Where Is My Financial Aid Money?

Check your student account in UAOnline to see if your aid has been disbursed. You will see one of three student account statuses:

Private Grants & Scholarships

The UAA Office of the Bursar processes grant or scholarship checks received from private donors. Grant or scholarship checks received by the Office of the Bursar will be applied to your student account beginning 10 calendar days before the semester being awarded. Checks must be received (and signed if necessary) before the UAA Payment Deadline in order to avoid late fees. 

Find important donor and student instructions on the Office of Bursar's Student Sponsorship page.

Why Was Some of My Funding Returned?

If you have received additional resources, some of your financial aid funding may be returned. "Additional resources" are any sources of money that you have received which were not originally factored into your cost of attendance estimate. If additional resources become available to you, whether they are scholarships, grants, loans or Federal Work-Study, the Office of Financial Aid may reduce previously paid or anticipated awards in order to keep the student's aid package within the estimated cost. If additional resources become available to you at any time during the enrollment period that exceed your eligibility for assistance, federal regulations require the Office of Financial Aid to reduce awards that have been previously offered and/or disbursed.

Further Details on Returning Loan Funds

Returned funds will therefore be applied to reduce your loan debt with the U.S. Department of Education. Undisbursed, anticipated loan funds may also be canceled or reduced prior to disbursement, if these resources exceed the financial need calculation.

Frequently Asked Questions

• My financial aid is more than my tuition bill, so what happens to the extra money?

  If the total of your financial aid is greater than the amount of your bill, you will receive a refund. You may select to have your refunds sent to your bank account by setting up a direct deposit via UAOnline. Otherwise, we will mail a refund check to the permanent address you have given UAA. For this reason, it is very important to keep your address up to date on UAOnline. 

  According to federal regulations, excess financial aid typically cannot be used to pay for previous balances. If you owe an outstanding balance, contact the Office of Financial Aid for the best advice on your available options.

• How do I know if my refund has been direct deposited?

  You can check to see if your financial aid refund has been direct deposited via UAOnline. To do so:

  • Log in to UAOnline.
  • Select the "Student Services & Account Information" Tab. 
  • Select "Direct Deposit Services"
  • Select "Review your direct deposits"
  • Select the fiscal year from the drop down menu that you wish to view and then hit "Display"
  • Each direct deposit that has been applied to your bank account will be listed.  The "Process Date" is the date the money was deposited.
• Where's my refund? I was told my financial aid would disburse today but I don't have my check or a direct deposit.

  The disbursement date for financial aid is the date that UAA can request the money and apply it to your UAOnline student account. It is not the day that you should expect to receive a refund. The earliest that UAA can disburse your financial aid is ten days before the first day of each semester. After that, the Disbursement Office must generate a check or direct deposit. This generally takes between 5 and 7 business days.

  Therefore, if your financial aid is in order before the scheduled and published disbursement date (i.e., you have no outstanding paperwork to be completed, you are admitted, in good SAP, etc.), you should expect to see your refund no earlier than the first day of class.

• I received a non-UAA scholarship. Where should the donor send the check, so it can be applied to my student account?

  Donors of private scholarships should follow the instructions on the Office of Bursar Student Sponsorship page.

• I can see that a scholarship I received from a non-UAA donor is on my UAOnline award screen. When will it be deposited into my student account?

  See the Office of Bursar Student Sponsorship page for more information about when your scholarship will be deposited into your student account.

Next Steps

Maintain Your Financial Aid Eligibility

Even after you have received your financial aid, you need to achieve certain requirements in order to keep your financial aid. Find out more about your responsibilities and eligibility requirements.