How Stanford Applies Scholarships, Grants and Loans to the University Bill

Learn how to: 
Calculate charges due to be paid when financial aid is expected to be applied to the University bill

For:  Students approved for financial aid, and their authorized payers

 

Scholarships, grants and loans are processed and applied to the approved student's account as follows:

Students receive an award letter from the Financial Aid Office which specifies the amount of aid as well as the expected family contribution. Award information can be viewed on the Axess web site. For more detail go to the Financial Aid web site.

Financial Aid Office enters the anticipated aid amount in the student account.

The financial aid amount appears on the University Bill as "Anticipated Aid."

Note —  Prior to paying the University Bill, students and Authorized Payers should check the "Anticipated Aid" section of the bill to confirm that the expected aid amount has been recorded. Any amount shown as "Anticipated Aid" should be subtracted from the charges due in order to determine the correct amount to pay. If an overpayment occurs, the amount overpaid will be refunded, but not until one week after the start of classes. In addition, in most cases the refund will be mailed to the student or electronically deposited to the student's checking or savings account. Parents may receive refunds if the overpayment is from a federal Parent (PLUS) loan.

If the amount of expected aid does not appear on your initial bill statement, it may be because the loan documents have not been completed or the Financial Aid Office has not received notification from an outside award source. To reconcile discrepancies, contact the Financial Aid Office.

Student has enrolled in the required number of course units:

• For undergraduate students
  • Scholarships and Grants – 12 or more units
  • Loans – 8 or more units
• For graduate students
  • Scholarships and Grants – 8 or more units
  • Loans – 6 or more units

Note —  Students are allowed to “shop” for classes for two weeks after classes start. However, aid will not be applied to the bill until the student has enrolled in the required number of units.

In the case of loans, student has completed all required loan documents.

Approximately 10 days before classes begin each term, anticipated aid is disbursed. When this happens, the amount of disbursed aid is deducted from the "Anticipated Aid" and "Charges" sections of the University Bill and the amount of disbursed aid appears in the "Payments, Disbursed Aid and Other" section.

Note —  Some charges, such as late fees or room damage fees, may not be paid by financial aid. Such charges are not considered part of educational expenses.

Some scholarships, such as the Byrd Scholarship, typically arrive after the start of the term; in some cases, four to six weeks after classes start. If you are paying the bill, you should see this amount as "Anticipated Aid" and deduct the amount from payment.

 

Questions?

• If you have questions concerning what to pay or about the accuracy of the bill, please call Student Financial Services at 650-723-2181, or send us an online help request at HelpSU (Category Student Services, Request Type University Bill / Student Account).