Financial Aid and Student Accounts FAQs

Why don’t I see my financial aid appearing on my bill?
Your financial aid—including federal and state loan and grant awards—will only appear on your account after you have completed all of the necessary steps to get your aid awards. Awards will not be reflected on your account if there are pending requirements you must complete. Please visit selfservice.mountsaintvincent.edu to review your Financial Aid Checklist to see if there are any missing or pending requirements.

To check your current balance, go to the “Student” tab on Self-Service, click “Student Account,” and choose the “View Your Bill” option. Bills will be revised and updated as aid is accepted and approved, so keep checking your bill on Self-Service for updates.

  1. Did you file a FAFSA?
    If not, go to fafsa.ed.gov. Be sure to send your FAFSA to the College of Mount Saint Vincent using our FAFSA code 002703. Have you received any emails indicating that there is a problem or error on your FAFSA? Please log onto your FSA account at studentaid.gov to see if there are any messages about errors that you need to fix before you can get financial aid.
  2. Did you accept your awards on Self-Service?
    If not, you need to log onto Self-Service and accept your aid as soon as possible. To do so, please visit selfservice.mountsaintvincent.edu.
      • Click on the tab “Financial Aid”
      • Click on the link for “Kick-Off”
      • On the drop-down for “Select Aid Year,” choose “Aid Year 2020-2021”
      • Click on the tab for “Accept Award Offer”
      • Accept or decline awards
      • Submit decision
  1. Did you complete all of the requirements to get your student loans?
    To complete entrance counseling and sign the master promissory note for your student loans, go to studentloans.gov. It can take up to three days for your account to reflect aid you have accepted or requirements you fulfilled.
  2. Did your parent(s) complete all of the requirements to get a Parent PLUS loan?
    Parents who have applied for a Parent PLUS loan (studentloans.gov/myDirectLoan) must also complete a master promissory note (MPN) and entrance counseling. It can take up to two weeks to process and reflect on your account.
  3. Were you selected for verification?
    We know verification is a complicated process that the federal government randomly selects students and families to complete. If you have questions about the process, visit mountsaintvincent.edu/verificationguidelines. Log onto Self-Service to see the list of required documents that you still need to submit in order to be eligible for federal aid. Missing documents for requirements can be submitted through Self-Service using the “Upload Documents” option. Be sure to include your Student ID number on all documents you submit, to help us track and process your information.Please note: If you have already submitted all of your documents, be patient while we process the paperwork—the federal government makes this a very time-consuming and complicated process. Bills will be revised and updated as aid is approved.
  4. Were you told that you had to file a SAP (Satisfactory Academic Progress) appeal?
    If you filed your appeal documents, you should hear soon about the committee’s decision about your eligibility to receive financial aid.

I did everything I am supposed to do, so why am I still not seeing my financial aid?
We encourage you to continue to check your Self-Service account as it can take three business days for the federal government to process your loans after all steps have been completed.

I applied for TAP, so why don’t I see it on my account?
First, ensure you submitted your application for TAP. Your financial aid award indicates the estimated TAP we believe you are eligible to receive, but you must apply for TAP to receive the award. The College’s TAP code is 0130.

TAP awards must be authorized by New York State. After you apply and are certified by the state, your account will be updated. Please be patient as this process takes time.

I see a charge for Student Health Insurance on my bill, but I am covered by another plan. How do I remove the charges?
Student Health Insurance charges from your bill will be removed only after you waive the College-sponsored plan. Go to mountsaintvincent.edu/studenthealthinsurance for more information. There you will be directed to gallagherstudent.com/mountsaintvincent to fill out the waiver form. You will receive an email once you have successfully submitted your waiver request. Your plan will be reviewed to ensure that it is a comparable plan. You will then receive a second email approving or denying your waiver.

Will I have to pay a late fee if I don’t pay by the August due date?
Late fees will be waived for August. We know there’s been a delay in processing student financial aid account information and bills, so the College will not charge students a late fee for missing the August due date. Parents and students have the option of setting up a payment plan of five installments with the first payment beginning in August.

How can I make an online payment?
You can make a check or credit card payment on Self-Service.

How can I set up a payment plan?
You can set up a payment plan online through Tuition Management Systems (TMS) at mountsaintvincent.afford.com or by telephone at 1-888-722-4867.

How do I know how much to set up my TMS payment plan if some of my financial aid isn’t posted to my account yet?
If all of your anticipated financial aid is not reflected on your July bill, use your financial aid award letter to estimate the amount of your payment plan. Once you’ve completed all the steps to accept and receive your aid awards, they will show on your bill on Self-Service. You can adjust your payment plans at any time to reflect changes to your account.

Please note: If you do not take all of the steps necessary to get your financial aid (i.e.: filing a FAFSA, accepting awards, completing verification, taking the steps to get your loans, applying for TAP), you will owe those funds at the end of the semester.

I really need to speak to someone!
We are delighted to welcome a new Director for Financial Aid who, with the entire financial aid team, is working hard to process all of the paperwork students have submitted, as well as the confirmations from the federal and state governments. Our Office of Student Accounts is also ready to assist you with any questions about your account and payment plans.

You may schedule an appointment with Financial Aid or Student Accounts using the links below.