Federal regulations require the University to wait until 10 days before the official start of each academic term to post scholarships, grants, and loans to students’ accounts. Also, students have requirements to meet before their loans can be disbursed to apply to the account. In the meantime, the loans will appear as Anticipated Aid on the Account Activity tab in PittPAY, reducing the balance due. Anticipated Aid is indicated by the word “Anticipated” in the date column of the Account Activity details. The credit you are given for Anticipated Aid will expire if you wait too long to complete all of your aid requirements, meaning the loans will not be available to help pay the charges on your account. Check your aid requirements carefully to be sure you have completed all that apply to you.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is included in Anticipated Aid?
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Included:
- Loans that show as Accepted
- Scholarships and grants included on the financial aid award letter
Not Included:
- Work study awards, because they are never posted to students’ accounts. Students receive a paycheck for the hours they work.
- 529 and College Savings Plan
- Scholarships from outside organizations like the Lion’s Club, the American Legion, checks from students’ and parents’ employers, etc.
- When does Anticipated Aid apply to the account?
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Aid begins to post to students’ accounts 10 days before the official start of each term, but remember that loans will only post if all aid requirements are complete. Also, Anticipated Aid for loans will expire if the student waits too long to complete their requirements; this will cause an increase in the balance due on the Account Summary and Account Activity screens in PittPAY.
- What if the student has an anticipated credit balance
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If Anticipated Aid is greater than the amount a student owes for a term, an anticipated credit balance will exist. Once aid is disbursed and applies to the student account, the excess will be refunded automatically. In short, refunds cannot be processed for anticipated credit balances, only for actual credit balances after aid has been disbursed to apply to the account.