Navigating Student Loans at UT San Antonio: A Comprehensive Guide

The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) is committed to making education accessible and affordable. This article provides a detailed overview of student loan options, financial aid, and important policies at UTSA to help students and their families navigate the process effectively.

UTSA's Commitment to Financial Aid

UTSA is dedicated to helping students achieve their educational goals by offering numerous payment options and financial aid opportunities. The university understands that financing higher education is a significant investment, and they strive to provide resources and support to ease the financial burden.

Federal Financial Aid and Potential Government Shutdowns

UTSA assures students that they do not anticipate any disruption or delay in the processing or disbursement of federal financial aid, including Pell Grants and student loans, even during a government shutdown. This provides peace of mind for students who rely on federal aid to finance their education.

Estimating Federal Student Aid Eligibility

Prospective students can utilize the Federal Student Aid Estimator to get an estimate of how much federal student aid they may be eligible to receive. This tool helps students plan and understand their potential financial aid package before applying to UTSA.

Reviewing and Accepting Financial Aid

Once students have been offered financial aid or scholarships, they can review their aid on their myUTSA Account. It's important to note that some financial aid may require additional steps after acceptance, so students should carefully review the requirements.

Read also: UTSA Student Population

Application of Financial Aid to Student Accounts

If a student has been awarded financial aid, the aid will automatically be applied to their account 10 days prior to the start of classes. This ensures that financial aid is available to cover tuition and fees in a timely manner.

Payment Options

UTSA offers several payment options to accommodate students' diverse financial situations:

Out-of-Pocket Payments: Students may pay their bills out-of-pocket via credit card or check through RowdyPay, which can be found on your myUTSA Account student portal.
Installment Payment Plan: The Installment Payment Plan is available for the Fall and Spring semesters. Please note that these do count as financial aid and you must disclose the amount that you plan to receive by submitting an External Resource Form for the appropriate aid year.

Texas Guaranteed Tuition Plan (TGTP)

Students who have invested in the Texas Guaranteed Tuition Plan (TGTP), formally known as the Texas Tomorrow Fund, can use this to pay for their tuition and fees through Fiscal Service’s Third Party Billing.

Cost of Attendance (COA) and Student Aid Index (SAI)

UTSA uses your UT San Antonio Cost of Attendance (COA) and your Student Aid Index (SAI) from your financial aid application to determine your aid offer. Your COA determines the maximum amount of financial aid you could receive, and your SAI determines the type of federal aid you are eligible for.

Understanding the Cost of Attendance (COA)

The Cost of Attendance (COA) represents an estimate of what UT San Antonio has determined to be the average expenses a student might incur while attending school each semester. Potential costs included in the COA are tuition and fees, books, housing and meals, transportation, and personal/miscellaneous expenses. The COA assigned to you will be based on full-time enrollment if you are an undergraduate student (15 hours in fall and 15 hours in spring) or part-time enrollment if you are a graduate student (4-8 hours in fall and 4-8 hours in spring).

Read also: Comprehensive UTSA Guide

How Housing Expenses Affect COA

Housing expenses are based on your answers to the student housing question on your admission application. If your living arrangement does not match what is reflected on your financial aid offers, you must confirm your housing status with UT San Antonio.

Federal Guidelines and COA Limits

Federal guidelines prohibit UTSA from offering you financial aid in excess of your COA. UTSA follows the federal methodology established by the Department of Education to determine need and eligibility for financial aid. UTSA is required to establish a COA for each student. They then subtract the Student Aid Index (SAI) derived from information provided on the FAFSA to determine the remaining financial need. Your estimated COA, resources, SAI, and remaining need are listed on your offer letter.

The Impact of Resources on Financial Aid Packages

Resources such as outside scholarships, exemptions, waivers, and employer reimbursements will affect your financial aid package. If any of these apply, please submit either the Outside Scholarship Notification Form or External Resource Form, so UTSA can revise your offer.

Enrollment Requirements for Financial Aid Eligibility

There are some minimum enrollment requirements that you’ll need to meet in order to qualify for financial aid. These requirements are mostly based on your cost of attendance and student classification. Undergraduate students are automatically offered aid based on a full-time budget (12 or more hours) and graduate students based on a part-time budget (4-8 hours). Various types of aid could have additional enrollment requirements such as grants, scholarships, and federal loans. If your actual enrollment does not match your cost of attendance on your offer letter, UTSA will reach out to you with next steps as they near the start of school otherwise your loans will not be disbursed. UTSA will automatically update your cost of attendance to match your enrollment after census.

Accessing the Financial Aid Portal

Students can accept and review requirements on the Financial Aid portal, which is accessed through your myUTSA Account.

Read also: Navigating UTSA Student Services

Factors Affecting Financial Aid Offers

Financial aid offers are determined using information from your FAFSA or TASFA. There are many factors that can change your financial aid offers. UT San Antonio reserves the right to modify, reduce, and/or cancel your offer due to any revisions you make to these financial aid applications, the verification of income process, laws that are amended or if funds are withdrawn or exhausted.

The Financial Aid "College Financing Plan"

The Financial Aid “College Financing Plan” is a consumer tool designed by the Department of Education to simplify the information that prospective students receive about costs and financial aid. It is meant to aid in making informed decisions about which postsecondary institution to attend. The College Financing Plan gives you a snapshot of your financial aid offers, which can then be compared to other institutions. Graduation rates include only first-time freshmen graduating in six years and do not include transfer students graduating from the University.

Understanding Gift Aid, Net Price, and Federal Student Loans

Gift Aid: Grants and Scholarships

Gift aid is money that does not have to be paid back (i.e., grants and scholarships). Grants are offered to you based on your Student Aid Index (SAI) as determined by FAFSA and funding availability. This amount can be adjusted based on any resources or exemptions you may receive.

Net Price: Out-of-Pocket Expenses

Net price gives you a realistic indicator of what you could potentially pay out of pocket after your gift aid (grants/scholarships) is applied.

Federal Student Loans: An Overview

Federal student loans are not based on credit and are guaranteed by the government. These loans will have to be repaid. Subsidized and Unsubsidized Direct Stafford loans are low-interest loans offered by the Department of Education to help cover educational expenses. You may accept your Stafford loan(s) online through your myUTSA Account.

Subsidized Loans: loans based on need and the interest that accrues while a student is enrolled at least half-time is paid by the federal government.

Disbursement of Financial Aid

Federal, state, and institutional aid is disbursed ten days before the start of the fall and spring semesters provided that all paperwork and requirements are complete. This is the earliest date, by law, that UT San Antonio can disburse aid. You may receive notifications that your bill is unpaid prior to the disbursement of your aid. All financial aid will be applied towards your tuition and fees first and will then be applied to any additional charges billed to you at UT San Antonio (e.g. housing, meal plan, parking permit). If your financial aid amount is in excess of your total UT San Antonio bill, the remaining amount will be issued to you as a refund.

Withdrawing from Classes and Financial Aid Implications

If you decide not to attend UT San Antonio and you have registered for classes, you will need to officially withdraw from those classes by withdrawing prior to the first day of class. International students and athletes must have prior approval from their respective offices before they can withdraw. If you do not officially withdraw, your classes may be held and financial aid will be credited to your account. If you officially withdraw, your financial aid will either be canceled or a calculation will be computed to determine how much of the unearned aid and will be returned to the original source which could result in a balance due to UT San Antonio. Please review additional information about withdrawing from the institution and how it can affect future aid. If you are registered at another institution and have not officially withdrawn from UT San Antonio courses and canceled your financial aid, the other institution will not be able to disburse your financial aid. Federal law prevents disbursement of financial aid at more than one institution within a term.

Situations Affecting SAI and Payment Ability

Certain situations, including the loss of employment and unexpected costs, can affect your SAI and the ability to pay.

Maintaining Eligibility for Financial Aid

The offering and disbursement of financial aid (federal, state, and institutional) is contingent on student’s maintaining eligibility to receive financial aid funds. To continue receiving student aid, you must submit a FAFSA or TASFA by the priority deadline each year and make Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). SAP means maintaining good grades and completing enough classes to stay on track to graduate within the timeframe expected by your school and within federal mandated timeframes. Some funds are renewable such as Texas Grant and the Distinguished Presidential Scholarship or Distinguished Transfer Scholarship.

Ethical Principles and Practices in Financial Aid

Employees within the financial aid office will not award aid to themselves or their immediate family members. If a preferred lender list is provided, it will be compiled without prejudice and for the sole benefit of the students attending the institution. The information included about lenders and loan terms will be transparent, complete, and accurate. The complete process through which preferred lenders are selected will be fully and publicly disclosed. We, financial aid professionals, declare our commitment to the following Statement of Ethical Principles. Educate students and families through quality information that is consumer-tested when possible. The president of each university (academic institution) in The University of Texas System will adopt guidelines implementing this policy.

Prohibited Practices

1.1.2 An employee of the institution will not, on the employee’s own behalf or on behalf of another person, directly or indirectly, solicit or accept any gift from or on behalf of a student loan lender.
1.2 Prohibition against revenue sharing with lender.
1.4 Prohibition against misleading identification of lender employees and representatives.
1.5 Prohibition against high-risk student loan agreements.
1.6 Prohibition against directing potential borrowers to certain electronic loan agreements. The institution will not direct in any manner a potential borrower who attends or has indicated an intent to attend the institution to an electronic master promissory note or other loan agreement that does not allow the borrower to enter the lender code or name for any student loan lender offering the relevant loan.
1.7 Disclosure of financing options required. The institution will make available to a borrower, a borrower’s parents, or a prospective borrower clear and conspicuous disclosure of information relating to available financing options under Title IV, Higher Education Act of 1965 (Pub. L. No.
1.8.3 The institution’s decision to include a student loan lender on a lender list and the institution’s decision regarding where on the lender list the student loan lender’s name appears must be determined solely by consideration of the best interests of the borrowers or prospective borrowers who may use the list, without regard to the pecuniary interests of the institution. Should the institution maintain a preferred lender list, unless the order of the lenders in the list is a rank order as determined by the process described in Section 1.8.2, the institution will periodically sort the list so entities on the list are shifted in their position.
1.8.5 Before including a student loan lender on a lender list, the institution will make a reasonable inquiry regarding whether the lender has an agreement to sell its loans to another unaffiliated lender.
1.9 Prohibition against stock ownership.

UT San Antonio Loan Forgiveness and Tuition Loan Programs

Clinical Teaching Education Loan Forgiveness Program

The UT San Antonio Clinical Teaching Education Loan Forgiveness Program was established to help student teachers with expenses during the extremely important semester of student teaching. All students approaching their student teaching semester are eligible to apply. Priority will be based on financial need and critical shortage field status. Students will be able to upload their completed application to the Clinical Professional Experiences rolling Blackboard by the deadline for the appropriate term.

Tuition and Fee Loan

The UT San Antonio Tuition and Fee Loan is not financial aid and does not result in money in pocket for student, nor pay the student bill. The tuition and fee loan is a way to delay payment if you cannot pay your tuition and fee bill by the payment deadline.

Eligibility Requirements

Be at least 18 years of age (or have a cosigner). If you are under the age of 18, you will be unable to submit an electronic signature for the promissory note and must submit it in person. Note: The application will not be available after the census date of the last module of the semester. Example: For Fall and Spring, the application will close at the census date of the Second 8-week term of the semester.
References for 3 separate individuals - at least 2 must live at a different address than you and a minimum of 2 references must live in the United States.

Application Process

This process will pull up the online tuition and fee loan application. You are welcome to request up to the amount of your tuition and fees or a smaller amount. The amount of any pending financial aid is taken into consideration. You may not exceed your tuition and fees. All applicants for the Tuition and Fee Loan agree that the transaction may be conducted electronically, including but not limited to using digital signatures, in accordance with 2054.060. TX GOVT. Once you submit your electronically signed Tuition and Fee Loan, your application is sent to be reviewed by Financial Aid and Scholarships. It takes one business day for us to review submitted applications. As such, tuition and fee loans will only be available up until the close of business on the day of the payment deadline. It is very important to not wait until the payment deadline to submit your electronically signed Tuition and Fee Loan. If there are no errors present in your application, then it will be reviewed and approved. At this point, you will see the Tuition and Fee Loan on your billing statement. Once approved, your application is valid and you will now be responsible for paying it back by the deadline. After you submit your application, a copy of your Master Promissory Note will be available for download.

Potential Application Errors

Errors in your application could cause us to decline your application. An example would be providing insufficient references. At that point, you would need to either resubmit your application for reconsideration or, if the deadline to submit has passed, make other payment arrangements for your tuition and fees to prevent your classes from dropping. It is very important to not wait until the payment deadline to submit your electronically signed Tuition and Fee Loan. Your promissory note will indicate the date the balance is due and how much interest will be charged. The interest rate assessed is 5% per year, prorated to 90 days. If not paid by the deadlines, then a $10 late fee will be assessed and interest will continue to accrue.

Disbursement Requirements

Students must meet minimum enrollment requirements as budgeted before aid will be disbursed. You must accept your financial aid offer on your myUTSA Account and have completed any outstanding requirements on your financial aid file before funds will be disbursed to your student account. This includes ensuring you have no financial aid holds. The earliest any funds will be disbursed to your student account is 10 days prior to the start of each fall and spring semester. Funds will not be disbursed to your account until you have accepted your offer and you have a complete financial aid file. Provided files are complete and there are no outstanding holds or requirements. Note: some funding cannot disburse 10 days prior.

Federal Direct Loans - Disbursement begins 10 days prior to the start of each semester. Entrance Counseling and a Master Promissory Note must be completed before disbursements will be issued for student loans.
College Access Loans (CAL) -will begin disbursement for the fall semester after September 1st.
Scholarships - automatic disbursement begins 10 days prior to the start of classes unless otherwise stipulated by the donor or department. Some outside agency scholarships disburse after Census Date (see Academic Calendar for the Census Date).
Stipends - Stipends will not disburse if the student does not meet the enrollment or GPA requirements completed on the NOA form. Graduate and Doctoral students are required to be enrolled in a minimum of 9 hours and have a 3.0 GPA. Undergraduate students are required to be enrolled in a minimum of 12 hours and have a 3.0 GPA. Departments will be contacted regarding students not meeting the enrollment and GPA requirements. If you have given prior authorization to release a stipend based on a certain GPA or enrollment (this criteria must be included on the Notice of Award form), we will release the stipend based on your instructions.

Additional Financial Aid Options

Federal Work-Study

Eligible students have the opportunity to earn college funds by working a part-time job on campus or in community service agencies.

Parent PLUS Loan

A credit-based loan parents can take out for undergraduate dependent students.

Alternative Loans

Educational loans that are available through private lending institutions.

Outside Scholarships

Any scholarships offered through scholarship organizations, foundations, and businesses outside of UT San Antonio.

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