Eligibility Criteria

To receive aid from any of the federal student aid programs, you must meet all of the following qualifications:

• Be a US citizen or eligible non-citizen with a valid Social Security Number
• Have a high school diploma or a General Education Development (GED) certificate or pass an approved ability-to-benefit (ATB) test
• Be enrolled or accepted for enrollment in an eligible program as a regular student seeking a degree
• Register (or have registered) with the Selective Service, if you are a male between the ages of 18 and 25. You can give Selective Service permission to register you on the FAFSA. You can also register online at: www.sss.gov
• Have financial need. Financial need is determined by a standard formula established by Congress to calculate your Expected Family Contribution (EFC).
• Meet the Satisfactory Academic Progress standards set by the Federal Guidelines
• Certify that you will use federal student aid only for educational purposes (on the FAFSA)
• Certify that you are not in default on a federal student loan and that you do not owe money on a federal student grant (on the FAFSA)
• Must maintain at least half-time enrollment status to receive student loans, TSAA, or Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship. Most grants are prorated based on the number of credit hours enrolled.
• Developmental/Remedial Coursework Policy: Per Federal Regulations (34 CFR 668.20), a student may receive financial aid for developmental/ remedial (DSP) courses. However, a student can only receive Financial Aid for a maximum of 30 attempted hours* in developmental/remedial coursework. Once a student reaches this limit, their Financial Aid may be affected.

Example: John Smith is enrolled in 12 credit hours (ENGL 1010, COMM 1010, ART 1030 and DSPM 0850). This is equivalent to 9 semester credit hours and 3 developmental/ remedial hours. John has already reached the 30 attempted hours in developmental/ remedial coursework. John is only eligible to receive three-quarter of his Financial Aid.

*Attempted hours are all developmental/remedial coursework that has been passed (P), failed (F), incomplete (I), and withdrawn (W, FA, FN).

For additional information, refer to the Federal Student Guide that is available in any financial aid office participating in federal financial aid programs, or click on the icon below to visit the U.S. Department of Education web-site.