Financial Aid Reference Guide

FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)

You must submit a FAFSA each academic year to qualify for any federal or state aid.
The FAFSA opens on October 1 each year for upcoming year and uses tax and income information from 2 years prior (2022 for the 2024-2025 FAFSA)
You might be required to complete additional requirements to process your aid, so check TigerWeb Self-Service and Tiger Mail regularly.

Students under the age of 24 are considered Dependent for financial aid eligibility and must include parent information on the FAFSA.
Students under the age of 24 cannot be processed as Independent on their FAFSA unless they submit documentation proving unusual circumstances, such as marriage, providing financial support for a child or dependent, active military duty or veteran status, legal guardianship, orphan or ward of the court, homelessness, or estrangement, abuse, or neglect.
There may be additional steps that can be completed if you are under 24 and are homeless, or at risk of homelessness, and cannot provide parent information.

The Department of Education might select your FAFSA at any time in the year for a process called Verification.
Additional documentation is usually required to complete the Verification process.
You will be ineligible for all federal and state aid if you do not complete Verification.

Financial aid will only pay for classes that are required for you to graduate from your current program of study.
Financial aid will not pay for classes that are not required for your current degree, even if you think you need them for a future program (ex. Nursing, PTA, etc.).
There are also limitations for financial aid paying for learning support classes and repeat courses.

Financial aid begins disbursing (releasing) funds after the 14th day of each term (semester).
The Bursar’s Office applies financial aid funds first to tuition and fees, then typically processes refunds within 3-5 business days if you have a credit (negative) balance.
You may not be eligible for financial aid if you are not engaged in or attending your classes.
Financial aid does pay up front for all eligible classes in the term, even your classes that start later. You may owe a balance if you drop or never attend classes that start later but were paid for in advance by financial aid.

You will have to pay back part of your financial aid if you withdraw from or stop attending your classes during the semester.
You cannot keep your financial aid payment if you do not earn it by successfully attending class.
Your repayment will be calculated based on when you dropped or stopped attending.

Title IV (federal) aid will only pay to students who successfully complete classes and progress toward completing their program of study. This apples to some state grants and scholarships as well.
All previous credits taken at all colleges count toward your Satisfactory Academic Progress.
Students will be suspended from financial aid if they fail to meet the following requirements for 2 consecutive terms:
- You must have a cumulative 2.0 GPA.
- You must complete and pass at least 67% of your attempted credit hours.
- You must be able to graduate before you attempt 90 credit hours (immediate suspension)
Students can submit a SAP Appeal to request financial aid after being suspended, but approval is not guaranteed.

Pell Grant is based on your Student Aid Index (SAI) which is determined by your financial need, household size, and other factors on your FAFSA each year.
There are several ways that Pell Grant eligibility is calculated, so a higher SAI may not prevent you from being awarded a Pell Grant.
You must be enrolled in 12 or more eligible credit hours each semester to receive your full Pell Grant award (may pro-rate for less than 12 hours)
There is a lifetime limit to the Pell Grant, which is the equivalent of receiving 100% of your grant eligibility each year for up to 6 years. You are also ineligible for Pell after receiving your first Bachelor’s degree or its equivalent.

Your Hope Scholarship payment will be reduced if you take fewer than 12 hours in a semester.
You will permanently forfeit Hope Scholarship if you withdraw below 12 hours in a semester.
You must meet the following benchmarks to maintain eligibility:
- 2.75 GPA after attempting 24 and 48 credit hours
- 3.00 GPA after attempting 72 and 96 credit hours
Dual Enrollment classes do not count toward your Hope Scholarship GPA.

Loans require at least 6 eligible credit hours each semester.
Loans are subject to delayed payments if you are borrowing for the first time or if your loan is being borrowed for a single semester.

Promise only pays mandatory tuition and fees – it does not always pay your entire balance.
You will permanently forfeit TN Promise if you drop below 12 credit hours in a semester, except for the summer semester and for exceptions specific to your program of study.
You will permanently forfeit TN Promise if your GPA is below 2.0 at the end of each year.

Reconnect only pays mandatory tuition and fees – it may not pay your entire balance.
You will permanently forfeit TN Reconnect if you drop below 6 credit hours in a semester, except summer.
You will permanently forfeit TN Reconnect if your GPA is below 2.0 at the end of each year.

TCAT students can only receive federal aid (Pell Grant, Loans, etc.) once they have earned enough clock hours in each payment period.
The Financial Aid Office pays aid based on the hours that instructors report each week.
Financial aid for TCAT has different guidelines for eligibility and Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP).