Students attending an online undergraduate degree program are pursuant to the same federal financial aid policies as traditional undergraduate degree programs held on campus. Consult the Office of Financial Assistance website for specific application processes and deadlines. The information that follows includes specific information related to the disbursement of funds and the payment of funds to our third-party administrative partner, BISK (formerly known as University Alliance).
Disbursement of Federal Student Aid. Federal Student Aid funds are required to pay directly to students’ Villanova University accounts in equal disbursement amounts. The disbursement date is set after the drop period has ended.
Please note that students will need to be enrolled in at least 6 credits per semester to be eligible for "half-time" status and Federal Direct Loans. "Half- time" status is defined accordingly:
- MUST be enrolled in 6 credits for Session I of the semester OR
- MUST be enrolled in 6 credits for Session II of the semester OR
- MUST be enrolled in 3 credits for Session I and 3 credits for Session II for the semester**
**For this option, students must be enrolled in all 6 credits at the start of Session I in order to receive Federal Direct Loan disbursement. Otherwise, the Federal Direct Loan will not be awarded or disbursed.
A student may not combine credits from another semester's session or term to qualify for half-time status. For example, a student who enrolls in Summer Session II for 3 credits and then Fall Session I for 3 credits cannot combine those terms for half-time status and Federal Direct Loan eligibility. The student in this scenario would be considered less than half-time.
Once federal financial aid has disbursed at Villanova, the Office of Financial Assistance will conduct a review of the student’s financial aid award. This review ensures the cost of attendance matches the student’s original plan of enrollment, and that any outside sources of aid, tuition discount, or employer tuition assistance, etc. have been included as resources for the student. The Office of Financial Assistance also reviews to ensure the student is enrolled for the specific session the grant and/or loan disbursement was received.