AmeriCorps and Financial Aid

The AmeriCorps program is designed to assist students in paying for college using funds earned through working with an agency that is an AmeriCorps participant.  Primarily, the Financial Aid Accountant Supervisor will assist by certifying the online AmeriCorps Payment Voucher Request Form for education expenses.  The AmeriCorps Payment or deferment/forbearance requests for Perkins Loans are handled by the Student Accounts & Receivables office.

An AmeriCorps participant should complete an online AmeriCorps Voucher Request Form (see Related Documents below).

The University will be notified by AmeriCorps that a request has been submitted.  The office of Financial Aid and Scholarships (FAS) will process the request accordingly after determining enrollment at KU and financial aid eligibility.  Once payment has been wired to KU, the funds will be applied to the student’s account.  If applicable, a refund will be issued to the student for any overpayment on the student’s account. FAS will be notified by the Student Accounts & Receivables office that the funds were received.

The student must meet the following qualifications in order to be eligible to have the requested AmeriCorps award pay education expenses per regulations set by the National Trust SEC. 148. [42 U.S.C. 12604] Disbursement of national service educational awards

The student’s payment request must be for current educational expenses, for payment on a past due balance owed to the university, or past educational expenses, if expenses occurred after the student began the AmeriCorps term of service. 

Student must have registered their social security number and date of birth with the University

• Prospective students must include this information on the admissions application or contact the Undergraduate Admissions Office, or the Office of Graduate Studies to add this information
• Current students may contact the University Registrar to add this information

Student must be admitted at the University of Kansas Lawrence campus, or Edwards Campus

• The contact person at KUMC is Scott Sponholtz.

The student must be enrolled as certified by the University of Kansas, which means enrollment must be at least 1 credit hour for undergraduate students, Law and Pharmacy students and Graduate students as well.

• If a student withdraws from coursework all or part of the award may be returned to the National Trust and that may create additional charges owed to the university by the student

The requested payment amount must fit within the student’s cost of attendance as set by FAS, even if the payment request is for a past due balance or past educational expenses.  If the student makes a request when the current, or prior aid package meets cost of attendance for that term, one of the following actions will be taken by the staff member certifying the AmeriCorps payment request:

• The student’s existing aid package will be revised and possible loan adjustments may occur.
• The AmeriCorps payment request will be reduced
• The AmeriCorps payment request will be denied

Multiple disbursements required for payment requests

• Student award payment requests may be disbursed to an institution of higher education by the Corporation in 2 installments, none of which exceeds 1/2 of the total amount.  The interval between the first and second such installment shall not be less than 1/2 of the period of enrollment, except as necessary to permit the second installment to be paid at the beginning of the second semester, quarter, or similar subtitle of such period of enrollment.
• Payments will be posted by Student Accounts & Receivables as an outside schol/sfa payment and will be utilized by Student Accounts & Receivables to pay anything the student owes the university at the time payment(s) is received. There are a few exceptions such as medical costs and late fees.