• Basic information about student aid. Find more information on the MTSU financial aid website.
• Refer students to One Stop for all financial questions!

In most cases, students receive financial assistance to complete classes taken toward earning a degree. This means that many forms of financial assistance received from the federal government (e.g., Federal Pell Grants, Federal loans), from the State (e.g., the TELS scholarship) or from private/university benefactors carry substantial penalties for students who enroll in courses and do not finish them. If the student fails to complete a course successfully, they could be held personally responsible for the tuition costs, and required to pay back loans, grants, or scholarships received. Students should never withdraw from any course or stop attending without first consulting both the MT One Stop and their academic advisor.

Coursework toward Program of Study (CPoS)

Only courses required for degree completion can be used to determine your aid eligibility for federal financial aid programs such as grants, work-study, and loans. If a student takes classes that are not in their CPoS of their officially declared major/minor, they may be at risk of a reduction to their overall financial aid. Courses that are not eligible will not be counted towards full-time status. EX: If nine of their 12 hours are in their CPoS, but three of those hours do not count toward their major or minor, their cost of attendance (COA) will reflect that they are not a full-time student (only 75 percent), which could reduce their state and MTSU scholarships. Types of aid affected by this are disbursement of Federal Aid (i.e., Pell Grant, SEOG, Teach Grant, Work-Study, and Direct Loans), as well as State and Institutional Aid (e.g., TN Lottery Scholarship, TN State Grant, MTSU Guaranteed Scholarships, etc.).

Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

Students receiving financial aid must maintain SAP, which monitors GPA, Pace (passing percentage), and maximum attempted hours. Students are notified by Financial Aid if their eligibility is at risk.

Withdrawals

Students dropping a class before the census date can have their aid adjusted. If a student stops attending, their financial aid may be in jeopardy.  

Drug Convictions

Students convicted of drug-related federal or state offenses may not be eligible for federal student aid or required to answer additional FAFSA questions. If MTSU is notified of a conviction after aid is awarded, their aid may be immediately suspended.  

HOPE Lottery

Effective Fall 2021, Coursework Toward Program of Study (CPoS) will be applicable towards the disbursement of the TN Lottery Scholarships. To continue to receive their lottery scholarship year after year, the student must meet continuing eligibility requirements regarding GPA and enrollment status and federal Satisfactory Academic Progress standards. Read about college GPA criteria and repeat rules. If the HOPE is lost, students can apply to regain at the next checkpoint if meeting eligibility requirements.

Federal TEACH Grant

Grants for students who commit to teach after graduation full time in a high-needs subject area that serves low-income families for at least 4 years. The student must submit an application, FASFA, and agreement to serve.  

MTSU Scholarships

Freshmen and Transfers are automatically considered for guaranteed scholarships when they apply to MTSU by the December 1st deadline. Once admitted, continuing students can submit one general application to determine eligible scholarships, and most have a deadline of February 15th.

 

If you see anything on this site that needs editing, updating, or have suggestions for additions, please email Erin.Arnold@mtsu.edu.