Financial Aid FAQ

Q. Is there a deadline for financial aid?

A. Yes and no. The priority deadline for completing your financial aid for the Fall Semester is May 1st of that same year. The next deadline is June 1st. Please note that you can still apply for financial aid after the June 1st deadline, but we can only guarantee that your financial aid will be processed in time for the start of the semester if you complete it by June 1st. The deadline for the spring semester is November 1st. The same rules apply as above to guarantee that your financial aid will be ready for the start of the semester. Students that do not complete their financial aid files until after the semester deadline are not guaranteed that their aid will be available by the start of their semester.

Q. Do I have to reapply each year?

A. In order to be considered for any type of financial aid (grants, institutional scholarships, loans, etc.), you must apply for the FAFSA each academic year. Applications for the upcoming academic year are available as early as January 1 each year.

Q. Can I register if my financial aid file is not complete?

A. Yes. You may register, but your file must be complete by the fee payment deadline if you expect to use financial aid to help cover your fees.

Q. Do I have to be a full time student to receive financial aid?

A. Depends. The Georgia Tuition Equalization Grant and most institutional endowments or scholarships require you to be full time (12 or more credit hours). Federal Student Loans do not require full time enrollment but do require at least halftime enrollment (6 or more credit hours). Students can receive SEOG Grants, Work Study, and LEAP Grants whether full-time or part-time. The Pell Grant also does not require full time enrollment but is adjusted for 3/4 (9-11 credit hours), 1/2 (6-8 credit hours) and some students are eligible for some Pell Grant even if they enroll less than halftime.

Q. What is considered full time enrollment on a summer semester?

A. Full time for undergraduates is 12 or more hours (9 or more hours for graduate students) EVERY semester, including summer.

Q. What is Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)?

A. These are the minimum requirements that students must meet to establish or maintain their financial aid eligibility. There are two parts: qualitative and quantitative. To meet the qualitative standard, a student must not be placed on academic suspension; the quantitative standard requires a student to successfully complete 67% of all hours attempted each academic year.

Q. Can I apply anytime and get reimbursed later?

A. Yes. You may apply any time during the semester and receive the financial aid for which you qualify, if you are still enrolled for the required number of hours.

Q. How do I qualify for the HOPE scholarship?

A. As a first-time freshman, you must have graduated from high school as a HOPE scholar, you may establish eligibility if you have a 3.0 cumulative GPA at the 30th, 60th, or 90th attempted hour. If you have attended previous institutions, those courses will be considered for the HOPE evaluation, and eligibility depends on your GPA at the established checkpoints. Contact the Office of Financial Aid for information concerning your individual eligibility.

Q. How often will my HOPE eligibility be checked?

A. Your eligibility will be checked at the end of the semester in which you attempt (not earn) 30, 60, and 90 hours. You must have a cumulative 3.0 GPA at these checkpoints in order to have your HOPE scholarship renewed for the next 30 hours up to the maximum 127 attempted hours. If you lose your eligibility at any checkpoint, you may re-establish eligibility if you have a cumulative 3.0 GPA at the next attempted-hour checkpoint. All HOPE recipients are evaluated regardless of checkpoint hours after every Spring Semester for the End-of-Spring Checkpoint.

Q. Can I receive HOPE and the Pell Grant at the same time?

A. Yes, if you are eligible, you may receive funds from both programs.

Q. What is the maximum number of hours that HOPE will pay for?

A.. The maximum number of attempted hours for receiving HOPE is 127 regardless of whether or not HOPE funds were received while attempting those hours. If you are enrolled in a specific undergraduate degree program designed to be a five-year program, HOPE will pay up to 150 attempted hours, or the number of hours required for graduation, whichever is less. Also, the maximum number of paid hours from any combination of the HOPE Scholarship, HOPE Grant, and Accel cannot exceed these totals.

Q. Do Accel hours count toward HOPE eligibility?

A. These hours will not be counted as college credit Attempted-Hours and the corresponding grades will not be included in the post-secondary cumulative grade average for purposes of the HOPE Scholarship Program. However, (as of Fall 2004) all hours paid for by the Accel program will be included in the 127 Paid-Hours limit.

Q. Are out-of-state students eligible for the HOPE Scholarship?

A. No. If you establish residency in Georgia at least 12 consecutive months prior to the first day of the semester you plan to enroll, contact our office regarding your eligibility.

Q. Who can I call if I have questions regarding my HOPE eligibility?

A. You may call our office at 229-226-1621 / 1-800-538-9784 (ext. 123 or 158), or you can contact the Georgia Student Finance Commission at 1-800-505-GSFC (4732). Complete HOPE regulations are also found on the GAcollege411 website.

Q. Where can I find information on scholarships?

A. Click here for a list of TU scholarships. To obtain other scholarship information as well as links to free scholarship search websites, click here. The deadline for TU General Endowed Scholarships and the Dean's Scholarship is March 31. Your financial aid and academic file must be complete for you to receive any endowment or scholarship you are awarded.

Q. When will I receive my check for excess financial aid? (If applicable)

A. For financial aid purposes, we verify enrollment after the drop/add period ends. Please allow sufficient time for us to receive the funds once they have been requested. If there is a credit balance on your account after the funds have been applied to your student account, the Business Office has 14 days to release those excess funds to you. If you were late completing your financial aid file, there will likely be a delay in us being able to request your funds. Therefore, there will also be a delay for any applicable refunds. For more information regarding student accounts, click here.