Pharmacy College

Apply For Financial Assistance here >>

You must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) every academic year. You are encouraged to file online at studentaid.gov (you may link to this web site through the Apply for Financial Aid (FAFSA) link on the Office of Student Financial Aid page of the Chicago State University [CSU] web site). CSU’s federal school code is 001694. You will need to enter this code on your FAFSA so that CSU will receive a copy of your application. The information you provide on the FAFSA will assist us in determining your eligibility for the following financial aid programs: Federal Direct Stafford Loan Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan Federal Work-Study

Students planning to enroll for the Fall semester should have a completed FAFSA on file with the Office of Student Financial Aid no later than May 15th.

What Types of Aid are Available?

Federal Education Loans for Students

Loans are borrowed money that must be repaid, with interest. Eligibility requirements, interest rates, and repayment periods vary. Students may apply for Federal Direct Stafford Loans which will afford those who are eligible the opportunity to borrow up $33,000 per academic year. Students requiring additional funds, if they have remaining need in their Budget or do not qualify for Stafford, may apply for the Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan and/or Private Education Loans (also known as Alternative Education Loans - discussed below)

Information concerning your individual eligibility for Federal Loans, as well as the process to receive said loans may be viewed on both the Your Financial Aid Package web page and the Apply for Loans web page.

Special Note to those newly admitted, or yet to be admitted:  Until which time that you have been fully admitted to the university and our student record system has been updated to reflect your enrollment status as a College of Pharmacy student, your financial aid award package, if you have completed a FAFSA, will reflect loan eligibility based on enrollment as a regular graduate student, such as a Master’s candidate, not the higher loan limits associated with the Pharm D program. Once you have received your acceptance letter please allow up to 2-3 weeks for our system to be updated to reflect your correct academic status. Once this has been accomplished the Office of Student Financial Aid will recalculate your financial aid package and notify you that you should, once again, access the Your Financial Aid Award Package web page, and ultimately CSU X-press to review and accept any offered financial aid assistance.

Private Education Loans (aka Alternative Education Loans) - There may be instances where you may not qualify for Direct Loans or it may be that you are not eligible for sufficient funding of your needs under this federal program. If that is the case you might wish to pursue a Private Education Loan. In most instances lenders will notify our office if you have applied for, and been approved for, a Private Education Loan and request that we certify your enrollment status/eligibility. In some instances you may need to either notify us that you have been approved or you may need to provide us with a paper certification form. For more information concerning this process check with your lender. We will perform eligibility certification for any lender or loan product you desire. CSU does not maintain a Preferred Lender list for entities that offer Private Education Loans nor do we recommend any particular private lender or private loan product. We do, however, maintain a "Historic List of Private (Alternative) Education Loan Lenders". which will provide you with information on lenders who have funded Private Education Loans for CSU students over the past 5 years.

Student Employment – Student employment provides the opportunity to earn money to help pay for school expenses. Students work in most departments of CSU. For more information please visit out Student Employment web page.

Veterans / Military Benefits – Veterans, some survivors of veterans,  and military personnel may be eligible to receive benefits from programs administered by the Office of Student Financial Aid. These programs include, but are not limited to:

• Illinois Veterans Grant
• Montgomery GI Bill
• Post 9/11 GI Bill

Visit our Veteran's Affairs web page for more information

Scholarships – The Office of Student Financial Aid maintains a large database of scholarship opportunities. You may access this information, as well as links to numerous sources of educational funding, through the Scholarship Information web page of the Office of Student Financial Aid web site.

Please Note: All scholarships, grants, stipends and all other form of gift aid, hereafter collectively referred to as scholarships, must be reported to the CSU Scholarship Coordinator, as the receipt of any scholarship may have an effect on a student’s eligibility for other forms of financial assistance including loans and work-study funding. If a scholarship is processed through a CSU office it is necessary for that office to notify the Scholarship Coordinator of scholarship funds awarded to, or received by, a student. If a student secures a scholarship on his/her own it is mandatory that the student notify the Scholarship Coordinator of that scholarship. In order to facilitate the notification process an Award Notification form is available on the Scholarship Information web page of the Office of Student Financial Aid web site.

After you have completed your FAFSA and we have received a copy of your Student Aid Report (SAR), issued by the U.S. Department of Education (USDE), we will send you an e-mail referring you to our Your Financial Aid Award Package  web page which will give you information concerning the loan process at CSU and provide you with a link to CSU X-press where you may review you award package and accept any funding that you desire. We will also send you a notice referring you to our Student Requirements and Special Notices web page if we are informed that there is information missing from your FAFSA or if you have been selected by the USDE for the Verification process. Additionally, once you have accepted an "Offered" loan, and it has been processed, you will again receive notice from us. In all these instances the notices you receive will be directing you to access a web page that will give you further information regarding your status. These web pages will link you to CSU X-press, the university's secure student records web site. 

Satisfactory Academic Progress – CSU's Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy measures whether students are progressing at a reasonable rate toward the completion of their educational objective. Students must be in compliance with this policy in order to maintain continued financial aid eligibility.

E-mail – Until which time you are admitted, all Financial Aid communications will be sent to the e-mail address reflected on your FAFSA. Once you have been admitted, all Financial Aid communications will be sent to your CSU e-mail address. Check it often!

Your Financial Aid Package – Students who have yet to be admitted to the university, but have completed a FAFSA, may review their financial aid package on CSU X-press. Continuing students may access CSU X-press through Cougar Connect.

It is the responsibility of all students to keep themselves informed as to issues that may affect their financial aid eligibility by regularly accessing the Office of Student Financial Aid web site and CSU X-Press. 

Although they are not part of the Office of Student Financial Aid, the following two CSU offices are an integral part of the financial services provided by the university:

Office of the Bursar – Students who do not wish to apply for, or do not qualify for, financial aid funding may consult with the Office of the Bursar regarding tuition payment options such as payment plans and on-line payments. The Office of the Bursar will also provide you with statements for all billable services provided by the university. The Office of the Bursar is located in Room 213 of the Cook Administration Building. Telephone: (773) 995-2470. Fax: (773)821-2510.

Cashiering Operations – The Cashiers accept all payments for tuition and other services provided by the university including Commuter Meal Plans, copy services, Wellness Center services and transcripts. The Cashiers sell parking passes, CTA passes and postage stamps, and provide Notary service. The Cashiers are located in Room 211 of the Cook Administration Building. Telephone: (773) 995-2029. Fax: (773)821-2872.