PROSPECTIVE UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS
Cost of Attendance
Sample Award Letter & Explanation
How Do I Get My Money?
- The University bills your student account for your direct expenses (e.g. tuition and fees).
- Scholarships, grants, and loan funds may be received through electronic funds transfer (EFT) and posted directly to your student account. You must apply for all loans awarded before these funds can be sent to you. Your financial aid awards will first be applied directly to any university charges on your account.
- Student Accounts & Financial Aid:
The disbursements of your grant and scholarship awards are listed as direct payments to your account. Each semester’s disbursements of your student loans appear as a credit on your statement once we have received funds from your lender and you have endorsed or authorized the proceeds to be deposited to your student account.
- Billing Statements:
The fall semester billing statement is posted electronically in mid-July with payment due in mid-August. The spring term billing statement is posted in late November with payment due in late December. The billing statement also records any advance payments (e.g., Sallie Mae Tuition Pay Plan.) If you have a balance on your student account, you are responsible for paying that balance. Please contact the Student Accounts Office at (210) 999-7391, (210) 999-7396, or student.accounts@trinity.edu for available payment plans.
- Outside Scholarships:
Scholarships from a source other than Trinity may not appear on your student account as a payment until you notify the Office of Financial Aid of the award. While we can extend credit to you on the basis of this anticipated payment from an outside source, a direct payment to your account cannot occur until we actually receive payment from the outside source. As a result, you should request that the funding source send a scholarship check directly to the Office of Financial Aid. Should you receive any payment, please mail these funds to the attention of the Office of Financial Aid at One Trinity Place, San Antonio, Texas, 78212-7200.
- Refunds:
If awarded financial aid exceeds charges, any remaining financial aid will be disbursed to the student in the form of a refund. A refund of financial aid is to assist in paying additional educational expenses. Refunds for each semester are generated approximately two weeks after the end of the add/drop period.
All financial aid must be applied to your student account as it is received. No refunds will be made until your account reflects a credit balance and any registration or transcript holds have been cleared. Please direct any questions regarding a refund to the Office of Student Accounts at (210) 999-7391, (210) 999-7396 or student.accounts@trinity.edu (1-888-TRINITY).
Trinity University students now have the option to receive an electronic refund via a direct deposit of funds to a personal bank account. Please contact the Office of Student Accounts for assistance in setting up this process or visit http://www.trinity.edu/departments/buso/tuition_refund.htm.
- Student Accounts & Financial Aid:
SUBSIDIZED and UNSUBSIDIZED STAFFORD LOANS
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Step 1: Upon receipt of the Financial Aid Award Letter, students should indicate their acceptance of the offered loan funds and return their completed and signed award letter to the Office of Financial Aid immediately for processing.
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Step 2: Upon receipt of the completed award letter, the Office of Financial Aid will initialize the loan for online certification through Texas Guaranteed Student Loan Corporation's Loans By Web (LBW).
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Step 3: Students will then be prompted, via e-mail, to complete their online loan application, using their FAFSA PIN as an electronic signature. First-time borrowers will be required to complete entrance counseling.
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Step 4: The LBW process will allow the student borrower to choose a lender for his or her loan.
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This form includes step-by-step instructions for completing the LBW online application process to apply for and obtain your Subsidized Stafford loan.
GRADUATE PLUS LOANS
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The Federal GRAD PLUS loan is a program available to creditworthy graduate students. The FAFSA is required to borrow a GRAD PLUS Loan. Interest on the loan accrues from the time the funds are disbursed and repayment begins 60 days after the final disbursement is released for the loan period. The Federal GRAD PLUS Loan has a maximum repayment period of 10 years. The current fixed interest rate for the GRAD PLUS loan is 8.5%.
Trinity University encourages graduate students to use the pre-approval services of various lenders to help expedite the GRAD PLUS application. By using this service, a graduate student may quickly find out if their credit history is satisfactory to obtain a GRAD PLUS loan. Graduate students may apply for pre-approval online or by calling the lender of their choice.
*Renewal eligibility is based on satisfactory academic progress.
How to apply for GRAD PLUS LOANS
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Step 1: The graduate student borrower should initiate the online loan application through Texas Guaranteed Student Loan Corporation's Loans By Web (LBW).
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Step 2: After the graduate student borrower completes their online GRAD PLUS loan application, including choosing the lender from whom they wish to borrow and using their FAFSA PIN for electronic signature, Trinity University’s Office of Financial Aid will complete school certification for loan processing and disbursement.
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This form includes step-by-step instructions for completing the LBW online application process to apply for and obtain your PLUS loan.
COLLEGE ACCESS LOAN (CAL)
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The College Access Loan Program provides alternative education loans to students who are residents of Texas. This loan is in the student's name, but may require a creditworthy cosigner. The annual amount borrowed cannot exceed the cost of attendance (COA) minus any other financial aid awarded for the academic year. This program is administered by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB).
The CAL has a fixed interest rate of 6%. A 3% origination fee will be deducted from the proceeds of each loan if both the borrower and cosigner have a good credit history. A 5% origination fee will be deducted from the proceeds of each loan if either the borrower or cosigner, but not both, has a good credit history. There are no guarantee fees or insurance premiums with the CAL. The interest is never capitalized and the loan will not be sold to another lender.
CAL repayment begins six months after the student ceases full-time enrollment. The repayment period is ten years for students with balances under $30,000 or twenty years for balances of $30,000 or more, with minimum monthly payments of $50.00. Payments can be deferred while the student attends graduate or professional school.
*Renewal eligibility is based on satisfactory academic progress.
How to apply for the CAL
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Step 1: Access the THECB’s website at www.hhloans.com.
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Step 2:
- First-Time Borrowers -
If you are borrowing through the CAL program for the first time, click on the link titled “APPLY FOR LOAN.” and create a password.
Returning Borrowers - If you are a returning borrower of the CAL program, click on the link titled “STUDENT LOGIN.”
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Step 3: Complete the online CAL application, including reference and cosigner information, if applicable. (The CAL application is no longer required to be notarized.)
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Step 4: Print your promissory note and include your and your cosigner’s signature and date of signature.
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Step 5: Mail your original promissory note directly to the THECB in Austin, Texas, at the address indicated on the upper right corner of the form.
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(NOTE: CAL funds will not be issued to Trinity University until your signed and error-free promissory note is received by the THECB.)
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For assistance with the College Access Loan online application, please contact the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board at (800) 242-3062 (ext. 6404) or (512) 427-6340.