FAFSA and TESC

[Ubuntu_user]

So I completed the FAFSA form yesterday, and now today I got an email saying that my application has been processed and been made available to my school (TESC). I have not applied to TESC yet, so does this mean that I need to right now?

Thanks everyone for your help!

[cooperalex2004]

You should be okay, all it does it gives them access rights to your information and grants.

The financial aid year is July - June so depending on when you were planning to attend courses you might need to apply and get the ball rolling. I'm assuming you get a Pell Grant? In that case the amount is split four times into TESC's three month semesters making your payout apply to July-Sept, Oct-Dec, Jan-Mar, and Apr-Jun. Make sure you fill out the financial aid form for TESC once you apply and follow all of the information on timing on the financial aid website. They take a while to get financial aid rolling so make sure you don't wait too long.

[Ubuntu_user]

I'm planning on enrolling after July (I applied for the 2012-13 school year). The thing is, I'll only be taking one online course with TESC and then graduating, so does that mean that I won't get as much financial aid?

Yes, I do get a Pell Grant, although I have no idea for how much...

[cooperalex2004]

Schools only pay for what you actually use of the pell grant. If you only take one course then you should get 1/8 of your grant (1/4 is given per semester with 6 credits being considered full-time). Pell grants are based on taking 12 credits twice a year (or in this case 6 credits for 4 semesters).

You'll find two things with the Pell Grant:
-You should get a maximum of $694 if you get the maximum pell grant (based on the 2012-13 max of $5550 / year), this could be far lower depending on your pell grant amount (mine is lower than the max for this next year).
-It won't be enough to cover enrollment costs (even if you took all 24 credits), and may not even cover tuition alone.