Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation

1. Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation Drew Freeman TSAC Outreach Drew.freeman@tn.gov College Pays . . . We Can Get You There.

2. Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation Admissions College Pays . . . We Can Get You There. • Process Begins Now!!! • School Counselor • Research colleges online • www.collegefortn.org • www.collegeboard.com • www.college.gov • Attend a college fair 2

3. Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation Admissions - Visit the colleges that you are considering attending - Apply for Admission early during your Senior year of High School - Things to consider when looking at colleges: cost, size, distance from home, major, religious affiliation, athletic programs, music/art programs, Greek life, etc. - Academic Common Market www.tn.gov/thec College Pays . . . We Can Get You There.

4. Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation Priority Deadlines Each College will have its own deadlines for Admission and Scholarships. Pay close attention to these deadlines! Three places you should always look on a college’s website if you are considering that institution: Admissions Webpage, Financial Aid Webpage, and the Scholarship Webpage ***It is okay to go through the Admissions & Financial Aid processes at more than one school. College Pays . . . We Can Get You There.

5. www.act.org 5 www.collegeboard.com

6. Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation Financial Aid Terms What is Cost of Attendance (COA)? -Direct costs (i.e. tuition, fees, room and board) -Indirect costs (i.e. books, supplies, transportation, etc.) -Varies widely from college to college College Pays . . . We Can Get You There.

7. Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation Financial Aid Terms What is the Expected Family Contribution (EFC)? • -Amount family can reasonably be expected to contribute to college expenses • -Stays the same regardless of college • -Two components • -Parent contribution • -Student contribution • -Calculated using data from a federal application form and a federal formula College Pays . . . We Can Get You There.

8. Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation Financial Aid Terms What is Financial Need? Cost of Attendance -Expected Family Contribution ______________________________ = Financial Need College Pays . . . We Can Get You There.

9. Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation Financial Aid Terms There are four types of Financial Aid • Scholarships – free money awarded on the basis of merit, skill, or unique characteristic • Grants – free money based on need • Loans – money borrowed that must be paid back (LAST RESORT!!!) • Employment College Pays . . . We Can Get You There.

10. Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation Financial Aid Sources College Pays . . . We Can Get You There. • Federal government (Pell Grant, Stafford Loans, etc.) • DEADLINES, www.studentaid.ed.gov, www.fafsa4caster.ed.gov • State (TN Student Assistance Award, HOPE, etc.) • DEADLINES, ACM (out-of-state), www.tn.gov/collegepays • Colleges (Institutional Aid) • DEADLINES, ACT/SAT, CSS Profile (some colleges) • Admissions, financial aid, academic departments • Private sources (National/Local Scholarships) • DEADLINES, school counselor, websites, ESSAYS 10

11. Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation FAFSA College Pays . . . We Can Get You There. • 2011-12 FAFSA on the Web • Available January 1, 2011 • www.fafsa.gov (VERY IMPORTANT!) • Priority deadline is as soon as possible after January 1, 2011! • College Goal Sunday • January 30, 2011 and/or February 13, 2011 11

12. Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation PIN College Pays . . . We Can Get You There. www.pin.ed.gov Obtain PIN(s) before January 1, 2011 for student (and one parent) Please keep PIN(s) to use in subsequent school years 12

13. Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation FAFSA Notes College Pays . . . We Can Get You There. • 2010 income information • File taxes early and use 2010 income tax return or; • Estimate using W-2 forms, previous year income tax return, or last pay stub • If you estimate, update FAFSA with actual 2010 information once known; verification • Please contact financial aid office at each college if there are special circumstances • Student cannot obtain parent information • Change in employment status 13

14. Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation FAFSA Notes College Pays . . . We Can Get You There. • Social Security Numbers, Last Names, and First Names • Must match Social Security Card • School Codes (Section 2) • Enter four-year private schools first, then four-year public schools, and then two-year public schools • Yes, provide additional information about your college enrollment plans • Check work-study and loans and TEACH Grant if applicable 14

15. Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation FAFSA Notes College Pays . . . We Can Get You There. • Dependency questions • If you can answer yes to any question, you are considered an INDEPENDENT student • If you are considered independent, parent information not required; only the student would complete FAFSA • If you have a special circumstance and cannot provide parental information, submit FAFSA with only your information and contact the financial aid office at the college(s) you plan to attend in order to complete the FAFSA; professional judgment 15

16. Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation FAFSA Notes College Pays . . . We Can Get You There. • Parental information • Parent refers to biological or adoptive parent ONLY • In case of divorce or separation, give information about the parent you lived with most in the last 12 months; if 50/50, give information about the parent who provided you the most financial support • If divorced parent has remarried, information about stepparent is required 16

18. Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation FAFSA College Pays . . . We Can Get You There. • Tennessee Student Assistance Award (TSAA) • $4,000 per year at eligible TN independent institutions; $2,000 per year at eligible four-year TN public institutions; $1,300 per year at eligible two-year TN public institutions; $1,000 per year at TN Technology Centers • TN residents, U.S. citizens pursuing first degree and enrolled at least half-time • EFC – 0 to 2100 • Submit FAFSAas soon as possible after January 1, 2011; Awards made until funds are depleted 18

19. Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation FAFSA College Pays . . . We Can Get You There. • HOPE Scholarship • $4,000 per year at eligible four-year TN institutions; $2,000 per year at eligible two-year TN institutions • TN residents achieving 21 ACT composite OR 980 SAT (Math + Critical Reading) OR final cumulative 3.0 GPA (Homeschool and non-category 1, 2 or 3 private high school requirements are different) • An award letter from TSAC will be mailed as soon as eligibility is established in our system and the student’s FAFSA is clean 19

20. Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation FAFSA College Pays . . . We Can Get You There. • General Assembly Merit Scholarship* • $1,000 merit-based supplement to HOPE • 29 ACT composite/1280 SAT (Math + Critical Reading) AND final cumulative 3.75 GPA • Aspire Award* • $1,500 need-based supplement to HOPE • Parents’ or independent student’s (and spouse’s) adjusted gross income must be $36,000 or less * Students eligible for both supplements will receive Aspire Award ONLY 20

21. Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation HOPE Renewal Criteria College Pays . . . We Can Get You There. • Minimum 2.75 cumulative GPA after 24 and 48 attempted hours • After attempting 72 (96, 120, etc.) hours, a student may retain the award by either • Achieving at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA OR • Achieving a cumulative GPA of 2.75 – 2.99 AND a semester GPA of at least 3.0 (provisional basis) • If eligible on provisional basis, student must be enrolled full-time for each semester (excluding Summer); eligibility checked at the end of each semester; student must maintain 3.0 semester GPA 21

22. Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation HOPE Renewal Criteria College Pays . . . We Can Get You There. • Must maintain satisfactory academic progress AND continuous enrollment • Students should NEVER drop a course without consulting the financial aid office about how it may impact their HOPE eligibility • If lost, students may regain the award one time only at a future benchmark; students also may repeat one course to improve GPA; contact financial aid office • Scholarship is terminated after attainment of baccalaureate degree OR 5 years have passed from initial enrollment – whichever occurs first 22

23. Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation FAFSA College Pays . . . We Can Get You There. • Wilder-Naifeh Technical Skills Grant • $2,000 per year at TN Technology Center (TTC) • TN residents pursuing certificate or diploma program at TTC • Students may be eligible for HOPE Scholarship IF initially HOPE eligible and enroll at an eligible TN postsecondary institution within three years of completing a TTC diploma program • Submit FAFSA 23

24. Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation FAFSA College Pays . . . We Can Get You There. HOPE Access Grant HOPE Scholarship for non-traditional students HOPE Foster Child Tuition Grant 24

25. Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation Online Applications College Pays . . . We Can Get You There. • Dual Enrollment Grant* • Deadlines Vary • Ned McWherter Scholars Program* • Deadline February 15 • Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship Program* • Deadline March 1 • Dependent Children Scholarship Program • Deadline July 15 • Minority Teaching Fellows Program (Loan Forgiveness) • Deadline April 15 25

26. Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation Online Applications College Pays . . . We Can Get You There. • Helping Heroes Grant • DeadlinesSeptember 1 (fall); February 1 (spring); May 1 (summer) • TN Teaching Scholars Program (Loan Forgiveness) • Deadline April 15 • TN Math & Science Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program • Deadlines September 1 (fall); February 1 (spring); May 1 (summer) • Graduate Nursing Loan Forgiveness Program • Deadline March 1 • Rural Health Loan Forgiveness Program • Deadline September 1 26

27. Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation Senior Year Summary College Pays . . . We Can Get You There. FALL SEMESTER • Apply to several colleges (admissions, institutional aid, etc) • Complete local/private scholarship applications • Obtain PINs for student and parent to complete FAFSA SPRINGSEMESTER • Complete 2011-12 FAFSA available January 1, 2011 • Continue completing local/private scholarship applications • Review college acceptances, compare financial aid packages, ask questions, and follow up as needed 27

28. Financial Aid Package

29. Questions College Pays . . . We Can Get You There.

30. Contact InformationDrew FreemanTSAC Outreach 615.417.0355drew.freeman@tn.govNew website address:www.TN.gov/CollegePays College Pays . . . We Can Get You There.