Understanding your Financial Aid Award Notice

Your award notice may include one or more of the types of aid below. You must meet specific criteria to be eligible for each award:

Federal Financial Aid

Pell Grant

Pell grant amounts are calculated by the federal government based upon the information you provide on your FAFSA. The amounts vary based on your enrollment and the EFC (Expected Family Contribution) calculated by US Department of Education.

FSEOG - Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant

FSEOG is a federal, need-based grant. To be eligible to receive FSEOG, you must be enrolled half-time (at least 6 credits) and meet academic progress requirements. Annual awards range from $100 - $4,000, depending upon availability of funds.

William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) Program

The Direct Subsidized Loan program enables students to borrow directly from the federal government. Students pay no interest on the loan while enrolled at least 6 credits. Payments will normally begin six months after the student is no longer enrolled at least half- time, stops attending for more than 6 months, or graduates. The student may be allowed up to 10 years to repay the loan.

Direct Unsubsidized Loans are low-interest loans also borrowed directly from the federal government. Students are responsible for paying the interest that accrues throughout the life of the loan. Students may opt to pay the interest while in school to reduce the amount of compounded interest. Payments will normally begin six months after the student is no longer enrolled at least half- time, stops attending for more than 6 months, or graduates. The student may be allowed up to 10 years to repay the loan.

Direct PLUS Loans are loans made to graduate or professional students and parents of dependent undergraduate students to help pay for education expenses not covered by other financial aid. Eligibility is not based on financial need, but a credit check is required. Borrowers who have an adverse credit history must meet additional requirements to qualify.

Federal Work-Study Program

The Federal Work Study Program (FWSP) is for students enrolled for a minimum of 6 hours who have been awarded FWS. The student’s FWS eligibility is determined by the applicant’s financial need, which is determined when the student completes a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). A FWSP award does not guarantee a position. It is the student’s responsibility to secure a position. Eligible students may work up to 10-12 hours per week earning an hourly rate of at least minimum wage. To search job postings, please visit Student Work Positions. Job postings for the new aid year are posted typically late May or early June.

State Financial Aid

Lottery and State Grant Funding

Tennessee Lottery Scholarships and Tennessee Student Assistant Awards (TSAA) may not be included in your original award package. These awards are added to award packages as eligibility rosters are received by Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation (TSAC). Please note that estimated Lottery awards are subject to change. Information relating to Lottery funding can be found at http://www.etsu.edu/financial-aid-and-scholarships/. For information regarding TSAA Grant Funding, please visit https://www.tn.gov/collegepays/money-for-college/grant-programs/tennessee-student-assistance-award.html.

Institutional Financial Aid

Institutional Scholarships

ETSU Institutional Scholarships may not be included in your original award package. These awards are added to award packages as eligibility rosters are received by the ETSU Office of Financial Aid. ETSU offers a number of scholarships for new freshmen, current students, transfer students, and graduate students from Tennessee and from out-of-state. Discover your opportunities here: https://www.etsu.edu/financial-aid-and-scholarships

Regular Work Study

The Regular Student Work Program (RSWP) is an institutional work program for students enrolled for a minimum of 6 hours. Students do not have to qualify for financial aid to work on RSWP. Students may work up to 10-12 hours per week earning an hourly rate of at least minimum wage. To search job postings, please visit Student Work Positions. Job postings for the new aid year are posted typically late May or early June.

External Financial Aid

External Scholarships

External scholarships may not be included in your original award package. These awards are added to your award package after ETSU’s Office of Financial Services processes the scholarship check from the outside donor. If you don't see the scholarship on your account, please check with the donor to make sure that they have sent the check. Make sure that they include your name and ETSU E# so that the funds can be applied to your account. You will receive half of the award for the fall term and half for the spring term, unless the donor provides other instructions. Scholarships will only be awarded for full-time enrollment (12 or more credit hours per term), unless the donor specifies that the recipient may be a part-time student.

Charges to Student Accounts

Financial aid funds are applied to your student account. Funds will be used to offset tuition and fee charges. Any remaining funds will be issued as a refund. Review your address in GoldLink for accuracy. Any unpaid balance must be paid by the payment due date to preserve your registration schedule.

Communication

Check your ETSU email frequently. The Financial Aid Office will send you important notices on the status of your funding.

Policies that May Affect You:

Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy for Financial Aid Recipients

Students receiving financial aid, including Tennessee Lottery Scholarships, must be in good standing at East Tennessee State University and maintain satisfactory academic progress. Please read and become familiar with the College’s Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy for Financial Aid Recipients available on the Financial Aid website.

Course Program of Study

If you’re eligible for federal financial aid, how much aid you get is based on whether you’re going to college full-time or less than that. To determine your enrollment status, the Dept. of Education counts only the courses in your program of study.

Course program of study (CPoS) refers to all courses needed to earn your degree: Major, concentration, eligible minor or certificate, general education, and elective courses. Only courses in your program of study count towards your enrollment status. CPoS only applies to federal financial aid. It doesn’t affect eligibility for State Aid or Institutional Aid, such as the HOPE lottery scholarships, TSAA Grant or ETSU scholarships. For more information please visit the CPoS website to learn more about how courses you take may affect your financial aid.

Withdrawal & Refund Policies

Students who wish to withdraw or drop courses must follow the University’s withdrawal policy. If you officially withdraw, drop, or stop attending all courses you may be required to repay all or part of the financial aid disbursed to you in the term you withdraw.

Students receiving federal funds may be required to repay aid determined to be "unearned." The earned/unearned calculation is based on the percentage of days you attended during the term in which you withdrew/dropped. The amount of aid you have earned is determined on a pro-rata basis. That is, if you completed 30% of the term in which you withdrew/dropped, you earn 30% of the federal aid you received. Once you have completed 60% of the term, you are considered to have earned all of your aid.

Please Note:

You may also be required to repay other federal, state, institutional, or private student financial aid programs based on the terms and conditions associated with those

East Tennessee State University is required to return to the applicable federal program account the unearned percentage of federal You may be billed by the University for any funds returned on your behalf.

ETSU’s tuition refund policy is separate from the federal requirement to return unearned Whether or not you receive a tuition/fee refund has no bearing on the amount you must repay under this formula.

Attendance

Attendance in all classes for each term must be verified by the instructor. If an instructor fails to report a student’s attendance aid may be reversed for that class and the student will owe the funds back to ETSU. Once attendance is reported, aid will be recalculated and placed back on the student account.

Transfer Students

Transfer students who are eligible for financial aid funds must have all prior academic transcripts evaluated for standards of academic progress before financial aid funds can be disbursed.

There are additional financial aid policies you should familiarize yourself with by referring to the financial aid website.