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If you have a credit balance on your student account for one quarter but still owe money from a previous quarter, sometimes that credit will be used to help pay the prior balance.
How much of the credit will be used toward the prior balance depends on the type of funds that created the credit balance and if you have a signed Title IV Authorization on record with the College.
This article outlines when and how a credit balance will be applied to a previous quarter's charges, depending on the source of the credit.
The Credit is from a Payment You Made
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Your credit will be used toward the prior balance with no limit.
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No Title IV authorization is needed.
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If there’s money left after paying the prior balance, it will be refunded to you.
The Credit is from Student Loan Funds
First, we check whether the loan period includes the quarter you owe money for.
The loan period is the quarter/s that the loan funds apply to. For example, a loan accepted for the fall quarter has a loan period that includes the fall quarter, while a loan accepted for both the fall and winter quarters has a loan period that includes both the fall and winter quarters.
Loan period includes the quarter you owe
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Your credit will be used toward the prior balance with no limit.
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No Title IV Authorization is needed.
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Any eligible remaining credit will be refunded to you.
Exception:
If the prior balance includes non‑institutional charges (such as late fees), you do need a Title IV Authorization.
Loan period does not include the quarter you owe
If you have submitted the authorization:
If you have not submitted the authorization:
The Credit is from Federal or State Grants
We look at whether the prior balance is from the same academic year as the grant/s.
The academic year at St. Francis School of Law spans the fall, winter, spring, and summer quarters.
Examples
Same Academic Year: If there is a credit balance from the Winter 2026 Quarter and a balance from the Fall 2025 Quarter, the balance (fall 2025) would be from the same academic year as the credit (winter 2026), since both quarters are within the 2025-2026 academic year.
Different Academic Years: If there is a credit balance from the Winter 2026 Quarter and a balance from the Fall 2024 Quarter these quarters are not considered the same academic year since the Fall 2024 Quarter is from the 2024-2025 academic year and the Winter 2026 Quarter is from the 2025-2026 academic year.
Grants are from the same academic year as the prior balance
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Your credit will be used toward the prior balance with no limit.
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No Title IV Authorization is needed.
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Any eligible remaining credit will be refunded to you.
Exception:
If the prior balance includes non‑institutional charges (such as late fees), you do need a Title IV Authorization.
Grants are not from the same academic year as the prior balance
If you have submitted the authorization:
If you have not submitted the authorization:
The Credit is from Institutional Funds (Baker Scholarships)
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Your remaining eligible credit, after any adjustments for the quarter, will be applied to your prior balance with no limit.
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No Title IV Authorization is needed.
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Any eligible remaining credit will be refunded to you.
If you have any questions regarding a credit balance and how it is applied to a prior quarter balance email businessoffice@stfrancislaw.com or submit a ticket.