Back to School FAQs
The semester is right around the corner! During the weeks that lead up to the start of the semester, One Stop experiences high volume of calls and visits. To help our students, we’ve answered some of the most common questions we get right before the start of school. If you do reach out, we appreciate your patience as our dedicated team works quickly to help answer questions.
Financial Aid & Scholarships
When will I get my refund?
Once you see “General Refund Account” on Rowdy Pay, it takes 2-3 business days to receive your refund if you signed up for direct deposit otherwise it will take 5-7 business days for a check to be mailed. If you owed a prior balance, your refund will be held at Fiscal Services. You will need to make arrangements with them to receive it.
Only part of my financial aid paid out on Rowdy Pay, will I get a late fee?
If you had some financial aid apply towards your bill, then you will not receive a late fee. We recommend checking on why your other financial aid hasn’t paid (see other FAQs) or making other payment arrangements if you do not have additional aid pending.
Why have my loans not paid out?
Did you recently accept your loan?
- If you recently accepted, processing your loan would take 3-5 business days.
Did you complete the loan entrance counseling and sign the master promissory note?
- If you recently completed these on studentaid.gov, it will take a few business days for UTSA to receive your completion and update your file.
Are you full-time or half-time (undergraduate)?
- If you are part-time (6-11 credit hours), financial aid will need to match your enrollment with your cost of attendance. Financial aid will review enrollment hours and process enrollment change after census date. If you are part-time, you can enroll in more classes (disbursement happens nightly).
Are you graduating this fall (undergraduate)?
- Loans must be prorated based on your enrollment if you’re receiving your first bachelor’s degree. If you change your registration, this could impact the amount you receive and prevent it from paying out.
Are you enrolled at least part-time (graduate)?
- You must be enrolled in at least 4 credit hours in graduate-level coursework during the fall.
Are you a recent transfer student to UTSA?
- You may have a federal transfer monitoring hold which allows time for us to review if you have any pending or disbursed federal aid at another school for the current academic year. No action is required, and the hold will expire in 10 days.
Why hasn’t my Texas (Excellence) Grant paid out?
Did you complete your Texas Grant Controlled Substance Form on myUTSA Account?
- If you answered “yes” to this question, you’ll need to contact our office.
If applicable, did you complete and submit the Statement of Selective Service?
- If you didn’t, you’ll need to submit this form as soon as possible. Please note processing during August typically takes 3-4 weeks.
Are you enrolled in at least 9 credit hours (not waitlisted courses)?
- If you enroll in less credit hours, you either need to register for another course or you will not be eligible for your disbursement. Please note that there are specific eligibility requirements to renew the grant next year.
Are you approaching the maximum amount of hours for the grant (130-150 credit hours earned)?
- If so, this will need to be manually reviewed to ensure you are not receiving more than the program allows. Financial Aid is reviewing and processing this as soon as possible, no action is required.
Have you submitted your final high school transcript and has it been marked as received? (New freshman students)
- If not, please submit it as soon as possible. Once it’s been received, the hold will be removed from your account.
Why hasn’t my scholarship paid out?
Most scholarships require you to be full-time. We recommend checking your scholarship’s eligibility requirements to determine this.
Did you complete the post acceptance requirements after you accepted (if applicable) on the UTSA Scholarship Hub?
- If you haven’t, please log into the Scholarship Hub and submit those documents as soon as possible. Please note that processing time may be longer than usual in August.
For outside scholarships, did the donor/organization send the scholarship money to UTSA?
- If not, we recommend they submit it through the Outside Scholarship Donation Station for quickest turnaround time. If they sent the check, once our office receives it, it can take 2-3 weeks to post to your bill.
Did the scholarship donor make the check payable to both you and UTSA?
- If so, you will need to visit our main campus office and endorse the check in order for us to apply it.
How long will it take my Financial Aid documents to process?
Generally, it takes 3-4 weeks to process financial aid documents submitted in August. Next year, we encourage you to submit documents by our financial aid priority deadline of July 1 to ensure it’s processed by the payment deadline.
When will my SAP plan be reviewed?
If you were registered for the summer, we must check your final grades and academic standing in order to confirm whether or not you’re eligible to receive fall financial aid. As long as you’re meeting your academic plan or overall SAP requirements at the end of summer, you can continue receiving financial aid. This process will occur once grades and academic standing are official after August 16.
What do I do if I have a pending graduation hold?
Since you applied for graduation, we will need to confirm whether or not you received a degree at UTSA. Degrees are conferred typically in mid-to-late September for the fall. Your fall financial aid cannot disburse until we have confirmed you graduated and are now pursuing a new degree-seeking program at UTSA or you did not graduate. Note: If you graduate and are not pursuing a new degree-seeking program, you will be ineligible for financial aid.
Fiscal Services & Billing
How do I get a payment deadline extension?
You can complete a Tuition and Fee Loan to extend your payment deadline until November. This will allow you time to make other payment arrangements or for financial aid documents to be processed. Learn more on how to apply.
If you are worried about applying for a loan, the Tuition and Fee Loan is not an actual loan. It postpones your payment deadline until November allowing time to make other payment arrangements or for financial aid documents to be processed.
Why do I see a charge on my bill I wasn’t expecting?
There are several reasons why there may be additional charges on your bill. You can see a list of charges and reason on the fiscal services website. If you have additional questions, please contact Fiscal Services at 210-458-6037 or email fiscalservices@utsa.edu. Please note fiscal services is also experiencing high volume calls and longer wait times.
I don't want another loan. Why should I apply for a tuition and fee loan?
The Tuition and Fee Loan is not an actual loan. It postpones your payment deadline until November allowing time to make other payment arrangements or for financial aid documents to be processed. Learn more on how to apply.
Why do I see a negative amount on my Rowdy Pay?
This means you will receive a refund since you had more financial aid pay towards your bill than what was owed. Once you see “General Refund Account” on Rowdy Pay, it takes 2-3 business days to receive your refund if you signed up for direct deposit otherwise it will take 5-7 business days for a check to be mailed. If you owed a prior balance, your refund will be held at Fiscal Services. You will need to make arrangements with them to receive it.
Contacting One Stop
Why is the queue closed?
We utilize an in-person queuing system called QLess. The system manages students upon sign-in, and once enough students have signed in and are being served, the queue may close for the day. The system opens and closes as needed based on the speed of service. We encourage students to sign up virtually into the queue early. They can do this by clicking “Contact Us” on the OneStop webpage or by coming in the morning to sign up and be seen later. Once in the queue, students will receive text messages notifying them when it’s their turn, allowing them to go about their daily activities until it’s time to come and join the line.
Why is my call not going through?
During peak times, the call system can only handle a limited number of calls. Once the system is full, calls may be disconnected. We encourage students to call during non-peak hours, ideally in the early morning between 8:30 and 9 am, to get in the queue. Once in the queue, they can choose the “Call Back” option, which ensures they won’t lose their place. When we reach their turn, we will call them back. Please be aware that we may call from a different number, so it’s important to answer calls even from unidentified or unrecognized numbers.
Why is the chat offline or closed?
The chat system may close temporarily when all agents are busy assisting other students. However, it automatically reopens as soon as there is a free space. Students are encouraged to keep an eye on the chat bot or contact us through another channel if the chat is unavailable.
Why is my email response delayed?
Due to high volumes, our processing times for emails may be longer than usual. Agents prioritize immediate assistance to students on the phone and in person, which may result in a longer response time for emails. If your question requires an immediate response, we recommend reaching out through phone or in-person channels for faster assistance.