All Students

Soros Panel Today (Monday, Sept. 26)

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If you missed the information session about this fellowship on September 20 or would like to learn more about the fellowship, please plan to attend the panel presentation on Monday, September 26. The panel members will be Stanley J. Heginbotham, Director, and two of the current Boalt Hall Soros Fellows. The meeting will be held 12:45-1:45 P.M. in the Goldberg Room.

The panel members will provide information and insights about how to be a successful applicant for this prestigious $90,000 two-year fellowship.
A New American is a person who holds a Green Card, is already a naturalized citizen, or the child of a naturalized parent (the other parent cannot be a U.S. born citizen). A candidate must not be more than 30 years of age as of November 1 of the year of application. You may go to www.pdsoros.org for more information about the fellowships. The link to the audio recording PowerPoint slides for the September 20, 2011 information session is located at http://www.law.berkeley.edu/9653.htm.

We encourage you to become informed and pursue this excellent opportunity.

Berkeley Law Financial Aid Office Staff

$90K Soros Fellowship for New Americans

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The deadline for the Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans is coming up on November 1. The fellowship provides up to $90,000 to graduate students nationwide. If you are an immigrant, you must be a naturalized citizen or permanent resident in order to be eligible for the fellowship. If you are a child of immigrants, they must be naturalized citizens or permanent residents.

Three Berkeley Law students who are current Soros New Americans Fellows will give a presentation on the application process and offer insights on
how to put together a solid application package. Please go to www.pdsoros.org for more information about this fellowship.

The information session will be held from 12:45-1:45 P.M. on Tuesday, September 20, in 145 Boalt Hall.

MyFinAid video tour is now online

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The MyFinAid video tour is now online, linked from the main campus Financial Aid Office’s home page.

http://students.berkeley.edu/finaid/index.htm

The video is part of the Campus Life section of the UC Berkeley YouTube channel. The direct link to the video on YouTube is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJM5yQ1ye58.

The video provides an overview of MyFinAid and takes you through the application, screen by screen.

Please note that the contact information listed in the video is for UC Berkeley undergraduate students.

Refund Check Pick-up Location

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If your Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) request was not processed in time for your Fall 2011 refund or you chose not to enroll in the EFT option, your refund will be disbursed by paper check.  You should receive an email from the Billing and Payments Cashiers office at 192 University Hall when the check is ready for you to pick up.  Their hours are 9-noon and 1:00-3:00, Monday – Friday.

Drop-in hours at Boalt on Tuesday/Wednesday

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Financial Aid drop-in hours at Boalt:

Dates: Tuesday August 23 and Wednesday August 24, 9am to 4pm

Locations: Rooms 305 and 311-A

How to know if you are a registered student

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Q; How do I know if I am a registered student?

A: This information can easily be obtained through bearfacts.berkeley.edu. Upon logging into the student section, open the Personal Profile tab of the Personal section. Your registration status will be listed as part of your profile.

If you aren’t registered, check the Payment Summary tab in the CARS section to ensure that 20% of your fees are paid and check the Class Schedule tab in the Registration section to ensure that you are enrolled in at least 6 units.

Why is my loan payment amount less than I accepted?

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Q: Why is my loan payment amount less than the amount I accepted?

A: The Direct Subsidized/Unsubsidized and Grad PLUS loans require a fee. This information is explained in the Entrance Counseling required of all new borrowers and can also be found on our Loans page. The loan fee amount is deducted from the loan before the loan is sent to a student’s CARS billing account. For example, if you accept $10,000 in Grad PLUS for the fall semester you should expect to receive $9,750 to pay to your CARS account.

Fall Portion of Loan Accept Amount: $10,000
Loan Fee: $250 (2.5%)
Amount Paid to CARS: $9,750

Please be aware of this difference when budgeting for your expenses.

If you owe anything to the campus in your CARS account, your financial aid will go toward paying that amount before a refund is generated.

BearFacts e-Bill and Quick Statement

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The campus “e-bill” feature is a once-a-month snapshot of your billing account. Unfortunately, this year the snapshot was taken too early to reflect the payment of financial aid awards. See the Quick Statement in BearFacts for your real-time CARS balance.


	


	

			


											

	

		
Accepting Your Educational Loans

			

		
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Students who intend to accept all or part of their educational loans should do so ASAP.  For many students relying on their financial aid for a refund, loans are the principal source of the refund amount. If you wait to accept your loans later this month, the amount refunded to you from your loans will be delayed.




    

  • Only half of the amount you accept will pay toward your Fall fees. The other half will pay in Spring. This is a federal regulation which applies to all federal funds including educational loans.
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  • You do not need to accept all of your loans now. If you choose not to accept the full amount, you will have the opportunity to accept the remaining amount later this academic year.
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Accept your loans through myfinaid.berkeley.edu. If you are an entering student (or haven’t borrowed from Berkeley Law before), don’t forget to complete your Master Promissory Notes and Entrance Counseling as outlined on our Loans page.