Chaminade University of Honolulu

Financial Aid Award Offer

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Newly admitted students who submitted their FAFSA will begin receiving their financial aid awards by mail starting in March. Award offers can also be accessed on Self-Service. (To access Self-Service, you will need your 7-digit student ID number and password.)

Continuing on-campus undergraduate students, Flex Online Undergraduate students, graduate students, and doctoral students will be notified via Chaminade student email that their financial aid award is available on Self-Service. (To access Self-Service, you will need your 7-digit student ID number and password.)

After receiving your financial aid award letter, we encourage you to meet with a Financial Aid Counselor to review your award and options.

Understanding Your Financial Aid Award

Your financial aid award offer will show an equation:

Budget – Expected Family Contribution (EFC) = Need

Budget: Your budget is your Cost of Attendance. This includes estimated expenses for both school and your upkeep for the year. Some of the costs will be owed to Chaminade, and some will not. For example, if you are living on campus, your room and board costs will be paid to Chaminade, but if you are living off campus, they will not. For more details and an itemized breakdown, view your Cost of Attendance.

Expected Family Contribution (EFC): Your EFC is determined by the information you have submitted in your FAFSA. This is what the U.S. Department of Education has determined that you/your family can contribute to your education for the year. We understand that this amount may not be realistic for you/your family’s situation. Chaminade does not expect that you/your family will necessarily be able to pay this contribution; therefore, a loan may be indicated in your award to cover the EFC.

Need: Need is the amount left over after the EFC is applied to your budget.

  • If you have a high level of need, or if it is the same as the entire budget amount, you will be eligible for federal and institutional need grants and scholarships. Please note that grants are “free money” and do not need to be repaid.
  • If your need is somewhere between zero and the budget amount, your package is likely to be a mix of scholarships, grants, and loans. You will need to determine just how much money you should borrow to meet your financial obligations during the school year, and how much you/your family may be able to pay for.
  • If your need is zero or a low amount, your EFC will be very high.

Your financial aid award offer may include different types of aid. Please see below to learn more about them.

Accepting Your Financial Aid Award

It’s important to know that you must first accept the award (via Self-Service) to use it:

  • You may accept the full amount, a partial amount, or none.
  • The Office of Financial Aid is not able to release your aid until you have accepted the award amount you intend to use.
  • Returning students must repeat the process of accepting the award each year.

New incoming students will need to complete a Master Promissory Note and Entrance Counseling to receive any Federal Student Loans. These forms can be accessed at studentaid.gov. Current students do not need to resubmit the Master Promissory Note or Entrance Counseling.

If you are awarded a Parent PLUS Loan or Alternative Loan, you will need to apply for the loan every year. Unlike federal student loans, PLUS loans and alternative loans are not guaranteed. Applicants’ credit history must be verified each year for eligibility.

If you are receiving Work-Study, begin searching and applying for on-campus jobs before the start of the semester. Work-Study recipients must obtain a job designated for the Work-Study program to receive aid—Work-Study jobs are guaranteed. See the Work-Study page for more information.

Additional Resources