Receiving Your Financial Aid

When Will I Receive My Aid?

UAA is permitted to apply awarded aid to student accounts 10 days before the start of a semester after verifying that a student is in an eligible admission, enrollment, and satisfactory academic progress (SAP) status. The UAA Office of the Bursar will use your awarded financial aid to pay for your tuition, fees and on-campus housing, if applicable. See the Office of the Bursar's FAQ page under the "Student Account Refunds & Financial Aid Disbursements" section for more information about charging other items and using your financial aid to pay for it.

On this page:

Where Is My Financial Aid Money?

Check your student account in UAOnline to see if your aid has been disbursed. You will see one of three student account statuses:

Credit Balance

If you have a negative sign in front of a dollar amount on your account, you had more than enough financial aid to cover all of your costs. The UAA Office of the Bursar will issue you a refund within 7–10 days. If a negative balance exists for longer than 10 business days, contact the UAA Office of the Bursar directly at uaa_bursar@alaska.edu.

Receiving Your Refund

Once the UAA Office of the Bursar has applied your financial aid to your account, they will generate your refund within 5–7 business days. If your financial aid is in order, this will be no earlier than the first day of class. 

You may select to have your refunds sent to your bank account by setting up a direct deposit via . Otherwise, UAA will mail a refund check to the permanent address listed in your UAOnline account. Excess financial aid cannot typically be used to pay for previous balances, according to federal regulations.

  • How to Check Your Direct Deposit
    1.  Log in to .
    2. Select the "Student Services & Account Information" Tab.
    3. Select "Direct Deposit Services."
    4. Select "Review your direct deposits."
    5. Select the fiscal year from the drop down menu that you wish to view and then hit "Display."
      Each direct deposit that has been applied to your bank account will be listed.  The "Process Date" is the date the money was deposited.

No Credit Balance

If you do not see a negative balance on your account, this could mean that you do not have enough financial aid to cover all of your costs. You will need to either apply for a UAA payment plan with the Office of the Bursar or use personal funds to cover your remaining balance before the payment deadline has passed. If you see financial aid in UAOnline that has not been released, you should contact the UAA Office of Financial Aid for an explanation.

No Awarded Financial Aid Applied

If you do not see your financial aid applied to your account, you may still need to complete some requirements such as admissions, enrollment, or Satisfactory Academic Progress. Contact the UAA Office of Financial Aid with any questions or concerns.

Private Grants & Scholarships

The UAA Office of the Bursar processes grant or scholarship checks received from private donors. Grant or scholarship checks received by the Office of the Bursar will be applied to your student account beginning 10 calendar days before the semester being awarded. Checks must be received (and signed if necessary) before the UAA Payment Deadline in order to avoid late fees. 

Find important donor and student instructions on the Office of Bursar's Student Sponsorship page.

Why Was Some of My Funding Returned?

If you have received additional resources, some of your financial aid funding may be returned. "Additional resources" are any sources of money that you have received which were not originally factored into your cost of attendance estimate. If additional resources become available to you, whether they are scholarships, grants, loans or Federal Work-Study, the Office of Financial Aid may reduce previously paid or anticipated awards in order to keep the student's aid package within the estimated cost. If additional resources become available to you at any time during the enrollment period that exceed your eligibility for assistance, federal regulations require the Office of Financial Aid to reduce awards that have been previously offered and/or disbursed.

Further Details on Returning Loan Funds

Returned funds will therefore be applied to reduce your loan debt with the U.S. Department of Education. Undisbursed, anticipated loan funds may also be canceled or reduced prior to disbursement, if these resources exceed the financial need calculation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Next Steps

icon of gold circle with arrowMaintain Your Financial Aid Eligibility

Even after you have received your financial aid, you need to achieve certain requirements in order to keep your financial aid. Find out more about your responsibilities and eligibility requirements.