Applying for financial aid can be a sometimes confusing process.  Reading the information below and meeting the deadlines established by the Financial Aid Office will help ensure that you will be considered for the maximum amount of aid and that your funding will be in place in a timely manner.  

Eligibility
Important Dates
Application Process
FAFSA Helpful Hints and Common Errors
Verification Worksheets

Eligibility

Most students are eligible for some financial aid regardless of their financial circumstances. To be eligible for aid, you must:

• Complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid or Renewal Application. You can submit the form online or pick up a paper copy in the Financial Aid Office.
• Be a United States citizen or an eligible non-citizen.
• Be admitted to or enrolled in an eligible degree or certificate program at the College.
• Be making Satisfactory Academic Progress as defined by the College.
• Not owe a refund on a federal student grant or be in default on a federal student loan.

Important Dates

Students should submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to the Department of Education as early as possible, preferably one month prior to the dates below to allow adequate time for processing. Applications received before the priority date below will be considered for the maximum amount of grant aid.  Applications received before the guarantee date will be processed prior to the start of the registration period.

Please note: Financial aid, including loans, will continued to be offered after these dates.  However, aid will only be on a first-come, first-serve basis.  If you apply for aid after the guarantee date, your aid may not be in place prior to the start of registration. 

Application Process

1. If you are a new student at John Tyler, apply for admission to the College and complete all the admission requirements for degree/certificate-seeking students, including submitting applicable transcripts, taking all placement tests, and meeting with a counselor who will officially place you in a curriculum.  

Please note that curriculums less than 16 credits in length are not eligible for financial aid. These curriculums include: Basic Precision Machining Technology, Civil Engineering Computer Aided Drafting, Computer Aided Drafting, Computer Numerical Control, Early Childhood, Emergency Medical Services – Basic, and Surveying.

2. Complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). You can do this as soon as you complete your application to John Tyler – there is no need wait to hear about your admission decision.  Returning students also need to complete a FAFSA each year in order to be eligible for financial aid.  Filing the FAFSA online is highly recommended.  Online FAFSAs will be processed in half the time of paper applications, and there are typically fewer errors.  However, paper copies of the FAFSA are available in the Financial Aid Office, at local high schools and in most public libraries. 
   
3. Check the accuracy on the green Student Aid Report sent to you by the federal government processor in response to your FAFSA.  If you filed the FAFSA online, you will receive your Student Aid Report electronically and will need to make any necessary changes online at www.fafsa.edu.gov.  If you filed a hard copy, indicate the changes on your Student Aid Report.
   
4. Respond promptly to any financial aid or admissions inquiries you may receive from the staff at John Tyler. Be sure to complete and return to John Tyler other financial aid materials, such as loan promissory notes.
   
5. For the academic year which starts with the fall semester, if you complete your application prior to the end of March, you will receive your financial aid award notification from John Tyler in June. Beginning in June, the Financial Aid Office processes applications as they are received, on a first-come, first-served basis.   
   
6. Be sure to report all scholarships and financial aid you receive from other sources to the Financial Aid Office. Additional scholarships and awards require recalculation of your financial aid eligibility and may reduce the amount of any financial aid previously awarded to you based on your FAFSA application.
   
7. Register for classes using the myTyler system or in person at the Admissions and Records Office.
   
8. Plan to pay the difference between your tuition and fees and your financial aid by 5:00 p.m. on the Friday of the week you register. To calculate your payment, start with the total due for tuition and fees and then subtract the financial aid you have been awarded.  That balance must be paid by 5:00 p.m. on the Friday of the week you register.  Otherwise, you will be dropped from your classes.  Please remember that partial payments are not sufficient for holding your classes. 

FAFSA Helpful Hints and Common Errors

Completing your FAFSA accurately is extremely important.  Most errors that you make while completing the form significantly delay the processing of your financial aid, either at the federal level, at a college level or both.  Please thoroughly read the instructions on the FAFSA application and review the additional FAFSA instructions on the Department of Education web site.  John Tyler has also created a page of FAFSA helpful hints and common application errors specifically for our students. 

If you are unsure of how to answer a question, please call either the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-4-FED AID or the College’s Financial Aid Office. Taking a few extra minutes to ask a question during the application process could save you from weeks of delays. 

Verification Worksheets

If you were selected for verification, download either an Independent Verification Worksheet or Dependent Verification Worksheet. Please complete the worksheet and mail it back to the Financial Aid Office with appropriate tax forms.

Please complete the worksheet and mail it back to the Financial Aid Office with appropriate tax forms.