Tips & Resources | Parents

We communicate through the student's campus email and most transactions are completed through BoxerOnline, our secure student portal. It may be helpful to remind your son or daughter to forward important communications from the Financial Aid Office on to you.

Student records are protected by the federal Family Educational Rights and Protection Act (FERPA). The FERPA web page will explain what our office can and cannot release to parents.

If your student plans to work on campus (or off-campus in a Federal Work-Study community service position), encourage them to complete a Direct Deposit Authorization Form through the Human Resources Office.

If your student is expecting a portion of their financial aid to be refunded for off campus housing, books, personal expenses, etc., encourage them to sign up for E-Refunds through the Business Office. E-Refunds allows refunds to be directly deposited to the student’s checking or savings account rather than waiting for a paper check refund.

Federal Resources

• FAFSA
• StudentAid.gov
• VA GI Bill®
• National Guard
• College Navigator

Oregon Resources

Oregon Office of Student Access and Completion (OSAC)
Oregon College Savings Plan

Scholarship Tips

You don't have to pay for assistance to find assistance! Setting aside time to explore scholarships opportunities is necessary if you are interested in scholarship money. Approximately 50 percent of scholarships are available to students already in college; scholarships searches and exploration do not end after senior year in high school.

Use a free search engine to help filter through the many scholarships available:

Cappex.com
Scholarships.com
Fastweb.com
FinAid.org
ScholarshipOwl.com
MyRedKite.com
CollegeScholarships.com
BigFuture.CollegeBoard.org/Pay-For-College
SallieMae.com/Plan-For-College
CareerOneStop.org/Toolkit/Training/Find-Scholarships

Tax Tips

1098-T

The 1098-T is a Tuition Statement that includes tuition and fees (according to the date they were charged to the student’s account); scholarships, grants, awards and receipts from third-party resources; indication of at least half-time status; and indication if the student was a graduate student within the calendar tax year. The 1098-T will be helpful in determining eligibility for federal and state education tax benefits, as well as determining the taxable portion (if any) of grants and scholarships received.

IRS regulations require 1098T tax forms be sent to eligible students by Jan. 31 each year. In general, the Pacific University Business Office will send the 1098-T to the student’s preferred mailing address that is on file at the time the statement is produced. Beginning with the tax year 2011, the form was also made available at the student’s BoxerOnline account, if the student was eligible to receive one.

Scholarships, Fellowship Grants, Grants, and Tuition Reductions | The IRS Publication 970 describes the conditions under which scholarships, grants, fellowships, etc. may be taxable. 

Tax Benefits for Education | Don’t miss out on the tax benefits that are available for educational expenses you have paid.