Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships

Parent's Corner

Welcome Parents

At Langston University, the majority of financial aid information is communicated directly with our students mostly by electronic means to their University assigned email account. We encourage you to work closely with your young adult to assist them in managing their responsibilities as a Financial Aid recipient.

We know parents are very involved with their young adult’s higher education—particularly when it comes to finances. This section of the Office of Student Financial Aid webpage is dedicated to keeping parents informed of the policies and procedures affecting the student.

We encourage you to visit other tabs of the financial aid segments of this website that may provide you more indebt information such as our “Frequently Asked Questions” and Financial Aid Glossary.

Communication

The Office of Student Financial Aid makes every effort to keep financial aid recipients informed of policies and procedures. Almost all financial aid information (including notices about award letters, verification, and revisions to aid packages) is communicated to students via their Langston University e-mail account.   Therefore, it is very important for your student to check their university email regularly.

Accessing Student Information

Once the student becomes a college student their record is private, therefore we encourage parents to have their young adult complete the FERPA form with the registrar’s office granting permission to access their school information. Without this document on file the Office of Financial Aid will be unable to discuss the contents of the financial aid file, even though it was parental information used to apply for aid.

Completing the FAFSA – Parents

Each year, students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA serves as the application for all federal, state, and institutional financial aid at Langston University. Langston University does not have an institutional application for aid; however, enrolled students must apply separately for scholarships.

The FAFSA becomes available January 1. Apply as soon after January 1 as possible each year; do not wait to be admitted before applying for aid. Langston University’s first priority deadline for processed FAFSA results is March 1. We recommend you file the FAFSA no later than March 1, to ensure the results reach us by the first priority deadline.

Processing Time

Processing time for the FAFSA online takes two to four weeks. Processing time for the paper form can take up to six weeks.

Completing the FAFSA online is strongly encouraged. However, if you prefer to file a paper FAFSA, you can obtain a copy by calling the U.S. Department of Education at 800-4FED-AID (800-433-3243).

Important Dates

October 1: FAFSA becomes available. Complete as soon as possible after this date.

November 15: Recommended FAFSA completion date.

December 1: Langston University’s first-priority deadline. Langston University has a first-priority deadline to be considered for the most possible aid. This is the date by which we need the processed results of your FAFSA. If the application is received by this date the student should receive an Aid Notification or Request for additional information before the spring semester ends.

Early March: The Office of Financial Aid will begin the packaging process.

Mid-April: The Office of Financial Aid will begin emailing aid notices.

School Code: When Completing the FAFSA:

You will need to list a Federal School Code. Langston University’s School Code is 003157

Common FAFSA Questions

Definition of Parent: When filing the FAFSA, the parent is defined as the biological or adoptive parent(s) of the student. A legal guardian, grandparent, or foster parent is not considered a parent unless they have legally adopted the student. If the student’s parents are divorced or separated, the data on the FAFSA should be for the parent the student lived with the majority of the past 12 months. If that parent is remarried, the data must include the step-parent’s information.

Parental Income: If you are the parent/step-parent of a dependent student (as defined above), the FAFSA requires your tax/income/asset information as well as your student’s

Taxable income: If you have not yet filed your taxes, you can use estimated income information rather than a completed tax return. Once you file your tax return, you should use the IRS retrieval system to update your FAFSA. If we are requesting copies of tax data it must be an official copy of the IRS Tax Return Transcript which can be secured through the IRS Website online or you can call 1-800-829-1040 or 1-800-908-9946.

Change of Income: After you file the FAFSA, your family’s income may change based on unemployment, retirement, divorce, or death. Additionally, your nontaxable income may change due to the termination of social security benefits or child support. Changes in income merit additional review by the Office of Financial Aid and may mean possible changes in a student’s financial aid eligibility.

Verification: Some students will have their FAFSAs selected for a process called verification. This means that the Office of Financial Aid must determine the accuracy of the data reported on your student’s FAFSA.

If your student’s FAFSA is selected for verification by the Office of Financial Aid at Langston University, we will notify your student and explain exactly what documents and information we need from your student and your family in order to complete verification. All requested verification documents should be in our office 2 weeks before the end of the semester.

Cost of Attendance

The cost of attendance refers to the total estimated cost of attending Langston University. Also known as the budget, the cost of attendance includes tuition and fees, room, board, transportation, books, and miscellaneous expenses.

There are different budgets for different categories of students (i.e. Oklahoma resident or non-Oklahoma resident, full-time or part-time, etc.). Budgets can be adjusted for additional educational expenses with appropriate documentation. Some of these additional expenses may include special course fees, computer purchase, other course fees or costs associated with studying abroad.

Disbursement

It is important to understand how your student receives financial aid. All financial aid is applied to the Student’s Account at LU for the appropriate semester. If the student’s aid exceeds the charges owed to LU, a credit balance is created and a refund is generated. If the student has signed up for direct deposit, the refund will be direct deposited into the student’s bank account.

If the refund is the result of a Federal Direct Parent PLUS being applied to the student’s account, and the parent has indicated on the PLUS application that excess funds are to be sent to them, the PLUS refund will be mailed to parent borrower’s address listed on the W- 9 which is to be completed by the parent.

Expected Family Contribution (EFC)

The information a student and the student’s family submit on the FAFSA is entered into a federally-mandated formula called the Federal Methodology. The Expected Family Contribution (EFC) is a number determined by the FAFSA federal processor that is used as an index by schools to determine a student’s financial aid eligibility. It does not represent the actual dollar amount that a student and the student’s family are expected to contribute toward a student’s educational expenses. The student and family will have to contribute or borrow the difference between the cost of going to school and the aid the student receives.

It is important to realize that your EFC is merely a needs analysis calculation. Langston University cannot guarantee your full financial need will be met, however our packaging philosophy is to try and meet 100% of the need using all resources available.  A Federal Direct PLUS or an alternative loan are two ways to help bridge any financial aid gap.

Federal Student Loans

Virtually all students who complete the FAFSA will be awarded a Federal Direct Loan (Subsidized or Unsubsidized). If it is your student’s first Federal Direct Loan, he/she is required to complete a Master Promissory Note (MPN) and Entrance Counseling to receive the loan funds. Entrance Counseling is a short tutorial designed to educate your student about student loans (interest rates, repayment options, rights and responsibilities, etc.). All first-time Federal Direct Student Loan Borrowers need to complete Entrance Counseling on the web. If your student is a first-time borrower and does not complete the MPN and Entrance Counseling, loan funds will not disburse to your student’s account.

If your student previously received Federal Direct Student Loans, he/she needs to accept the loans online and complete loan counseling annually.  Loan funds will not disburse to student accounts until they are confirmed. Loans can be accepted, declined or reduced by the student through their online student access.

Your student may complete the MPN and Entrance Counseling by logging on to www.studentloans.gov

The Federal Direct Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students (PLUS) is a loan for the natural parent or adoptive parent to help cover his/her dependent undergraduate student’s educational expenses. A stepparent may be eligible to borrow if their income and assets were reported on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Parents must pass a credit check to be eligible for a PLUS loan, i.e. not have an adverse credit history.  Adverse credit history is defined as:

  1. A current 180-day delinquency;
  2. Debt discharged in bankruptcy during the past five years; orEvidence of a default, foreclosure, tax lien, repossession, wage garnishment, or write-off of a Title IV debt during the past five years.
  3. Although repayment on a Parent PLUS loan begins 60 days after the final disbursement of the current loan, repayment can be deferred until six months after the student graduates or is no longer enrolled. The repayment period varies depending upon your choice of repayment plans.
  4. Log into www.studentaid.gov
  5. Enter parent information to login.
    Note the FSA ID (formerly PIN number) is the FSA ID used to sign the FAFSA for your student, if you are not sure you have the right number log in at www.pin.ed.gov
  6. Click on “Request a Direct PLUS Loan” then scroll to the bottom & choose Parent Plus
  7. Fill out required information on the application

Once you are finished you will know the credit decision immediately.  If your application is APPROVED, there is a link that allows you to complete the Parent PLUS Master Promissory Note (MPN).  This is required for all approved PLUS loans.  (If the loan is not approved, the school will be notified and we may be able to offer the student additional loan funds.)

NOTE:  In order to consider the MPN complete, you must click the last submit (after you have viewed the MPN in the HTML format).  Ensure the MPN is signed properly.  When done your screen will tell you that you have “successfully completed the MPN”.

As the holder of the loan you have the option for the remaining balance (once applied to the students’ account) to be sent to you or to the student.  This choice is made while completing the application.  If you decided to have the balance sent to you (the Parent); you will need to complete a W-9 form along with your notarized Parent Authorization form, which will be provided to you once we receive your application approval notice.

Federal law prohibits students from completing the PLUS application it must be completed by a natural or adoptive parent!!!

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Procedure – Parents

All financial aid recipients at Langston University are required by federal regulations to maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). Please note the guidelines for SAP are defined by the Office of Student Financial Aid and may differ from the University’s definition of good academic standing. Students who fail to make Satisfactory Academic Progress will be ineligible for most forms of student aid.

Scholarships

Scholarships may recognize the exceptional academic or creative abilities of students. Students who accept or who are awarded scholarships must abide by any applicable university, federal, and/or state regulations.

All freshmen admitted Students are automatically considered for possible Langston University scholarships as part of the Admission’s process.

ALL CURRENTLY ENROLLED STUDENTS, INCLUDING STUDENTS WHO ARE FRESHMEN DURING THE CURRENT ACADEMIC YEAR, MUST COMPLETE THE LU ONLINE SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION TO BE CONSIDERED FOR SCHOLARSHIPS FOR THE NEXT ACADEMIC YEAR. THE APPLICATION DEADLINE IS GENERALLY AROUND THE FIRST OF MARCH.  THE APPLICATION CAN BE ACCESSED THROUGH THE SCHOLARSHIP PAGE OF THE WEBSITE.