Types of Aid

Students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at StudentAid.gov. The application opens on October 1st.

What You Need to Know About the FAFSA:

• You should fill out the FAFSA, even if you don’t think you’ll qualify.
• Students are considered dependent until the age of 24 unless they meet the criteria outlined on the FASFA, or unless they are removed from the home by a government agency after the form is filed.
• Dependent students should include their parents’ information on the FAFSA. Grandparents, other relatives, and legal guardians should not put their information on the FAFSA.
• The Expected Family Contribution (EFC) is determined by the US Department of Education, not TSC.

*Use the Federal data exchange IRS Data Retrieval Tool (IRS DRT) to transfer tax information into the FAFSA form automatically.

**Submitting the FAFSA electronically is faster than mailing the application.

The Student Aid Report (SAR) is sent to you by the U.S. Department of Education three days to three weeks after you submit your FAFSA application.

If you have an FSA ID (username and password) and your FAFSA information has been processed, you can view Student Aid Report information at StudentAid.gov.

You should review your SAR for accuracy. If you need to make any corrections, visit StudentAid.gov/Apply-for-Aid/FAFSA/Review-and-Correct.

You must fulfill all outstanding requirements before your financial aid can be processed. The request will appear as an Action Item(s) in your Workday "My Tasks", or a request(s) will be sent to your TSC email. This includes "Action Items" issued from other TSC departments.

You will be asked to submit specific information if you are selected for verification.

Submit all documents as quickly as possible via document attachment upload, mail, fax, or in person to the Financial Aid Office. Do not email any documents.

In most cases, the Federal Government selects you for verification; however, there are instances when information seems inconsistent, and the Financial Aid Office will select a student for verification.

Monitor your Workday "My Tasks" and TSC email during the financial aid process for further actions you may need to take.

An email will be sent to your TSC email if you are awarded financial aid.

View your awards in Workday by selecting the "Student Finance Hub" > "View Financial Aid".

Your Federal aid is awarded based on full-time (12 credit hours) enrollment. If you choose to enroll in less than 12 credit hours, your awards will be reduced sometime after the drop date to reflect your actual credit hour enrollment.

Grants, service awards, and TSC scholarships are automatically accepted for you. Select scholarships will post to your financial aid once TSC receives the scholarship payment from the sponsor/donor.

You must decide if you wish to use loans to finance your education. If you choose to use any loan, you must accept or partially accept your loan awards in Workday and complete Master Promissory Note and Entrance Counseling on StudentAid.gov/Complete-Aid-Process.

*Grants are automatically accepted.

You may also be awarded Federal Work-Study. You must accept this award in Workday before attending Work-Study orientation. Learn more about Federal Work-Study.

Types of student financial assistance include:

• Scholarships
• Grants
• Loans
• Work-Study awards

Scholarships and grants do not need to be repaid and are offered based on criteria such as academic excellence, special talent, financial need, or availability of funds.

Examples of scholarships and grants:

• Florida Bright Futures Scholarship
• Federal Pell Grant
• Federal SEOG
• TSC Grant

Your award offer may include Federal Direct Student Loans. Student loans must be repaid, and repayment normally begins 6 months following graduation or withdrawal from all classes.

Finally, awards offered may include Federal Work-Study, which is the opportunity to obtain a job working for a campus office or facility while a student at TSC. The amount you might earn is limited to the award offered, and work must be performed to receive the funds.

Your cost of attendance (COA) is an estimate of what your expenses will be while enrolled as a student.

The cost of attendance is made up of:

• Tuition and fees
• Allowances for books
• Personal expenses
• Transportation.

The U.S. Department of Education requires schools to determine what the COA will be each year for all students.  COA sets the limit to the total amount of financial aid a student may receive. The annual COA is posted online and updated prior to the start of classes each fall semester. 

When you file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), the U.S. Department of Education calculates an estimate of your family’s ability to contribute to college expenses based on the financial information you provide.

The estimate is a number called the Expected Family Contribution or EFC. The difference between your total educational costs and your family’s ability to pay is your financial need (COA – EFC = NEED).

Some awards are based on need, and some awards are based on merit. Your award letter may include both types of aid and will be unique to you and your family’s ability to pay.

If you are awarded a loan and wish to borrow, you must complete a Master Promissory Note or MPN before your eligibility is confirmed and the funds become available for tuition and fees.

First-time borrowers must complete Loan Entrance Counseling, an online tutorial explaining your rights and responsibilities under the federal student loan programs.

Students who wish to borrow less than the amount offered on the Award Letter or decline loans altogether may do so by submitting the "Federal Direct Loan Request Form or the Federal Direct Loan Cancel Form" found in Workday under "TSC College Forms" > "Financial Aid". 

We strongly urge students to borrow as a last resort and, if they must borrow, to limit their request for funds to no more than you require to cover their direct educational costs.

Private loans cannot be used to defer payment of tuition and fees.

New students seeking Florida residency for tuition purposes are required to submit a declaration to the College proving they maintained legal residence in this state for at least 12 consecutive months immediately prior to their initial enrollment. The declaration and all supporting documentation must be submitted prior to the start of classes.

Eligibility Requirements:

To determine your eligibility:

• First, you must be fully admitted to TSC. This includes submitting a high school diploma, GED, or equivalent. If transferring to TSC, you must also meet TSC’s Standards of Academic Progress.
• Then, you must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

*If additional documents are needed for financial aid verification, they will be requested in your Workday account. All requested documents must be submitted before aid can be awarded.

Enrollment Status:

• You must be a degree-seeking student in an eligible program.
• You must enroll for at least six credit hours to qualify for most forms of financial aid.
• Your classes must count toward your degree program. Students must register for classes that apply toward the degree they are seeking at TSC. Federal Title IV aid will only consider classes that apply toward the TSC degree in determining the student’s enrollment status for financial aid.
• Enrollment status is determined by the number of hours you take.
• Full-time: 12 hours or more
• Three-quarter time: 9-11 hours
• Half-time: 6-8 hours
• Less than half-time: 6 hours or fewer
• Federal regulation will consider only 30 hours of remedial coursework in the enrollment status.
• You must maintain the Standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress for Financial Aid.

Additional hours will not be granted for transfer to a four-year college. Example: If an advanced math course is needed for transfer to a university, it must be taken as part of the 24 elective components of your degree at TSC. If all electives have been used, the hours cannot be used toward your financial aid enrollment status.

Your award may also be adjusted at any time based on available funding.

Students on financial aid are expected to attend class. Your award will be reflected in your credited status only after class attendance and eligibility are verified.

Students who withdraw prior to completing 60% of their enrollment period may be required to re-pay all, or part, of their financial aid due to requirements by the Federal Government.

Disbursement Delays:

Students awarded financial aid only one month before the start of class should be prepared to meet their personal expenses for the first five weeks of school. If you were awarded after that time, you need to be ready to meet your personal expenses for eight weeks after the award date on your letter.

*A delay in the award of aid resulting from a late application does not qualify the student for deferment of fees.

Emergency loans are not issued during this period.

Changes to Your Financial Aid:

If your actual enrollment status differs from the one you were awarded for, your financial aid is subject to change.

Students enrolled in less than six credit hours (less than half-time students) are usually not eligible for financial aid.

Classes for which credits were earned in a previous term will not be considered in your enrollment status. Students who attend multiple sessions within a semester cannot receive financial aid under most programs until they attend at least six credit hours.

Should your enrollment status change for any reason to an invalid status, your aid eligibility could be revoked. If your status changes to ineligible status for aid, you may be responsible for the repayment of aid funds.

Once a student exceeds 30 hours of attempted remedial courses, additional remedial courses cannot be used in determining a student’s enrollment status for financial aid purposes.

Should your Student Aid Index (SAI) change for any reason during the award period, your financial aid is subject to change.

Reason You May Have to Repay Your Aid:

Students who cancel their aid or who have their aid revoked are responsible for canceling their classes. Classes are not automatically dropped when aid is removed for any reason. Failure to cancel classes can result in financial liability to the College.

Students who receive funds in error and who received a refund or coverage of tuition, fees, book charges, or other charges, are responsible for the repayment of those funds.

How to Get Updates About Aid:

Most correspondence is sent to students at their TSC email accounts. Some correspondence is mailed to the address listed with Enrollment Services. Please keep your address current with admissions and records.

Disbursement Information:

Students receiving financial aid that exceeds their tuition, fees, and books will receive their refund from financial aid after the end of the drop/add and once class attendance and eligibility are verified. No refunds will be issued until the College receives financial aid funds. Estimated disbursement dates for each semester are listed on the website. Learn more about disbursement at TSC.

Additional Loan Requirements:

When a Federal Direct Student Loan is for one semester only (e.g., fall only, spring only, summer only), the federal government requires the College to make the loan in two payments, one at the beginning of the term and the 2^nd after the mid-point of the term.