Your Aid Offer
Your Financial Aid Offer is unique to you.
No two financial aid offers are exactly alike. Financial aid offers differ for each USF student and from one college to another.
Before financial aid funds can be released to your billing account, official high school and post-secondary transcripts must be on file with the Admissions Office. A sample request release form is found on the Registrar's Office website.
New Student Financial Aid Notification
The University of Sioux Falls Financial Aid Office will send you two copies of your Official Financial Aid Offer. One copy is for your records and one copy is to sign and return to us.
It is important to understand the aid listed on your financial aid offer. If you are declining or changing any aid, draw a line through the aid, write in the change and initial the change. If you decline aid, there is no guarantee that it will be available to you at a later date. If you have questions regarding the financial aid offer being presented to you, please call the USF Financial Aid Office to discuss the aid.
Sign and return one copy of the financial aid offer within 30 days of receiving it to secure the aid being offered to you.
Current/Returning Student Financial Aid Offer
You must apply for financial aid on an annual basis. Your financial aid offer will be made available to you via MyUSF. You will receive an email, to your USF e-mail address, from the Financial Aid Office once your offer is available. You must then accept or decline your aid by logging onto MyUSF and taking appropriate action.
Revised Financial Aid Offer
The Official Financial Aid Offer is based upon the information we have at the time the offer is created. However, if the Financial Aid Office receives new information or a scholarship changes or is added, your initial offer may be adjusted.
The Financial Aid Office reserves the right to adjust financial aid if errors are discovered or additional funds from outside sources are received.
If your aid offer is adjusted you will be sent a revised offer in the mail or an email asking you to review the aid on MyUSF.
Disbursement of Funds
Direct/Private/PLUS Loans
If you have chosen to take out a Federal Direct Loan, Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loan or Private Student Loan, those funds are received at the USF Student Accounts Office by Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT). These funds are then applied directly to your account. The loan proceeds must first be applied to tuition, fees and room and board charges (if any). After the charges are paid in full, any remaining funds will be paid to you. Funds will not be disbursed to your account until you begin the enrollment period. Follow this link for information on obtaining those overage funds.
Grants/Scholarships
Financial aid such as USF Grants and Academic Scholarships, Federal Grants such as the Federal Pell Grant and the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) funds are credited to your account at the USF Student Accounts Office at the beginning of each semester.
Work-Study
Federal Work-Study is on-campus, hourly employment, and funds are issued via payroll check each month from the USF Payroll Office. Qualification is based on results of the FAFSA. Priority in awarding work-study is given to students who file their FAFSA by January 1.
Family Education Right to Privacy Act (FERPA)
FERPA stands for the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. It is also referred to as the Buckley Amendment. FERPA is a federal law (20 U.S.C. section 1232g) that was passed by Congress in 1974 to protect the privacy of student education records. It also provides rights to access or amend those records.
Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy
Federal regulations require that students (undergraduate and graduate) maintain satisfactory academic progress toward the completion of a degree program in order to receive Title IV Federal financial aid.