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The Step by Step Guide to Your Financial Aid Award Letter

(Click here for a printable PDF version of the Step by Step Guide to Your Financial Aid Award Letter)

• STEP 1: Understanding Your Award Letter
• STEP 2: Figuring Out Your Costs
• STEP 3: Accepting Your Financial Aid Award
• STEP 4: Electronic Master Promissory Note (eMPN) and Entrance Counseling
• STEP 5: Alternative Funding
• STEP 6: Payment Options
• STEP 7: Refunds

STEP 1: Understanding Your Award Letter

Your financial aid award letter identifies the aid available to you based on your qualifications, including grants, loans, scholarships and assistantships. Learn more about financial aid sources.

STEP 2: Figuring Out Your Costs

Undergraduate Costs at UB

Below are the 2008-2009 projected costs for UB undergraduate students. The worksheet will help compare your costs with your financial aid package. Use the sample worksheet as a guide.

The University at Buffalo does not directly bill for some expenses associated with attending college. However, your financial aid budget includes direct expenses that are billed to your student account as well as indirect expenses such as books and supplies. Your financial aid budget is then used as a measure of the total anticipated expenses for the academic year.

The financial aid budget is based on full time attendance and is subject to adjustments as costs change. UB retains the right to adjust any award based on actual or change in enrollment, academic performance, FAFSA verification, or notification of financial aid resources.

Projected 2008-2009 Academic Year Costs

¹ If you elect to live off campus, you will not be billed for these charges. However, they are still included as allowances in your financial aid budget.
² If you elect to live at home with your parents, you will not receive this allowance in your financial aid budget.

For graduate and professional students, please refer to the estimated cost of attendance page for your respective academic year financial aid budgets.

Worksheet

* See Step 5 for information on Alternative Funding

STEP 3: Accepting Your Financial Aid Award

To accept your Financial Aid awards, contact BIRD, the University's automated touchtone system, at (716) 645-7800. The following instructions will guide you successfully through the process.

NOTE: All new students have until May 1 to accept their admission offer and financial aid awards.

1. Dial (716) 645-7800 and press number 3 to select Financial Aid. Press number 1 to find out your status.
2. When prompted, you may choose to enter either your nine digit social security number or your eight digit person number followed by the # key.
3. You will then be required to enter your Personal Identification Number (PIN).
4. If this is the first time you are accessing the BIRD system, your initial PIN will be the 2-digit month and the 2-digit day of your birth date. For example, if your birth date is January 1, you would enter 0101 as your PIN. Immediately after entering this PIN, you will be required to enter your new PIN. Your new PIN can be any combination of numbers you want EXCEPT your initial PIN. The system will prompt you to verify the new PIN again. Please make sure your new PIN is a number that is easy for you to remember, as you will use this PIN each time you access BIRD.
5. Upon completion of your PIN verification, you will hear your financial aid award information.
6. BIRD will prompt you to identify your next request in this session.
7. From this point, the system will guide you through the necessary steps needed to accept or decline your awards.
8. Select Option 1 to listen to a list of all financial aid awards*
9. Select Option 2 to listen to a list of financial aid awards that you may accept.

*Please note all financial aid grants such as EOP, PELL, SEOG, and institutional scholarships have been accepted on your behalf. Therefore, you will not be able to access these awards. Also note that the TAP estimate listed on your award letter is only an estimate; it is your responsibility to submit a TAP application to New York State Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC). You will not be able to accept your TAP estimate using BIRD.

Tips for Using BIRD

• A busy "signal" means BIRD is operating. Please call back.
• If there is no answer, BIRD is not operating. Normal hours are daily from 7:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m. BIRD does not operate on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day.
• In the event you forget your PIN, the BIRD help line is available Monday - Friday from 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., and can be reached at (716) 645-2450.
• Use the same selected PIN throughout the entire BIRD system.

STEP 4: Electronic Master Promissory Note (eMPN) and Entrance Counseling

If you have accepted a student loan on BIRD, you must complete a Direct Loan Electronic Master Promissory Note (eMPN) and Entrance Counseling.

1. The Electronic Master Promissory Note (eMPN):

To complete the eMPN, go to the Electronic Master Promissory Note Web page. You will need your Department of Education Federal PIN Number in order to complete the eMPN. Technical assistance is available on the Web site.

2. Entrance Counseling

Federal regulations require first-time student loan borrowers to complete Entrance Counseling, including students transferring to UB.

STEP 5: Additional Funding

Step 2 of this guide explains the difference between Direct and Indirect expenses to help you figure out your costs. Although you can borrow up to the Total Cost of Attendance (Direct and Indirect), you may wish to cover only the Direct costs and pay the Indirect costs out of pocket. In this case, when you are completing the worksheet, skip over those indirect costs. This will reduce the amount that you will be borrowing through alternative funding source, if necessary. Following are two alternative funding programs.

1. Federal Direct Parent Loans (PLUS)

To request a Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loan, the Parent Data Form must be completed. The parent borrower must pass a credit check to receive parent loans. Once this form is completed, it should be returned to Student Academic Records & Financial Services at 232 Capen Hall, Buffalo NY 14260, or it can be faxed to: (716) 645-7760.

The parent listed on the Parent Data Form must complete an Electronic Promissory Note (eMPN). In order to complete this item, the parent will need a Department of Education Federal PIN Number which can be obtained at the eMPN site. Once on this site, scroll down and click on "Complete New MPN for Parent PLUS Loans."

A paper PLUS MPN will be printed only on request.

After the credit check has been approved and the MPN is completed, the Parent Loan will be disbursed to the student's account following federal disbursement guidelines. This will be reflected on the next scheduled billing.

2. Alternative Loans

An Alternative Loan is a non-federal loan from an outside source such as a bank or other lending institution. Alternative loans are not meant to replace the Federal Direct Student Loan Program in which the University at Buffalo participates, but rather serve as an additional source of funding.

Many students rely on alternative loans when they reach the loan limits under the Federal Direct Student Loan Program or when they are not eligible for funds for various reasons. Alternative loans are available to virtually all registered students, whether they are part-time or full-time, matriculated or non-matriculated. Loans are also available to our Canadian and our international students. There are alternative loans available to almost all students regardless of status. In most cases, either the student or the co-borrower will have to pass a credit check in order to receive the loan.

STEP 6: Payment Options:

1: e-Pay

Pay your bill and access your account balance online by visiting e-Pay. The University at Buffalo accepts credit card payments from Visa, MasterCard and Discover. You will need your UBit name and password to access your balance.

2. UB Time Payment Plan (UBTP)

The University at Buffalo offers a time payment plan which is an alternative to paying the account in full at the beginning of the semester. The UBTP plan consists of 4 installment due dates that coincide with regular account billing dates. It is available for both the Fall and Spring semesters and has an application fee of $22.50 per semester. The UBTP plan is not a loan program and is an interest-free program. Students must reapply at the beginning of each academic year.

• Sign up early to ensure timely processing and avoid late payment fees.
• When you apply for the UBTP plan, the application fee will be assessed to your next account statement.
• If you enroll in the plan after the first statement is received, you must pay 50% of the account by the first due date. A revised bill will not be mailed due to adjustments for UBTP or for financial aid. You may contact the Student Response Center at (716) 645-2450 to inquire about revisions to your account between scheduled billings.
• There is no grace period. Failure to pay the amount billed by the due date will result in a late payment fee. All delinquent accounts are subject to a Bursar checkstop.

STEP 7: Refunds

For more information on financial aid refunds, and the approximate time your refund will be disbursed, view the Disbursement Chart. You may elect to have financial aid refunds deposited directly into your bank account. Complete the Direct Deposit Authorization Form and submit it Student Academic Records & Financial Services at least three weeks prior to disbursement of your financial aid award.

Other Important Contacts:

• FAFSA Processor
• 1-800-433-3243
• www.fafsa.ed.gov

• NYS Higher Education Services Corp. (TAP)
• 1-888-697-4372
• www.hesc.com

• Direct Loan Service Center
• 1-800-848-0979
• www.dlssonline.com