Applying for financial aid has never been easier with TSTC’s step-by-step instructions guiding you through the application process.  But don’t worry if you still have questions, TSTC’s Enrollment Coaches are available to help with a one-on-one consultation, through email or by phone.

 
And remember, the key to obtaining financial assistance is to apply as early as possible. Submitting your FAFSA is only the first step in applying for federal student aid.

 
To ensure that an aid package is available and ready, TSTC recommends that the completed file be received at the College by according to the following schedule:

FAFSA CODE for all TSTC Locations: 003634

7 Things You Need Before You Fill Out the 2018–19 FAFSA® Form

If you need financial aid to help you pay for college, you must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form. The 2018–19 FAFSA form was made available as of October 1, 2017. You should fill it out as soon as possible by following the instructions on the official government site, https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/fafsa.  It’ll be easier to complete the FAFSA form if you gather what you need ahead of time. Below is what you will need to complete the FAFSA.
* If you are a dependent student, you will need this information for your parents as well.
 

1. Your FSA ID*

An FSA ID is a username and password that you can use to log in to certain U.S. Department of Education (ED) websites. Each student, and one parent of each dependent student, will need an FSA ID to complete the FAFSA process.  You can access the site by clicking on the “Create an FSA ID” button below.  We recommend creating your FSA ID early—even before you are ready to complete the FAFSA form—to avoid delays in the process.

For step-by-step instructions, watch How to Create Your FSA ID.

IMPORTANT: Do NOT create an FSA ID on behalf of someone else. That means parents should not create FSA IDs for their children and vice versa. Doing so may result in issues signing and submitting the FAFSA form and could lead to financial aid delays. (Also, it’s against the rules to create an FSA ID for someone else.)
 

To summarize:

• Anyone who plans to fill out the 2018–19 FAFSA form should create an FSA ID as soon as possible.

• If you are required to provide parent information on your FAFSA form, your parent should create an FSA ID, too.

• Because your FSA ID is equivalent to your signature, parents and students each need to create their own FSA IDs using their own, unique email address and phone number. Parents should not create an FSA ID for their child and vice versa.

• In some situations, you may need to wait up to three days to use your FSA ID after creating it. If you want to avoid FAFSA delays, create your FSA ID now.

2. Your Social Security number*

You can find the number on your Social Security card. If you don’t have access to it, and don’t know where it is, ask your parent or legal guardian or get a new or replacement Social Security card from the Social Security Administration. If you are not a U.S. citizen, but meet Federal Student Aid’s basic eligibility requirements, you’ll also need your Alien Registration number.

3. Your driver’s license number

 You can find the number on your driver’s license.  If you don’t have a driver’s license, then don’t worry about this step.
 

4. Your 2016 tax records*

 In case you didn’t hear about the changes we made to the FAFSA process, we now require you to report income information from an earlier tax year.

• On the 2018–19 FAFSA form, you (and your parents, as appropriate) will report your 2016 income information, rather than your 2017 income information.

• Since you’ll already have filed your 2016 taxes by the time the FAFSA form launches, you’ll be able to import your tax information into the FAFSA form right away using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (DRT). (No more logging back in to update after filing taxes!)

• Not everyone is eligible to use the IRS DRT and the IRS DRT does not input all the financial information required on the FAFSA form. Therefore, you should have your 2016 tax return and 2016 IRS W-2 available for reference.

The IRS DRT remains the fastest, most accurate way to input your tax return information into the FAFSA form. To address security and privacy concerns related to the IRS DRT, the tax return information you transfer from the IRS will no longer be displayed on fafsa.gov or the IRS DRT web page. Instead, you’ll see “Transferred from the IRS” in the appropriate fields on fafsa.gov.

• You cannot use your 2017 tax information. We understand that for some families, 2016 income doesn’t accurately reflect your current financial situation. If you have experienced a reduction in income since the 2016 tax year, you should complete the FAFSA form with the info it asks for (2016), and then contact each of the schools to which you’re applying to explain and document the change in income. They have the ability to assess your situation and make adjustments to your FAFSA form if warranted.
• You cannot update your 2018–19 FAFSA form with your 2017 tax information after filing 2017 taxes. 2016 information is what’s required. No updates necessary; no updates allowed.

5. Records of your untaxed income*

The FAFSA questions about untaxed income may or may not apply to you, but they include things like child support received, interest income, and veterans’ non-education benefits. On the 2018–19 FAFSA form, you’ll report 2016 tax or calendar year information when asked these questions. Find specific details for parents and students.

6. Records of your assets (money)*

This includes savings and checking account balances, as well as the value of investments such as stocks and bonds and real estate (except the home in which your family lives). You should report the current amounts as of the date you sign the FAFSA form, rather than the 2016 tax year amounts.

Note: Misreporting the value of investments is a common FAFSA mistake. Please carefully review what is and is not considered a student investment and parent investment to make sure you don’t over- or under-report. You may be surprised by what can (and cannot) be excluded.
 

7. List TSTC’s school code - 003634

WHAT ARE MY NEXT STEPS?

STEP ONE

After your application is processed, you will receive a summary of your information in your Student Aid Report (SAR).  If you provide an e-mail address, your SAR will be sent by e-mail within three to five days. If you do not provide an e-mail address, your SAR will be mailed to you within three weeks.  

• Please review the information on the SAR and contact the financial aid office if you discover errors.

• If your file contains discrepancies, or is selected for verification by the United States Department of Education, you will be required to submit additional documentation to the financial aid office.

• You will receive an email notification to view your award letter on the Student Self-Service account when your aid has been processed.

• There are additional steps required if you wish to receive a Federal Direct Student Loan.

STEP TWO

Declare a major in the Enrollment Center.  Note: Financial aid will not be credited to your student account until all official transcripts are received.

 
STEP THREE

Pre-register. If you register early, your financial aid, if processed, will be credited to your student account prior to the start of the term.
 

NOTE: Aircraft Pilot Training (APT) and Helicopter Pilot Training (HPT) students must submit a copy of their Class II Medical Certificate before they can be admitted to the program. APT/HPT student budgets are adjusted to reflect flight costs. Any APT/HTP student who does not fly for a term may lose the budget adjustment.
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TSTC Verification Policy

The TSTC Financial Aid Office verifies all financial aid applicants who are selected for verification by the Central Processing System along with any other students that may be selected by the Financial Aid Office. The Financial Aid Office WILL NOT award aid to a student until the verification process has been completed.

Students who are selected for verification will receive an email listing the forms that must be submitted and any other information that must be submitted.  Students are able to submit their missing documents electronically by logging into their Student Self-Service account, selecting the correct award year and complete the required documents. Students may also obtain these forms online or may pick up the forms in the Enrollment Center.

If you are selected for verification, we encourage you to submit the documents to our office as quickly as possible.  We perform verification in the order in which files become complete.  Please remember that you will NOT receive any financial aid until this process has been completed!
During the verification process, we may determine that we need additional documentation.  If so, you will receive another email notification.  Once again, please respond quickly.

As a result of verification, we may be required to make changes to the information that you reported on your FAFSA.  If that happens, you will receive another Student Aid Report that shows what changes were made.  You can contact our office if you have any questions about why changes were made.

 After the verification process is completed, your financial aid will be processed and we will send you an email regarding your award letter.

Standards of Academic Progress

Students who receive financial aid must be enrolled in an eligible program and are required to maintain the following standards of satisfactory academic progress (SAP).  These measurements will be used to determine eligibility for all federal Title IV aid, state and institutional aid, and for other financial assistance unless the terms of a particular grant or funding source require additional terms.  SAP is calculated at the end of each term. Some aid programs require higher standards, such as higher grade point averages (GPA) or specific enrollment statuses. Students receiving financial aid must have a declared degree or certificate eligible program.  Students are expected to be continually aware of their progress toward their completion.  A student who fails to meet the standard of progress (SAP) may be notified by email at the email address on the student record; however, failure to receive notification will not change the SAP status.