Rights and Responsibilities

Rights and Responsibilities

Rights

As a financial aid student, you have the right to receive important information from Hawai‘i Pacific University (HPU). This information is available to you from a variety of sources as follows and should be reviewed before you make a firm commitment to attend the University:

  • The HPU Website at http://www.hpu.edu
  • The Federal Student Guide
  • Financial Aid Handbook for Undergraduate Students
  • The Hawai’i Pacific University Academic Catalog
  • Individual scholarship and grant pamphlets and handouts distributed by HPU’s Admissions Office, Center for Graduate Studies, Scholarships and Honors Programs Office, Athletic Office and/or the Financial Aid Office.

YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO RECEIVE THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION FROM THE UNIVERSITY:

  • Information on financial assistance that is available, including information on all federal, state, local, private and institutional financial aid programs.
  • Information on the procedures and deadlines for submitting applications for each available program, grant and/or scholarship.
  • Information on how the University selects financial aid recipients.
  • Information on how the University determines your financial need.
  • Information on how the University determines each type and amount of assistance in your financial aid package (award letter).
  • Information on how and when you will receive your aid.
  • Information on how the University determines whether you are making satisfactory academic progress (SAP), and what happens if you are not.
  • Information on your federal work study job, if awarded, to include the job description, hours of work, what your duties will be, what the rate of pay will be, and how and when you will be paid.
  • Information on the location, hours and counseling procedures of the financial aid office.
  • You may gain access to any of the above information online via the University’s Web site through the campus intranet myHPU or by requesting appropriate publications from the offices listed.

Responsibilities

As a financial aid student, you must accept the following responsibilities to ensure that your aid is processed correctly and that you know what consequences may arise if you fail to complete your course work or withdraw from school or classes:

  • You must complete your admissions application and the Free Application for Financial Student Aid (FAFSA) and submit them on time to the correct addresses.
  • The FAFSA must be mailed to the federal processor and be received not later than March 1 (our priority deadline date), or completed online at www.fafsa.ed.gov prior to the deadline, if you wish to receive your maximum eligible aid package.
  • We will continue to process aid applications after March 1, however, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG), Federal Perkins Loan and Federal Work Study funds may have been exhausted by the time late applications are received.
  • The Federal Pell Grant and Federal Family Educational Loans will be available in varying amounts for eligible late applicants.
  • New students should complete and submit admissions applications in the November/December time frame so that when their aid application information is received, their aid package (award letter) can be processed.
  • You will not receive a financial aid award letter until you are admitted to the University.
  • You must be making Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) toward a degree objective in order to be eligible to receive financial aid at HPU.
  • You must submit accurate and complete information in your FAFSA application and in any other documents or forms requested. Reporting inaccurate and/or incomplete information will only delay the processing of your aid or result in a penalty assessed by the federal government.
  • You must complete and return all other documents, verification forms, and reports requested by the financial aid office with corrections and/or new information.
  • You are responsible for reading and understanding all applications, reports, letters and forms that you are asked to sign, and keeping copies of them.
  • You must accept responsibility for all agreements that you sign with the federal government and the University.
  • You must perform the work that is agreed upon in the contract if you sign a work study contract.
  • You must be aware of the University’s withdrawal and refund policies and procedures and know the consequences of withdrawing from classes or school. This information is extremely important as, under certain circumstances, you could find yourself owing the University for an unpaid balance or having to repay federal funds refunded to you.