Create New Award Letter

Owned by Siana Stewart
Last updated: Jan 24, 2023 by Nan Murray
7 min read

 

Award letters can be created for students who are already entered in the system or for students who have not yet been added to the CORE system.
Students not yet added to the system
To add an award letter for a student not in the system: Click on the red award letter tab from the dashboard

Creating an Award Letter

Click on 'Create Award Letter

Option 1: Lookup a student by First Name, Last name, SSN, Student ID, or DOB

Option 2: Continue Without Student Record creates a Funding Estimate when a student is not in CORE.

 

 

This option will bring you to a BLANK student award screen where you can fill in all empty fields present below. 

Students in CORE

  1. Reflects the students' identifiable information

  2. Choose the students' active program from the dropdown list

  3. Choose the students' current ISIR / ISIR year from the dropdown

  4. If there is no ISIR on file the students' ‘Dependence Status’ and whether on not the student ‘Has Bachelor's Degree’ need to be chosen in order to Save.

Students Not In-Core

 

  1. Fill in the blank areas in the Student Info section

  2. 2a.Choose from the dropdown Location 2b. term date that the student started 2c. then choose a program dropdown 2d. Choose the student academic level 2e. Choose the student tuition scenarios (they may all be the same $ amount or they may differ for veterans, in-state or out-of-state, etc.)

  3. Once complete, click SAVE , the award letter will be created. Once created adjustments can be made to the award letter.

Based on the information entered it will generate a funding estimate

A. Reflects student demographic information

B. Program specific information such as AY unit (credits or clock hours). AY start date, Academic Level, and Tuition Scenario

C. All fields in this arear are driven by the configured COA in CORE. Some packaging models allow for manipulation on these fields and other do not (no update will will reflect unless auto-recalculation is unchecked). Direct and Indirect cost are broken down based on the calculations in CORE (if incorrect please submit in a ticket)

D. Information pulled from the ISIR or filled in when creating the Funding Estimate d1. informs the user of their current packaging mode foe the selected program.

E. Signature capture e1. request student signature via text e2. request student signature via the student portal (student portal will need to be turned on to use this feature) e3.

F. Print student facing PDF : see example below

 

  1. Scroll through generated Academic Years

  2. Check/Un-check Auto Recalculate

  3. Save/Refresh page to show most recent changes which doing your funding estimate

  4. Working Copy and a PDF: create an exact replica of the screen you ae working on for the schools records or students file (not typically presented to student)

  5. Add an additional academic year for those students who have an extended - not progressing at normal rate e.g. failed classes, non-attendance, etc.

  6. Switch view: allows the user to switch between old view and updated view

  7. Primary View: when creating a funding estimate that you always want to see

FUNCTIONALITY:

  • Users will have the ability to adjust individual cost elements by term.

  • The total costs at the top of Funding Estimate will auto update each individual field.

USE:

  • Users will now see each cost element in a separate field at the bottom of each term for those Funding Estimates that are broken out by term.

  • Users will have the ability to adjust each element for individual terms

  • Scroll to the bottom of each academic year on the Funding Estimate to view the cost breakout by term.

  • Users can change the amount for tuition, Books and Supplies, Reg Fee and Misc Fee individually by term. As each value is adjusted the totals and Direct Cost Difference will also adjust.

  • All updated values are reflected in the adjusted totals at the top of the Funding Estimate in each individual cost element field.

 

A. Academic Year information

B. Term Start dates and credits per term

C. Disbursement date for each award

D. Title IV Fund sources

E. Non-Title IV Fund sources

F. Adjusts to default COA Direct Costs: each field will update as changes are made at the term level and will reflect in the upper COA Section


The award letter can then be printed and signed by the student.


Students already added to the system


To add an award letter for a student already added to the system:

Click on the red award letter tab on the dashboard

Click on 'Create Funding Estimate

 

 

Using Option 1 you will be able to type in the name of a student that is already in CORE. Users are able to search by First Name, Last Name, SSN or StudentID 

Enter student name, SSN or Student ID in Student Lookup space provided. Pick the student from the dropdown list.

Enter all relevant data in the fields provided, for students in the system

 

 

 

3. Click save, the award letter will be created.

4. Once created adjustments can be made to the award letter.

The Award Letter is created with all estimates calculated by the system.  All aid is calculated for maximum eligibility, the user then has the ability to lower the amount calculated.  Even though the gross awards can be adjusted by the user the maximum eligibility always stays the same.

The award letter can be e-signed through the student portal, via text, and through our mobile site. 

Signing a Funding Estimate

Click on any one or both of the two links shown below and a text and/or email will be sent to the student. 

  • If its a text, the student will be given a unique code to text back to the system to accept the awards. 

  • If its an email, the student will be prompted to log into the portal and accept their awards.

The text message sent to the student includes a link to view the Award Letter.  The text also includes a unique code that the student can text back to indicate their acceptance and lets the student know that if they have any questions to contact the Financial Aid Office. 

When the student clicks on the link they get a complete view of the original award letter including all costs, COA, academic year dates, disbursement dates, full eligibility and any adjusted amount they choose.  

 

The system will only accept the unique code from the number it was originally sent.  In the example below student would need to respond to the text with EB6715 to sign the Funding Estimate. The phone number used for the text is only the one stored in the system, which is received via the import process from the school's Student Information System.