GW 101

FINANCIAL MATTERS

GW 101: FINANCIAL MATTERS

Spring 2015

AGENDA

Student Services What is Colonial Central? Online Resources FERPA Student Life Cycle Student Account eBill Financial Assistance Payment Options and Monthly Payment Plan Tuition Insurance Q&A

Department Responsibilities

Student Financial Assistance

Financial aid awards, loans, counseling

Student Accounts Billing and accounts

Registrar Registration, FERPA, transcripts

Military & Veteran Services GI Bill/VA benefits, counseling

GWorld Card ID card and meal plan, student parking

GW STUDENT SERVICES

Co-location of student service offices including Student Financial Assistance, Student Accounts, Registrar, Military & Veteran Services, and GWorld.

Financial Services counselors are cross-trained to assist with both financial aid and billing/account questions.

Located on the Ground Floor of Marvin Center. Web address: colonialcentral.gwu.edu Email: ccentral@gwu.edu Phone: 202-994-9000

WHAT IS COLONIAL CENTRAL?

COLONIALCENTRAL.GWU.EDU

START HERE…

Student Self Service: GWeb - http://banweb.gwu.edu

Register for classes Access Student Account eBill to view tuition bill and pay online View schedule and grades View and accept financial assistance award Check on processing status of financial assistance requirements Update contact information View earnings from student employment View “holds”

Department Sites: Registrar: registrar.gwu.edu Student Accounts: studentaccounts.gwu.edu Student Financial Assistance: financialaid.gwu.edu Military & Veteran Student Services: services.military.gwu.edu GWorld: gworld.gwu.edu Housing: living.gwu.edu GW Dining: gwcampusdining.com

ONLINE RESOURCES

SOCIAL MEDIA

FERPA is a federal law that protects the privacy of students’ educational records.

Student education records are confidential and cannot be released without written consent of the student.

The Registrar’s Office maintains two FERPA release forms: (ONLY ONE IS REQUIRED) Student Consent Financial Dependency

The student consent forms are located in Colonial Central and online.

FERPA FAMILY EDUCATIONAL RIGHTS AND PRIVACY ACT OF 1974

Register for fall classesFall balance emailed to student

First time borrowers finalize Loan Applications / Promissory Notes

Sign up for monthly payment planMove In

Classes start, account balance due

July – Sept

Holds for past due accountsRegister for spring classesSpring balance emailed to

studentFinals, semester ends

Winter break

Oct - Dec

Classes start and account balance due

Holds for past due accountsSubmit FAFSA for upcoming

academic year

Jan - March

April - June

Complete application for financial assistance for next yearRegister for fall classes

Sign up for monthly payment plan

STUDENT LIFE CYCLE

First day of each semesterSpring 2015 – January 12

Summer 2015 – May 18

WHEN ARE BILLS DUE?

Student Account eBill is accessible via GWeb and the Student Account and Colonial Central websites.

STUDENT ACCOUNT eBILL

Students receive emails indicating the amount of their tuition bill a few weeks before each semester begins (as long as they have registered for courses).

This email directs them to log into Student Account eBill to view their current activity and point-in-time statement of account.

Students can set up multiple authorized users in the eBill system.

Authorized users have access to all eBill features and also receive emails regarding tuition bills.

Users can now sign up to receive text notifications of billing activity.

STUDENT ACCOUNT eBILL

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Highlights:

Fixed rate tuition & fees

Room & board

Voluntary library gift

Mandatory health insurance (for international students)

Pending credits

Office of Student Financial Assistance awards need-based assistance in the form of federal and institutional aid. International students may be eligible for institutional aid after completing 30 credits at GW.

Pending Credits on Statement of Account Grants, Scholarships and Loans Federal Work Study does not appear on bill

Next steps Provide any outstanding financial documents

required to confirm your awards Accept award via GWeb Financial Aid menu Finalize Loans (Federal and/or Alternative)

Reapply each academic year for assistance

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

Online payments in eBill system via electronic check

Personal check, cashier’s/travelers check, and money order

Wire transfer Western Union GlobalPay for Students Monthly Payment Plan 529 Plans or 3rd Party payments External scholarships Parent and student loans

NOTE: GW does not accept cash or credit cards.

PAYMENT OPTIONS

Access portal via Student Accounts website Favorable exchange rates compared to most banks;

Reduced bank fees because transfer is local Payments post within 2-5 business days from transfer

GLOBALPAY FOR STUDENTS

Enroll online via Student Accounts website Annual or semester plans are available Credit card may be used

MONTHLY PAYMENT PLAN

The Tuition Refund Plan (T.R.P.), an elective insurance program, provides coverage for tuition, room and board charges throughout the course of the semester if your student must withdraw from GW for health reasons.

The annual cost to insure your tuition investment is $350-500 and will cover 80% of the loss incurred.

After the fourth week of classes, students who drop or withdraw from classes do not receive a refund of their student account charges per the University’s withdrawal and refund policy.

Visit this link to connect to the Dewar website to complete the application for tuition insurance: http://studentaccounts.gwu.edu/tuition-insurance

TUITION INSURANCE

o Parent/Guardianso Maintain an ongoing

dialogue with student about deadlines and university communications

o Watch for correspondence sent home

o Complete payment arrangements

o Sign up for parent email list through the Office of Parent Services

o Students o Check email, if you

don’t use GW email, setup forwarding

o Check GWeb regularly o Be aware of due dates o Authorize and share

access with parent/guardian via FERPA release form

o Forward important email notifications home

o Set up parent(s) as authorized user(s) in Student Account eBill

STUDENT / PARENT RESPONSIBILITIES

QUESTIONS?