Packaging Methods

You can use the Packaging Methods page to configure the packaging methods you can select when you award financial aid on the Awards tab (Select the Students tile > select the name in the Students list > expand Financial Aid > select the Awarding tile > Awards tab.).

Packaging methods contain the guidelines for your programs (such as the grade levels to which they apply and the minimum and maximum amounts that can be awarded for fund sources). For example, you can create different packaging methods for:

• Full and part-time students (Pell and other grant programs, as well as loan programs, have different benefit maximums for full and part-time students.) 

• First-year, second-year, third-year, fourth-year, and graduate students (Maximum benefits also vary according to the progress of a student toward the completion of their program of study.) 

• The dependent and independent models as defined by the Department of Education (Dependent students qualify for a different level of benefits than do independent students.) 

• Other factors specific to your institution

When Anthology Student automatically packages a student, it uses the packaging method you select for the student. When the time comes to consider the needs of individual students, you can still adjust the financial aid package for the student.

Prerequisites

You must have Financial Aid - Configuration - Manage authorization.

To edit an item associated with more than one campus, you must have access to all the campuses. For example, if the item is configured to be available at three campuses and you only have access to two of the campuses, you can view the item but cannot edit it. When you add an item, you can only select campuses to which you have access.

To use the Duplicate button to add a new list item by copying and modifying an existing list item, you must have access to at least one of the campuses for the existing packaging method.

Access Method

Select the Configuration tile > expand Financial Aid > select Packaging Methods.

Filters

By default, the grid displays all records for the campuses you are authorized to work with. You can use the drop-down at the top of the page to display only records for a specific campus.

Procedure to Add or Edit Items

1. Select All Campuses or choose a specific campus.

2. Review the values of the records in the grid.

3. If you want to:

   • Add a new list item, select the New button on the toolbar

   • Add a new list item by copying and modifying an existing list item, select the row in the list and the Duplicate button on the toolbar

   • Edit an existing list item, select the Name in the list

   When you add or move fund sources, they must be in the order in which they will be applied when the fund sources are awarded. If you automatically package financial aid, Anthology Student also uses the order here to create the financial aid package. 

4. Review, specify, or change the following values.

Active Specifies whether the associated record is active. Campuses The campus or campuses to which a person or item is assigned. It is filtered to display the campuses to which you have access. In some cases, it is also used to filter a list to only those items for the campus. In some lists, you can select more than one campus or select All. In lists that display columns, if the column contains more than one campus, you cannot sort or filter on that column. Code The alphanumeric code assigned to the item by your institution. In most cases, codes must be unique. Dependency Status Specifies the dependency status that a student must have to be eligible for this packaging method. For example, if you select Dependent, then the dependency status for the student must be dependent. If you select N/A, then this packaging method can be used for a student with any dependency status.

Gift Aid Maximum The maximum amount of gift aid that can be awarded when using this packaging method. For example, the total amount of the awards for Pell Grants, other grants, and scholarships cannot exceed this amount. If you are doing automatic packaging, Anthology Student checks this amount to determine when to stop allocating grants and begin packaging loans. Grade Level The grade level for the student. Grade levels are configured by your institution and do not have to correspond to the option on the FAFSA or Stafford loan forms. The grade level is assigned to a student under Academic Records > Enrollment > Progress section. For a student to qualify for federal financial aid, a college grade level (1st year, 2nd year, etc.) must be assigned. For a Graduate PLUS loan, the grade level must be configured with the Department of Education ID 7 (Graduate/Professional or beyond).: From and To Name The descriptive name of the item. Self Help Aid Maximum The maximum amount of self help that can be awarded when using this packaging method. For example, the total amount of the awards for subsidized and unsubsidized loans, other loans, work-study, and other self help cannot exceed this amount. If you are doing automatic packaging, Anthology Student checks this amount to determine when to stop allocating loans.

You can specify duplicate codes, but you can only specify the code for a campus once.

• If you add a duplicate code, Anthology Student removes campuses where the code is being used from the Campuses list so that you can only select campuses where it is not being used.

• If you add a duplicate code and all of the campuses have been selected for the existing code, you cannot add the code.

5. Take appropriate action in the Fund Sources grid.

   Task	Action to Take
   Add or edit a fund source	You must specify a value for either Minimum Amount or Maximum Amount. Fund sources must be in the order in which they will be applied when the fund sources are awarded. (If you automatically package financial aid, Anthology Student also uses the order here to create the financial aid package.)  If you want to:  Add a fund source, select the Add button on the toolbar (Anthology Student inserts a blank row at the bottom of the list. Anthology Student also filters the list of available fund sources to active fund sources configured for all of the campuses you selected.) Edit a fund source, select the record for the fund source in the list Specify or change the values that Anthology Student uses when you automatically package the awards. Fund Source The source of this fund. If your institution is using fund source security, you must have permission to work with the fund source. Minimum Amount Specifies the minimum amount that can be awarded for the fund source when Anthology Student automatically packages the award. Minimum EFC/SAI The minimum expected family contribution (EFC) amount that the student and his or her family must have to receive funds from this fund source when Anthology Student automatically packages awards. For award years 2024-25 and later, the EFC is replaced with the Student Aid Index (SAI). Maximum Amount Specifies that the maximum amount can be awarded for the fund source when Anthology Student automatically packages the award. Maximum EFC/SAI The maximum expected family contribution (EFC) amount that the student and his or her family can have to receive funds from this fund source when Anthology Student automatically packages awards. If the amount of the EFC is higher than this amount, the student is not eligible for this fund source. For award years 2024-25 and later, the EFC is replaced with the Student Aid Index (SAI).
   Move a fund source to a different rank	Fund sources must be in the order in which they will be applied when the fund sources are awarded. (If you automatically package financial aid, Anthology Student also uses the order here to create the financial aid package.)  Either:  Place your cursor over the row you want to move until the arrows appear and then select and drop the row in the order you want. Or:  Select the number in the Rank column, specify the position in the field, and select the OK button in the dialog. Anthology Student renumbers the remaining rows so that they are sequential.
   Remove a fund source	Select the record for the fund source and select the Remove button.

6. If you want to save and: 

   • Continue making changes, select the Save button

   • Continue to add another item to the list, select the Save & New button

   • Close, select the Save & Close button

If you were editing a packaging method and one of the fund sources was made inactive after the packaging method was added, Anthology Student displays a message and will not let you save the packaging method until the inactive fund source is changed to an active fund source or removed from the list. You can use the Cancel button on the toolbar to exit without making changes.