Financial Aid Rights and Responsibilities

Each year more than half of Brigham Young University students request financial assistance to help defray the cost of education. Federal, institutional, and off-campus resources combine to form a partnership with your (and your family's) own commitment to meet your educational costs. As a student financial aid recipient and partner in this process you have a number of rights and responsibilities:

As a student financial aid recipient, it is your responsibility to:

Application

• Complete and submit application materials to BYU and the appropriate agencies within the required or recommended timeframes. This includes the FAFSA, assigned To-Do List items, and any other application you may choose to submit.
• Re-apply every year in order to be considered for financial aid.
• Provide correct information at all times. Reporting false information is a violation of the law and may be considered a criminal offense.
• Read all materials sent to you from the BYU Financial Aid Office and other agencies awarding you financial aid.
• Read, understand, and keep copies of all forms you sign or submit.
• Know and comply with the rules governing the financial aid you receive. These rules include but are not limited to--you must:
  • Be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen.
  • Be appropriately admitted and working toward a degree.
  • Not be in default on any prior federal student loan
  • Not owe a refund on a federal grant.
• Provide additional documentation, federal tax returns, W-2's, and any additional information, if requested by the BYU Financial Aid Office.
• Report private sources of student financial aid to the BYU Financial Aid Office by completing the 'Self-Reported Aid' To-Do List item. If you become aware of additional resources, report them through your Message Center promptly.
• Comply with the provisions of any promissory note and all other agreements you sign.
• Complete the registration process each semester by the end of the add/drop deadline in order to ensure availability of all student aid funds you have been awarded.
• Know and register for the required number of eligible hours to receive your financial aid.
• Use student financial aid proceeds solely for direct educational costs and related living expenses.
• Know and understand how you may receive federal funds if you are an on-site student taking Independent Study classes, or are a Bachelor of General Studies (BGS) student.

Maintaining Eligibility

• Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP).
• Know the implications of dropping a course (withdrawing) or dropping all of your courses (discontinuance) from BYU will have on your student financial aid.
• E-Grades--Student financial aid recipients who receive one or more E grades in a semester may have their financial aid adjusted according to federal regulations and will be required to repay part or all of the federal funds received in that semester.
  • Students receiving all E-grades will be considered a "walkaway" and unless you can document your enrollment, all of your financial aid must be repaid.
• Repay any funds to BYU which you are no longer eligible for; i.e., funds which exceed the Cost of Attendance, funds which were awarded erroneously, or funds you received and failed to maintain eligibility for.
• Notify your lender should any of the following occur before your loan is repaid:
  • You change your address and/or phone number
  • You graduate
  • You withdraw from school or are enrolled less than half time
  • You change your name (e.g., maiden to married name)
  • You transfer to another university
• Keep your local, permanent, and email addresses current with the BYU Registrar's Office.

As a student financial aid recipient, you have the right to:

• Know the correct procedures for applying for student financial aid, your Cost of Attendance, and the types of financial aid available.
• Know how financial need is determined (COA), what the criteria are for awarding financial aid, how academic progress is determined (SAP), and what you have to do to continue receiving financial aid.
• Know the type and amount of financial aid you will receive, how much of your financial need has been met, and how and when your financial aid will be disbursed.
• Know and access BYU's Student Consumer Information.
• View the files associated with your student financial aid file, in accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.
• Know the consequences should you not maintain your financial aid eligibility; i.e., failing SAP, withdrawing from a class or classes, etc.
• Know the conditions of any loan you accept.
• Petition any decision with the BYU Financial Aid Office in regard to your application.