ACCEPTING AND DECLINING FINANCIAL AID

Accepting and Declining Financial Aid

Your Financial Aid Notification gives you options. You are not required to accept everything offered, and you do not have to make all-or-nothing decisions. You can accept your full award, accept only part of it, or decline specific types of aid entirely. This page walks you through exactly how to do that for each type of aid, what happens after you accept, and what to do if you change your mind. Take your time reviewing your package and reach out if you have questions before making decisions, especially about loans.  Your aid will not be processed until you complete your award acceptance in the Student Gateway.

How to Accept or Decline Your Aid

All aid acceptance and adjustment actions are completed through the Student Gateway. Log in and navigate to the Financial Aid section to review your award and take action on each component.

A few important reminders before you begin:

• Review your award letter carefully. It outlines the types and amounts of aid available, renewal requirements, and next steps.
• You are never required to accept the full amount of any aid offered. Accepting less, particularly for loans, means less to repay after graduation.
• Financial aid programs are designed to cover educational expenses such as tuition, fees, housing, meals, and other school-related costs. They are not intended to maintain a lifestyle or fund non-educational debts.
• After assessing how much aid is needed, you can indicate the amount you want to accept, adjust to your desired amount, or decline the aid listed on your award letter.
• Both accepting and declining aid require you to take deliberate action. Aid will not automatically apply or be removed without your response.
• Some types of aid require additional steps after acceptance before funds can be disbursed. Review each section below carefully so you know what to expect.
• Pay attention to any deadlines indicated in your notification. Aid that is not acted on by the deadline may not be available for that term.

Reducing or Canceling Your Loan After Acceptance

If you accept a loan and later decide you borrowed more than you need, you can request to reduce or cancel your loan before it is disbursed, or shortly after. Contact the Financial Aid Office promptly. Once funds are disbursed and applied to your account, returning them becomes more complicated and may require you to repay a portion.

Log In to Student Gateway

Federal Work-Study

You can accept or decline your full Federal Work-Study (FWS) award directly in the Student Gateway.

If you would like to accept a reduced amount rather than the full award, you can indicate your preferred amount for the year in the Student Gateway as well.

Once you’ve accepted Work-Study, your next step is finding a position. Your award is not automatically earned; it is a maximum amount you are eligible to earn through part-time employment. Funds are paid to you via paycheck as you work and are not applied to your student account. Visit the Federal Work-Study page for details on finding a position and managing your award.

Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan

You can accept, decline, or reduce your Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan in the Student Gateway. We encourage you to think carefully about how much you need before accepting. You can always accept a reduced amount and request more later if your circumstances change but borrowing less from the start reduces your total repayment obligation.

Important: Once you have accepted your loan in the Student Gateway, you cannot make further changes online. If you need to adjust your loan after accepting it, contact our financial aid office directly.

Your loan will not be disbursed until you complete all required steps. After accepting your loan, you must complete the following at studentaid.gov:

• Master Promissory Note (MPN) — your legal agreement to repay the loan, along with accrued interest and fees. Required for all first-time federal loan borrowers.
• Entrance Counseling — a required online session that explains your rights and responsibilities as a borrower. Takes approximately 30 minutes and is required only once per institution.

Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan

Important update as of July 1, 2026: Graduate PLUS Loans are no longer available to new borrowers under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). If you are a continuing student who borrowed a federal direct loan before July 1, 2026 while enrolled in your current program, you may qualify for the legacy provision allowing continued access for up to three years. Please contact our financial aid office to confirm your eligibility before proceeding.

For eligible continuing borrowers:

You must accept the full amount of your Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan before you can access any Graduate PLUS Loan eligibility. Graduate PLUS is non-need-based and subject to credit approval. Graduate PLUS Loans cannot be accepted directly in the Student Gateway. You will need to submit a request through our financial aid office.

You do have the right to decline your Graduate PLUS eligibility if you choose not to borrow. A loan that has not yet disbursed will not incur any interest charges or fees. There is no cost to declining.

If scholarships from The Colleges of Law are included in your Financial Aid Notification, no additional acceptance steps are required on your part. These funds will be applied directly to your student account automatically at the start of each applicable semester.  

If you receive a scholarship or grant from an outside source that is not listed on your notification, you are required to report it to our financial aid office. Outside awards can affect your overall aid package. Specifically, total aid cannot exceed your Cost of Attendance.

Declining Aid: What You Should Know

Declining aid is always your right. It is worth understanding the implications before you do:

• Declining a loan means you are choosing not to borrow those funds for the current year. If you change your mind later in the year, you may be able to reinstate declined aid depending on availability and timing. Contact our financial aid office to ask.
• Declining Work-Study means you will not be eligible for a Work-Study position for that award period. If you decline and later wish to convert your Work-Study eligibility to a loan, you may be able to do so using the Aid Change Request Form.
• Declining a scholarship or grant may affect the total aid available to help cover your educational costs, as these forms of aid typically do not require repayment. If you have concerns about a scholarship or grant, including whether it may affect other aid, please contact us before declining.

A Note on Borrowing Responsibly

We want to make sure every student who takes out loans has a clear understanding of what they’re committing to. A few reminders before you finalize your decisions:

• Interest on Direct Unsubsidized Loans begins accruing from the date of disbursement, even while you’re in school.
• The total amount you borrow, across all years and all loan types, directly affects your monthly payment after graduation. Our Loan Repayment page and the Federal Loan Simulator can help you model what repayment will look like.
• You are never required to borrow the maximum amount offered. Accepting less is always an option.

Questions About Your Aid Package?

If you’re unsure about any component of your award, have a situation that doesn’t fit the standard process, or need help making decisions about your aid, please reach out before you act. It is much easier to get it right the first time than to undo a decision after the fact.