Self Service
View the Self-Service Guide here.
1. How do I log in?
2. What do I use to log into self-service?
3. How do I accept my loans?
4. How do I know what documents are missing?
5. How do I print my award letter?
6. How do I report that I will be receiving an outside scholarship?
7. How do I know I’ve completed my master promissory note and/or entrance counseling for my loans?
8. How do I request an increase for my loans?
9. How do I change the amount of the loans before I accept it?
General Financial Aid
1. How do I apply for financial aid?
2. Is it too late to apply for financial aid?
3. How do I know I completed an MPN?
4. What are the different types of federal loans Rush offers?
5. Why is the Grad PLUS loan showing on the Portal in estimated status?
6. When can I expect my financial aid package?
7. How do I know if I have completed all my required paperwork to receive a financial aid package?
8. The FAFSA is asking for my taxes from two years prior. Is this correct?
9. How can I change the amount of aid I have been awarded?
10. How do I know my financial aid package is ready?
11. What is the cost of attendance?
12. I received an email saying that I am taking less credits than projected. What does this mean?
13. How do I apply for scholarships?
14. Is there anything I need to do to have my loans deferred?
15. I have taken out a Federal Perkins Loan or a non-federal bank loan. I have confirmed with my lender that a deferment form is required. When can I submit this document, and where should I send it?
16. My loans are now deferred due to my enrollment at Rush University (and I have received written confirmation of this). Will they stay deferred throughout my entire program?
Self-Service
1. How do I log in?
- Please use this link to log into the University Portal: https://rush.sharepoint.com/sites/university
- Navigate to the tab on the right and click where it says Self-Service
- Click WebAdvisor for Students and then Financial Aid
2. What do I use to log into self-service?
- You will use the same username and password that is used for Blackboard
3. How do I accept my loans?
- After logging in, click on bank icon named Financial Information on the left hand side. From there go to Financial Aid and finally My Awards
- If you want to accept all loans that have been offered for the academic year scroll down to Award Total and click the link that says Accept or Decline All. This will open that section and provide two buttons, one to Decline All and one to Accept All
- If you want to accept awards by term, click the link that says Accept or Decline All underneath the loan you wish to accept.
- Once completed, you will be taken to your financial aid award letter which will have the updated changes
4. How do I know what documents are missing?
- After logging in, click on bank icon named Financial Information on the left hand side. From There go to Financial Aid and finally Required Documents
- All documents that are listed under the Incomplete column will need to be completed in order to prevent delays to your financial aid package
5. How do I print my award letter?
- After logging in, click on bank icon named Financial Information on the left hand side. From There go to Financial Aid and finally Award Letter
- Click the Award Letter Link next to the paper icon. This will open a new window with a pdf of your award letter. From there you can save the letter on your device or print it
6. How do I report that I will be receiving an outside scholarship?
- After logging in, click on bank icon named Financial Information on the left hand side. From There go to Financial Aid and finally Report/View Outside Awards
- Click the button that says Add an Award
- Complete each required field and click Add Award
7. How do I know I’ve completed my master promissory note and/or entrance counseling for my loans?
- After logging in, click on bank icon named Financial Information on the left hand side. From there go to Financial Aid and finally My Awards
- Scroll to the bottom of the page to Loan Requirement Checklist. Here you will see if they have been completed and the expiration date of each.
8. How do I request an increase for my loans?
- After logging in, click on bank icon named Financial Information on the left hand side. From there go to Financial Aid and finally Request a New Loan
- You have the option to either request a certain amount or request the remaining cost of attendance. Add any comments needed
- On the next screen check the terms you will be attending and click next
- Review the request and click submit. Once successfully completed you will be sent to the confirmation page of your request
9. How do I change the amount of the loans before I accept it?
- After logging in, click on bank icon named Financial Information on the left hand side. From there go to Financial Aid and finally My Awards
- Under the loan you wish to change, click View Award
- Change the loan to the amount you wish. Please be aware loan fees are not include in the displayed amounts
- Review the amounts and click Submit
General Financial Aid
1. How do I apply for financial aid?
To start the financial aid application process, complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online at https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa. This application usually takes 3-5 business days before we receive the results. Students must be accepted to their program before we can start the financial packaging process.
Also, complete the Projected Enrollment Form unless your program is not listed. This form can be completed online at: https://www.rushu.rush.edu/rush-experience/student-services/office-student-financial-aid/financial-aid-forms.
2. Is it too late to apply for financial aid?
Students are encouraged to apply for financial aid prior to the start of the term. Aid applications should be received no later than 4 weeks prior to the end of the term to allow for sufficient processing time. Awarding financial aid for previous terms has some federal regulatory limitations. If you are seeking aid for a prior term, please contact our office to discuss further.
3. How do I know I completed an MPN?
You can log into https://studentaid.gov/app/launchMpn.action with your FSA ID and review all the Master Promissory Notes (MPN) that have been completed.
4. What are the different types of federal loans Rush offers?
Rush offers the federal direct subsidized, unsubsidized, Graduate PLUS and Parent PLUS loans. Additional information about the different types of loans, interest rates, and origination fees can be found online at: https://studentaid.gov/understand-aid/types/loans.
5. Why is the Grad PLUS loan showing on the Portal in estimated status?
The Graduate PLUS loan is a credit-worthy loan. Students who wish to accept a Federal Direct Grad PLUS loan are required to complete the Graduate PLUS Loan Origination form in order to have the loan originated with the government. This form can be obtained online at: https://www.rushu.rush.edu/rush-experience/student-services/office-student-financial-aid/financial-aid-forms.
6. When can I expect my financial aid package?
Once a student has completed all their required financial aid paperwork, it may take 2-3 weeks to process your financial aid package. Once your package is ready you will receive an award ready email. If you do not hear from the Financial Aid office within 3-weeks of completing all paperwork, please reach out to us by email at financial_aid@rush.edu.
7. How do I know if I have completed all my required paperwork to receive a financial aid package?
Students can review their missing information on the University Portal online at https://rush.sharepoint.com/sites/university. Financial aid forms can be located online at: https://www.rushu.rush.edu/rush-experience/student-services/office-student-financial-aid/financial-aid-forms. Sometimes you may receive an email from a financial aid staff member asking for additional information outside of what you see on the Portal. Please review your emails to make sure you have not received any additional requests for information.
Yes! The FASFA requires students to utilize their tax information from two years prior. This allows students to complete their FAFSA earlier and reduce the number of changes to the FAFSA due to tax filing deadlines.
Email the Financial Aid Office at financial_aid@rush.edu with the adjustments listed. A financial aid staff member will make the adjustments within 2 weeks and respond to your email with confirmation of the changes.
You will receive an email confirmation from the Financial Aid Office. You will also be able to log into the University Portal to review your awards. If you do not have a University Portal log-in, please contact the helpdesk at 312-942-HELP.
Rush University publishes the annual living cost including the tuition, living allowance, and books/supply allowance online at: https://www.rushu.rush.edu/rush-experience/student-services/office-student-financial-aid/living-costs. Cost of attendance (COA) varies by program and may vary by year.
If you are in a program that bills based on credit hours, your financial aid package was awarded based on the number of hours you reported on the Projected Enrollment Form. When you take less hours than reported, your financial aid must be adjusted. Please keep in mind, adjustments can be made after overpayments have been issued. If you received this email, your account has been reviewed and the amount of hours you reported on the Projected Enrollment Form do not match the hours you are currently registered for. Please notify our office if you intend to increase your credit hours for the term or if your registered hours are accurate.
Students are automatically considered for need-based scholarship eligibility at the time their financial aid package is created. Students are encouraged to apply for scholarships outside of Rush University. You can see a list of possible sources of scholarships online here.
It depends. Generally speaking, any Direct Subsidized, Direct Unsubsidized, or Direct Graduate PLUS Loans you took out will automatically be deferred shortly after you begin at Rush University. Rush is responsible for reporting your enrollment status to a federal database that your loan servicer will check to determine if your loans should be deferred for in-school status.
Note that there will be a bit of a delay in having your loans deferred. Our first enrollment report will not occur until the second week of the term. Factoring in processing time within the federal loan database, your loans will not formally reflect an in-school status until about a month into your studies. However, your in-school status will be applied retroactively to the first official day of the term when your lender processes the information that Rush provides.
Other types of loans that you took out (such as Federal Perkins Loans or non-federal bank loans) may require you to submit a formal deferment form on a regular schedule to ensure that your loans are deferred while in school. If a deferment form is required, please request one from your lender and submit it to the Office of the Registrar via an Enrollment Verification Request for processing. To determine if a deferment form is required, please contact your lender directly.
15. I have taken out a Federal Perkins Loan or a non-federal bank loan. I have confirmed with my lender that a deferment form is required. When can I submit this document, and where should I send it?You are not eligible for in-school deferment until your program officially begins. In addition, Rush University cannot accept or process a deferment form until your program officially begins. Please do not send a deferment form to Rush before your program begins because it will not be processed.
Once your program has begun, please submit your deferment form to the Office of the Registrar online via an Enrollment Verification Request.
16. My loans are now deferred due to my enrollment at Rush University (and I have received written confirmation of this). Will they stay deferred throughout my entire program?
It depends.
- If the loan is a Federal Perkins or non-federal bank loan, you may need to submit regular deferment forms to your lender via the Office of the Registrar. Please ask your lender for specifics on how often a deferment form is required.
- If you drop below half-time status for any reason, your federal loans will no longer be eligible for an in-school deferment.
- Rush University will report your anticipated completion date (ACD) to your lender. This ACD will inform your lender as to when they should expect you to enter repayment. The Office of the Registrar can extend your ACD, as necessary, if you will take longer than might be typical for a student in your program.