Award Notification & Acceptance

Students newly admitted to HWCOM receive emails that include the estimated cost of attendance and estimated award package for the upcoming academic year. New and continuing students receive emails when Financial Assistance awards are posted online in MyFIU; students may then view, accept, reduce, or decline any aid offered. To ensure timely disbursement of funds, Financial Aid awards must be accepted in MyFIU at least 2 weeks prior to the first day of Orientation or the first day of classes.

How to Accept Awards Online in MyFIU

To view and accept your awards, you will need to access your Panther ID number.

To access your Panther ID number:

1. Go to the MyFIU student portal.
2. Click on "Login to MyFIU” on the top of the page
3. Select “Need Help?”
4. Checkmark that you are a student, and click continue
5. Checkmark “Lookup Username/Panther ID”, and click continue
6. Fill in the required information.
7. Write down your Panther ID number and username, as you will need one of every time you access services on campus and every time you sign into the student portal.
8. Go back to MyFIU.
9. Log in with your Panther ID number and password (First time users: Your password is your birthdate in the DDMonYYYY format; the first letter of the month must be capitalized.) Your password is case sensitive.

To view, accept, or decline awards:

Once you have applied for financial aid and successfully cleared all holds, a notification will be sent to your Panther Mail and MyFIU account to accept/decline your financial aid. This financial aid notification is sent out no sooner than June of each year for current students. Follow these steps to accept your financial aid:

1. Login to MyFIU. See Access MyFIU for help.
2. Select the 'Financial Aid' tile.
3. Select a year from the 'Aid Year' column in the table.
4. Review each item you accept by clicking the linked item name. Grants and scholarships are automatically accepted for you, but loans require that you accept or decline.
5. Loan recipients are advised to accept only the loan amount necessary to pay for educational expenses.
6. To accept or decline an individual item, select the box under 'Accept' or 'Decline' column. To accept or decline the entire package, click on 'Accept All' or 'Decline All' buttons.
7. Confirm selections by clicking 'Submit.'
8. After you accept your awards, you will be prompted to complete the Direct Loan Master Promissory Note (MPN) and Direct Loan Entrance Counseling through the Department of Education's website.

If you do not see an award posted:

1. Go to the MyFIU student portal.
2. Log in with your Panther ID number and password.
3. Click the "Tasks" tile on your Student page.
4. Resolve any pending verification items listed (e.g., Income Certification Worksheet, Proof of Citizenship, Proof of Food Stamp Benefits). You can find more information in our Applying for Aid section under FAFSA Verification. Verification documents require 7 to 10 business days for processing. Please allow this time for your documentation to be reviewed and processed, and for your awards to be posted.
   If you do not have any items pending on your "To Do" list under your Tasks and have not been awarded, please contact the HWCOM Office of Financial Assistance.

Student Accounts

HWCOM student accounts are maintained by the FIU Student Financials’ Office. All charges for the current academic year/term are posted to the student's account, which can be viewed through MyFIU. Students are responsible for payment of any remaining balances after the application of financial aid. All balances must be paid or deferred by an accepted financial aid award by the first day of Orientation or classes.

Disbursement and Refunds

All financial aid funding is disbursed and applied to any existing charges on a student's account. Once all existing charges are paid, any remaining funds for the semester are sent to the student as a refund to cover the cost of living expenses. Financial Aid refunds are sent by direct deposit to the bank account designated by the student in MyFIU. For exact disbursement dates, review the Important Dates. Refunds last for the entire payment term, so students are encouraged to budget wisely.

How to Set Up Direct Deposit:

Direct deposit is the fastest way to receive your refund. Designate your bank account on MyFIU. Only U.S. bank accounts can be used for direct deposit.

1. Log onto MyFIU. See Access MyFIU for help.
2. Click on 'Financial Account' tile.
3. Click on the ‘Direct Deposit' link
4. Enter the bank account details and click the 'Next' button
5. Review and agree to the Direct Deposit Agreement
6. Click the 'Submit' button

Note: Only U.S bank accounts can be used for direct deposit.

Once your refund is processed, it will take approximately 24 to 48 business hours to be deposited into your bank account. Some banks make take longer to process payments.