Financial aid

Financial aid
Students seeking financial aid should follow the steps below:

Apply for aid

Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or the Renewal Application for Federal Student Aid.

PIN numbers for electronic signatures can be obtained online.

-or-

Complete the electronic HOPE Scholarship & grant application (GSFAPPS) for those students seeking only HOPE.

Deadlines

See the calendar for priority processing deadlines. The deadline to submit HOPE application for a semester is the last day of exams or the student's withdrawal date, whichever occurs first.

Payment of Aid

Approved financial aid is applied to the student’s institutional charges at the beginning of the student's schedule of classes. Any refund balance is processed within 14 days after the aid is applied to the student's account. Students select their preferred method of refund processing when activating their Cougar OneCard.

Refunds

For Financial Aid refunds, see the Refund Policy.

Pell, ACG, and SMART Grant

Pell, ACG, and SMART Grant recipients are paid based on enrollment on a specific date (see "Grant Registration Deadline" in calendar). Pell, ACG, and SMART Grants will not pay or adjust for hours added after that date.

HOPE scholarship

In addition to the regular 30, 60, and 90 attempted hour checkpoints, a HOPE recipient's GPA is checked every Spring term. Exception: part-time freshmen are first checked after three terms of part-time enrollment.

Direct loan

Subsidized, Unsubsidized and PLUS loan recipients must be enrolled in at least 6 semester hours as undergraduates/5 semester hours as graduates to receive a loan disbursement. Entrance loan counseling is required for first-time borrowers and can be completed online. http://www.dlservicer.gov/

Emergency loan

Students wishing to apply for the Columbus State University Emergency Loan should submit a completed application to the Office of Financial Aid (Fine Arts Hall) at least 10 days before funds are needed. Details of this program are available on the Financial Aid Web site.