TTU Student Handbook

FINANCIAL AID

Tennessee Tech’s Office of Student Financial Aid is part of the Division of Academic Affairs and helps students determine need and identify programs of financial aid that are appropriate to their specific situations. The Office of Admissions awards scholarships to all incoming freshman and transfer students. Our tuition and fees are lower than the average among four year state universities in our region, and the education you receive here will be one of the soundest investments of your lifetime, so do all you can to make it a priority so you can be successful. More than two-thirds of all students at Tennessee Tech receive some type of financial aid from a variety of sources such as federal, state, university, and private funds. Included are scholarships, grants, loans, student employment, and assorted other awards and benefits. You may also want to check out our WEB site for lots of current financial aid information including our scholarship searches, applying for aid on the WEB, and your own TTU aid status! http://www.tntech.edu/financialaid/

Dropping Courses and Withdrawing. The federal government is serious about students getting federal funds when those students are not in school--whether the students have formally dropped hours or just cease to attend class. Faculty are now required to notify the Records Office of the last day of attendance (as documented by tests taken, papers handed in, or class attendance, if taken). We in Financial Aid must then use that information to adjust aid--and students are now being required to pay back aid previously received.This is especially significant when a student drops courses or ceases to attend during the institution’s refund period (usually the first five weeks of a semester). Because each type of aid has different requirements and regulations, it is impossible to give an easy answer to “will I have to repay aid already received?” Our best advice is to register only for the courses you plan to can complete. While a “W” does not affect your GPA for academic purposes, it does affect Satisfactory Academic Progress for future semesters for financial aid purposes. In these cases, a student has received federal funds and not received the value of a course. Consequently, these “W’s” are very harmful to you when your Satisfactory Academic Progress is measured. The withdrawal process begins at the Vice President of Student Affairs Office. Sample refund and repayment calculations are available at the Financial Aid Office upon request.

Satisfactory Academic Progress for Financial Aid. A student attending Tennessee Tech is said to be maintaining “Satisfactory Progress” for financial aid purposes if he/she is in good standing (NOT ON PROBATION) and meets the following academic standards:

QPA of 2.0 AND Has attempted less than 44.9 credits if classified FR (1)

Has attempted less than 79.9 credits if classified SO (2)

Has attempted less than 114.9 credits if classified JR (3)

Has attempted less than 152.9 credits if classified SR (4)

Has attempted less than 40 credits if classified GRAD (5,6,7)

Satisfactory Progress for Financial Aid purposes must be evaluated for all students receiving state or federal government aid. Failure to meet this standard any given term may result in the student being ineligible for federal and state aid. See the TTU Home Page for more information.