Understanding Aid Eligibility

Your Financial Aid Award and Eligibility

• Your financial aid award is based on financial aid information that our office currently has on file. It is your responsibility to understand your financial aid eligibility. If additional information is received, your aid eligibility is subject to adjustment. If the aid has already been disbursed to your Office of Student Accounts invoice, and your aid is adjusted, you will be required to repay all funds for which you are no longer eligible.
• You must be making Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) to be eligible for financial aid. To check your SAP status, click on “Overall Financial Aid Status” on the award notification page on your WINGS account.
• Summer financial aid eligibility is largely based on remaining eligibility from the previous fall and spring semesters.  Summer awarding typically begins in early March.

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Understanding Cost of Attendance (COA)

Did you know that the Department of Education requires schools to establish annual Cost of Attendance (COA) budgets for each aid year?  The rationale for determining the Cost of Attendance budgets must be well documented and reflective of costs for the area in which the school resides.  The Cost of Attendance budget is used to calculate a student’s aid eligibility and a student cannot have aid in excess of this established budget.  

The COA is made up of what a college student can expect to pay for various items for one year of college.  Some of the costs are what are called Direct costs.  Direct costs are those things that the student will see on the actual bill from the University.  This would be things like tuition, fees, room and a meal plan if the student is living on campus.  

The COA also includes some items that are Indirect costs.  Indirect costs are those things that a college student might expect to have expenses for while they are in college, but that do not appear on the student’s bill at the University.  Indirect costs include things like an allowance for transportation (trips home and to class and car maintenance and insurance), books, personal expenses (clothing, supplies) and anticipated average loan fees.  A student who lives off campus will have an allowance for room and board as an Indirect expense.  The amounts in the COA used for Indirect costs are just estimates based on research of costs for the area.

The Department of Education expects universities to disclose both the estimated Direct and Indirect costs associated with attendance in order for students and families to be better prepared for what to expect.  Students are presented this information via their Campuslogic Financial Aid Offer letter and via the federal College Financing Plan in their WINGS account. Please review your bill from Georgia Southern to determine your Direct costs.

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PELL Grant

• Students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa to determine Pell Grant eligibility.
• Eligibility for the Pell Grant is based on the Expected Family Contribution (EFC), which is the output of FAFSA. Your EFC and Pell eligibility are subject to change each year.
• Students who received 100% of their scheduled Pell award in both the Fall and Spring semesters may be eligible to receive Pell during the Summer semester as long as they are enrolled at least half time.
• Pell Grant recipients enrolled less than full-time Fall and/or Spring may still qualify to use their remaining aid year eligibility, plus an additional amount not to exceed a one term award for summer.
• Students may receive Pell Grant for a total of (or the equivalent of) twelve semesters (600%).
• For purposes of determining final award amounts and disbursement amounts, Georgia Southern University uses the initial calculation date or recalculation date for each term, whichever is later; The recalculation date is usually the day after the initial drop/add period of the term. Pell awards and disbursement eligibility are based on the enrollment of the student at that date.
• Students must be making Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) to qualify. Satisfactory Academic Policy Criteria:
  • Students should earn (not including learning support classes) 67% of all cumulative attempted hours.
  • Students in a 4-year program who have attempted more than 150% of the published length of a degree program will have their aid terminated.
  • Undergraduate students must maintain a 2.0 minimum cumulative GPA to remain in good standing for financial aid and academic purposes. (Exception: Education majors must maintain a 2.5 minimum cumulative GPA )
  • Graduate students must maintain a 3.0 minimum cumulative GPA to remain in good standing for financial aid and academic purposes. (Graduate students are eligible for loans only, not pell grant.)

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Loans

• Students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa in order to receive Federal loans.
• To be eligible for a Federal Direct Stafford Loan, students must be enrolled and verified as attending at least half-time
  • 1/2 time for undergraduate students is 6 hours per semester.
  • 1/2 time for graduate students varies per program.  Please click here for more information.
• If you have been awarded a Federal Direct Stafford Loan, you should deduct 1.057% per semester from the amount shown to determine the actual amount available to use toward your expenses. Direct Loan Servicing keeps this amount as a loan origination fee.
• Parents of dependent students who feel they will need additional funds may apply for them through the William D. Ford Federal Direct PLUS program.
• If you have been awarded a Federal Direct PLUS Loan, you should deduct 4.228% per semester from the amount shown to determine the actual amount available to use toward your expenses. Direct Loan Servicing keeps this amount as a loan origination fee.
• First-time borrowers at Georgia Southern University must complete online entrance counseling and sign a Master Promissory Note at https://studentaid.gov/

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Class Attendance Verification

In accordance with federal regulations, financial aid disbursement eligibility is based on verification of attendance. Attendance verification information is sent to faculty and students at the beginning of each term

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HOPE Scholarship

There have been significant changes to the HOPE Scholarship. For more details, please click here.

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Transient Students

If students have transient permission from the Georgia Southern University Registrar’s Office to take core courses at another institution, the Financial Aid Office can process a consortium agreement with the other school and process the student’s financial aid. The disbursement of financial aid for that semester is done once verification of attendance is received from the host institution. Official transcripts must be received from the host institution prior to any subsequent disbursements to ensure eligibility. For additional information, please click here.

• Note: If Georgia Southern is not the institution you will be receiving your degree from (Home institution), then contact your home institution’s financial aid office regarding aid for courses you are taking at Georgia Southern.