Financial Aid for Summer School

Summer School financial aid may be available in the form of Federal Pell Grant, Minnesota State Grant, Federal Direct Loan, Federal Direct PLUS loan, and Private loans.  Summer School Aid must be applied for by completing a summer school request form.  There are no institutional grants or scholarships available for summer.  In order to be eligible for federal/state grant or loan programs, a student must be registered for at least ½ time summer course enrollment and have a valid 2012-13 FAFSA on file with Concordia.  If you are unsure if you completed a 2012-13 FAFSA, you can check by logging into C-Port to view your financial aid information. C-Port Information       
Types of Summer Financial Aid
Summer School Billing
Summer Living Expenses
Summer Reminders
How To Apply


Types of Summer Financial Aid:
Federal Pell Grant
This is a need-based federal grant and requires at least ½ time attendance (6 credits or greater).  Only students who were Pell Grant eligible Fall/Spring semester and were not enrolled full time either Fall or Spring semester may have eligiblity.  Summer Pell Grant is paid based on the number of credits a student is registered for on May 16th, 2013.  Any estimates received prior to this date would be based on the intended credit load reported by the student to the Financial Aid Office.
 
Minnesota State Grant
This is a need-based state grant that requires enrollment of at least 3 credits. Students who were eligible for MN Grant for fall and spring semester may be eligible for MN Grant for summer. MN Grant is also dependent on available state funding for summer 2013.

Summer MN Grant amounts are awarded based on the number of credits a student is enrolled in and registered for on May 16th, 2013.  Enrollment will be reevaluated on June 14th, 2013 to confirm that the original credit load has not changed. If your total summer credit load changes between May 16th, 2013 and June 13th, 2013 you will see an adjustment in your MN Grant amount. Any estimates received prior to May 16th, 2013 will be based on the credit load a student reports to the Financial Aid Office that they intend to take when completing their summer school request form.
  
Federal Direct Stafford Loan
This loan is a federal loan in the student’s name and requires at least ½ time attendance (6 credits or greater). Because summer loan eligibility is based on the 2012-2013 school year many students have already used their maximum federal loan eligibility for fall/spring and may not be eligible for additional Federal Direct Stafford Loan for summer.  Please see the following charts that indicate annual loan limit amounts.
Dependent Undergraduate Annual Loan Limit Chart
Dependent Undergraduate With Denied Parent Plus Annual Loan Limit Chart
Independent Undergraduate Annual Loan Limit Chart
Graduate Annual Loan Limit Chart

Federal Direct PLUS Loan
This loan is a federal loan in the parent’s name, on behalf of the student, and requires credit approval. This loan requires the student to be registered for at least ½ time attendance (6 credits or greater)

Private Loan
This option is available to students who enroll less than ½ time (5 credits or less) for summer as well as for students who enroll for greater than ½ time (6 credits or greater). Terms and interest rates vary based on the Private loan program.  Most Private loans have a variable interest rate and are based on your credit.  You will be required to obtain a co-signer if you do not meet the lender's eligibility requirements on your own.  Some programs require a co-signer for all borrowers, and may also require that you have a complete FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) information on file with Concordia.  If you are unsure if you completed a 2012-13 FAFSA, you can check by logging into C-Port to view your financial aid information. C-Port Information


Summer School Billing:
Summer School charges are billed out from the Business Office.  Charges for all summer terms will be billed by the Business Office in mid-May. If you have questions regarding your bill, please contact the Business Office at 218-299-3150 or visit the Business Office Web site for further information on billing and payments.

Summer School Cost:  Summer School is billed out from the Business Office based on the number of credits that you enroll in.  The cost per credit is $840. (Example: If you are taking a 4 credit course the cost would be $3360)


Summer Living Expenses:
Financial Aid can be used to help with tuition, room, board and minimal personal expenses for summer term.  The maximum allowance for living expenses for the summer is $1175 per summer session you are enrolled in.  Keep in mind that private loan disbursements may be delayed if all documents with the lender are not complete.  The Private loan process may take 30 days or more to complete.  Refunds for living expenses will not be issued to the student until after the funds have arrived from the lender. 

Reminders:
•    Summer Session is not part of the academic year tuition, and students will be billed for the summer credits they register for.
•    There is no institutional gift assistance, including merit-based scholarships, available from Concordia College for Summer Session.
•    Loans are the primary option for Summer Session.  These loans may require students to obtain a credit-worthy co-signer. If a student elects to finance their Summer Session with loans students must be aware that there are additional steps that they must complete or credit criteria they may need to meet in order to obtain loan funds.
•    Students registered for less than 6 credits during Summer Session, are considered a less than ½ time student. The only loan available to students registered less than ½ time will be a private loan requiring a credit-worthy co-signer.
•    Students who choose to finance summer session courses with a private loan need to be aware that the loan process may take 30 days or more.
•    Students must be registered for all the summer session credits that were reported on their summer request form before the Financial Aid Office can certify or process any summer school loans for them.
•    If a student decides not to take the courses that they register for, it is the student's responsibility to cancel their registration for those courses. Not attending a course for which a student registered for will NOT automatically cancel their registration in that course.
•    It is the student’s responsibility to notify the Financial Aid Office if they change their summer enrollment plans. Financial Aid will notify students of options available to them based on the number of courses they indicate on their Summer Aid Request Form. Students need to be aware that if their enrollment plans change, their financial aid options may change as well.
•    If a student withdraws from a class, financial aid will need to be reevaluated and their financial aid may change.
•    Students must be making SAP (Satisfactory Academic Progress) after spring term in order to be eligible for federal/state grants, federal loans, and most private loan programs. Any changes in a student’s SAP status may also affect their grants/loans (including private loans) for which they have applied.
•    The Tri-College University agreement does not exist during summer school; therefore, students are responsible for the tuition costs if they choose to enroll in courses at MSUM or NDSU.  Concordia College cannot process loans for students enrolled at another institution.


How To Apply:


1.  Complete a Summer Aid Request Form.
2.  Receive e-mail from Financial Aid to student's Concordia e-mail address with Summer Term Options. Please note   that summer school options are primarily in the form of loan. 
3.  If choosing to apply for a loan that is included in the option letter, student must follow the instructions included in the Summer Term Options e-mail to proceed with the application. 
4.  Once a loan has been processed it can be viewed on C-Port. More Information about C-Port can be read here.
5.  Review Award Letter and contact the Office of Financial Aid with any questions.
6.  If applying for a private loan make sure to have someone watching the mail at your permanent home address.  You may have additional documents coming from your lender that require your signature before the lender can disburse loan funds to Concordia. The lender will be sending those documents to your permanent address.  If the lender is missing any information from you they will not be able to disburse funds to the school.
 

Information For:

current students
faculty and staff		 parents
alumni		 high school students
admitted students