Book Charging

Overview

What is financial aid book charging? Financial Aid recipients may charge textbook purchases and rentals, as well as supplies (such as a laptop computer, backpack, notebooks, and etc.) using a bookstore line of credit (BLOC) at the Santa Fe College Bookstore. Each student's financial aid file is different. Not all students will have a BLOC available at the beginning of book charging.

You will receive an eSantaFe notification if you have a line of credit available. Generally, the last day to charge books is the last day to drop with a refund. If you are concerned about your BLOC, see the troubleshooting steps below.

What are the dates for book charging?

Term	Book Charging Begins	Book Charging Ends
Fall & Fall A/D/G	8/5/24	9/12/24
Fall B (Disbursements paused)	10/3/24	10/16/24
Spring & Spring A/D/G	12/20/24	1/14/25
Spring B (Disbursements paused)	2/26/25	3/12/25
Summer & Summer A/D/G	4/25/25	5/16/25
Summer B (Disbursements paused)	6/20/25	7/2/25

Notes Regarding Book Charging Schedule

Online Orders: Students using their BLOC online, keep in mind that online ordering ends at noon on the last day of charging for the term. Any orders received after that time will be cancelled by the bookstore. If your order is cancelled for this reason please resubmit your order and use another form of payment at checkout.

For Fall 2024 disbursements will continue to process during the B- term book charging period.

Disbursements during B term Book Charging: Financial aid disbursements (payments to students) must be temporarily paused during B term book charging. Payments will resume as quickly as possible after book charging ends and student accounts are reconciled.

Who is eligible for book charging?

To receive a bookstore line of credit (BLOC) you must:

be eligible for and awarded some type of financial aid. If your eligibility changes, you are responsible for your charges on the BLOC.
be registered for classes within your degree for the current term.
have enough financial aid awarded that after your tuition and fees are paid you will have remaining funds for books.
- For students enrolled in separate term classes within a semester: the tuition and fees for the entire semester (such as A, B, D, and G terms) come out of your first term money. If your tuition and fees for the entire semester are more than your first term financial aid, you may not have a book charge available in that first term of the semester.

What is the process for book charging?

Authorization: If you want to use financial aid at the bookstore, you must authorize the college to provide a bookstore line of credit against your financial aid. You do this by going to the Book Charging page in eSantaFe, under the "Finances" menu and clicking Book Charing Authorization.
- If you are not going to charge books during a semester there is no need to end your authorization. A bookstore line of credit does not reduce your aid. If you do not charge books no funds will be deducted.
Notification: You will receive a Notification on your eSantaFe account when the bookstore line of credit is available.
- If you have not received a notification, then you do not have a BLOC available yet. Please review your aid status to ensure that you are eligible. You may want to ensure you:
  - have enough financial aid beyond your tuition and fees,
  - are enrolled in enough hours toward your program of study
  - accepted your loans in the Financial Aid Portal and completed the loan entrance counseling and a master promissory note is required.
Selection: Once you receive your notification, you may go directly to the bookstore to purchase your books and supplies. There is no need to visit the Financial Aid Office first.
- You must have a valid photo ID to use the bookstore line of credit (BLOC).
- The BLOC can only be used at the campus bookstore, but they offer price matching, online ordering, low-cost shipping, and a number of convenient options.
- Items purchased with your BLOC are only for your use and only for educational purposes. Purchasing items with your BLOC and selling them is misuse of financial aid.
Deduction: Your book charges will automatically be deducted from your financial aid during the reconciliation process.
- The BLOC is not additional money. If you later lose or decline awards such as loans that were included as part of your BLOC, you will be invoiced for the charges by Cashier's Office.
- As noted below, the BLOC is available before the College knows if you will be meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements for the upcoming term. You are still responsible for any book charges made during this time period if you choose to use the BLOC.

Why is my Bookstore Line of Credit (BLOC) not available?

Below are some steps you can take to troubleshoot your BLOC:

Did you complete the Bookstore Payment Authorization?

In eSantaFe go to "Finances", then "My FA Status" and click on "Authorizations" in the My FA Status navigation menu. Review and authorize the Bookstore Payment Authorization if needed. A BLOC is not created automatically or immediately by authorizing. You still will need to be eligible, have enough financial aid, and await your eSantaFe notification to know when your BLOC is available.

Is your financial aid awarded?

You must finish the financial aid process and have awards in order to have a Bookstore Line of Credit (BLOC). In eSantaFe go to "Finances", then "Financial Aid Portal" to see the current status of your financial aid account. If your status is anything other than Awarded, you should complete remaining action items. If your aid was recently awarded it may take additional time for your BLOC to be available.

Do you have enough financial aid for book charging?

To receive a bookstore line of credit (BLOC) you must have enough financial aid awarded that after your tuition and fees are paid you will have remaining funds for books.

For students enrolled in separate term classes within a semester: the tuition and fees for the entire semester (such as A, B, D, and G terms) come out of your first term money. If your tuition and fees for the entire semester are more than your first term financial aid, you may not have a book charge available in that first term of the semester.

Have you accepted your student loans?

If your awards include student loans, you may not have enough aid funds available for a bookstore line of credit (BLOC) if you have not accepted the loans and completed required loan documents ( Loan Entrance Counseling and a Master Promissory Note)

Did you receive the notification informing you that you have a book charge available?

In eSantaFe go to "Records", then "Notifications" and select the checkbox labeled "Show All Notifications". See if you have received the notification informing you that your bookstore line of credit is available. If not, you will need to wait until you receive the notification.

What if I lose financial aid eligibility after charging books?

Because of timing, the BLOC becomes available before grades post and before the College knows if you will be meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements. If you believe you may not be eligible for financial aid in the upcoming term, it is your responsibility to delay book charging or to delay opening purchased materials so you can return them in the event you are not eligible.

When charging books, you are responsible for payment of those, even if your aid eligibility changes. If you do not receive financial aid for any reason, such as failing to meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirements, any unpaid bookstore charge owed to the college is subject to being turned over to outside collection agencies and reported to the credit bureaus. Additional collection costs owed to the collection agencies are your responsibility.