Understanding Your Aid Offer

Financial Aid in TUportal

After you receive a TUmail email notification with a financial aid offer, visit the Costs and Aid tab of the TUportal.

  • To review the financial aid offer select View Financial Aid Offer (save as a PDF or print for your records).
  • To accept, decline or reduce Student Federal Direct Loans and/or work-study, select Self-Service Banner Financial Aid. (Grants and scholarship are automatically accepted.) 

Temple University is committed to using the Principles & Standards of the College Cost Transparency Initiative in its student financial aid offer.

Right to Cancel

If you are receiving financial aid, student loan amounts may reflect lender deductions of origination fees. Financial aid on this bill includes only funds used to pay off your balance. Federal work study funds are not included. Every student’s financial aid offer is available in the Costs & Aid tab of their TUportal student account, and it will list the annual financial aid types and amounts offered.

Students and parent borrowers receiving federal student loan funding or the TEACH grant, have the right to cancel all or a portion of the annual funding or semester disbursement and have the funding returned to the lender. They have a minimum of 14 days from the statement date to request that a loan be cancelled in part or full. This request must be submitted in writing to Student Financial Services.

Refunds

Most financial aid disburses 2-3 business days prior to the start of each term, provided that you have satisfied any outstanding requirements and meet the enrollment requirements for each type of aid offered to you. Less than full-time registration may result in a delay in private loan and PLUS disbursements to ensure your Cost of Attendance is accurate and the amount of aid processed fits within your budget. Federal financial aid is only applicable to current institutional charges, in compliance with federal regulations. Private aid and out of pocket payments (i.e., cash, check, or credit card) may be applied to outstanding balances before being applied to current institutional charges.

You can view your charges and financial aid disbursements on the printable Student Account Statement located on the Costs & Aid tab of TUPortal. Additionally, you can log into TUPay from the Costs & Aid tab to view the Current Account Activity for a similar summary of charges and payments. Undisbursed aid may be shown as "anticipated" aid on student accounts, so you should check your Statement for disbursement information.

A refund can be processed when a credit balance exists on a student's account as a result of any personal payment, financial aid, or combination of payment types that exceeds the total of institutional charges on the account. Credit balances are generally released as refunds within 48 hours of disbursement. With the exception of the federal Parent PLUS loan, credit balance refunds are issued to the student via paper check or direct deposit. Students may update their refund choice through TUPay. Parent-borrowers may choose how the a refund from the Parent PLUS loan is issued - either to the student or to the parent-borrower. Parent-borrowers who are also Authorized Payers have the option of signing up for Direct Deposit.

Information on how to manage your refund, including the forms for reducing or cancelling loans, and more detailed information on how refunds are processed, is located on the Managing Your Refund page of the this website.

Common Financial Aid Terms

Below are some terms and phrases you will come across in reviewing your financial aid. It is important to be familiar with them, as doing so will help you understand the information on your financial aid offer.

A list of common financial aid terms and their definitions.

Term

Definition

Financial Aid Offer

A financial aid offer is a document sent by a postsecondary institution to a student that outlines the amounts and details of the financial aid being offered to the student, which may include scholarships, grants, loans, employment, or other forms of financial assistance to pay for college expenses.

Cost of Attendance

The Cost of Attendance consists of the sum of educational costs payable to the school (also referred to as direct or billable costs) and costs paid to others (or indirect, non-billable or discretionary) costs. The Cost of Attendance represents the highest dollar amount of financial aid a student can receive during an award year.

Billable Charges

Billable Charges generally include tuition, fees, housing, and meals/food (for students residing on campus), or any other expenses paid to the school for enrollment.

Indirect Costs

Indirect Costs include expenses students encounter as part of their education but may not be billed directly by the university. This includes books, supplies, equipment, transportation, and a miscellaneous category for personal expenses.

Net Price

The difference between the cost of attendance and all grants and scholarships. Net price reflects what the student is expected to pay for their education on their own and can be covered through a variety of sources, including savings, student employment, institutional payment plans, or education loans.

Step-by-step to Understanding Your Aid Offer 

The financial aid offer estimates a student’s eligibility based on the information they provided on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). We also assume full-time enrollment and that the components of a student’s profile (located on the aid offer) are accurate. Students should notify Student Financial Services to notify us as soon as possible about any changes in your information so we can review and update your eligibility accordingly. We recommend students and parents carefully review the information provided to gain a better understanding of the funding listed, as well as the estimated financial aid cost of attendance for the year. Please reach out to our office with any questions regarding how to finance your education.

Student Profile

The information listed in a student’s profile is based on admission and FAFSA application data. The profile informs how the aid offer is calculated (i.e., financial aid cost of attendance components).

  • Your college (academic program), grade level (undergraduate, graduate, nonmatriculated or professional) and residency (resident of Pennsylvania tuition rate or nonresident/out-of-state/international tuition rate) information is important because Temple University tuition rates vary depending on what school/college you choose. See the university’s tuition calculator for all tuition and fee rates.
  • The housing information listed is based solely on how you answered the question on the FAFSA. The Office of Student Financial Services uses this information when creating your financial aid cost of attendance.
  • Your FAFSA status indicates whether you are considered a dependent student or an independent student. 
  • The aid period listed determines the semester(s) the current aid totals were processed to assist with. The most common aid period is fall and spring semesters which will show annual totals of financial aid funding that are meant to split evenly between the fall and spring semesters. Temple University Bursar's Office bills enrolled students per semester. 
Gift Aid

The information listed in the gift aid section does not require repayment. This will be any scholarshipgrant and/or additional resources The gift aid may include funding from federal, state or institutional sources. The gift aid is offered based on the aid period listed in the student profile. 

  • For more information on the Temple Employee Benefit placeholder, please review the tuition remission section of the bursar’s website. Tuition remission is a benefit for eligible Temple University full-time faculty/staff, and our office uses the placeholder on the aid offer based on the information a student provides on their admission application.
  • The placeholder does not guarantee eligibility for the employee benefit, therefore Temple employees should review their employee manual and/or speak with their direct supervisor. If a parent doesn’t qualify for the tuition remission benefit please contact the SFS office immediately () so we can revise the aid offer to remove the placeholder.
  • If additional scholarship and/or third-party resources (i.e., scholarship from a source outside of Temple and/or scholarship from a Temple University department added after the initial financial aid offer) are received the initial financial aid offer can be revised. The Office of Student Financial Services makes every effort to ensure the student keeps all available gift aid, however in certain circumstances the addition of scholarship funding can alter a student’s initial aid offer.
Cost of Attendance

The financial aid cost of attendance includes both billable charges from the university and indirect costs to assist students in planning their budget each year.

Billable charges are invoiced by Temple University, whereas indirect costs are not billed by the university.

Indirect costs are meant to provide students with an estimate of the educational expenses they might incur while attending. Please note: Housing and meals are only charged to the student account if the student elects to live on campus and/or select a meal plan.

We encourage students to utilize the university’s tuition calculator to develop their own budget. This calculator allows students to view the different tuition, housing and meal plan options. Estimated tuition and fees are updated annually each summer. Some or all instruction for all or part of the academic year may be delivered remotely. Tuition, the University Services Fee and certain other fees are set regardless of the method of instruction and will not be refunded in the event instruction occurs remotely for any part of the academic year.

This is not meant to be a students Temple University bill. The aid offer includes the estimated cost to attend Temple University for planning purposes. For information regarding official billing notifications and the due date schedule, visit the Bursar's Office website.

Any full tuition scholarship offer amounts remain estimated until the university’s Board of Trustees meets in July to confirm the upcoming year’s tuition rates. All full-tuition scholarship amounts will be updated towards the beginning of each semester.

Undergraduate student Academic Merit Scholarship funding is restricted to tuition only. 

Temple’s estimated financial aid cost of attendance is calculated based on the aid period listed on the student’s aid offer. We aim to present students with the estimated cost for the year and then consider the cost for four years.

Estimated Balance Due Minus Gift Aid

This section presents two ways of estimating your costs. 

The Estimated Balance Due Minus Gift Aid considers your billable charges (tuition, housing, food) minus your gift aid. This is similar to how your printable Student Account Statement will show charges assessed through the university, minus your gift aid, will appear.

The Estimated Net Cost Minus Gift Aid takes into consideration your indirect costs in addition to the billable charges. If you are considering additional funds or loans to cover expenses such as books, supplies, or personal items, this figure gives you a better idea of what that amount is once your gift aid is considered.

Federal Work-study

Work-study is a need-based opportunity that offers students the option to secure a job on or off campus. The student is compensated directly for the hours worked. This is not grant funding that applies to billable charges at the university. Students apply for positions and if hired, earn funding in a biweekly paycheck to use for educational costs. 

Students interested in work study should contact the Office of Student Financial Services by emailing  to find out if they qualify.

Financial Aid Options to Pay Your Estimated Balance Due

Federal educational loans are funding available to eligible students and requires repayment. Federal student loan amounts are determined based on total completed credits, financial need and remaining eligibility. 

  • Federal Subsidized student loans are available to eligible undergraduate students who have demonstrated financial need. The federal government pays the interest on the loan during your enrollment as long as certain requirements are met.
  • Federal Unsubsidized student loans are available to eligible undergraduate, graduate and professional students, but in this case, the student does not have to demonstrate financial need to be eligible for the loan. You are responsible for paying all interest on the loan.
  • All loan funding is processed for the full year, and is split evenly between semesters.
Next Steps

After reviewing the aid offer, consider the following next steps.

Self-Service Banner (Financial Aid Package Additional Information)

The Student Financial Services’ Financial Aid section of the TUportal will allow a students to review eligibility (financial aid requirements, holds and satisfactory academic progress statuses), award information (account summary by term, award for aid year, award history and withdrawal information) and review the Federal Shopping Sheet.

Select Award for Aid Year

IMPORTANT: Students must review the following tabs in this order Award Overview tab, Resources/Additional Information, Terms and Conditions and Accept Award Offter. Unfortunately, if you attempt to review in a different order the tabs could turn "grey" and become inaccessible for 30 minutes. Please log out and then back into the TUportal after 30 mintues. If the issue persists, please email  to reset your account. 

Select Aid Offer Overview

Review your housing status and enrollment status. If they are not correctly listed, please email  with the updated information and request a review of eligibility. 

Review the Resources/Additional Information tab, which contains important information and policies related to financial aid eligibility. We strongly encourage you to share this with your parent/guardian. The requirements to grant permission to pay any and all university charges and to pay previous balances up to $200, if owed are required to be completed by all students.  

Review the Terms and Conditions

This tab contains important information regarding financial aid funding, eligibility and disbursement. We strongly encourage students to share this with your parent/guardian. All students must read and accept the information on the fact sheet prior to receiving financial aid disbursements to the student account. All students have the option to opt out of accessing their financial aid information in the TUportal and/or from receiving electronic communication from our office. Please email  if you wish to opt out of either of these electronic means of communicating.  

Review Accept Aid Offer

Use this tab to accept, reduce or decline the Federal Direct Loan and/or work-study funding. 

  1. Accept the full amount (including loans that you wish to borrow and repay) by selecting Accept Full Amount of All Awards.
  2. Choose: Decline or Accept for each fund.
  3. Accept a partial amount by selecting Accept and entering the amount in the Accept Partial Amount field. Note: This amount will be split evenly between fall and spring semesters.
  4. To make any changes after you have accepted, declined or reduced your awards, please email  from your TUmail address.
Tips for Accepting Financial Aid Awards
  • Review your financial award offer carefully.
  • Complete any outstanding requirements, as some will prevent an aid offer from being issued.
  • Create an estimated cost summary for the upcoming year by utilizing the tuition calculator. This tool allows a family to estimate estimated tuition, housing and meal plan charges while also inputting financial aid awards and outside resources well in advance of the university e-bill. 
  • Financial aid awards assume full-time enrollment—if you plan to enroll less than full time, contact the SFS office
  • Report additional funding sources not listed on your award letter, including tuition remission, university or non-university awards such as academic merit scholarships, outside scholarships, and grants to Student Financial Services. These awards may affect your current financial aid package and eligibility for funding (i.e., university-based, Federal, and state grants and federal student loans). If your financial aid package changes, you will be notified via your TUmail account when the revised award letter is ready to view.   
  • Making changes—Housing and grade level statuses must be corrected on the FAFSA, or by contacting the SFS office.