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Financial Aid Considerations

EOU's Division of Distance Education and Financial Aid Office are two cooperative, but separate, parts of the university. This means that distance education students with EOU financial aid must be as vigilant in coordinating their financial aid and study plans as they are in designing their course of study.  

When you are assigned an academic Adviser, be sure to let them know exactly what kind of financial aid you are seeking or have been awarded. That way the two of you can decide on the appropriate term-by-term distribution of courses within your degree plan.

Additional information and resources about Oregon financial aid may be found at the Oregon Student Assistance Program.

One Term Completion for ALL Financial Aid Students

Beginning Winter Term 2003, according to Federal mandate, all students receiving Federal Financial Aid must complete their courses in one term.

Three Levels of Financial Aid

There are three levels of financial aid possible for students who are admitted to EOU and studying at a distance.  Each level corresponds to a percentage of "residency" credits, all of which are eligible for financial aid. These levels are:

Full-time Student: 12+ credits
3/4 time Student: 9-11 credits

1/2 time Student: 6-8 credits

Students on Federal Financial Aid must return some of the funds If They Do Not Complete 60% of their coursework during the term.

Effective July 1, 2000, federal financial aid regulations have determined that a student who withdraws or stops attending prior to completing 60% of a term has not earned 100% of the federal financial aid that they received. That student may be required to return a portion of his or her financial aid.

We recommend that you try to complete one class, if possible, to avoid any financial hardship imposed by this regulation. However, if you have to withdraw, it is important that you understand your financial obligations. We recommend that a student discuss the issue with a financial aid counselor before withdrawing from EOU.

The University and the student are required to return monies to the federal aid programs the amount of aid received that was in excess of the aid "earned" for the time period the student remained enrolled. Students who withdraw from all classes prior to completing more than 60% of a term will have their eligibility for Federal aid recalculated based on the percentage of the term completed, which shall be calculated as follows:

# of days completed by student total # of days in the term

The total number of calendar days in the term excludes any scheduled breaks of more than 5 days

The unearned Title IV aid shall be returned to the following programs in the following order*:

1. Unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loan

2. Subsidized Federal Stafford Loan

3. Federal Perkins Loan

4. Federal PLUS Loan

5. Federal Pell Grant

6. Federal SEOG

7. Other Title IV programs

Students must have been paid from the program for aid to be returned to the program.

Students who remain enrolled through at least 60% of the payment period (term) are considered to have earned 100% of the aid received and do not owe a repayment of Federal Title IV funds.

Student Account Policies

Important information about EOU's Business Services and Student Account Policies may be found here.