Department of Student Financing

Admissions

Vision

To become a service-driven centre of excellence in the provision of creative financial and accounting solutions to assists students in their academic pursuits.

Mission

To positively impact the lives of students through the provision of innovative student financial support services, maintaining the highest standard of service, accountability, integrity and professionalism

‘You will Achieve, We will Assist’

Overview

The Department of Student Financing falls under the Division of Finance & Business Services. The Department of Student Financing includes the following areas:

Scholarship Unit

administers scholarship and bursary programmes for students with high academic achievements.

The Welfare Unit

deals with matters of grant assistance and the Earn & Study programme; both programmes target students who are in need.

Financial Aid

The University recognizes that many students experience significant financial challenges and are unable to adequately fund their tertiary education. Consequently, the University offers a wide range of financial support services through the Financial Aid Office in the form of:

Awarded annually mainly to full-time Jamaican nationals studying at the undergraduate levels.

Scholarships are monetary awards, based on academic merit and other special criteria, which do not have to be repaid. Scholarships and Bursaries are awarded annually mainly to full-time Jamaican nationals studying at the undergraduate levels. However, there are specific scholarships that are available to Caribbean nationals and a small number of scholarships available at the postgraduate level.

A Scholarship Listing is prepared for each academic year which provides information on all available scholarships and criteria for each. The application period for scholarships opens in May each year and the closes on the following date (unless otherwise stated):

June 30 – Scholarships offered to returning students in years 2 – 4
July 31 – Scholarships offered to new students in year 1

Scholarship Application Form

List of scholarships available for the Academic Year 2024/25

Financial Aid Grants are awards for students with the greatest financial need; they do not have to be repaid.

A limited number of grants are given to students who are experiencing severe economic hardships. Grants are normally given to full-time students. However, in very exceptional circumstances part time students may also benefit. Applicants must demonstrate need, which should be substantiated by a letter from a Minister of Religion, Justice of the Peace or University Counselor or Lecturer.

Grants are given for a number of different financial needs including:

Tuition
Text books
Travelling Expenses
Rent
Lunch Subsidies

This grant is given to students who are not able to purchase lunch on a daily basis; we offer a subsidized lunch voucher so that they will have a meal each day while at school. Procedures for Applying Application Form

Employment is provided for students on campus through the Earn and Study Programme. Work is scheduled to avoid conflict with the students’ academic schedule. Students who would like to participate in the Earn and Study Programme may choose ONE of the following options:

Option One (1): Semesters I and II

Full time students work up to 24 hours per fortnight.
Part-time and specially approved students – work up to 48 hrs per fortnight

Option Two (2): Summer Semester

All students work a forty-hour (40) work week.

The application period for Earn and Study is as follows:

Semesters I & II – August – September
* Summer Semester – May – August

Financial Services

The information contained herein represents a comprehensive policy guideline on matters concerning student financing for undergraduate students; to include information on fee payment requirements; as well as, student related financial services offered by the University.

Undergraduate students are required to comply with these policy directives and adhere to the attending procedures; which is also outlined in the Student Handbook. Please note that these policies and procedures are subject to change without notice.

Procedures & Conditionalities

Your students’ loan is an agreement between yourself and the Student Loan Bureau (SLB). Therefore, please ensure that you read and clarify the terms and conditions of your loan. The University has no controls over the policies of the Bureau.
Student Loan Bureau (SLB) recipients, will NOT be granted financial clearance, until their loans have been fully approved; that is, their loan status is ‘E’ and communication of this approval is received by the University from the SLB.
Student Loan Bureau (SLB) recipients must ensure that they provide the Bureau with all the documentation required; and they must attend the requisite interviews to ensure the timely approval of their loans.
All unused SLB funds are returned at the end of each academic year. Therefore, students who pursue less modules than the amount approved by the SLB in a given academic year must inform the Bureau, if they intend to pursue those modules in the next academic year; as the payment is not transferrable from one academic year to the next.
The SLB covers tuition and examination assessment fees only, therefore, all SLB recipients must pay their ancillary fees in order to receive financial clearance and complete registration.
The SLB does NOT pay for re-dos, therefore the student is responsible for all re-do fees.
The SLB has a limit on the number of credits for which it will pay during a given academic year, based on your programme and year of study. The SLB will NOT pay where students carry additional modules beyond the limit approved by the Bureau for that particular year and programme.
Students are required to ensure that the number of credits selected for each semester is in keeping with the number of credits that will be paid for by the Bureau, so as to ensure that they do not exceed the credit load approved by the SLB.
Students who exceed the approved credit load, will be required to pay the difference not covered by the SLB.
SLB does not cover the cost for Pre-University modules or zero-credit courses, or special College/Faculty related fees
Students must follow-up with the Bureau to ensure that they have paid the agreed fees for each academic year. Please note that students will NOT be allowed to sit examinations with outstanding fees.

Students who are recipients of full/part scholarships are required to make contact with the Scholarship Unit in the Financial Aid Office, and submit written verification of their scholarship and their Fee Breakdown Sheet. This is to allow for the registration of the scholarship on their account, so that they may receive financial clearance.
Scholarship recipients from any of our satellite campuses are required to submit the afore-mentioned documents to the Administrative Office at their respective campuses. The Campus Administrator/ Assistant Registrar of that campus will forward them to the Financial Aid Office at the Papine Campus for processing.
Scholarship recipients who do not have approved scholarship in time for the Census date, will be subject to the requirements of the Standard Fee Payment Plan.
Financial clearance can only be given when a written commitment is received by the Financial Aid Office or the minimum payment made, according to the approved payment plans.
Where Scholarship commitment are not received by the Scholarship Office before the census date to allow for financial clearance, these students are subject to all conditionalities as stated in the approved payment plan.
Scholarship recipients are required to pay all fees in excess of the amount covered by the scholarship, in order to receive financial clearance in any given semester.
Scholarship students who have failed modules, will be required to bear the full cost to redo the modules; unless otherwise stipulated by the Donor in writing. Failure to pay for modules not covered by the Donor, will result in the account being blocked and delays in the award of financial clearance; until the account is regularized and the outstanding sums owed by the student is settled.
Students are required to liaise with the Financial Aid Office to ensure that the scholarship donor pays the agreed fees within the agreed time.
If the scholarship donor fails to pay the required fees, the student is ultimately liable and will be required to pay all outstanding Fees, On Demand.

- Sponsored students are required to submit to the Financial Aid Office with their Fee-Breakdown Sheet and a Letter of Undertaking from their sponsor.
- Students should aim to finalize their sponsorship, so that at the very least a written commitment to pay can be given by the sponsor to the University, before the Census Date in each semester.
- Students who do not have approval for their sponsorship in time for the census date requirement, should visit the Student Financial Services Unit in the Department of Student Financing to work out a suitable payment arrangement before the Census Date.
- Financial clearance can only be given with a letter of commitment to pay at least the minimum fee payment requirement, according to the approved payment plans.
- Where sponsorship commitments are not received by the sponsorship office before the Census Date to allow for financial clearance, these students are subject to all conditionalities/penalties for non-payment as stated in the approved payment plan.
- Sponsored students are required to pay all fees in excess of the amount covered by the sponsorship.
- Sponsored students from any of the satellite campuses are required to submit their letter of commitment form the sponsor to the Administrative Office at the respective campuses; where the administrator of that campus will forward them to the Financial Aid Office at the Papine Campus for processing.
- Sponsors are required to pay all outstanding fees within 30 working days of the official close of registration each semester.
- Students must ensure that their sponsors adhere to the credit conditionalities and comply with the stipulated payment deadlines.
- If the sponsor fails to pay by the stipulated deadline, the student is ultimately liable and will be required to pay all outstanding fees, on demand.
Procedures for Staff Members & Dependents of Staff Members
- Staff members or dependents of staff members who are eligible for a tuition waiver are required to submit their fee breakdown to the Human Resource (H.R.) Department for approval.
- Staff members are required to meet the ECF requirement in order to begin module selection, pending approval of the sponsorship through the Human Resource Department.
- Once the H.R. Department gives the approval and states the value of the waiver this information will be forwarded electronically to the Students Receivable Unit, in order for the student’s account to be updated.
- The student is then required to pay the remaining tuition/miscellaneous fees required for enrolment. Staff members may also make arrangements via salary deduction or staff guarantee to pay outstanding fees for themselves or their dependents.
- This arrangement is made through the Student Debt Recovery Unit and must be approved by the Receivables Accountant or the Director of Student Financing /and the Payroll Department.
- Where a staff member sets up an approved payment arrangement via salary deduction to settle 100% of balance outstanding, the student may receive financial clearance and be exempted from the facility fees.
- If an employee settles the outstanding fees over the counter before and wishes to cancel the payroll deduction order; s/he may complete a Stop Order Request through the Student Debt Recovery Unit; and present, the original receipt to substantiate the settling of the debt. The request will be reviewed and approval will be given by the Receivables Accountant (if the students account is fully settled), to cease the payroll deductions.

Admissions