91´«Ã½

Payments provided by the university for student achievement, athletics, performance or competitions that are not related to employment services. Paid via CU SIS, PSC, HCM, or with cash-like or other tangible methods such as gift cards or an iPad.

Payments to support students pursuing studies or research are unrelatedÌýto employment services. The Office of Financial Aid distributes grants and scholarships through a student’s financial aid package. The Bursar’s Office distributes the money to the student’s account and applies it to any outstanding direct educational charges and fees. Students receive a refund of any excess aid after the account balance is zero.

• Grants (need-based):
  • Typically awarded based on financial need.
• Scholarships:
  • Typically awarded based on academic success or other achievements/experiences.
  • Recipients are selected through a competitive application process.

A payment processed through CU SIS is typically treated as OFA by default, so no additional reporting is required.

Paid via HCM for use with 15XX series positions. Need-based employment under the work-study program is already recorded as OFA in a student’s financial aid package when they get a work-study award.Ìý

ÌýÌý Hourly employment: Payment is made based on hours worked.

ÌýÌý​ÌýContract: Employment where payment is made using a contract and the student receives a specific portion of the total contract amount each month for the contract's duration, including student faculty.

ÌýÌý Fellowships and pre-doctoral trainees: Positions that allow a student to be paid via a stipend either monthly or in a lump sum. Uses job codes 3204 to 3209. There’s no expectation of past, present or future services in return for the support.Ìý

ÌýÌý ​Other stipends:ÌýPayments granted that don't directly lead to a student receiving academic credit at 91´«Ã½. This includes stipends to participate in enrichment programs that are not tied to academic credit.ÌýAwards made to student employees are paid by submitting an additional pay form. Non-employee awards are paid using a payment authorization form.

The unit must determine and document whether the student or the university is the primary beneficiary of the travel.

• Student is primary beneficiary: Payments for educational assistance to aid in the pursuit of student or independent research.
  • Examples: Undergraduate awards and individual travel grant
  • Cannot use the Concur Travel & Expense System
    • If the funds are restricted to travel costs, the department should pay the expenses upfront using the Procurement Card.
    • If the funds are not restricted to travel costs, the funds will be counted as OFA and processed as a scholarship through CU SIS.
• The university is primary beneficiary: Payments reimburse the individual for business expenses incurred on behalf of the university or the university has a clear business interest in paying the student’s travel expenses, including conferences.
  • Travel payments are processed in Concur and are not reported to the Office of Financial Aid.
• Student travel must comply with the
• Funds paid to students to reimburse them for exact documented travel expenses are not considered OFA and do not need to be reported to the Office of Financial Aid.

Emergency financial assistance is any grant or loan aid, whether institutional funds or aid from another non-Title IV source, paid to a student for unexpected expenses associated with one of the allowable Cost of Attendance (COA) components.

ÌýÌýUnexpected expenses

Emergency financial assistance that helps a student with unexpected expenses can be excluded from OFA.ÌýThe Office of Financial Aid has the final authority to determine whether aid is considered emergency financial assistance and whether it should be counted as OFA.

Under the FAFSA Simplification Act, funding properly determined as emergency aid is not considered OFA. This information outlines when funds are considered emergency aid and need not be counted as financial aid toward the student’s COA.

Here are some examples of unexpected expenses:

• Housing due to natural disaster, roommate abandonment or moving expenses due to unsafe or hostile conditions.
• Lost or stolen items, including books, supplies, equipment or course materials
• Travel during a death or family emergency
• Food costs related to electrical outages

Security deposits for housing and any costs not associated with components of the COA, such as legal fees and debts, are generally not considered unexpected expenses.Ìý

ÌýÌýWho gets emergency aid?

• Emergency aid is based on individual circumstances, not state or federal emergency/disaster declarations.
• The expenses must not already be included in the student’s COA components.

How to Pay Emergency Aid Flowchart

ÌýÌýEmergency aid must be documented

The student's file must include the following documentation before emergency aid is provided:

• A description of the unexpected expense that prompted the request
• How the expense is unexpected and considered an emergency
• How the expense is associated with, but not already included in, the COA for the current year or term for which the student is enrolled
• Documentation of the dollar value of the request, such as receipts or repair estimates.Ìý

ÌýÌý Tuition Remission:

Tuition, fees and insurance costs paid based on a student's position as a Research Assistant (RA), Teaching Assistant (TA), Graduate Assistant or Graduate Part-Time Instructor. Typically granted to a graduate student appointed in an eligible 15XX position when paid by the University. Processed in CU SIS and paid through the Bursar’s Office. Refer to the Graduate School for more information.

ÌýÌý Research Payments:

RA/TA income is not OFA because the income is considered employment earnings. Research grants and tuition and insurance waivers for appointment as an RA/TA are considered OFA and must be reported to the Office of Financial Aid.Ìý

ÌýÌý Awards/competitions:

If a student receives the award because of postsecondary enrollment and it’s not considered wages for employment according to federal or state rules, the award counts as OFA. If the award is considered wages but is based on financial need like work-study, it also counts as OFA.

Cash or cash-like awards given to a student through a competition that requires them to be a postsecondary education student will be counted as OFA.

ÌýÌý Non-scholarship prizes or awards:

Any cash or cash-like prize or award a student receives due to postsecondary enrollment should be counted as OFA. Tangible, non-monetary items are not considered OFA.

ÌýÌý Student employee recognition program:

Awards received by a student employee from their employer for work recognition outside of normal wages are not OFA.Ìý

• If an award requires job duties to be performed and is considered non-need-based employment, it doesn’t count as OFA.
  • Example: A student is employed by a department on campus and receives $2,000 additional pay for assistance with a project.

• Payments made for teaching, research and/or other activities performed for the benefit of the university.
• Payments received in connection with the performance of service by a student are taxable income and may be subject to federal, state and FICA tax withholding.Ìý
• Tuition remission cannot be used as compensation because it’s typically considered a stipend and taxable as income.
• Review for job code information.Ìý

Scholarships are paid through the Office of Scholarship Services using Blackbaud Award Management system (BAM) or Institutional Scholarship or Graduate Awarding Form (ISAF/GAF).Ìý

Awards made to student employees are paid by submitting an additional pay form. Non-employee awards are paid using a payment authorization form.

No. Awards made to student employees are paid by submitting an additional pay form. Non-employee awards are paid using a payment authorization form.

No. Awards made to student employees are paid by submitting an additional pay form. Non-employee awards are paid using a payment authorization form.