do I need to cover bills and commuting expenses without working at the time). And also, would I need to pay for textbooks out of pocket or can they be billed to a student account so that financial aid covers them directly? If I know these answers I can try to plan for how much I need to save over the next two months.</p>
<p>i would seriously consider asking a finaid officer. i don't think many people here would know. finaid officers are really helpful in my experience.</p>