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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How
do I apply for financial aid at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi?
What are the financial aid deadlines?
What if my FAFSA does not reflect my present situation?
My parents did not claim me on their tax returns this year.
Can I file my FAFSA as an Independent student?
How do I apply for a scholarship?
My SAR indicates that I was selected for verification. What
does this mean?
What other types of financial assistance are available?
How am I going to receive my student loan funds?
What if I have money left over after paying my tuition and
fees?
What happens if I drop a class or withdraw from the University?
What does it mean to be placed on Financial Aid Suspension?
What happens if I miss an exit loan session?
How can I find out how much money I borrowed?
My parents are divorced (separated). Which parent should
complete the FAFSA?
Is my guardian supposed to submit a FAFSA?
If I lived with a grandparent, should he or she submit a
FAFSA for me?
Must my stepparent complete the FAFSA, even though he/she
claims no financial responsibility for my education?
How
do I apply for financial aid at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi?
All it takes to apply for aid is the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal
Student Aid) at www.fafsa.ed.gov.
Certain types of aid, usually loans, do require additional paperwork.
What are the financial aid deadlines?
Scholarship Deadline- February 1st
Fall/Spring Deadline - April 1st
Spring Only Deadline - November 1st
Summer Deadline - February 15th
Scholarship applications received after the deadline will not be considered.
Financial aid applications received after the deadline dates will be awarded
on a funds-available basis.
What if my FAFSA does not reflect my present situation?
There is a Special Circumstances Form that
can be completed and submitted to the Office of Student Financial Assistance
to update us on your current situation. This form can be used to reflect
any changes in income that may occur from loss of a job, death of a spouse
or parent, etc..
My parents did not claim
me on their tax returns this year. Can I file my FAFSA as an Independent
student?
To determine dependency status, first see if you meet any of the 6 automatic
criteria on the FAFSA. If you do not meet any of those, but feel that
you should be considered an independent student, you may submit a Petition
for Independent Status form to the Office of Student Financial Assistance.
How do I apply for a scholarship?
To apply for a scholarship, students must complete our online University
Scholarship
Application by February 1st. Please keep in mind that in order to
qualify for a university scholarship, you must be admitted to Texas A&M-Corpus
Christi, and have all test scores, high school transcripts and/or previous
college transcripts on file with the Office of Admissions and Records.
My SAR indicates that
I was selected for verification. What does this mean?
This indicates that the Office of Student Financial Assistance must verify
the information you provided on your FAFSA when you applied for financial
aid. You will need to fill out a copy of the Institutional
Verification Form and submit this form and signed copies of all tax
returns to the Office of Student Financial Assistance.
What other types of financial assistance are available?
A student can receive short-term no-interest emergency loans or establish
a payment plan through the Business Office. A student may also pursue
the possibility of state exemptions or adjustments, also through our Business
Office. For more information, please visit their web
site, or contact their offices by phone at 361.825.2600.
How am I going to receive my student loan funds?
Funds from all Stafford and PLUS loans are sent to the University via
Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) and will be credited directly toward your
tuition and fee account provided that 1) you have completed the required
loan counseling session, 2) you are enrolled in at least six (6) credit
hours and 3) you meet all other eligibility requirements.
What if I have money left over after paying my tuition and fees?
In those cases where the amount of creditable aid exceeds costs, the student's
registration receipt will reflect a balance due to the student. The Business
Office will mail any remaining credit balance checks to the
billing address you have on file with the Office of Admissions and Records.
You may also have you credit balance sent via Direct Deposit to your individual
bank account. Please contact the Business Office by phone at 361.825.2600
for further details on how to set up Direct Deposit.
What happens if I drop
a class or withdraw from the University?
A student who drops classes will have their financial aid award(s) adjusted
accordingly. It is important to remember that dropping courses or withdrawing
from the University during the school year may result in possible repayment
of any financial aid received. It may also place you on financial assistance
probation or on suspension status. Please be sure to check with the Office
of Student Financial Assistance before you decide to withdraw or drop
any classes.
Remember,
if you have a Federal Stafford, Federal Unsubsidized Stafford, or Federal
Perkins Loan, you will need to complete an exit
counseling session if you are dropping to less than half-time status,
withdrawing or graduating from the University.
What does it mean to be placed on financial aid suspension?
In order to remain eligible for financial assistance, you must maintain
satisfactory academic progress toward your degree as defined by the Office
of Student Financial Assistance. There are three components to academic
progress: grade point average, enrollment status requirements, and maximum
time frame. Please refer to our Satisfactory
Academic Progress Policy for complete details.
If a student
fails to meet and maintain the requirements outlined in the Satisfactory
Academic Progress Policy by the end of the summer session(s), they will
be placed on progress suspension. The student will not be allowed to receive
any additional financial aid until the progress suspension is cleared.
A suspension
status can be removed by successfully completing the enrollment requirements
and maintaining the minimum grade point average. You must notify the Office
of Student Financial Assistance in writing to insure
removal of suspension status. Students who have extenuating circumstances
beyond their control (serious illness, serious injury, death of an immediate
family member, etc.) may appeal their status. A Satisfactory
Academic Progress Waiver Request form and the appropriate supporting
documentation must be completed and submitted to the Office of Student
Financial Assistance for review.
What happens if I miss an exit loan session?
If you do not complete an exit loan session upon withdrawing or graduating
from the University, a hold will be placed on your student record. You
will not be able to get transcripts or register for classes. The hold
will remain on your record until you complete an exit loan session.
If you are
graduating, but plan to continue attending school for another degree or
certification, you must still complete an exit loan session. If you are
not graduating, it is your responsibility to notify your lender and the
Financial Aid Office of your new anticipated graduation date.
If you are
unable to attend a exit loan session on campus, you may complete an exit
loan session online at www.mapping-your-future.org.
How can I find out how much money I borrowed?
You can find out information on your loans by visiting the Texas
Guaranteed Student Loan Corporation website. Here you can find lots
of useful information, including how much you have borrowed, what you
can expect your monthly loan payment(s) to be, and what your repayment
options are.
If you received a Perkins loan while attending Texas A&M-Corpus Christi,
you can find information on your outstanding Perkins loan by visiting
the AMS Servicing web site.
You can also contact AMS Servicing by phone at 1.800.458.4492 or at P.O.
Box 2902, Winston-Salem, NC 27102.
My parents are divorced (separated). Which parent should complete
the FAFSA?
The parent who should complete the FAFSA is the one with whom you lived
with the longest period of time during the last 12 months. If you did
not live with either parent, or lived with each parent for an equal number
of days, the FAFSA should be filled out by the parent who provided the
most support for you during the last 12 months. In this instance, support
is defined as money for such things as housing, food, clothing, transportation,
medical care and school.
Is my guardian supposed to submit a FAFSA?
Yes, you are still considered a dependent student. Your guardian should
complete the financial aid application if he or she has been legally appointed
and directed by a court to support you with his or her own financial resources.
If I lived with a grandparent, should he or she submit a FAFSA
for me?
Typically, grandparents do not need to submit a FAFSA, but it depends
on the situation. If you are simply living apart from your parents, your
parents should submit the application for you.
Must
my stepparent complete the FAFSA, even though he/she claims no financial
responsibility for my education?
Stepparent information must be included on your FAFSA if you lived in
the stepparent's household for 6 weeks (a period of 42 days) or more during
the previous or current year, or if your stepparent contributed more than
$750 in "support" during the previous or current year. In this
instance, support is defined as money for such things as housing, food,
clothing, transportation, medical care and school.
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