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Applicant Info

How to Apply for FASFA

Applying for financial aid is easy. Our university requires you to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid ("FAFSA"). Students who are under the age of 24 will be required to prepare this form using their and their parents prior year federal tax return information. Exceptions to this rule include:

1. If you are in graduate school
2. If you have children that YOU provide more than 50% support for (not your parents)
3. If you are a documented orphan or ward of the court on or after age 13
4. Are a veteran of the United States Armed Forces
5. If you have extenuating circumstances that can be substantially documented (see a financial aid counselor for assistance.

Students who are over the age of 23 or meet any of the above requirements are not required to provide parent information. Please refer to the FAFSA instructions for additional information.

PREPARING TO COMPLETE THE FREE APPLICATION FOR FEDERAL STUDENT AID (FAFSA)

Once you have gathered all of your (and if required your spouse or parents') federal tax information, it is time to get started filling out the application. We strongly recommend that you complete your application over the web. This ensures a high level of accuracy because responses are checked on-line. It is more difficult to leave out information when processed on the web. A limited supply of paper applications are available through your high school guidance counselor or the public library.

When completing your application on the web, you (and your parent is providing parent information) will need to obtain a PIN number from the U.S. Department of Education. This PIN number is used as an electronic signature. While you are applying for a PIN, have your parents apply for one as well. You can have the PIN number displayed immediately when applying or have it emailled to you. If you do not provide an email address, the PIN will be mailed to your home address in 5-7 business days. You can apply for a PIN by clicking below.

Get a Department of Education PIN>>     
Note: You, nor your parents, are required to apply for a PIN to complete the application on the web. If you do not apply for the PIN, you can print the signature page at the end of the application process. You and your parents will sign the form and mail it to the federal processing center to complete the processing of your FAFSA application.

COMPLETING THE APPLICATION

Once you have determined how you are going to sign the application (either by PIN or on paper), you will proceed to the FAFSA website to complete your application.

• Click the following link or type it into your browser in order to go to the FAFSA website : http://www.fafsa.ed.gov.
• Click on "Fill out a FAFSA".
• And follow the screen prompts.

The electronic application will tell you exactly where to look for the items needed from your tax returns by line number. You will have the opportunity throughout the process to save your application for later completion if you find you do not know the answer to a question or do not have the proper information to give a correct response.

VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION!

At one point during your application you will be asked which schools you want your application to be forwarded to. You can list up to ten schools. If you do not list Tennessee State University, we will NOT receive your application and your awarding process may be seriously delayed. Be sure to list Tennessee State University along with your appropriate housing choice. Our school code is: 003522

Once you have completed all fields and have gone through the final checks, you will submit your application. If your parents applied for a PIN number, they can sign the form electronically with you. If you or your parents did not apply for the PIN, please be sure and print the signature confirmation page and submit it to the given address. Failure to do so will cause your application processing and awarding to be seriously delayed. Congratulations! If you have followed the above steps you will have completed your Free Application for Federal Student Aid!

PLEASE TAKE NOTE: The Tennessee State University Financial Aid Office makes every attempt to process aid applications in a timely manner. If you have applied for aid with the FAFSA and after a reasonable amount of time (no more than a month) have not received any correspondence from our office, please contact us. It is the student's responsibility to ensure we receive your FAFSA application.  Additionally, we routinely send document requests to the address that you have on file with the records office. If you move it is your responsibility to inform the records office of your new address.

After Completing the FASFA, what happens?

Once you have completed your FAFSA and indicated that you want your information to go to Tennessee State University, we will receive your application information electronically. If we need any additional documentation from you, we will send a letter to the address that you reported on your Tennessee State Admissions Application or your FAFSA. Once you have turned in any requested documents, we will offer you an award package. You will have 21 days to accept this award or it may be cancelled. We will send you an award notification that will allow you to accept/reject/partially accept the LOAN awards. If you are a first time borrower, you will be required to complete Loan Entrance Counseling and a Promissory Note. If you have a "myTSU" login and password, you can accept your loan awards online by going to Banner Services tab, Financial Aid section.

ESTIMATE EXPENSES

Now that you have been awarded, it is time to assess your financial situation.

The following will help you estimate of your out of pocket expenses:

Tuition and Fees + Estimated Books and Misc. + Housing/Meal Plan = Total Expenses $ __________

Payment Resources

Scholarships $___________
Financial Aid Awards $___________
Approved PLUS Loan Awards $___________
Any Fee Discounts $___________
(i.e.: TN Employee, School Teacher Dependent, other)
= Total Resources $___________

Total Expenses minus Total Resources = ____________
Costs to be paid by student/parent $___________

Start Early

It is important to realize that in many cases, financial aid alone is not enough to cover all university expenses, especially for our out-of-state students. We recommend that you start early and apply for any scholarships that you are eligible for. Do not wait until registration time to discover that you do not have adequate funding to cover your tuition and fees. Contact us early so we can help!