Important Notes
Student Financial Services wants to keep students abreast of important topics and current events that could affect their financial situation. Please check back for updates.
Prospective Students for 2024-25
Please review our Web site for information regarding Financial Aid Programs available at Seattle University School of Law and how to apply for them.
To start the process for financial aid, you will need to complete the 2024-25 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on-line at studentaid.gov on or after October 1, 2023 (however, you will not receive an offer letter until after admitted and no earlier than mid-March after tuition is set). Our school code is 003790.
You will need to obtain a FSA ID. See studentaid.gov/fsa-id
Please email lawfa@seattleu.edu or call Student Financial Services at 206-398-4250 if you have any questions regarding the process or programs.
Entering Students for 2024-25
New to MAX? Watch Welcome to MAX by AccessLex (YouTube) to learn how the MAX by AccessLex® program can help you understand and manage the financial challenges of being a law student—and beyond. After the video, step inside to discover MAX by AccessLex for yourself!
Student Debt Relief Scams!
See As Student Loan Defaults Increase, So Do the Scams for good information about avoiding debt relief and forgiveness scams that are on the rise.
If you need assistance – for FREE – review the Department of Education’s federal student loan site at studentloans.gov or studentaid.gov/sa/repay-loans for repayment information, studentaid.gov/sa/repay-loans/understand/plans/income-driven for income-driven repayment options and studentaid.gov/sa/repay-loans/forgiveness-cancellation for actual possible forgiveness options.
Another good resource is the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Alums may also contact us at lawfa@seattleu.edu or 206-398-4250.
Origination Fees Update Due to Sequestration
Federal Direct Stafford origination fees remained the same beginning October 1, 2021 due to sequestration. This applies only to loans with a first disbursement on or after October 1. The current loan fees remain at 1.057% for Direct Stafford Loans and 4.228% for Direct PLUS Loans.
Interest Rates for 2023-2024 Student Loans.
If you attended summer term with a start date prior to July 1, 2023, the interest rate for Graduate/Professional Stafford Loans first disbursed on or after July 1, 2019 is 7.05% and the interest rate for Grad PLUS loans is 8.05%. The rate is fixed for the life of the loan. The interest rate changes each year for new loans every July 1 based on the 10 Year T-bill (based on the last auction prior to June 1) + 3.6 for the Stafford or + 4.6 for the Grad PLUS.
Fake Student Loan Site Steals Identities
"Fake accounts for student lending giant Sallie Mae are popping up all over Instagram in an attempt to steal student identities, according to Scambook, a website dedicated to detecting bogus sites and warning consumers about using them," CBS MoneyWatch reports. "The fake Sallie sites have a timely and attractive pitch: Due to the government shutdown, indebted graduates can apply for a loan "forgiveness" program that would wipe away their debt. However, students who attempt to be among the first 150,000 to take the bogus sites up on the offer are asked to provide private information, such as birth dates and Social Security Numbers, allowing the sites to steal their identities, according to Scambook. The real Sallie Mae has no Instagram presence and has been posting repeated messages this week on its real Facebook account warning consumers that it is not on Instagram, and it does not ask for personal information via social media. Anyone who bought into the fake site's claims and plugged in personal information should quickly put a fraud alert on their credit file by either calling the three major credit bureaus: Experian (888-397-3742); Equifax (800-525-6285); and/or TransUnion (800-680-7289) or by visiting their websites or annualcreditreport.com. The fraud alert will stop creditors from granting new credit on your file for 90 days." (from NASFAA's "Financial Aid in the News")
Fraud Alert!
A nationwide check scam is being reported on campuses nationwide and a student on a WA campus was duped. This particular scam involves the listing of a local job opportunity. After applying for the job, a student receives an e-mail from the "employer," who claims to be out of the country but will send the student a monetary advance for work, such as job-related errands, until the employer returns.
A few days later, the student receives a package containing a check. Instructions are given for the student to cash the check, keep a specific amount for the work they are to perform, and return the remainder of the money to an address outside the United States. The check will subsequently bounce. So students not only do not earn any money, they're out what they returned, plus bank service fees.
Typically, legitimate employers do not pay in advance or require the return of money from a check written to an employee. Any off-campus employment that requires an exchange of money before the job is finalized is likely a scam. Students believing they have been victimized, or are the target of a scam, should contact SU Public Safety at 206-398-5990.
Financial Aid Fraud Alert!
The financial aid community has received notice from Kay Jacks, General Manager for FSA Application, School Eligibility and Delivery Services that someone is impersonating a U.S. Department of Education official and is offering students grants for a processing fee.
Her message is as follows: There is someone claiming to be a representative of the U.S. Department of Education (ED) calling students, offering grants, and asking for bank account numbers so a processing fee can be charged. Specifically, the caller tells the student he understands the student has federal student loans and offers to replace the loans with an $8,000 grant. The caller explains that a processing fee must be charged and obtains the student's checking account information.
There is no ED program to replace loans with grants and that there is no processing fee to obtain Title IV grants from ED. Furthermore, as you are no doubt aware, one should never provide their bank account or credit card information over the phone unless they initiate the call and trust the company they are calling.
This is a scam. A student who is a victim of this or a similar scam should take the following steps:
- Immediately contact his or her bank, explain the situation, and request that the bank monitor or close the compromised account.
- Report the fraud to ED's Office of Inspector General hotline at 1-800-MIS-USED (1-800-647-8733) or oig.hotline@ed.gov. Special agents in the Office of Inspector General investigate fraud involving federal education dollars.
- Report the fraud to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The FTC has an online complaint form at ftc.gov/scholarshipscams and a hotline at 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357; teletype for the hearing impaired: 1-866-653-4261). The FTC will investigate if the fraud is deemed widespread; therefore, it is important that every student contacted by the person or people in question lodge a complaint so the FTC has an accurate idea of how many incidents have occurred.
- Notify the police about the incident. Impersonating a federal officer is a crime, as is identity theft.
When filing a complaint, the student should provide detailed information about the incident, including what was said, the name of the person who called, and from what number the call originated (if the student was able to obtain it via Caller ID). Additionally, if unauthorized debits have already appeared against the student's bank account, the student should mention this fact in his or her complaint. Records of such debits could be useful in locating the wrongdoer.
For information about identity theft prevention, please visit ed.gov/misused. For information about preventing financial aid scams, visit studentaid.ed.gov/lsa.
For answers to any questions you have about financial aid, please contact Student Financial Services at lawfa@seattleu.edu or 206-398-4250.
