Financial Aid COVID-19 FAQ

The Office of Financial Aid is now closed to in person meetings.  We remain open during our regular business hours of Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. 

All financial aid appointments will be held virtually due to the recent guidance to continue with virtual meetings. Appointments should be made through the online scheduler. Appointments are available Monday – Friday and include morning and afternoon slots, depending which day you select.

If there are no available appointments, or the available appointment times do not work with your schedule, please email us to inquire about setting up a different time during regular business hours.  Once you sign up through the online scheduler, you will receive an e-mail confirming your appointment time and information needed to access the virtual meeting.

If your appointment requires an in-person meeting, please email us to inquire about in-person meeting requests. These requests are evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

If your questions do not require an appointment, you may email or call our office. We strive to respond within 1-2 business days.

In the event our regular business hours will not work for you due to a difference in time zones, please let us know and we will work with you to find a mutually convenient time.

If you believe you have additional educational related expenses not covered in Soka’s cost of attendance (COA) or other COVID-19 related expenses, federal regulations permit us to increase your COA to allow for this additional educational expense. For international students, an additional Soka Loan will be offered to cover this expense. Domestic students will be offered either a federal subsidized/unsubsidized student loan or a parent PLUS loan depending on your remaining federal eligibility.

You will receive a six-month grace period on repayment of each loan that you receive. Your six-month grace period begins the day after you graduate, drop below half-time enrollment, or withdrawal from the university. You do not have to begin making payments on your loan until after your grace period ends.

If you would like to request a budget adjustment, please contact us at financialaid@soka.edu to request the budget adjustment request form.

Unfortunately, the US Department of Education does not have the authority to change the compliance requirements related to withdrawals. If you formally withdraw or stop attending your online courses (unofficial withdrawal), the Office of Financial Aid is required to process a withdrawal calculation. This calculation will determine what portion of your financial aid you are entitled to keep and which portion needs to be returned.

The Student Accounts Office will also calculate what percentage of fees you are responsible for the term and what percentage you will be credited. If you are thinking about withdrawing from the spring semester we recommend making an appointment by emailing finanicalaid@soka.edu to discuss the financial implications.

The US Department of Education allows financial aid administrators, with proper documentation, to use their discretion to adjust data elements on your financial aid application in order to make a more accurate assessment of a family’s ability to contribute to the cost of education. All professional judgement appeals are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. If your family has experienced a loss of employment or a change in ability to contribute to your education due to COVID-19, please schedule an appointment through the online scheduler or email us at financialaid@soka.edu to discuss your individual circumstances.

For questions about the process or acceptable documentation please contact us at financialaid@soka.edu

If you have documents that you need to turn in, you may submit them via fax, email, or inter-office mail. If you choose to use the inter-office mail option, please place your document in an envelope entitled “Attention: Office of Financial Aid,” and then drop it in the “inter-office envelopes” mail drop near your student mailboxes. The Mail Center will deliver your document to the Office of Financial Aid at no cost. The mail drop is available 24 hours a day and documents are usually delivered within one business day.

Soka applied for the third round of HEERF and was approved to receive $459,114 to be awarded directly to eligible students. These funds will be awarded directly to students and will be distributed by the end of October 2021.

Unlike the previous two rounds of HEERF awards, the Department of Education has issued guidance that expands student eligibility to include international, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) recipients, and undocumented students. 

All students who are enrolled at Soka during the Fall Semester 2021are eligible for emergency financial aid grants from HEERF III, regardless of whether they have completed a FAFSA, International Financial Aid Application, or Dream Application.

The Office of Financial Aid is currently working on awarding HEERF III and will be utilizing your financial need, which is based on your financial aid application, to determine your eligibility.

If you have not completed the application for financial aid for the 2021-2022 academic year, you may still be eligible for HEERF III but will fall into our lowest eligibility tier. If you wish to complete your 2021-2022 financial aid application to better assess your eligibility for HEERF III please complete your application no later than 10-15-2021.

This information will be updated once the HEERF III award amounts have been solidified.

The Office of Financial Aid began processing HEERF III grants in late September 2021 will be disbursing payments to student’s billing accounts by October 30, 2021.

The Office of Accounting anticipates having all refunds processed within two weeks of this disbursement.

Please note, Soka does not have oversight of individual banking or mail service transaction timelines. Please allow time for these normal services to occur prior to receipt of funding.

Students who have not signed up for direct deposit may see a delay in receiving their HEERF III disbursement.

Soka applied for HEERF funding the first week the application was announced. As part of the CARES Act, Congress allocated $14.25 billion for the HEERF. HEERF allocations have been awarded to institutions using a methodology focused 75% on number of full-time Pell Grant recipients and 25% on overall enrollment at that institution. Using this formula, Soka University of America will receive $351,126 of HEERF funding. The Cares Act stipulates that at least 50% of these funds be distributed directly to students. The university made the decision in the spring to allocate the entire amount to help students during these challenging times. Students who had not completed a FAFSA and the University could not assess their eligibility, were given the opportunity to validate their eligibility. Some students chose not to submit verification of their eligibility, therefore, $7,370 of the HEERF was allocated to other student services.

Federal guidelines stipulate that international and undocumented students are not eligible for the HEERF funding. The university is exploring alternate means to support these students. When the HEERF funds become available to the university, they will be directly disbursed.

Students must meet Title IV eligibility requirements (eligible file a FAFSA and receive federal financial aid) in order to receive HEERF emergency funds. After confirming the Title IV eligibility requirements, the institution retains discretion over which students will receive HEERF-student share funds. According to the certification agreement, institutions are required to comply with “all applicable laws including non-discrimination laws” when determining who will receive the emergency grants. Beyond that stipulation, there are no further prohibitions of specific students in the certification agreement. Therefore, any Title IV-eligible student may receive HEERF-student share funds, unless prohibited by another law. 

There have been many questions about awarding HEERF-student share funds to international students, online students, and undocumented students. 

International and Undocumented Students: ED’s April 21 guidance states that students must meet Title IV eligibility requirements in order to receive HEERF-student share funds. Therefore, international and undocumented students are not eligible to receive emergency grants.

Federal guidelines stipulate that international and undocumented students are not eligible for the HEERF funding. The university is exploring alternate means to support these students. When the HEERF funds become available to the university, they will be directly disbursed.

However, Soka has decided to take $226,800 in funds not spent in this year’s student affairs budget and allocate this funding equally to all international and undocumented students, who were not able to receive any money from the HEERF. In addition, Soka is in the process of setting up a procedure for students who are still living on campus to apply for funding to cover travel costs to return home at the end of the semester. The financial aid office will be sending emails with more information on both of these decisions in the near future.

Institutions may use HEERF-student funds to reimburse themselves if they provided an emergency grant to a student that meets the same eligibility criteria of HEERF grant funds on or after March 27 — the day the CARES Act became law. 

Soka University has decided to use the student and institutional portion of the HEERF to refund students.

The Department of Education’s certification agreement states that schools must “promptly and to the greatest extent practicable” distribute HEERF emergency financial aid grants to students by one year from the date they submit the signed certification form.

When the Soka gets access to it’s HEERF allocation, funds will be sent directly to students in a timely manner and in accordance with U.S. law.

On April 23, 2020, students received an email to inform them that Soka would be granted $351,126 of the Higher Education Relief Fund (HEERF) to be distributed directly to Title IV eligible students.  We are pleased to announce we received the HEERF money on May 15, 2020, and began processing disbursements on May 16, 2020.

Soka made the decision to award the HEERF to all domestic students who are eligible while prioritizing students who demonstrate significant financial need. Each of you will be receiving a credit to pay for expenses directly related to the disruption of campus operations due to the coronavirus. 

The range of HEERF awards is from $2,135 to $705. Please log into your Soka Learn account to review your financial aid awards and HEERF eligibility. Soka awarded the HEERF based on a student’s expected family contribution (EFC) using a tiered structure to determine eligibility for awarding. 

If domestic students can not verify Title IV or they have other changes in their status, funds may be redistributed based on professional judgement and special circumstances.

Soka received the HEERF money on May 15, 2020, and the Office of Financial aid disbursed all eligible students HEERF on May 16, 2020.

The Office of Accounting anticipates having all refunds processed within the next two weeks. Please note, Soka does not have oversight of individual banking or mail service transaction timelines. Please allow time for these normal services to occur prior to receipt of funding.

Students who did have not signed up for direct deposit may see a delay in receiving their HEERF disbursement.

Since international and undocumented students are not eligible to receive aid from the Federal Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF), Soka has decided to take $226,800 in funds not spent in this year’s student affairs budget and allocate this funding equally to all international and undocumented students.

On April 29, 2020, students received an email to inform them that Soka would be creating the Soka Cares fund to award all international and undocumented students to pay for expenses directly related to the disruption of campus operations due to the coronavirus

All Soka Cares eligible students will be receiving a credit of $1,200. Please be aware that federal tax may be withheld upon receipt of the funding due to regulations required by the United States Internal Revenue Service (IRS) addressing international tax treaties. No application is required to receive these funds.

Soka’s Office of Financial aid received the approval to award Saka Cares funds to students on May 14, 2020, and the Office of Financial aid disbursed all eligible students the same day.

The Office of Accounting anticipates having all refunds processed by May 23, 2020. Please note, Soka does not have oversight of individual banking or mail service transaction timelines. Please allow time for these normal services to occur prior to receipt of funding.

Students who did have not signed up for direct deposit may see a delay in receiving their HEERF disbursement.

In addition to the Soka Cares Grant Fund, Soka will be purchasing flights home for students who are still living on campus. Students will need to apply for funding to cover travel costs to return home at the end of the semester with the Office of Financial Aid. A virtual meeting was held with students who are still living on campus with International Student Services and Student Affairs to outline the process and answer the student’s questions. 

Soka applied for the HEERF II and was approved for $175,563 to be awarded directly to eligible students. These funds will be will be awarded directly to students and will be distributed in Early April 2021.

The CRRSAA includes no student eligibility requirements, but we are required to prioritize grants to students with exceptional financial need, for example, Pell Grant Recipients. The Department of Education issued an Interim Final Rule (IRF) on June 17,2020 which limited eligibility to title IV eligible students for the CARES Act and first round of HEERF. The Department of Education has confirmed that the IFR does not apply to HEERF II funds, however they believe the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996, which prohibits certain noncitizens from receiving federal benefits, applies to HEERF II funds, making DACA, undocumented, and international students ineligible.)

It’s important to note that ED has not issued written guidance to clarify whether or not undocumented, DACA, or international students may receive these funds, however a Trump administration official stated verbally that these students were not eligible.

Based on this guidance, Soka will only be awarding HEERF II to Domestic students. Although our international and undocumented students will not receive HEERF II awards, Soka has decide to provide a second round of our Soka Cares II Grant to international and undocumented students.

The Department of Education has not issued written guidance to clarify whether or not undocumented, DACA, or international students may receive these funds, however a Trump administration official stated verbally that these students were not eligible.

Based on this guidance, Soka will only be awarding HEERF II to Domestic students. Although our international and undocumented students will not receive HEERF II awards, Soka has decide to provide a second round of our Soka Cares II Grant to international and undocumented students.

However, Soka has decided to take $170,720 of its own funds to allocate this funding equally to all international and undocumented students, who were not able to receive any money from the HEERF II. 

Schools are required to drawdown the HEERF II funds within 90 days (by April 15, 2021) of receiving their approval notification of HEERF II and disburse the funds directly to students within 15 days of drawing down the funds.

In determining eligibility for HEERF II we are required to prioritize grants to students with exceptional financial need, for example, Pell Grant Recipients.

The range of HEERF II awards is from $1,650 to $150 with the higher awards going to students who demonstrate a greater financial need. 

Eligible students will receive an email indicating that there has been a revision to their financial aid offer. Once this email is received, please log into your Soka Learn account to review your financial aid awards and HEERF II eligibility. Soka will award the HEERF II based on a student’s expected family contribution (EFC) using a tiered structure to determine eligibility for awarding.

The Office of Financial Aid began processing HEERF II awards in late March and anticipates having all HEERF II funds disbursed to student’s billing accounts by April 9, 2021. The Office of Accounting anticipates having all refunds processed within two weeks of this disbursement.

Please note, Soka does not have oversight of individual banking or mail service transaction timelines. Please allow time for these normal services to occur prior to receipt of funding.

Students who have not signed up for direct deposit may see a delay in receiving their HEERF II disbursement.

The Department of Education has not issued written guidance to clarify whether or not undocumented, DACA, or international students may receive these funds, however a Trump administration official stated verbally that these students were not eligible.

Since our international and undocumented students are not eligible for HEERF II, Soka has decided to take $170,720 of its own funds to allocate this funding equally to all international and undocumented students in the form of the Soka Cares II Grant Fund.

All Soka Cares eligible students will be receiving a credit of $880. Please be aware that federal tax may be withheld upon receipt of the funding due to regulations required by the United States Internal Revenue Service (IRS) addressing international tax treaties. If you are receiving a direct deposit to a non-US bank account, currency conversion charges may apply.

No application is required to receive these funds.

The Soka Cares II Grant Fund is solely administered by the generosity of the university, we are required to remain within financial aid regulations while administering this aid.

If you are packaged up to their full COA with grants and scholarships will have the Soka Cares II Grant added to you financial aid offer but we will be required to reduce other aid to ensure your total package does not exceed their COA.

If you who are packaged up to their full COA with grants, scholarships, and accepted loans will have the Soka Cares II Grant added to you financial aid offer. Soka will be required to reduce other aid to ensure their total package does not exceed your COA. If required, we will first reduce accepted Soka Loans, which will reduce your overall debt to the university. 

The Soka Cares Grant II may be considered taxable. As a result, you may see a reduction when the funds are received. Since Soka Loans are not taxed, but the Soka Cares II Grant is, you may owe new charges for taxes on your student billing account due to the addition of the Soka Cares II grant. In this scenario, students will receive a monetary benefit in the form of a debt reduction, but will be required to pay any assessed taxes from the Soka Cares II Grant on their student billing account.

These charges will become due and payable on your student billing account. The due date for these charges will be published on your Learn account by the Office of Student Accounts. For questions regarding taxes or these charges, please contact studentaccounts@soka.edu. 

The Office of Financial Aid began processing Soka Cares II awards in late March and anticipates having all Soka Cares II funds disbursed to student’s billing accounts by April 16, 2021. The Office of Accounting anticipates having all refunds processed within two weeks of this disbursement.

Please note, Soka does not have oversight of individual banking or mail service transaction timelines. Please allow time for these normal services to occur prior to receipt of funding. If you are receiving a direct deposit to a non-US bank account, currency conversion charges may apply.

Students who have not signed up for direct deposit may see a delay in receiving their Soka Cares II disbursement.