Eligibility Requirements

Eligibility for financial aid is a combination of many factors.  These are determined independently from each other at various times during the application process.  Many are of equal importance, so meeting only some of the requirements, but not others, will generally make a student ineligible.

Financial aid eligibility is established once students have shown, through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and additional documentation, that the criteria below has been satisfied:

• Applicants must have applied for admission to UTB/TSC.  Contact the Admissions Office for more details.

• Applicants must be U.S. citizens or eligible non-citizens.  FAFSA data is checked against Immigration and Naturalization Services records to verify eligible citizenship status.

• Applicants must have a valid Social Security Number.

• Applicants must be enrolled or intend to enroll on at least a half-time basis.  A few UTB/TSC students may be Pell eligible for less than half-time (5 hours or less) enrollment.

• Applicants must show financial need.  This is established when the financial strength of the student and family is determined to be lower than the cost of attendance.

• Applicants must not be in default on an educational loan nor owe a refund to any financial aid program.

• If an applicant is a male between 18 and 26 years old and is not a current member of the armed forces, he must be registered with Selective Service.

• Applicants must be regular students in eligible programs enrolled for the declared purpose of obtaining a degree or certificate.  Students enrolled for the purpose of personal enrichment or skill enhancement are not eligible for most federal and state financial aid programs.

• If a student is admitted into an eligible program and takes remedial coursework within that program, he can be considered a regular student, even if taking all remedial courses before taking any regular courses. However, a student can receive aid for no more than 30 remedial credit hours.

• Applicants must have demonstrated the ability to benefit from the education they are about to receive.  This requirement is met by obtaining a high school diploma or GED and providing official documentation to the Admissions Office.

• Applicants must be making satisfactory progress toward the completion of a program of study.  Each school establishes its own criteria by which this requirement is measured.  Please review the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy section for more information on the this criteria at UTB/TSC.