Book Charging

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What is financial aid book charging? What are the dates for book charging? Who is eligible for book charging? What is the process for book charging? Why is my bookstore line of credit not available? What if I lose financial aid eligibility after I charge books?

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 8/7/23 8/25/23
Fall B (Disbursements paused) 10/5/23 10/18/23
Spring & Spring A/D/G 12/15/23 1/12/24
Spring B (Disbursements paused) 2/28/24 3/13/24
Summer & Summer A/D/G 4/26/24 5/17/24
Summer B (Disbursements paused) 6/21/24 7/3/24

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.

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?

  1. 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 My FA Status page in eSantaFe and selecting the "Authorizations" menu.
    • 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.
  2. 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, if you have them, by completing loan entrance counseling and a master promissory note (See "Accept or Decline Student Loans" on your My FA Status page in eSantaFe.)
  3. 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.
  4. Deduction: Your book charges will automatically be deducted from your financial aid award 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:

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.

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 “My FA Status” 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.

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.

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 completed the process to accept the loans. In order to accept and originate your student loans, so the funds can be used for a BLOC, you must complete Loan Entrance Counseling and a Master Promissory Note. 

Got to eSantaFe, click on the "Finances" menu and select My FA Status. Select the "Accept of Decline Student Loans" section and complete all remaining action items.

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.