Your Financial Aid Offer

Disbursement and payment FAQs

• Grants and scholarships

  Grant and scholarship disbursements: Assuming your financial aid file is complete, grants and scholarships on your offer will be split equally between the fall and spring semesters. All grants and scholarships will disburse to your student account approximately two weeks after the start of the term to allow the Financial Aid Office to adjust aid packages to reflect actual enrollment after the add/drop period. More information can be found on our grants and scholarships page. 

  The J-term intersession and spring term will be combined for financial aid purposes. Grants and scholarships for this combined term will be credited to student accounts at the beginning of the spring term, generally in early February. For students enrolled in J-term but not spring term, aid for J-term–specific courses will be disbursed in early January.

• Third-party scholarships

  Third-party scholarships are scholarships from any outside resources, such as a high school, local church, business, etc. Please email finaid@hamline.edu if you know that you’re receiving an outside scholarship with the amount and name of the scholarship. Additional information can be found on our outside scholarships page. 

  Third-party scholarship disbursement: Unless otherwise specified by the scholarship agency, Hamline will disburse half your third-party scholarship(s) for fall term and half for spring term. The funds will be disbursed to your student account as the funds arrive from the scholarship foundations. In cases where the scholarship is co-payable to Hamline and the student, the funds will be credited once you endorse the check at the cashier's window.

• Loans

  Students and parents may be eligible for a number of different loans. Some loans are through the federal government and some are through outside lenders such as banks or credit unions. Some loans require credits checks and some do not. Loans offered will be listed on your offer. A loan is different from a grant or scholarship in that it must be repaid. For assistance with understanding the different types of loans and how to accept/apply for them, please visit our loans page. 

  Student loan disbursement: Most student loans will be disbursed in two equal payments. Assuming all your loan acceptance, loan counseling, and promissory note requirements are complete, Hamline will disburse half your loan proceeds approximately two weeks after the start of each term to allow the Financial Aid Office to adjust aid packages to reflect actual enrollment after the add/drop period. Students enrolled for only one term may receive their loans in one disbursement. Some circumstances require a proration of eligibility for single-term loans. For alternative/private loans from a lender that sends funds to Hamline via paper check, the funds will be credited to your student account once you endorse the loan check at the cashier's window.

• Overpayment refunds

  Overpayment refunds created by financial aid disbursements will be refunded to the student, or parent in cases the overpayment is created by a Parent PLUS loan, within 14 days after the overpayment is created. The refunds may be paid through direct deposit or through a paper check. For more information regarding refunds, please visit the Student Accounts refund and account overpayment page.

• Student employment/work-study

  Earnings from student employment will be paid to the student once they have secured a job, completed all required paperwork, and have earned wages. Earnings are paid bimonthly to the student by direct deposit to your bank account or through a paper check available at the cashier's window. Additional information can be found on our student student employment page.