Pending aid is either in an authorized or memoed status, meaning the funds are paying toward your student bill. Authorized aid will be applied as a direct credit to the account once funds have been received. Memoed aid will be applied as a direct credit once funds are received from the source (alternative loan lender, etc).

Follow the instructions listed at the following link: www.gvsu.edu/financialaid/accept

If your account reflects that you will receive a refund, we can provide you with a Landlord Letter. This letter will state the estimated amount of your financial aid refund. Prior to the start of classes you can request a letter by calling or emailing the Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships, stopping by our office, or submitting an online request. We cannot submit the letter directly to your landlord; letters will be emailed to your Grand Valley email account. If you need a landlord letter after classes have started you can contact us directly to request one.

There are many reasons this may be happening.  Here are some common reasons:

• REGISTRATION: An undergraduate student must be registered for a minimum of 6 credits in order for a federal loan to pay out. A grad student must be registered for a minimum of 4.5 credits in order for the federal loan to pay out. Once registered, please allow 24-48 hours for your financial aid to be applied to your account.
• PRO-RATION: The Pell Grant is prorated based on enrollment. You will be offered the maximum as a full-time student but we will adjust the disbursed amount based on your class registration.
• MPN/ENTRANCE LOAN COUNSELING: If these requirements have not been completed, your loans will not be applied to your account. These requirements are for NEW student loan borrowers.
• MISSING DOCUMENTATION: If you are missing a required document such as a concurrent enrollment form, verification, TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve or Repay, etc. your aid will not be applied to your account.

If you don't feel that you fit into any of these categories, please contact us so we can help you.

GVSU has several options to search for scholarships to help fund your education. Please find this information at www.gvsu.edu/scholarships. Scholarships can be awarded for a variety of categories including financial need, merit, high school attended, program involvement, etc.

If you have received a scholarship from an organization/group outside of GVSU, please follow the guidelines listed at the following link: www.gvsu.edu/financialaid/external-scholarship-policy-187.htm

Federal Work study is awarded to students based on financial need. We offer students work study based on your FAFSA information. If you are not offered Federal Work Study but are eligible you may request work study be added to your award if funding is available by contacting us.

The financial aid package for each group of students is different. The federal loan limit increases by grade level as a result the amount of grant money you are eligible for may decrease. If you feel you need us to review your situation, a counselor can provide you with a special circumstances appeal form. We'll review your request and let you know if we can approve additional grant assistance within 2-3 weeks.

The list below are some of the most common reasons why you do not have any financial aid paying toward your bill:

• You have not filed a FAFSA. Remember you have to file a FAFSA for each academic year. Click here for more information about filing a FAFSA.

• You have not accepted your award. Follow the instructions listed here to accept your award.

• You have accepted your award but have not completed the additional documentation. Follow the instructions listed here to review your unsatisfied requirements.

• You recently had an academic transcript sent to GVSU. Whenever a new academic transcript is received, an automatic 7 day transfer hold is placed on your account. After the 7 days have passed, your financial aid will disburse towards your bill.

If you don't feel that you fit into any of these categories, please contact us so we can help you.

Disbursement letters are sent to all student and parent federal loan borrowers. The letter states the amount of loans that have been applied to that semester. This letter can be kept for your records, unless you did not intend to take this loan in which case you should contact us.