FAQ

Why are you distributing financial aid refunds after drop/add?
We are allowing students to charge their books at USA's bookstore through drop/add and it allows for more flexibility in schedule changes.

Does the distribution of financial aid after drop/add include loans also?
Yes.

How long after drop/add will I receive my financial aid refund?
The refunds should be processed by the Office of Student Accounting within 10 business days. If you have direct deposit, check with your bank to verify the deposit. Refunds issued by check will be mailed. PLEASE BE SURE TO KEEP YOU EDD ACCOUNT INFORMATION AND MAILING ADDRESS CURRENT WITH THE UNIVERSITY.

PAWS indicates that my financial aid refund was processed but I have not received it? What should I do?
If you have not received your refund (check or EDD) after 7 days from the refund process date on your student account, contact the Office of Student Accounting. It takes approximately 10 days for check refunds to be received back by mail and approximately 5 days for financial institutions to return EDD resulting from closed accounts.

My refund is less than the amount I expected to receive. What happened?
If you are receiving loan money, an origination fee may have been deducted from the total amount of the award. Please reference your promissory note and/or loan information.
If you paid all or part of your tuition and fees with a credit card or through the USA Credit Union Deferred Payment Plan before your financial aid was applied to your student account, the amount paid with the credit card will be refunded back to the credit card or the amount paid by the USA Credit Union will be sent back to the USA Credit Union.
If you dropped classes, it may have affected your financial aid award eligibility. Please contact the Financial Aid Office.

When is the deadline to sign up for direct deposit of my financial aid refund?
January 17, 2024 is the deadline to enroll or submit changes in PAWS for Spring Semester 2024.

I am a returning student that was previously enrolled in Electronic Direct Deposit (EDD). Do I need to resubmit my EDD information?
Students enrolled in EDD do not need to resubmit information each semester unless the account information has changed or they no longer wish to participate in EDD. If the account information has changed, the information needs to be updated by the student on PAWS.

What if I get to the cashier in the bookstore and they do not allow me to charge books?
Then you have either not been awarded financial aid at USA or you did not have sufficient aid available to allow for a bookstore charge.

I was awarded aid today but the bookstore will not allow me to charge my books.
The data is sent each night to the bookstore and they have either not received the data for today, or you do not have sufficient aid available to allow for a bookstore charge.

I registered for classes and my charges are more than the tuition and base University fees I calculated using the schedule of fees in the Schedule of Classes or on the Office of Student Accounting web site. Why?
Some USA courses require special course fees (ex. Computer Lab Fee, Accounting Fee, etc.). Please refer to the Schedule of Classes on PAWS.

I registered for classes and have a $100 Late Registration Fee. Why?
If you register on or after the first day of classes, a Late Registration Fee will be applied to your student account.

I was awarded Federal Financial Aid for the semester, but I had to completely withdraw. Why is there a Return to Lender charge and/or a reversal of a portion of my Pell grant on my student account?
When a student receives Financial Aid and completely withdraws from classes, the Financial Aid office is required by the Department of Education to return a portion of the financial aid award. Please see the Federal Financial Aid Recipients Withdrawals and Refunds section in the Graduate and Undergraduate Bulletin or https://www.southalabama.edu/departments/financialaffairs/studentaccounting/feepaymentfall.html for more detailed information.

How long will it take for the payment I make on the Web to be reflected on my student account?
The payment will be reflected on the student account at the time of payment.

I paid my tuition and fees by personal check and it was returned by the bank NSF. What should I do?
The University will send a Returned Check Notification and a $15 handling charge will be added to your student account. Future payments to the University must be made by cash or credit card. Student will not be administratively withdrawn from classes and will be responsible for the balance plus the handling fee.

How will I know if my Web credit card payment was processed?
The PAWS credit card payment screen will return a confirmation number when the payment has been processed. If a payment error is returned, please contact the Office of Student Accounting immediately.

I paid my account with cash or a credit card and dropped some courses and have not received a refund. What is taking so long?
Student accounts paid with cash or credit card will be refunded for dropped courses after the University 50% drop period.

I paid my account with a personal check and dropped some courses and have not received a refund. What is taking so long?
Student accounts paid with a personal check will be refunded after the University's 50% refund period or approximately 15 days after the check was written, whichever is longer.

I want to use the USA Credit Union Deferred Payment Plan. What should I do?

Contact the credit union at (251) 706-0255.

Where can I obtain an USA Credit Union Deferred Payment Plan application?
Go to USA Credit Union.