Important Notes

Student Financial Services wants to keep students abreast of important topics and current events that could affect their financial situation. Please check back for updates.

Tax Assistance

You may receive FREE tax assistance through April 17 with your tax returns! See http://www.uwkc.org/ways-to-volunteer/ongoing-campaigns/free-tax-services/ for times and locations.

Prospective Students for 2012-13

Please review our Web site for information regarding Financial Aid Programs available at Seattle University School of Law and how to apply for them.

To start the process for financial aid, you will need to complete the 2012-13 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on-line at www.fafsa.gov on or after January 1, 2012, but as soon as possible thereafter. Our school code is 003790.

If you have not previously completed a FAFSA, you may request a PIN number at www.pin.ed.gov.

Please let us know if you have any questions regarding the process or programs. Please e-mail us or call 206.398.4250.

FAFSA Deadline is February 15 for Continuing Students

If you need financial Aid for the 2012-13 academic year starting in summer or fall of 2012, please review the January 9 email sent from our office (or stop by and pick up your instruction sheet). 

Complete your FAFSA on-line at www.fafsa.gov (our school code is #003790) and complete the Enrollment Status Form (ESF) that was emailed to you on January 9 and is also available at our office.  You must submit the FAFSA and ESF by February 15 for an on-time award.  If you miss the deadline, your award letter will be delayed and you will not be eligible for limited funded programs.  If you haven't completed your taxes by February 15, estimate the tax information on the FAFSA rather than miss the deadline.

Complete your 2011 taxes early. If necessary, estimate the tax information to meet the FAFSA February 15 deadline. Keep a copy of your 2011 IRS 1040 (and spouse's, if applicable), all attachments and W-2s.  The federal government selects approximately 30% of all financial aid applicants for verification of data submitted.  Please read your Student Aid Report carefully (it is the document generated by the FAFSA).  If you are selected for verification, contact our office for the Verification Worksheet and instructions.  You will not receive an award letter and funds cannot be disbursed, in accordance with federal regulations, until verification is complete.

It is strongly encouraged that you select the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (DRT) option when completing the FAFSA, if it has been at least 2 weeks since you submitted them to the IRS. You may estimate at first and then once your taxes are completed, you may go back and select the DRT to update your information after about a two week wait. By doing so, it will provide the most accurate information and eliminate the need to request an IRS Tax Transcript if selected for verification. 

Do NOT complete the 2012-13 Grad PLUS request form yet! The credit check is only good for 45 days. You do not know your eligibility yet and Direct Loans will have to run another credit check by the time we certify the loan. Wait to complete the Grad PLUS until you receive your 2012-13 Award Letter (the first part of May) - instructions will be included in your Award Letter packet.

NOTE: Unfortunately, the Grad PLUS credit criteria changed recently and is more stringent, although still easier than a private loan, and an endorser (co-signer) is an option. See http://studentloans.gov, click on FAQ, then click on credit check, then click on "What is considered Adverse Credit?".

ALERT! State Work Study Funding May be Eliminated!

The WA Legislature is in a budget session. Financial aid is one area that may be hit hard. At this time, the State Work Study program may be suspended for 2012-13. Please contact Governor Gregoire and your legislators to tell them how important the work study program is to meet your educational expenses, reduce loan debt and to gain valuable experience in your field of study. See http://www.savestudentaid.org and http://www.icwashington.org/action.html for more information and a message template.

State Work Study (2Ls & 3Ls)

If you received a State Work Study (SWS) award for 20011-12 and are running low on funding or if you were not awarded SWS and are interested in the program (you must be a WA resident, have remaining need and eligibility within your cost of attendance), you may be eligible for a SWS increase or new award depending on eligibility. You may petition for an increase or a new award by emailing lawfa@seattleu.edu or completing and dropping off a Revision Request form available at our office.

Federal Public Interest Loan Forgiveness documents are now available!

Alumni working in this area should note it's important to keep track of your on-time and eligible payments (in the right repayment plan) and eligible employment for 120 payments. This blog by Heather Jarvis is a great resource. And mark your calendars for Feb. 27, when Heather will be at the law school for Social Justice Monday at noon in C-5. She will give a presentation on Income Based Repayment and the Federal Public Interest Loan Forgiveness Program.

On-Campus Work Study

1Ls - If you missed the Job Fair but are looking for a job on-campus (Federal Work Study recipients are given priority), please visit the work study page or contact our office for guidance on procuring a position.

Dealing with Law School Debt: Understanding the College Cost Reduction and Access Act (CCRAA)

Interested in a career in the government or nonprofit sector but worried about how you will pay your law school loans? Heather Jarvis of Equal Justice Works presented a workshop explaining the CCRAA, how student loan payments will be affected by the income-based repayment program, how borrowers can qualify for loan forgiveness, and what borrowers need to do to take advantage of the benefits of the new law. To access, go to: medialaw.seattleu.edu.

Financial Literacy

For information on financial literacy see the videos Money Management and Identity Theft videos below as well as Money Matter$ at http://www.law.seattleu.edu/x6786.xml.

Money Management Video

For those of you who are interested in this topic but were unable to attend either in-person session, there is a video available to watch at your convenience.

Video access instructions:
Go to the homepage of the Law School's streaming server: http://medialaw.seattleu.edu
Then, click on Financial Aid Services under the Student Resources heading.

This important workshop, hosted by American Student Assistance, explored a wide range of topics related to personal financial management, including budgeting, credit management, and the real cost of borrowing.

• Understand the steps to successful budgeting while in law school
• Obtain real-world advice on saving for the future
• Discover the ins and outs of credit
• Learn about the real cost of money
• Realize the benefits of successful money management

Identity Theft: Protecting Your Financial Identity

If you missed the presentation Identity Theft: Protecting Your Financial Identity, you may watch it on video. The presentation can be found under the SFS - Student Financial Services link. Log in instructions are on the page. An estimated 700,000 people fall victim to identity theft each year costing both time and money to clean up. This class focuses on how to avoid becoming a victim and provides some recovery steps to identity theft.

Financial Aid Fraud Alert!

The financial aid community has received notice from Kay Jacks, General Manager for FSA Application, School Eligibility and Delivery Services that someone is impersonating a U.S. Department of Education official and is offering students grants for a processing fee.

Her message is as follows: There is someone claiming to be a representative of the U.S. Department of Education (ED) calling students, offering grants, and asking for bank account numbers so a processing fee can be charged. Specifically, the caller tells the student he understands the student has federal student loans and offers to replace the loans with an $8,000 grant. The caller explains that a processing fee must be charged and obtains the student's checking account information.

There is no ED program to replace loans with grants and that there is no processing fee to obtain Title IV grants from ED. Furthermore, as you are no doubt aware, one should never provide their bank account or credit card information over the phone unless they initiate the call and trust the company they are calling.

This is a scam. A student who is a victim of this or a similar scam should take the following steps:

1. Immediately contact his or her bank, explain the situation, and request that the bank monitor or close the compromised account.
2. Report the fraud to ED's Office of Inspector General hotline at 1-800-MIS-USED (1-(800) 647.8733) or oig.hotline@ed.gov. Special agents in the Office of Inspector General investigate fraud involving federal education dollars.
3. Report the fraud to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The FTC has an online complaint form at www.ftc.gov/scholarshipscams and a hotline at 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-(877) 382.4357; teletype for the hearing impaired: 1-(866) 653.4261). The FTC will investigate if the fraud is deemed widespread; therefore, it is important that every student contacted by the person or people in question lodge a complaint so the FTC has an accurate idea of how many incidents have occurred.
4. Notify the police about the incident. Impersonating a federal officer is a crime, as is identity theft.

When filing a complaint, the student should provide detailed information about the incident, including what was said, the name of the person who called, and from what number the call originated (if the student was able to obtain it via Caller ID). Additionally, if unauthorized debits have already appeared against the student's bank account, the student should mention this fact in his or her complaint. Records of such debits could be useful in locating the wrongdoer.

For information about identity theft prevention, please visit www.ed.gov/misused. For information about preventing financial aid scams, visit www.studentaid.ed.gov/lsa.

For answers to any questions you have about financial aid, please contact Student Financial Services at lawfa@seattleu.edu.