Aid Disbursement

Credit Balance

FSA Credit Balance is created when the total of all Financial Aid funds (Federal Grants and Federal Loans) is created when FA is applied to a student's account and it exceeds the total amount charged for tuition, fees, and other eligible educational charges on the student's account. 

Credit Balance Authorization Form

All current students will receive a Credit Balance Authorization form prior to the start of each semester.  All new students will receive the Credit Balance Authorization form when they enroll.  Any student that is receiving Financial Aid is required to fill out this form every semester.  The form will be sent to the student's email, that is on file in Populi, via DocuSign from the Registrar. A parent or student may voluntarily authorize SFFS to hold such credit balance for future charges, or to return the credit balance to reduce loan indebtedness. 

Disbursement of Financial Aid

Disbursement of financial aid is the process in which financial aid awards (scholarships, grants, loans, VA benefits, etc.) are applied to the charges on the students' accounts. Federal and state aid apply first to the charges on the student account, followed by institutional awards and/or any other type of aid or personal payments. As this process takes place, students may see changes to their anticipated aid, awards, and charges.

If your aid does not cover your the balance on your student account, you will be sent a bill from Finance Department. It is the student's responsibility for making arrangements with the Financial Officer to pay the balance on your account. 

Refund to Students

All aid received for a student is first applied to the student's account.  This will cover any tuition and fees that are owed to SFFS. SFFS has 14 days to process the disbursement once it is received by the school. SFFS prefers to use direct deposit to make disbursements. The Direct Deposit Form can be found on the student intranet under the Direct Deposit Form link.

Direct Deposit forms not received by SFFS will result in the student receiving a check sent via mail. It is important that the students keep their address updated in Populi in order for checks to be sent to the correct address. Please contact either the Finance department at finance@sanfranciscofilmschool.edu or Financial Aid at finaid@sanfrancisofilmschool.edu if a check was not received within 30 days of issue, as the student will need to wait for the cancellation of the first check issued before a new one can be sent.