Disbursement and Refund Process
Receiving Financial Aid, Financial Aid refunds, overages, and bookstore allowances.
Financial aid (including federal grants, federal student loans, and scholarships) is used to pay for college tuition and fees. "Disbursement" is the official term for how that money is applied to your tuition bill.
Once financial aid is applied to your tuition and fees, if there is money left over, then funds will be made available to you at the Columbus State Bookstore to purchase books and supplies. After a specified time period each semester, all remaining money will be released to you in the form of a "refund." More on Refunds
For specific questions and troubleshooting, check out our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).
See also: Bookstore Financial Aid Allowances | Refunds
When will financial aid money be available on my account?
- About 10 days before the start of each semester, financial aid begins to be released and applied to outstanding tuition bills. Federal
grant funds (including Pell Grant, if eligible) and scholarships will automatically
be used to pay your bill. (The amount disbursed may vary depending on how many credit
hours you take. See chart)
- Student loan recipients must accept their loans using Financial Aid Self-Service before they can receive funds. More on Loans
- Bookstore: Financial aid money remaining (up to $1000, if eligible) after the tuition bill is paid will be credited to the Columbus State Bookstore to be used to purchase books and supplies.
- Refunds (also known as "overages") are paid out roughly 5-6 weeks into the semester. They are released through Direct Deposit or via check.
- Problems or Questions? If you still have questions about your aid, check our Troubleshooting FAQ or contact Student Central.
For specific dates, consult these Disbursement Dates for Spring 2025.
The following Dates and Deadlines Apply to Spring Semester 2025.
Refunds of instructional and general fees are granted pursuant to Procedure No. 7-06(O). The refund dates for each term can be found on the Academic Calendar webpage.
First day for financial aid to be transmitted and applied towards tuition. (The amount disbursed may vary depending on how many credit hours you take. See chart) | January 3, 2025 |
First day to purchase at the Columbus State Bookstore using Financial Aid. | January 7, 2025 |
First day to use Bookstore Vouchers for CCP and Third Party Sponsorships | January 3, 2025 |
First day of the semester |
January 13, 2025 |
Columbus State Bookstore return deadline. Receipt required. Purchases after this date may be returned following the Columbus State Bookstore's Return Policy. | January 27, 2025 |
Non-financial aid refunds released from CSCC by | February 5, 2025 |
LAST day to purchase books in-store or online using financial aid at the CSCC Bookstore | February 10, 2025 |
LAST day to sign up for direct deposit | February 11, 2025 (To be included in the first financial aid direct deposit disbursement) |
Financial aid credit balances released to students (direct deposit or check) | Approximately February 19, 2025 (Direct deposit: allow 1-2 business days for bank processing. Checks: allow up to 14 days for processing plus standard U.S. Postal mail delivery time) |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Troubleshooting
The student's remaining financial aid credit balance (equal to the student's total financial aid disbursement minus tuition/fees, and minus the amount used at the Columbus State Bookstore) will be disbursed in the form of a check or direct deposit. Refunds will be processed beginning the fifth or sixth week of the semester, after course attendance and participation is verified. Please refer to Disbursement Dates (above) to determine when your funds will be released.
An e-mail notification will be sent when a financial aid direct deposit or check refund has been processed. Please check your CSCC student e-mail account for e-mail notifications. To view your account online, sign in to Self-Service and click on Financial Information (below the Home tab to the left). Then, click on "Student Finance", and from the drop-down menu click on "Account Summary" or "Account Activity". Account information is not released over the telephone.
You have the right to cancel all or part of any loan disbursement made on your behalf. For details on this right and procedures by which you may cancel all or part of your Direct Loans please go to: Financial Aid > Loans
For direct deposit refunds, once you receive email notification from CSCC that your refund has been issued, it can take 1 to 2 business days to appear in your account at your bank.
For check refunds, students will receive an email notification when funds have been released from Columbus State. Please allow additional handling and mailing time for standard U.S Postal mail delivery. In the event you do not receive the check, you may request the college place a stop pay on the check and have a new check re-issued. It is important to verify that Columbus State has your correct address prior to refunds being issued. You can find and update this information in your Self-Service account. Checks not received will not be reissued prior to two weeks after the check has been printed, and must be requested.
If you paid online, an e-mail notification will be sent to the e-mail account listed in the system, usually this is your Columbus State assigned student e-mail account. To view your account, sign in to Self-Service and click on the Financial Information tab (below the Home tab, to the left of the screen). From here, click on "Student Finance", and from the drop-down menu select "Account Summary" or "Account Activity". Account information is not released over the telephone.
If you withdraw from classes, you may be eligible for a refund. See Refunds.
If you are receiving Title IV aid, and you completely withdraw from classes before completing the term, then unearned Title IV funds must be returned to the federal government. See Satisfactory Academic Progress
There may be several reasons why financial aid has not disbursed to pay fees for the semester. Information may be available on your Self-Service account under "Financial Information". For assistance, contact the Telephone Information Center at 614-287-5353, or chat online with Student Central.
There may be several reasons why financial aid has not disbursed to pay fees for the semester. Information may be available on your Self-Service account under "Financial Information". For assistance, contact the Telephone Information Center at 614-287-5353, or chat online with Student Central.
If there is an outstanding balance of tuition and fees by the deadline on the Fee Payment Deadline date your classes may be dropped for non-payment.
It is important to monitor your account, beginning on the day Columbus State begins to use financial aid to pay your fees (See Disbursement Dates - above). You can monitor your account by logging into Self-Service and viewing the "Financial Information" tab to the left of the screen, below the Home tab. Messages will appear on this page indicating if there is an issue with the financial aid paying for the semester bill.
To calculate the amount of your pending refund, log into Self-Service and click on the Financial Information tab (below the Home tab, to the left of the screen). From here, click on "Student Finance", and from the drop-down menu select "Account Activity". At the bottom of the page, you will see an amount listed for the selected semester. If the amount has a ‘-‘ in front of the number this represents a credit on your account. This is the amount which will be refunded to you once we begin the refunding process.
The amount showing as a refund can vary depending on when you view the "Account Activity" screen. If you review the screen PRIOR to the date when refunds will be processed (See Disbursement Dates - above) no credit will be shown. To calculate an approximate amount of your refund, view each of the awards listed and look at the ‘anticipated’ column. This column indicates funds are expected to be available to you once we begin to issue refunds.
Direct Deposit
NOTE: Currently, only financial aid refunds may be issued direct deposit.
Step 1: Go to Self-Service and log in
Step 2: Click on the "Bank Information (U.S.)" link from the Home page
Step 3: Enter your bank account information on the Bank Information (U.S.) screen
Step 4: Check the box to agree to the terms and conditions and then click "Submit"
You will be taken to a confirmation page and we will send an email to your CSCC student
email account confirming the change.
If you have old bank account information that needs removed, check the "Delete" box
and click "Submit" before entering any new bank account information.
Please note: Self-Service and/or confirmation emails will only display the last 4
digits of the account number we have on file.
How to Use Self-Service > Student Finance
Anticipated aid is funding you are eligible to receive for the semester, however, it is not currently needed to cover your bill. At the point in the semester when we process refunds, typically 5 to 6 weeks into the term, the anticipated aid will be used to calculate the amount to be refunded to you by direct deposit or check.
All tuition and fees are due in full by the Fee Payment Deadline for the semester. If the aid listed on Account Activity does not cover the full amount of your tuition and fees a payment needs to be made to avoid being dropped for non-payment. Outstanding fees can be paid by various methods. See ‘How to Pay Fees’ for information on options.
Contact Us
Cashiers and Student Accounting
Phone: (614) 287-5658
Email: stuacct@cscc.edu
Fax: (614) 287-5985