Resources / FAQs

To apply for federal financial aid, you and your parents, if applicable, need to first apply for a FSA ID at studentaid.gov. The FSA ID is used to confirm your identity when accessing your financial aid information and electronically signing your federal student aid documents. you should then submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at studentaid.gov and include Southeastern's school code 002024.

Log in to your LeoNet self-service and navigate to your To Do List. We will list any documentation that is required there. Forms may be downloaded here.

To accept your award, log into your LeoNet Self-Service and navigate to Campus Finances, Accept/Decline Awards. You are able to accept the entire amount of aid offered or you can decrease the amount of loans offered to you by updating the amount before accepting/submitting. More detailed instructions on accepting awards can be found here.  

All first time borrowers must complete the Master Promissory Note and the Entrance Counseling at studentaid.gov.  Both of these requirements must be complete in order for loans to disburse to your Student Account.

To apply for a Parent PLUS Loan, your parent will go to www.studentaid.gov and log in with their information and complete the parent plus loan application. The approved loan will be in their name and they will have to start repayment in 60 days after the loan is fully disbursed. They must also complete the Promissory Note upon approval. If the parent is denied, the student can receive an additional unsubsidized loan in the student's name. More information regarding the Parent PLUS Loan can be found here.

The subsidized loan is a need-based loan that the federal government pays the interest on while you are in school. For the unsubsidized loan the interest starts to accrue as soon as it is disbursed. For additional information regarding federal loans please click here.

There are annual loan limits based on your classification and dependency status.

• Dependent Student
  • 1^st year - $3,500 subsidized - $5,500 total
  • 2^nd year - $4,500 subsidized - $6,500 total
  • 3^rd and 4^th year - $5,500 subsidized - $7,500 total
• Independent Student
  • 1^st year - $3,500 subsidized - $9,500 total
  • 2nd year - $4,500 subsidized - $10,500 total
  • 3^rd and 4^th - $5,500 subsidized - $12,500 total
• Graduate Student
  • $20,500 only unsubsidized loans

• Dependent student - $23,000 subsidized - $31,000 total
• Independent student - $23,000 subsidized - $57,500 total
• Graduate student – 138,000 total

More information can be found on StudentAid.ed.gov or by visiting their Subsidized Unsubsidized Eligibility page.

Students can log into their LeoNet Self-Service and click on Scholarship On-Line Inquiry. You may also check out our Scholarships page.

These extenuating circumstances should be discussed with your financial aid counselor. You will be required to bring in documentation. You can begin the process by contacting your financial aid counselor..

Once your aid is accepted and the funds are disbursed to the University, monies will be applied first to tuition and then to the remainder of your account balance. If there are funds left over after you balance is paid in full, the remainder will be sent to the student as a refund.

It can take up to a week for your FAFSA information to load into Southeastern's system. Once this amount of time has passed, you will want to log-in to your LEOnet account and check your To-Do List (you can find the to-do list on the homepage of your LEOnet, this will be on the right-hand side of the page) Additional paperwork may be needed before you can access award amounts. You can find financial aid worksheets and forms here.

• You can turn documents in via email or in-person at our office. Email yur completed documents to fadocs@southeastern.edu.
• If you have any questions regarding paperwork needed, please contact our office at 985-549-2244 or finaid@southeastern.edu.

Students should keep in mind it can take up to a week for Southeastern to receive your FAFSA and additional time for it to be processed. During our busiest times of the year (August for the fall semester and January for spring semester), processing will be delayed due to the volume of paperwork received. It’s recommended that students check their LEOnet to-do list regularly to see if any checklist items pop up to expedite the awarding of their aid. Please refer to our Student Aid Report (SAR) Codes page if you received a reject code. 

• On your LEOnet, click Self Service > Campus Finances > View Financial Aid

• To accept federal loans, click Self Service > Campus Finances > Accept/Decline Awards

If you are looking for additional aid, your options will be a Parent Plus Loan (dependent students), alternative student loans, or a Payment Plan through the Controller’s office.

• The parent is the borrower for the Parent Plus Loan. Approval is based on a credit check. If the parent is denied, the student may be eligible for additional student loans for the year. Information on the Parent Plus Loan can be found at https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/types/loans/plus. Once the parent completes the PLUS loan application, a file update request form needs to be submitted to the financial aid office for the loan to be added to the student account. That file update request form is available on the website or can be obtained directly from the Financial Aid Reception or the student’s Financial Aid Counselor.
• An alternative student loan can be obtained through a private student loan lender or bank. This loan will be based on a credit check of the student. Private student loans can be applied for online by searching for “private student loans.” A co-signer may be required. 

The Controller's Office offers the Southeastern Payment Plan (SPP), which splits up the semester balance into three installments due in January, February and March for the spring semester, and August, September, and October for the fall semester, and May and June for the summer semester. More information on the Student Payment Plan can be found here.

Education students who have been admitted into the College of Education, have SARTE status and a 3.25 GPA may be eligible for the federal TEACH Grant. For more information, contact our office at finaid@southeastern.edu.

This is a common question we receive from students. According to federal regulations, if the student’s parents are divorced, separated or never married, the student would list the parent who provides the most financial support as the parent. Only a biological or adoptive parent can be listed as the parent on the FAFSA. If a student lives with someone other than a biological or adoptive parent, then it is suggested they contact their financial aid counselor for further instructions.

Federal aid does not disburse until after the start of the semester. The amount will show as “Pending Financial Aid” until this time. As long as your “Pending Financial Aid” covers the balance on your account, you are good to start the semester, pick up textbooks, parking pass, move into housing, etc.

This could be a couple of different reasons.

• If your pell grant has disbursed but your loans have not, it is because you have not completed your MPN and Entrance Counseling. See question #4 for steps on completing this. If you have completed this, contact your Financial Aid Counselor.
• If you receive the LA Go Grant, HB 152, or ACT 193 -- these grants do not disburse until mid-semester.

If none of these reasons apply, please contact your Financial Aid Counselor.

If you are a first-time loan borrower at Southeastern, you must complete the Master Promissory Note and Entrance Counseling. Here are the steps to complete these:

• Go to www.studentaid.gov and log in using your Federal Student Aid (FSA) ID and password. (This is the log in information you use to complete your FAFSA)
• Select the appropriate tab (Undergraduate Student/Graduate/Professional Students)
• Complete Entrance Counseling
• Complete Loan Agreement for Subsidized/Unsubsidized Loan (MPN)

If you have completed both of these and your loans still have not disbursed, please contact your Financial Aid Counselor. 

If your parent is a first-time borrower for the PPL at Southeastern, the Plus Loan Master Promissory Note (MPN) must be completed. Here are the steps to complete this:

• The parent on the application will need to go to studentloans.gov under the “Parent Borrowers tab.”
• Click “Complete Loan Agreement for Plus Loan (MPN)
• The parent needs to log in with their FSA ID and password and complete.

If this has been completed, please contact your Financial Aid Counselor.

A student must be enrolled half-time to receive federal student loans. (Undergraduate- 6 hours, Graduate- 5 hours) This is true for fall, spring and summer semesters.

Did you meet Satisfactory Academic Progress? You must meet all of these criteria:

• GPA (Freshman- 1.75 cumulative) (Sophomore, Junior, Senior- 2.0 cumulative) (Grad & Post Grad- 3.0 cumulative)
• Percentage of Completion (Students must progress toward completion of their declared degree/certificate while maintaining a minimum 67% completion rate. This is calculated by dividing the cumulative number of credit hours earned by the cumulative number of credit hours attempted.)
• Maximum Time Frame (Credit hours attempted must not exceed the following: Associate: 90 hours attempted, 2nd Associate: 45 hours attempted beyond 1st Assoc., Bachelors: 180 hours attempted, 2nd Bach: 60 credit hours attempted beyond 1st bach, Masters: 48 hours attempted beyond Bachelor degree, 2nd Masters: 25 credit hours attempted beyond 1st Masters, Alternate Teaching Certification: 45 credit hours attempted beyond 1st Bach, Doctorate: 60 credit hours attempted beyond Master Degree or 7 years)

*If you did not meet SAP, you will need to complete a Financial Aid appeal and be approved to be eligible to receive federal aid. Please contact at sap@southeastern.edu or 985-549-2244 for questions regarding Financial Aid appeals.

Are you enrolled half-time? (Undergraduate- 6 hours, Graduate- 5 hours)

• If you are not enrolled at least half-time, this is why your aid has been canceled. If you add a class to re-gain half-time or above status, please notify your Financial Aid Counselor. If you meet SAP and are enrolled half-time or more, please contact your Financial Aid Counselor. 

Are you repeating a course?

• Once a student receives a passing grade of ‘D’ or better, the student may attempt the class one additional time for a grade. A passing grade is defined as ‘D’ or better including the grade of ‘P’. A grade is defined as any grade excluding ‘W’.  If a course is determined to be a repeated course it is excluded from the enrolled hours that calculate the students’ financial aid. For detailed information, please visit the Financial Aid Repeat Coursework Policy page.

If your financial aid covers more than your balance, you will receive a refund of the excess money. We encourage all students that are eligible for a refund to select a refund preference with BankMobile Disbursements, a technology solution, powered by BMTX, Inc. You can find out more information about how to set up your refund preference here. Refunds are through the Controller’s office. If you have any questions, you can contact them at studentaccounts@southeastern.edu or 985-549-2068.

For more information on receiving financial aid in the summer, please refer to the Summer Financial Aid page.

Please refer to the Scholarship Retention Requirements page.