Some of you simply cannot reach Rutgers and financial aid just won’t pick up, so we’re doing our best to answer your financial aid questions. If we can’t answer your question, we’ll take it directly to the financial aid office and answer you as soon as we can.

Nicole asked: I got a scholarship from my high school and it said it will be sent to Rutgers. How does that money get taken off of my tuition?
There are two ways, either they will mail you a check or send it right to Rutgers. Check https://www.acs.rutgers.edu/faaward, sign in and check to see if it has been applied. If it has not, contact your high school and find out what the situation is.

Amelia asked: I just paid my term bill 2 days ago, wondering if that’s settled? how do i know what else i need to do with that? Also, i applied for a loan but its still pending, should i call for an extension? if so, which number?
Go to https://finservices.rutgers.edu/otb/ sign in and check if you have a balance remaining. If you do, we suggest calling and finding out what the problem is. It matters on what type of loan.

Lisa asked: Hello, I received the first term bill via my son’s email. I how do I apply any of the grant money/financial aid toward this and future invoices. Also, I have received correspondence from “Higher Education Student Assistant Authority” in Trenton. They are requesting the amount of earned income tax credit in the year 2010 plus copies of the tax return. Is this a third party operation or are they legitimately tied in to Rutgers Financial Aid? They have Rutgers University mentioned on the letter. I don’t want to fill out unnecessary paperwork. It seems this would be redundant since we’ve already been approved. Thank you. Lisa
Go onto http://studentaid.rutgers.edu/ and check if you have any required documents left and how much grant money your son has received. Then go on to https://finservices.rutgers.edu/otb/ and log in to check to see if the grants have applied onto the accounts. If not, call and find out what went wrong.

YES, we can not stress the importance of sending your information to HESSA ASAP. They apply all loans and state grants. The amount they give you on the financial aid site is just an estimate. They have to review your information just to be sure. It very important that you do this ASAP or else they will take away the grants.

James asked: Hey. I received a letter in the mail that said I was eligible for a NJ tuition aid grant, and it gave me an estimate of how much I would get. That was over a month ago. However, when I check my award status for financial aid and my term bill, it doesn’t show any type of financial aid. I have no idea if I received any type of financial aid. Will I get any financial aid, or will I just not receive anything? Please let me know because I must pay my term bill by this tuesday. Thank you.
Log in to https://www.acs.rutgers.edu/fastatus and check to see if you have any paperwork to hand in. Also check to see if you got anything by HESSA in the mail. They take care of your grant and if they asked for any paperwork send it to them ASAP.

been asked: If I already filled out the Master Promisory Note thing online, do I still have to fill out the papers mailed to me and send those in too?
Yes and be sure to send in your papers ASAP.

steven asked: Can financial aid be applied to off-campus housing? If so, how? I thank you ahead of time; I’ve called the financial office at least 10 times and failed to contact a representative each time.
Good news and bad news, It does apply to off-campus housing, but you have to go in and talk to them. They will need your name on the lease and a couple of other things.

mkim asked: Does financial aid cover housing, food and study abroad programs or if you wanna take summer classes?
Financial aid covers housing, meal plans, and summer classes (partially, only if you take 6 or more credits). Financial aid covers Study abroad as well, but that is something you will have to go over with your study abroad council and the financial aid department.

askash asked: hey thanks for doing this I’ve been bugging out the whole day haha. Okay my question is….I was a complete idiot and did not understand that the letter I got in the mail like a month ago for financial aid was just an estimate and not the legit amount. I sent them the required documents they were asking for in the e-mail I got several times. So I continued to not see any financial aid in my term bill and started doing some research and realized that I was a complete idiot and never sent them my parents 2010 income tax return. Now this is basically only a few days before the term bill is due and I have no idea what to do. I called the office but no one picked up of course. I was just going to go Monday morning and drop off the tax return in New Brunswick. So basically is there anything I can do to get the financial aid before the term bill is due. And I don’t mind paying the late fee if I have to wait for it still. Sorry for the long question but please help me! Thanks!!
Make sure it is Rutgers asking for the documents and not HESSA. If it’s Rutgers go hand it in monday, if it is HESSA, overnight mail it to them. It looks slim and if you do take the $50 late fee, it’s up to you, but it is better then paying in full now.

mandy asked: I received a non-Rutgers scholarship and completed all the necessary paperwork, but it hasn’t been deducted from my term bill. Should I just pay the bill now before the deadline, or should I try to call the Office of Financial Aid? Thanks!
Call whoever got you the scholarship from and make sure they gave the necessary information to Rutgers. Calling Financial Aid can’t hurt, just have something to do while you’re on hold.

kimberly asked: If you received more financial aid after you paid for your term bill, will you receive a refund for the extra money that you paid?
Yes, you have to go to the Student accounting office and pick up a check. You will receive a notice in your e-mail stating that you have a refund waiting for you. Be sure to bring your RUID with you or you’ll waste a lot of time in line.

kevin asked: Will my financial aid be out before the term bill due date?
Go to http://studentaid.rutgers.edu/ and make sure you have all the paperwork handed in and you can see the aid. If you can and it still isn’t applied on https://finservices.rutgers.edu/otb/ you have to go to new brunswick.

Additional questions? Visit the Rutgers financial aid FAQ or leave it for us here. Meanwhile, keep calling, maybe you’ll get lucky and land a representative on the line.