Scholarships & Tuition Assistance

Important Notes Regarding Payments and Deductions to Payments

All account balances must be paid, in full, and/or "secured" by financial aid on, or before, the semester payment due date. After the payment due date, unpaid/unsecured balances may be subject to cancellation.

Reviewing Statements for Third Party Credits

When reviewing billing statements for expected third party credits, students should please note the following:

• Credit for estimated financial aid awarded through Longwood University's Office of Financial Aid (Stafford loans, Parental loans, Perkins loans, grants, and Longwood University scholarships) will be given on a billing statement only if the financial aid is "secured" before the billing date. If a student receives a billing statement that does not list estimated financial aid award(s) the student expects to receive, then the student should contact the Office of Financial Aid to determine if the expected award will secure the account by the due date for payment. If the Office of Financial Aid indicates that an award will not secure the account on, or before, the due date, then the student should pay the billed balance, in full, by the due date to avoid late payment fees. (If a student pays an account, in full, and then a financial aid award is, later, posted to the student's account, any overpayment(s) will be refunded to the student and/or credited to the student's future term charges.) Please note: "Secured" means that all financial aid paperwork is complete and processed, and Longwood University is merely awaiting the transfer of grant and/or loan funds. Students having specific questions concerning their financial aid awards are always encouraged to contact Longwood University's Office of Financial Aid, directly, for the best guidance related to their financial aid funds.
• Credit for miscellaneous scholarships (scholarships awarded by organizations independent of Longwood University) will be given on a billing statement only if, prior to the scheduled billing date, a student provides Longwood University with official notification indicating that the funds will be disbursed directly to Longwood University. Official notification is preferred in the form of a letter on organizational letterhead.
• Credit for employer authorized tuition assistance will be given on a billing statement only if, prior to the semester billing date, a student provides Longwood University's Office of Student Accounts with an official Authorization for Tuition Assistance letter or form. Authorizations for tuition assistance should be submitted at the time of registration to avoid the possible assessment of late payment fees. Please note: An Authorization for Tuition Assistance is a signed letter or form granting Longwood University permission to bill the student's employer directly. Longwood University will give credit for employer authorized tuition assistance only if the employer guarantees payment directly to Longwood University. Longwood University will not delay the requirement for payment, when due, if the employer tuition assistance is offered on a "reimbursement basis". Students receiving tuition assistance on a reimbursement basis should pay Longwood University for their classes at the time of registration and then, later, seek personal reimbursement from their employers. If employer authorized tuition assistance guarantees to pay only a portion of a student's charges, then the student should:
  • submit the authorization for tuition assistance to Longwood University
  • pay the remaining balance of charges on the date of registration (or by the due date listed on the billing statement, if a bill is generated).
• Credit for assistance provided by the Virginia Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired or the Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services (DARS) Assistance will be given on a billing statement only if an "Authorization of Services" form has been delivered to Longwood University's Office of Student Accounts prior to the billing date. In most instances, students receiving this type of tuition assistance will be billed by Longwood University before the authorization is complete. When this occurs, the student should deliver the tuition bill to his/her counselor (or caseworker) early enough to request that an "Authorization for Services" be sent to Longwood University before the semester due date for payment. The student should then contact Longwood University to determine if he/she will owe any remaining balance due. Any remaining (student) payments must be received on, or before, the due date or late payment fees may be assessed. Please note: Students having tuition assistance provided through a different (out-of-state) state or federal agency should follow the same guidelines as Virginia residents.
• Credit for tuition and fee waivers authorized by the Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program(VMSDEP) or the Senior Citizen Higher Education Act will be given on a billing statement only if required paperwork has been completed and delivered to Longwood University's Office of Student Accounts prior to the billing date. If paperwork is completed after the billing date, but before the payment due date, then the student should contact the Office of Student Accounts to confirm that the authorization has, in fact, been received, and to determine if any remaining payments are required. Any remaining (student) payments must be received on, or before, the due date for payment or late payment fees may be assessed.
• For the Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program, a student must request a tuition waiver authorization from the Department of Veterans Affairs. The Department of Veterans Affairs will notify Longwood University, in writing, once a request for a waiver has been approved. For the Senior Citizen Higher Education Act, a student must bring a Virginia Driver's License to Longwood University's Office of Registration and complete a waiver authorization form. A senior citizen enrolling in classes for academic credit must also provide Longwood University with a copy of his/her prior year tax return.

Division of Funds Between Terms

Unless an awarding agency provides written instructions directing Longwood University to apply scholarship funds in a particular manner, all miscellaneous scholarship awards (greater than $100.00) will be evenly divided between the fall and spring semesters. (One half of the scholarship funds will be credited to the fall semester, and one half of the scholarship funds will be credited to the spring semester.) Scholarship awards are often disbursed by the awarding agencies in two equal installments, and even when annual award funds are disbursed as a single lump sum payment, most organizations request the division of funds between terms. To streamline Longwood University's processing of miscellaneous scholarships, the Offices of Financial Aid and Student Accounts have agreed to make the division of funds a standard policy.

Awarded Scholarship(s) After Billing Date

If a student is awarded a miscellaneous scholarship after Longwood University's billing date, but before the semester's payment due date, then the student should:

1. send official notification of the scholarship to Longwood University's Office of Financial Aid, and
2. contact the Office of Financial Aid to verify that no other financial aid award(s) will be reduced by the additional scholarship.

Please note: Because many financial aid awards are "need based" awards, it is possible for a student's existing financial aid package to be reduced by the addition of a newly awarded scholarship. If a student receives an outside scholarship after the billing date (or if a student notifies Longwood University of a "miscellaneous scholarship" after the billing date), then the student should never deduct the value of the scholarship from a billed balance without, first, approving the deduction with the Office of Financial Aid. Each time a new scholarship or student loan is added to a student's financial aid package, Longwood University's Office of Financial Aid must re-evaluate the student's continued eligibility for previously offered financial assistance. In some cases, an outside scholarship may simply replace a previously offered student loan or need-based grant. Because of this, submitting a reduced payment to Longwood University (without, first, approving the deduction from a billed balance) could result in the assessment of late payment fees.