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The Office of Student Financial Assistance is here to help you invest in your future. It's a good idea to apply for financial aid at the same time that you apply for admission to TSU. Although we won't review your financial aid information until after your admission application is filed, you can still apply for financial aid before you have been admitted to TSU. Learn more about your options at TSU by choosing a category below.

What is financial aid and who is eligible?

What is it?

Financial aid is based on the premise that you, and in the case of dependent students, your parents are primarily responsible for providing for your educational expenses, and it is intended to supplement student and family contributions toward educational costs. Financial aid comes from many sources, including federal and state government, private organizations, and Texas Southern University’s institutional funds. These funds consist of grants, scholarships, federal work-study, subsidized loans, unsubsidized loans, and parent loans.

Who is eligible?

Texas Southern uses the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to determine your financial need and eligibility for various programs.

Our general eligibility requirements are that you must

demonstrate financial need (for most programs);
be a U.S. citizen or an eligible noncitizen;
have a valid Social Security number (with the exception of students from the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, or the Republic of Palau);
be registered with Selective Service, if you’re a male (you must register between the ages of 18 and 25);
be enrolled or accepted for enrollment as a regular student in an eligible degree or certificate program;
be enrolled at least half-time to be eligible for Direct Loan Program funds;
maintain satisfactory academic progress in college or career school;
sign the certification statement on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) stating that you are not in default on a federal student loan and do not owe money on a federal student grant and you will use federal student aid only for educational purposes; and
show you’re qualified to obtain a college or career school education by
- having a high school diploma or a recognized equivalent such as a General Educational Development (GED) certificate; or
- completing a high school education in a homeschool setting approved under state law (or—if state law does not require a homeschooled student to obtain a completion credential—completing a high school education in a homeschool setting that qualifies as an exemption from compulsory attendance requirements under state law);

Your financial aid award is designed to meet as much of your financial need and eligibility as possible and is determined by your need level as determined by the FAFSA, and by the availability of funds. Texas Southern offers merit-based scholarships, as well as need and non-need based financial aid. For a complete list of federal eligibility requirements, visit the Federal Student Aid website.

How do I apply?

To apply for federal aid you must:

Make sure you meet federal eligibility requirements to receive financial aid.
Fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) each year. You may apply as early as Oct 1st using previous year tax data from 2 years prior (for example, the 2018-19 application will use 2016 tax information). Improvements to the FAFSA application process now allow for direct data download from your IRS return. More information on how to utilize the IRS data retrieval tool may be found on the FSA website.
List Texas Southern on your FAFSA application using our school code, 003642.
The priority FAFSA application deadline for Texas Southern is March 15st but earlier is better. This date is used to determine eligibility for some need-based aid programs as well as State and Institutional funds. Applications received after the priority deadline will still be eligible for federal aid such as the Pell Grant and Direct Loans.
Apply for admission to Texas Southern: Apply Online. You will not be considered for any financial aid award until you have applied to the University.
After your FAFSA has been received, you may be sent an email request for additional information. Once admitted, you will be able to login to your MyTSU account to view the requirements and the requested forms. If you have been selected for verification, our Verification FAQs (insert the hyperlink to FAQs) will help you with this process.
When all outstanding requirements have been satisfied and your FAFSA has been processed, you will receive an email notification that your aid offer is ready to accept.
Accept your financial aid award through MyTSU.

Applying for Scholarships

Texas Southern is committed to recruiting and retaining motivated, diverse, and driven students. In an effort to assist with the expenses involved in a high caliber education, you may be considered for scholarships

Resources for Students Who Are Not Federal Aid Eligible

Undocumented Students: Undocumented students are not FAFSA eligible.

Students that are classified as Texas Residents who cannot apply for federal financial aid using the Free Application for Federal Student Aid are encouraged to complete the TASFA. To use this application, you cannot be paying the Texas resident tuition rate due to a waiver such as an in-state scholarship or an assistantship. Nonresidents paying the resident rate due to a waiver are still nonresidents

Applying as a Transfer Student

When do I apply?

Verification FAQ's

Post-Bacc Aid Basics

Graduate Student Aid

Graduate students typically pay for their education through a combination of loans, scholarships, grants, fellowships and employment through their institution.

There are some departments who are able to fund students through various grants and fellowships as well as teaching assistantships and research assistantships. You can learn more by visiting your academic department’s website.

Federal Financial Aid

Degree-seeking graduate students may apply for federal student aid by completing the FAFSA application at FAFSA.ed.gov each year. If the student is eligible, the FAFSA will result in an offer for an unsubsidized Ford Direct loan. The FAFSA application will also allow the student to apply for the Graduate PLUS loan online if they need additional aid. Both of these federal loans require the student to be enrolled at least half-time in a degree-seeking program. Graduate students are not eligible for federal Pell grants or federal subsidized loans.

Ford Direct Unsubsidized Loan

A graduate (non-professional) student may receive up to $20,500 per year in direct subsidized loans.
The aggregate maximum for a graduate (non-professional) student is $138,500.
The interest rate and origination fee for the Federal Direct unsubsidized loan can be found on the FSA website.
You must complete the Entrance Counseling and Ford Direct Loan Master Promissory Note (MPN) online at StudentLoans.gov.

Graduate PLUS Loan

The Federal Direct Grad PLUS Loan is a credit-based loan borrowed by graduate students to assist with educational expenses.
You may borrow up to your remaining cost of attendance after all other aid.
The loan does not have an aggregate limit.
The loan is unsubsidized meaning you are responsible for paying the interest during times of deferment.
The interest rates and origination fees on the Federal Direct Grad PLUS Loan vary by year and can be found on the FSA - Federal Direct Grad PLUS Loan.
You must complete a Direct PLUS Loan Application, Entrance Counseling, and Master Promissory Note (MPN) online at StudentLoans.gov.
The credit check, run as part of the application, is only valid for 180 days. Do not complete the application before June of the year you will start attendance.
For applicants who have been determined to have an adverse credit history, but qualify for a Graduate PLUS loan by documenting extenuating circumstances or obtaining an endorser must complete a new Master Promissory Note and PLUS Counseling online at StudentLoans.gov.

Enrollment Requirement for Federal Loans

To receive federal loans, master’s degree-seeking students must be enrolled at least half-time (5-8 credits each term) and doctorate degree-seeking students in a minimum of 5 – 1 hour depending on the student’s position in completing the course of study.

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