Financial Aid Offer & Next Steps
The Financial Aid Offer is a complete overview of the financial aid offered to students eligible to receive financial aid based on merit or need. The Financial Aid Offer also includes an average cost of attendance, which is used to determine financial aid eligibility. Once review of the financial aid file is complete, students will be notified via their Butler email when the Financial Aid Offer is available to view online at my.butler.edu. Paper notifications are also sent to new incoming students. The Financial Aid Offer is not a bill or a statement of the student’s account.
Follow the steps below to ensure that all your aid will disburse to the student account in a timely manner. Also, check out the videos below for help Understanding Your Financial Aid Offer, Navigating Federal Direct Loans, and to Explore Your Financial Options.
Carefully review your offer of financial aid and accept or decline the awards online at my.butler.edu using your username and password provided by the Office of Admission to log in.
- Navigate to my.butler.edu and click Student Financial Planning under Academic Tools.
- Select Home in the navigation bar at the top.
- Click on Review/Accept Awards.
- Follow all steps to review and accept or decline your financial aid awards.
Review/Accept Your Financial Aid Awards by May 1.
If you accepted Federal Direct Loan(s), navigate to your Student Financial Planning home page.
- Under Receive Your Funds, click on both Complete Subsidized/Unsubsidized Entrance Counseling and Sign your Direct Subsidized/Unsubsidized MPN.
- You will be directed to complete both at studentaid.gov. You will log in using your FSA ID from the FAFSA.
Act on your Federal Direct Loans by July 1.
The Office of Student Accounts publishes the electronic billing statements in July for the fall semester and December for the spring semester. Visit the Student Accounts website for information about the billing process, payment plans, and additional services.
Your out-of-pocket cost has been estimated in your Financial Aid Offer. If you need additional assistance to cover educational expenses, Butler offers financing options to invest in your education. The payment plan, Federal Direct PLUS Loan, and Private Education Loans are available regardless of financial aid eligibility.
Refer to your Financial Aid Offer or click here for more information on financing options.
Evaluate your options to pay the bill by July 1.
According to federal regulations, scholarships received from any organization are considered a resource available to meet your financial aid eligibility. As a financial aid recipient, a student must report all outside scholarships from sources other than the federal, state, and University programs.
Outside Scholarship Information
- Outside scholarship funds will be used to pay for your family responsibility (out-of-pocket expenses).
- Adjustments in aid may occur if all need-based assistance exceeds financial aid eligibility, the total of all tuition-specific awards exceeds the cost of tuition, or the value of all awards exceeds the total cost of attendance.
- Students are responsible for following up with the scholarship donor to make sure the funds are sent directly to the Office of Financial Aid in a timely manner.
- Checks must be properly endorsed to ensure the appropriate credit to the student’s account.
- Scholarships in the amount of $500 or more will be split evenly between the fall and spring semesters.
Outside scholarships should be reported by sending a copy of the scholarship letter to the Office of Financial Aid at finaid@butler.edu. You can also upload scholarship notifications by following instructions here.
Report any outside scholarships as received.
Don’t forget to check your Student Financial Planning tool regularly. All actions must be complete in order for your financial aid to successfully disburse to your student account. Students may also grant a parent access to their Student Financial Planning tool. Learn how to do so here.