Create Financial Aid & Scholarship Adjustments
Quick Start
🎓 Awarding scholarships or financial aid? Create adjustments to reduce member balances for scholarship awards and financial assistance.
- Open member account → 2. Click "New Adjustment" → 3. Select Scholarship/General type → 4. Choose reason → 5. Allocate amounts
What you'll accomplish: Process scholarship awards and financial aid by creating properly categorized adjustments that reduce member invoice balances and maintain accurate financial aid tracking in about 10 minutes.
🚀 Quickstart
- Navigate to the member's account record
- Click "New Adjustment" under Campus Stack Tools
- Select appropriate adjustment type (Scholarship or General)
- Choose specific reason (Scholarship Award, Financial Aid Grant)
- Allocate amounts against relevant invoices and confirm
⚠️ Before You Start
📋 Prerequisites Checklist
- Member account exists with outstanding invoices
- Scholarship or financial aid award has been approved
- You have permission to create adjustments
- You know the exact award amount to apply
- Appropriate adjustment batch is available
- You understand which invoices should receive the adjustment
💡 Understanding Financial Aid & Scholarship Adjustments
Types of Educational Assistance:
- Scholarships - Merit-based or need-based awards
- Financial Aid - Need-based assistance programs
- Grants - Institutional or external funding awards
- Work-Study Credits - Credit for work performed
Adjustment Categories:
- Scholarship - Specifically for scholarship awards (recommended)
- General - For financial aid, grants, and other assistance
When to Use Each Type:
- Scholarship Type - Use for formal scholarship awards for better tracking
- General Type - Use for financial aid, hardship assistance, work-study credits
📘 Detailed Instructions
Step 1: Access Member Account
- Navigate to the Accounts tab from App Launcher
- Search for and select the target member account
- Verify account has outstanding invoices that can receive adjustments
Step 2: Launch Adjustment Process
- Locate the Campus Stack Tools section on the account page
- Click "New Adjustment" to open adjustment wizard
- Wait for adjustment interface to load
Step 3: Configure Adjustment Details
🎓 Scholarship & Financial Aid Configuration
Adjustment Type Selection:
| Type | Best For | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Scholarship | Formal scholarship awards | Merit scholarships, athletic scholarships, named awards |
| General | Financial assistance | Need-based aid, emergency assistance, work-study credits |
Common Reason Options:
- Scholarship Award - For merit or need-based scholarships
- Financial Aid Grant - For institutional financial assistance
- Emergency Assistance - For crisis or hardship support
- Work Study Credit - For work-study program participation
- External Grant - For third-party funding awards
Complete Required Fields:
- Date of Action - Use award date or keep default (today)
- Adjustment Type:
- Select "Scholarship" for formal scholarship awards
- Select "General" for financial aid and other assistance
- Reason - Choose appropriate reason:
- "Scholarship Award" for scholarships
- "Financial Aid Grant" for financial assistance
- Description (optional) - Add specific award details
- Batch - Select appropriate adjustment batch
Step 4: Allocate Award Amounts
Invoice Selection Strategy:
- Tuition first - Apply to educational expenses before other charges
- Oldest invoices - Pay down oldest outstanding balances
- Specific programs - Target invoices related to the award criteria
- Member preference - Follow any specific allocation instructions
Allocation Process:
- Review available invoices for adjustment
- Enter amounts for each relevant invoice
- Ensure total allocation equals award amount
- Verify no invoice allocation exceeds remaining balance
- Click "Next" to proceed
Step 5: Review and Confirm
- Review adjustment summary for accuracy
- Verify adjustment type and reason are correct
- Confirm allocation amounts match award documentation
- Click "Confirm" to create the adjustment
✅ How to Know It Worked
Success Indicators:
- ✅ Adjustment record appears on member account
- ✅ Invoice balances reduced by adjustment amounts
- ✅ Adjustment shows correct type (Scholarship or General)
- ✅ Reason clearly indicates award type
- ✅ Audit trail documents the financial assistance
Verification Steps:
- Check account adjustment history for new record
- Review affected invoices for balance changes
- Verify adjustment categorization for reporting
- Confirm member communication if required
🆘 Troubleshooting
❌ No Invoices Available for Adjustment
Problem: Adjustment screen shows no invoices to apply award
Solutions:
- ✅ Verify account has invoices with remaining balance > $0
- ✅ Check invoice status - invoices must be approved/active
- ✅ Review payment plans - invoices with active plans may be locked
- ✅ Confirm permissions - ensure you can view account invoices
❌ Adjustment Fails to Save
Problem: Error occurs when trying to confirm adjustment
Solutions:
- ✅ Check batch selection - batch field must be populated
- ✅ Verify amount totals - allocation total must equal adjustment amount
- ✅ Review required fields - ensure all mandatory fields completed
- ✅ Check validation rules - may prevent certain adjustment combinations
❌ Wrong Adjustment Type Selected
Problem: Need to change adjustment type after creation
Solutions:
- ✅ Edit adjustment record - modify type if editable
- ✅ Create new adjustment - void incorrect one and create new
- ✅ Contact administrator - may need to update record manually
- ✅ Use correct type going forward - establish clear guidelines
❌ Amount Exceeds Invoice Balance
Problem: Trying to apply more adjustment than invoice balance
Solutions:
- ✅ Check current invoice balance - verify remaining amount owed
- ✅ Split adjustment - apply to multiple invoices if appropriate
- ✅ Adjust award amount - confirm total award amount is correct
- ✅ Review existing adjustments - check for previous awards applied
💡 Best Practices
Financial Aid & Scholarship Best Practices
- 🏷️ Clear Naming - Use specific, consistent reason descriptions
- 📊 Separate Tracking - Use different batches for scholarships vs financial aid
- 📅 Timely Processing - Apply awards promptly after approval
- 📝 Document Awards - Include award details in description fields
- 🔍 Regular Audits - Review adjustment records for accuracy and compliance
- 📞 Member Communication - Inform recipients about awards applied
Award Processing Workflow:
- Receive award approval from appropriate committee/administrator
- Verify recipient eligibility and account status
- Create adjustment with proper categorization
- Apply to appropriate invoices based on award criteria
- Document award details for future reference
- Communicate with recipient about award application
Compliance Considerations:
- Maintain audit trail of all scholarship and aid awards
- Follow institutional policies for award processing
- Document approval process for each award
- Track award limits and eligibility requirements
- Report awards as required for compliance
Quality Control:
- Double-check amounts before confirming adjustments
- Verify recipient information matches award documentation
- Review invoice selection ensures appropriate application
- Test reporting to ensure awards appear correctly