Understanding Your Award

Your financial aid award letter is based upon the information you submitted on your FAFSA and includes all the financial aid you are eligible for based upon this information. Your award letter assumes you will be enrolled as a full-time student (12+ credit hours/semester) and indicates the semesters for which aid has been awarded. The types of aid offered to you may include a combination of grants, scholarships, loans or work-study.

There are two types of financial aid:

1. Gift Aid – includes grants and scholarships, which are sources of financial aid that do not have to be repaid or earned;
2. Self-Help Aid – includes student loans and work-study, which are sources of financial aid that must be repaid or earned through employment.

More information about the specific types of financial aid can be found online at ‘Sources of Financial Aid.'

If federal student loans are a part of your financial aid award and you would like to use this source of financial aid, you will need to accept your loan by submitting a Loan Request Form. Detailed information can be found on our website ‘Student Loans’.

The Office of Student Financial Aid & Scholarships recognizes that the FAFSA may not accurately reflect a family’s situation or their circumstance may change after submitting the FAFSA. This is especially true for the 2017-2018 FAFSA, as the reported income on the FAFSA is from 2015. If you have had a change to your financial circumstance since submitting the FAFSA (loss of job, reduction in hours, divorce, etc.) you should contact the Office of Student Financial Aid & Scholarships to discuss whether these changes could impact your financial aid eligibility.

If you feel you need additional resources to attend Tri-C or you plan to enroll in the summer, contact the Office of Student Financial Aid & Scholarships.