Loan acceptance
Steps to Secure Your Loan Funds
1. Review your award notification. Please contact our office if you have any questions regarding your awards.
2. You must read, understand and accept the Terms and Conditions Governing Financial Aid Awards. To do this, access your UNA Portal account, click Self-Service, then click Award and select the current aid year. Select the Terms and Conditions tab and click the link to read the actual terms and conditions. When you have finished, click "Accept." If you have any questions regarding any of the listed terms and conditions, please contact our office before accepting them. You cannot move on to complete the rest of the steps on this page until you have accepted the Terms and Conditions.
IF LOANS ARE REQUESTED, THE FOLLOWING STEPS 2 AND 3 MUST BE COMPLETED TOGETHER. DO NOT EXIT THIS AREA UNTIL YOU HAVE ACCEPTED THE LOAN OFFER AND CHOSEN A LENDER.
3. To accept, reduce or decline your financial aid, access your UNA PORTAL account and click Self-Service, then select Financial Aid and the Award option. Select Award for Aid Year, then the appropriate academic year. Select the Accept Award Offer tab.
4. If you accept a student loan, you must ensure that you notify UNA Student Financial Services of your selected lender. While in the Accept Award Offer tab, Select a Lender from the drop-down box located on the right hand side of the screen. If you have completed this step, your selected lender will display in this section. If your lender is no longer actively lending, your lender will no longer be listed here and you will need to make another selection. If you want to change a previously selected lender, please contact our office to do so.
5. If you accept a loan offer and have not previously completed loan entrance counseling, you must complete this before any loan funds will disburse to your student account. In Self-Service, select Financial Aid, and then click the link to "Loan Entrance Counseling." If you complete this step successfully, our office will receive electronic notification to alert us of its completion. You may also bring the confirmation number to our office if you choose. Please do not confuse Loan Entrance Counseling with Loan Exit Counseling.
6. After you have selected a lender, you must complete a student loan application and sign a Master Promissory Note (MPN) with the lender that you have chosen. In Self-Service, select Financial Aid and choose the link to Suggested Lenders.
- - This will take you to the ELM Select website where you will find a list of
- lenders frequently used by UNA students.
- - Make sure that you choose the tab for Stafford Loans
- - Review the lenders and select Apply Now for the lender that you have
- chosen. Follow the lender's instructions for completing your application and
- MPN. You may be required to use your Department of Education issued
- Personal Identification Number (PIN) to sign the MPN.
7. Be sure to check your financial aid requirements in Self Service by visiting the Financial Aid section. You can review outstanding requirements in the Status section, under Student Requirements. Any outstanding requirements may prevent the timely disbursement of your financial aid.
