A student may contact their financial aid counselor by mail, by email, by phone or in person. Financial aid counselors are located in Gibson Hall, Suite 130, on Tulane's uptown campus. Standard counseling hours for undergraduate students and students pursuing a masters or doctoral degree are Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 9 a.m. to 12 noon as well as Monday - Friday 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Tuesday mornings are generally reserved for counselor training and processing, but counseling hours are sometimes expanded (the first week of classes for the fall and spring semesters, for example), and sometimes reduced (during heavy spring processing periods and certain special events, for example). Exceptional counseling hour are generally posted in advance on the financial aid office home page.
Federal financial aid is available to students who have not exceeded maximum aggregate loan limits, are not in default on a loan or owe a repayment on a grant, are enrolled in a degree or certificate program, have registered with Selective Service (if male), are a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen, and are meeting satisfactory academic progress guidelines as outlined by the Satisfactory Academic Progress policy. Institutional aid is either awarded as a merit scholarship to an incoming freshman or transfer student by the admission office based on the strength of the admission application in light of the year's applicant pool and/or is determined by financial need and merit based on information provided on the CSS Profile and FAFSA application completed each year (that is, a Profile application and a FAFSA application must be completed for each year the student wishes to be considered for institutional need-based scholarship aid). Only undergraduates enrolled in a regular full time division are eligible for institutional need-based scholarships based on Profile application.
If you are applying for federal aid, you need to submit a FAFSA (www.fafsa.ed.gov) each year, meaning that a FAFSA application must be completed for each year the student wishes to be considered for federal aid. If the U.S. Department of Education selects your FAFSA for verification, then additional documents must be submitted to the Tulane University Financial Aid Office. Based on U.S. Department of Education definitions, dependent students selected for verification must submit a dependent student verification worksheet, and parental and student copies of IRS tax transcripts for the specified calendar year; and independent students selected for verification must submit an independent verification worksheet and student (and spouse if applicable) US tax transcripts for the specified calendar year. Often students may also need to provide documentation related to social security number confirmation; citizenship status; and status of any prior default or overpayment of federal student aid funds. Full-time undergraduates (excluding SoPA students) seeking Tulane need-based scholarship consideration must also complete a CSS Profile application (www.collegeboard.com), and submit complete signed copies of parental federal income tax returns (including all schedules and W2 forms). Parents and students with businesses may be required to submit a business/farm supplement form and all federal tax returns associated with the business. If a student’s parents are divorced or separated, a CSS Profile application from the non-custodial parent is required. Your Tulane financial aid counselor may request additional information as determined to be necessary. WE RECOMMEND THAT YOU CONTINUALLY REVIEW YOUR “TO DO” LIST ON THE TULANE GIBSON PORTAL TO IDENTIFY ANY REMAINING ITEMS THAT YOU NEED TO COMPLETE.
New borrowers (defined as someone who has not borrowed in the past 10 years) of Federal Direct Loans should complete the required Master Promissory Note or MPN (and complete required “loan entrance counseling”) prior to the start of the academic year to allow for the timely disbursement of their scheduled loan funds. There is a MPN for the subsidized/unsubsidized Direct Loan and a separate MPN for the graduate or parent PLUS Direct Loan. Each MPN is completed online via www.studentloans.gov (where the The aforementioned “entrance counseling” is also available).
First and foremost, review your financial aid award via the Tulane Gibson portal so that you fully understand what aid you’re receiving for the academic year. Tulane merit scholarships will only be posted if you have accepted the award AND the terms and conditions of your scholarship via Gibson (note: this step is unnecessary for merit scholarship renewals). Full-time undergraduates (non-SoPA) awarded Tulane Scholarship (need-based) must always accept their respective awards each year via Gibson. Outside scholarships will disburse as determined by the scholarship provider, often occurring after a semester starts. Federal Direct Loans only credit when a student is meeting all eligibility criteria, and or new borrowers this means that the necessary master promissory note (MPN) and loan entrance counseling are complete. WE RECOMMEND THAT YOU CONTINUALLY REVIEW YOUR “TO DO” LIST ON THE TULANE GIBSON PORTAL TO IDENTIFY ANY REMAINING ITEMS THAT YOU NEED TO COMPLETE, AS OFTEN MISSING ITEMS MAY PREVENT THE DISBURSMENT OF AID. Federal Work Study (FWS) funds never appear on your Tulane billing statement because there is no “disbursement”, instead earnings are deposited into a student’s established bank account every two weeks, with the amount based on actual hours worked. For Louisiana student residents receiving a Louisiana TOPS scholarship, generally the State of Louisiana does not release funds until the second month of each semester.
You can request a refund electronically by going to http://studentaccounts.tulane.edu
Generally, tuition is for the fall semester is billed by July 15th, and payment in full is expected within 30 days (by August 15th). Tuition for the spring semester is billed by December 15th, and payment in full is expected by January 15th. For more information and details, visit the Tulane Accounts Receivable Office website: https://studentaccounts.tulane.edu/.
The Federal Work Study (FWS) Program is a need-based federal student aid program that offers employment opportunities to eligible undergraduate and graduate students. An award of FWS does NOT guarantee employment, as an awarded student is responsible for securing qualifying employment. Students offered FWS may obtain a position through www.collegecentral.com/tulane or consultation with the Tulane student Employment Office (e-mail SEHR@Tulane.edu). Opportunities for off-campus work-study are available, please visit https://hr.tulane.edu/student-employment/home for more information.
Students working FWS positions typically use their earnings to cover incidental and/or miscellaneous living expenses (meaning that FWS students often do not use FWS earnings towards tuition, room, or board costs). All work-study student are paid hourly; net earnings are electronically deposited on a biweekly basis (based on their actual hours worked) into the student’s chosen bank account (NOT into the student’s Tulane Account Receivable student account). Students are encouraged to work no more than 20 hours per week, across all student positions. Students may not work during schedules class time. Work schedules are arranged between the student and his/her supervisor and vary based off of business needs. Hourly pay rates are set at the departmental level but must abode by federal minimum wage policies. Students must notify their employers if they will be absent from work or must resign from a job. Students should report any employment problems to the Student Employment Office at (504) 247-1700. A student may be dismissed because of unsatisfactory job performance.
No, students who earn through federal work-study will be receiving paychecks directly. It is up to the student to deposit those funds to their accounts receivable account.
Because your enrollment status may affect your financial aid award, please make sure to consult your academic advisor and your financial aid counselor before deciding to drop and/or withdraw from courses.
ROTC will notify our office regarding those students who are eligible and adjustments to financial aid already awarded will occur. Revised award letters will be emailed. The Accounts Receivable office will post these credits to your student bill upon receipt of eligibility from ROTC. This information is usually sent to financial aid and accounts receivable after the first week of class.
View the Tulane student Federal Direct Loan processing steps.
