Many NIU students who depend on financial aid for their expenses and who are waiting for refunds from the university can breath a sigh of relief, because the checks are on the way.

“Refunds are being processed,” said Marie McDowell, supervisor of tuition payment and refunds in the Bursar’s Office.

Students whose financial aid applications were entered into the Bursar’s Office system can expect their checks within two to three weeks, McDowell said.

Students receive refunds if there is money left over after their financial aid package pays their university bills, she said.

No refund checks can be sent out until after the 15-day period allowed students for withdrawing from school, as required by the government, she said.

The Bursar’s Office had to wait for the Office of Registration and Records to send them the list of students who withdrew from classes, she said. The list has arrived.

Cathleen Brunson, associate director of Financial Aid, said the financial aid process was smooth this year.

Brunson said delays always can be expected, especially if students do not complete the forms until after the deadline, as in the case of those who went through late registration.

There is an emergency short-term loan that students can apply for in case they need funds before their check arrives, she said. These loans are for students whose landlords require rent immediately or in such emergencies as transportation home in case of a parent’s illness, she said.

Students who apply for the loans recieve them within 48 hours and have to repay it within 30 days, she said. If they have a credit balance with the university, it will be immediately subtracted from that, she said.

Students do not have to have a credit balance with the university, but the office does look for some way the student can repay the loan, such as employment, she said.

“The bookstore charge system has eliminated a lot of those requests,” she said.

The deadline for applying for financial aid is March 1, but students can apply anytime, which often backs up the system.