Student Financial Services FAQs

• Your first step is to apply for financial aid.  You can also explore outside scholarship options.

• Be sure to accept your financial aid award online through the myHilltop task, View/Accept Financial Aid Award.
• Check the myHilltop portal task, Resolve Outstanding Financial Aid Requirements to ensure you have completed all financial aid requirements. 

• If you do not have enough aid to cover all costs associated with attending St. Edward's University we recommend speaking directly with a Student Financial Services Counselor.  We are here to help!   You can review financing options on our website. 

• Please contact your Student Financial Services Advisor directly via email and request we reoffer the loan.  A revised award notification email will be sent once the loan has been reoffered.

• We recommend completing the Parent Plus loan application online after June 1. 

• We recognize that the FAFSA may not always accurately reflect your financial situation. Although considerations for specific situations are limited, we may be able to give additional consideration for situations.

• Not only must you apply for financial aid, but also you must meet specific requirements that may vary based on the source and type of aid received.  The Policy requirements include eligibility requirements regarding terms and conditions, students’ rights and responsibilities, enrollment status, satisfactory academic progress, appeals, maximum gift aid, consequences of withdrawing, refunds, penalties for drug convictions, study abroad, and summer.  All can affect eligibility for aid.

• Students are assigned an advisor by the first letter of their last name.  A list of all advisors is on our website, located on your financial aid award letter, and in the myHilltop portal.  Student Financial Services counselors are happy to answer your questions. 

• Review our Veterans Affairs website, including our policies and procedures handbook. Please contact the Military & Veterans Affairs Coordinator, Dustin Noll.  Dustin would be glad to answer questions regarding GI Bill® education benefits and how they work at St. Edward's University. 

Your bill needs to be settled by the following dates for each term:

• Fall Term: August 1
• Spring Term: December 1
• Summer Term: May 1

By settled, we meant that it is paid in full, that you have signed up for a monthly payment plan, or that financial aid will cover the balance and all paperwork is turned in.

• The Billing Center is where you will go for anything related to student accounts, billing, and payment.  In it, you can view account activity, set up a payment plan, pay a balance, specify a refund account, and several other tasks.  The Billing Center is found on myHilltop.

• Students have access to the Billing Center by signing into myHilltop and using the “View/Pay My Bill” task.  Students can also enable access by setting up others as Authorized Users.  Authorized Users will log in using the “Billing Center: Parent & Guest Login” task.  Authorized Users will sign in using their email address.

• Payment plans are available in the Billing Center.  Balances can be split in up to four monthly payments, and can be paid on either the first or fifteenth of each month.  Payment plans carry a $50 setup fee.

We accept the following forms of payment:

• Electronic check or ACH in the Billing Center
• Credit and debit cards in the Billing Center (2.85% processing fee for credit & debit)
• Bank wires in the Billing Center ($20 processing fee for bank wires)
• Paper checks in our office or by mail
• Money orders and cashier’s checks in our office or by mail
• Cash in our office

• Students can set up a bank account in the Billing Center to be used for refunds on financial aid.  Parents choosing to receive a refund for a parent loan can also set up a refund account once they are set as an Authorized User.  Refunds are only issued electronically.

• St. Edward’s charges a flat rate for undergraduate students taking between 12 and 18 hours, so adding and dropping classes within that range has no impact on tuition charges.  Students taking fewer than 12 hours will be charged an hourly rate.  Taking over 18 hours will charge the flat rate, plus the hourly rate for every hour over 18. When dropping below 12 hours, students are subject to the university’s refund schedule.  Dropping courses after the end of the 100% refund period will mean that tuition will still be due.  Dropping can also affect financial aid, so we recommend talking to a financial advisor for any student dropping below 12 hours.

• Tuition insurance allows for a refund of tuition beyond the refund schedule when the student has to withdraw due to medical reasons.  This includes both physical and mental health.  Tuition insurance is customizable to the your actual out of pocket costs, so you control the level of coverage.