Resident Mentors
If you have a position as a Resident Mentor, Transition and Cultural Aide, or Assistant Hall Director, you are granted the benefit of free room and board as a part of your employment. Your financial aid won’t include aid to cover room and board, since you’re not charged for these costs. You’ll see this benefit entered into your financial aid package as a resource instead.
If you received an award package as a regular student (one paying for housing and food from your own resources) your aid offer will be covering costs you do not have to pay. The Office of Financial Aid will revise your aid offer and enter your free room and board benefit in your aid package once we have been notified of your appointment to the position.
See the following example for a demonstration of a full-need undergraduate aid offer for a dependent, instate, undergraduate upper-division student with and without a mentorship position.
| Offer without RM/Aide Position | Offer with RM/Aide Position | |
|---|---|---|
| Pell Grant | $4731 | $4731 |
| Supplemental Grant | $400 | $400 |
| Student Aid Grant | $4700 | $4700 |
| Work or College Work Study | $2700 | $0 |
| Resident Mentor Resource | $0 | $7076 |
| Perkins Loan | $900 | $900 |
| Stafford/PLUS Loan | $7025 | $2649 |
MSU is required to follow federal rules in the awarding of aid and MUST reduce certain types of aid if you originally received a regular budget and now have a mentorship position. Financial aid may only cover your actual costs. While it may seem that something is being taken away from you, you are actually receiving a benefit (room & board).
If you are appointed a resident mentor part way through a semester, your resident mentor resource will be pro-rated to reflect the actual value of your appointment.
We hope this information will help you understand your MSU charges and financial aid awards and revisions. If you have any questions, please contact our office.
