Applying for Financial Aid

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

You will need to complete a FAFSA for each academic year. 

If you need financial aid to help you pay for college, you must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form. 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.

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.

Click here to watch a tutorial on creating your FSA ID.

Do I need my parents information? Click here to find out.

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 a 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 (and your parents', if dependent)

If you don’t have access to it, and don’t know where it is, ask your parent or legal guardian or get a replacement 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 (and your spouse's, if married) Income Tax Return. Your parents' tax records if you are a dependent.

• You may 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!)

Here's how the IRS DRT process works, assuming your tax information is available:

1. The IRS DRT takes you to the IRS website, where you’ll need to provide your name and other information exactly as you provided it on your tax return. Some information will be prepopulated from your FAFSA form.
2. At the IRS site, you’ll see a page that indicates that your tax information is available. (For security and privacy protections, you won’t see the actual information.)  You can choose to import your information into the FAFSA form, or you can cancel your request and return to the FAFSA site.
3. If you choose to import your information into the FAFSA form, you’ll find that on the FAFSA site, instead of your tax information being displayed, you’ll see “Transferred from the IRS” in the appropriate fields. You won’t be able to make changes to those answers.

Using the IRS DRT saves you time and effort:

• You don’t have to find your tax records.
• You don’t have to worry about making mistakes entering your tax information on your FAFSA form.
• You may not need to provide an IRS tax transcript or a signed copy of your income tax return if you’re selected for verification.

• TSTC understands that for some families, the income reported on your FAFSA doesn’t accurately reflect your current financial situation. If you have experienced a reduction in income, you should complete the FAFSA form with the tax year information required, and then contact your Enrollment Coach to explain and document the change in income. TSTC has the ability to assess your situation and make adjustments to your FAFSA form if warranted.

5. Records of your untaxed income inlcuding child support paid or received

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. Find specific details for students and parents.
 

6. Records of your assets (money), W-2 forms

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.

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. TSTC’s school code for all campuses - 003634

8. Check the status of your submitted FAFSA

• To check the status of your FAFSA, go to https://studentaid.gov/and click Login or call the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 800-433-3243.
• You can check the status of your FAFSA immediately after submitting it online. If you didn't use the FSA ID and chose to mail a signature page instead, you can check the status 7-10 days from the date it was mailed.
• After your FAFSA has been received by TSTC, it can take several weeks to process. Check your email or in WebAdvisor to view your award offer.

Your Next Steps

After you apply for Financial Aid

• After your application is processed by the Federal Student Aid Processing Center, you will receive a summary of your information in your Student Aid Report (SAR). If you provide an email address, your SAR will be sent by email within three to five business days. If you do not provide an email address, your SAR will be mailed to you within three weeks. TSTC will also receive an ISIR (Institutional Student Information Record).

• Please review the information on the SAR and contact your Enrollment Coach if you discover errors.

• If your FAFSA contains discrepancies, or is selected for verification by the United States Department of Education, you will be required to submit additional documentation.  See TSTC Verification Policy below.

• The financial aid processing office will receive your FAFSA information approximately 5-7 business days after you have submitted the FAFSA.

• The Processing center then reviews your FAFSA information. This review process can take several weeks, and we may ask you for additional documents to verify your FAFSA data. Check your TSTC Self-Service to see if we have requested documentation.

• Once the requested documents are received by our office, or if no additional documents were originally requested, our office will offer you financial aid.

Being notified about your financial aid offer

• You will be notified via email.
• The email will direct you to your TSTC Self-Service Login.
• You can view, as well as accept, your offers under Financial Aid, by clicking Awards and then Accept Award Offer.
• Be sure to check each individual award message (by clicking the fund name) prior to accepting your awards and determine what steps you must take in order for your aid to be made available to you. For example, if you have been awarded a federal student loan and are a first-time borrower at TSTC, you will need to complete entrance loan counseling and a master promissory note.
• There are additional steps required if you wish to receive a Federal Direct Student Loan.

Helpful hints

• Be sure not to submit any additional documents, such as tax transcripts, unless our office requests them of you. Providing us with documents that we have not requested will delay the processing of your financial aid.
• Do not wait until you've been accepted to TSTC to apply for financial aid. File your FAFSA as soon after October 1st as possible. If necessary, you may estimate your income on the FAFSA if you have not yet filed your tax return.
• When filling out step 6 of your FAFSA, be sure to list TSTC and its Title IV school code--003634.
• If your parents are divorced or separated, answer the parent questions using the information about the parent you lived with the most during the past 12 months. If you did not live with one parent more than the other, give answers about the parent who provided you the most financial support during the last 12 months, or during the most recent year that you received support from a parent. If this parent is remarried as of today, answer the parent questions using the information about that parent and the person your parent married (your stepparent).
• Be sure you leave no question unanswered--fill in questions that do not apply with a zero, depending on the specific information requested.
• Before submitting your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), make sure that it is complete, accurate and includes all necessary signatures.

Declare a major.

Note: Financial aid will not be credited to your student account until all official transcripts are received.

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) students must submit a copy of their Class II Medical Certificate before they can be admitted to the program. APT student budgets are adjusted to reflect flight costs. Any APT student who does not fly for a term may lose the budget adjustment.

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 offer.