Financial Aid Disbursement

How and when financial aid will be disbursed?

Financial aid awarded to a student cannot be released to the student’s account until 10 days before the semester begins. If financial aid has been released to the student’s account and creates a credit balance, a refund may be issued. To learn more about about these methods, visit information on Student Refund Processing.

What is “disbursement”? Disbursement is the process of applying funds to your student account. Financial aid is awarded to students but does not actually “disburse” directly to a student’s account until just before the start of each semester. You must be enrolled to receive a disbursement of financial aid and some types of aid require a minimum number of credit hours or other criteria as a condition of receiving the funds. 

Enrollment Requirements for Disbursement of Aid

*May vary depending on scholarship

How Financial Aid Is Disbursed

Fall and Spring Semesters

• Financial aid is paid based on the semester for which it is offered. For example, if you were offered $2,000 in Pell Grant for fall and $2,000 for spring, the spring portion would not disburse until the spring semester.
• Aid can only disburse if you meet the enrollment requirements for each type of aid. Some aid pays at a prorated amount based on the number of hours a student is enrolled in while other types require half-time or full-time enrollment.
• You must complete all requirements before aid can be disbursed. See our checklists webpage and our information about unsatisfied requirements to make sure everything is ready to go!
• If all requirements have been met, most financial aid will disburse as payment to your student account about ten days before the first official day of classes each fall and spring semester.
• Some assistance coming from sources outside of the institution (some state assistance, private scholarships, and third-party sponsorships) may arrive later depending on the provider of those funds.
• If there are any funds remaining after all institutional charges are paid in full, they are refunded to you according to the method you have chosen. See our Refunds webpage for more information. Direct deposit is the fastest and easiest way receive your refund!
• Be sure to monitor your schedule carefully. Adjustments to your schedule can impact your aid eligibility, which could result in the removal of financial aid – such as the Federal Pell Grant or loans – even if it’s already been disbursed. This may require you to pay for courses out of pocket or return money you received as a refund. Review more information on “Aid Recalculation Due to Enrollment Activities”.

Summer Semesters

• Financial aid is disbursed based on the total enrollment a student is enrolled in for the summer semester.
• Disbursement of financial aid will occur 10 days before for students Summer I and II for students enrolled in classes for Intersession, Summer I or Summer II. Students enrolled in all of their courses that start all later in the semester will not receive their disbursement until 10 days before their first course start date. Your disbursement will be based on your overall enrollment at the time of disbursement.
• Be sure to monitor your summer schedule carefully. Adjustments to your schedule at any point during the summer can impact your aid eligibility, which could result in the removal of financial aid – such as the Federal Pell Grant or loans – even if it’s already been disbursed to you. This may require you to pay for courses out of pocket or return money you received as a refund. Review more information on “Aid Recalculation Due to Enrollment Activities”.
• You must complete all requirements before aid can be disbursed. See our checklists webpage and our information about unsatisfied requirements to make sure everything is ready to go!
• Some assistance coming from sources outside of the institution (some state assistance, private scholarships, and third-party sponsorships) may arrive later depending on the provider of those funds.
• If there are any funds remaining after all institutional charges are paid in full, they are refunded to you according to the method you have chosen. See our Refunds webpage for more information. Direct deposit is the fastest and easiest way receive your refund!

Disbursement Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

My student account does not indicate any or all of the financial aid I am expecting... what should I do?

First, see our checklist and how to determine if you have unsatisfied student requirements to make sure everything is ready to go. Second, if an outside agency is paying your charges and they need to be billed, contact the outside agency and make sure they have notified us. If you are expecting a scholarship other than those awarded by Kent State University, contact the scholarship provider to make sure the check has been sent to the Financial, Billing and Enrollment Center. Be sure to report any outside scholarship to Kent State even before the check is sent.

I am expecting a refund for living expenses. When should I expect to receive it?

Assuming all financial aid requirements have been met, students whose financial aid exceeds their institutional charges usually receive a living expense refund prior to first week of fall or spring classes if they are signed up for direct deposit.

Information on signing up for direct deposit and refunds can be found on our Refunds webpage.

I have a federal student loan. Is there anything I need to do?

Check out our “how to” videos for next steps. You must first accept your Direct Student Loan in FlashLine. First time federal direct student and parent loan borrowers must complete the promissory note on the Federal Student Aid website.

Entrance counseling is also required before a Direct Student Loan (Subsidized, Unsubsidized, and/or Graduate PLUS) can be disbursed. Entrance counseling can be completed on the Federal Student Aid website.

I am expecting money from a private loan. How do I find out if it has been received?

Private loan funds usually do not disburse to the institution until approximately two weeks after the certification is complete. Please note loans certified before the start of the semester often do not disburse until closer to the start of the semester.

Once loan funds are received, the refund process will begin if the loan is more than the student's institutional charges.