Information on Paying Your Bill with Aid
After a student registers for classes, Student Financial Services generates a bill reflecting the charges. If a student's financial aid does not cover all the charges, they are responsible for paying the remaining balance by the payment deadline. It is important for students to be aware of payment deadlines to avoid any potential late fees or other consequences.
Paying with Aid Details
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Students must register for classes to receive a bill. Once a student has registered for classes, bills become available at the following times:
- For fall semester, bills begin generating in mid-July.
- For the spring semester, bills begin generating in mid-November.
- For the summer semester bills begin generating in mid-April.
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Any student with an outstanding balance must pay their bill or have a payment plan in place by the first day of class each semester.
If a student's bill shows a zero or negative balance (meaning a refund may be available once the aid pays), no action is required by the student to "pay" the bill. However, students anticipating a refund should .
After a student completes the payment process, the pending aid is removed from the bill. Until the aid arrives, a student's account will show a remaining balance due. It is the student's responsibility to make sure they complete all aid requirements.
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If aid is not appearing on the bill it could be for one of the following reasons:
- FAFSA Status: The financial aid office may not have received the student's FAFSA, or it might be invalid.
- Unsatisfied Requirements: There could be unsatisfied requirements that need to be addressed before aid can be applied.
- Review Process: The final review process for financial aid may not have been completed yet.
- Enrollment Status: The student might not be enrolled in the required number of credits, with wait-listed courses not counting toward enrollment.
- Billing Updates: The bill might not have been updated to reflect changes in registration, as financial aid credits are adjusted overnight.
- Credit Limit Exceeded: The student may be ineligible for aid due to exceeding the maximum credits allowed.
- Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP): The student might be ineligible for aid due to not making Satisfactory Academic Progress.
- Award Notification: The student, department or agency might not have notified Student Financial Services about an award.
- Department of Education Approval: Student Financial Services might be awaiting approval from the Department of Education before disbursing aid.
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If a student has excess funds after their bill is paid, a refund should be available the Friday before classes start. The refund can then be used to purchase textbooks.
Students who will not be receiving a refund of excess aid or whose aid will not be available prior to the start of classes will need to come prepared to purchase their books using other means. UM does not give students the option to charge books to their student account or use pending financial aid in the Go Griz Store to purchase textbooks or supplies. However, if your financial aid/scholarships are delayed, you can request funds be made available to ensure you can purchase your books if all other disbursement requirements have been met. Contact Student Financial Services to make this request.
In limited situations, programs (e.g., vocational rehabilitation or athletic scholarships) pay for a student's books directly. In such situations, the student should contact the Go Griz Store to make sure that a record of the voucher has been received.
Conditions for Aid Appearance
Aid will appear on the student's bill in the payment column if all disbursement conditions are met. Each aid program has its own set of requirements that need to be satisfied for the aid to appear on the student's account.
Types of Aid
Federal Direct Student Loans, federal Direct PLUS Loans and estimated external scholarship funds will show on the bill as "confirmed future aid." Other aid programs will be listed by name.
Nelnet: UM's Processing Partner
UM partners with Nelnet to process aid and provide access to the student's bill. This partnership facilitates the disbursement and management of financial aid funds.