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 Student Aid Index (SAI) calculated by the U.S. 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 (HOPE) 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. Please review
our page with more information relating to Lottery funding. For information regarding TSAA Grant Funding, please visit CollegeforTN.org..
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. Please review our scholarships page to learn more.
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. Be sure to review our Satisfactory Academic Progress policy for more information.
Course Program of Study
If you’re eligible for federal and state 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. Only courses in your program of study count toward your enrollment status. 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.