Financial Aid - Handbook

The Financial Aid Office is located in Room 218 of the Cope Administration Building. The University participates in a variety of federal grant, work, loan, and scholarship programs, including the Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship Program (TELS). In addition, the MTSU Foundation provides a variety of loans and scholarships for needy and outstanding students. Any student needing financial assistance should check with the Office of Student Financial Aid.

How to Apply

Step 1. Prospective students and their parents should complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Forms are available from the MTSU Financial Aid office and most high school guidance counselors beginning in January for the next fall, spring, and summer terms. For faster turnaround time, the FAFSA may be completed online at www.fafsa.ed.gov.

Step 2. The completed FAFSA can be mailed to the processing center using the envelope provided with the application or the FAFSA may be completed online. The federal processor will not process the application until it is signed. If completing the FAFSA on the Web, parents and students should register for a personal identification number (PIN) before completing the application. The PIN can be used as an electronic signature. Four to six weeks should be allowed for manual processing of the FAFSA; two weeks should be allowed for FAFSA processing via the Web. The Federal Processing Center will send a Student Aid Report (SAR) to the students and MTSU (if the students enter the MTSU school code of 003510 in the school section of the FAFSA).

Step 3. When the MTSU Financial Aid Office receives a complete and valid SAR, students will be sent an electronic fall/spring award notice to their MTSU e-mail address. The award notice will direct them to RaiderNet, where they may review their estimated financial aid award offers. The award offers are based on full-time attendance and will indicate both grants and loans for which students are eligible. After the award notice is sent, estimated aid amounts may change due to changes in enrollment, EFC amounts, scholarships, and other aid. The award notice will provide instructions for how to accept/reject award offers.

Step 4. Students applying for Federal Stafford Loans may apply online via RaiderNet by following the instructions in the award notice. To request a loan, a valid SAR must be on file. The loan should be requested a few months before it is needed to allow time for processing.

Priority Deadlines

DESCRIPTION	DATE
Foundation Scholarships	February 15
Transfer Scholarships	February 15
Tennessee Student Assistance Award	March 1
Federal Financial Aid	April 15
Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarships	September 1 (for Fall term)
First-Time Freshmen Scholarships	December 1
Currently Enrolled Student Scholarships	December 1

Financial Aid Counselors

Students are alphabetically assigned by last name to a Financial Aid counselor. Here's the list of counselors and the letter(s) of the alphabet they serve .

For more information:

• Financial Aid , Director, CAB 218, 898-2830