Student Affairs

Financial Aid Letter - June 2008


Dear Entering Law Student:

I am looking forward to meeting you in August during the “Introduction to Law School and the Profession” program.  I want to be sure you are aware that a Financial Aid Workshop will be held during the orientation.  Refer to the orientation schedule for day and time. The Financial Aid Workshop will encompass the financial aid process at the University of Florida, including details concerning disbursement of federal loans.  I urge you to attend this workshop to learn how to receive your loans in a timely manner. 

The majority of our law students receive some type of financial aid to help finance their education.  Federal loans constitute the bulk of the aid for most of our students.  The University of Florida participates in the Federal Direct Student Loan Program. Therefore, all federal loans will be processed through the University of Florida, eliminating the need for a private lending institution.  We will begin processing Federal Direct Stafford Loans during the month of July.  You should receive an electronic award letter (email) by the end of July.  If you do not receive an award letter by the end of July, please contact me, so I can look into the situation.

Once your Federal Direct Stafford Loans are processed, the required steps for disbursement should be completed to ensure that your funds are disbursed at the beginning of the appropriate term.  Loan funds are usually disbursed by the end of the second week of classes each semester.


REQUIRED STEPS FOR DISBURSEMENT OF LOANS

  1. 1. First-time Borrower Entrance Counseling-First-time Federal Direct Loan borrowers must complete entrance counseling by going to Financial Services, Entrance Counseling Direct Loan on ISIS (www.isis.ufl.edu.)
  2. 2. Direct Loan Acceptance-Federal Direct Stafford Loan borrowers must accept each term’s award before their funds for that term can be released. Acceptance is done on the “Awards and Disbursements” page under Financial Aid on ISIS. Students may also reduce or cancel their Federal Direct Stafford Loans on this page.
  3. 3. Master Promissory Note-Previous Federal Direct Stafford Loan borrowers should already have a Master Promissory Note (MPN) on file. New borrowers who do not have an MPN on file must go to the Federal Direct Loan Master Promissory Note website (www.dlenote.ed.gov) to complete one.

To apply for the Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan you must complete a Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan Request Form.  The form can be found at www.sfa.ufl.edu/pub/forms.html. The PLUS Loan Master Promissory Note may be completed by the borrower at the Federal Direct Loan Master Promissory Note website at www.dlenote.ed.gov.   The First-time Borrower Entrance Counseling for the Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan needs to be completed on ISIS, after the loan has been processed.

I STRONGLY recommend DIRECT DEPOSIT, which is a service offered by the University of Florida.  To activate Direct Deposit of financial aid funds, log onto the ISIS website and choose Financial Services, then EFT Sign Up.  Follow the instructions outlined on the site.

Entering students will been enrolled in a total of 30 hours during their first year (16 hours Fall, 14 hours Spring.) The 2008-2009 semester credit hour fee for entering students is $411.30 (30 hours=$12,339) for Florida residents and $1,056.79 (30 hours=$31,703.70) for non-residents, as defined in the University of Florida undergraduate Catalog.  Though expenses can vary, UF law students can anticipate 2008-2009 expenses in addition to tuition of about $13,745:

Fall/Spring
Books/Supplies$960
Clothing/Maintenance$730
Computer (required)$1,100
Entering Student Orientation Fee$125
Food$2,520
Personal/Insurance$1,640
Room$6,190
Transportation$480
$13,745

**If you have any questions concerning Florida Residency requirements you need to contact the UF Registrar’s Office at (352) 392-1374.      
           
General financial aid questions can be directed to my email address at: chuber@ufl.edu.

See you in August!

Sincerely,

Carol Huber
Financial Aid Coordinator
Levin College of Law
(352) 273-0620

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