Financial Aid

Steps to Apply

Steps to Apply for Grants:

1. Go to www.pin.ed.gov and apply for a pin number. This pin number will be used to electronically sign your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA is used to determine what you will qualify for.

2. Go to www.fafsa.ed.gov and complete the FAFSA online application. You will need a copy of your (and your parent's if you are dependant*) 2010 federal tax returns. This application will be evaluated by the Department of Education. Within three to five days an electronic student aid report will be sent to the Financial Aid Office at Pellissippi State.

3. Once we receive the student aid report we will evaluate it and determine if your application has been selected for "verification." If your application is selected for verification, we will notify you by mail that certain documents will need to be provided to the Financial Aid Office. Those documents could include: copies of federal tax returns, verification worksheets, and so on.

4. If your application has not been selected for verification or if it has and you have provided us with all the necessary documentation, we will determine if you qualify for grants. We will send you a letter in the mail informing you about what grants, if any, you qualify for. If you do not qualify for any grants, we will also send a letter letting you know.

Steps to Apply for a Student Loan:

If you want to apply for a student loan, you will first need to complete the FAFSA online. Again, if it is selected for verification you will need to provide the Financial Aid Office with certain documents. You must be taking at least six credit hours to apply for a student loan. For more information on the federal student loan program go to our website at http://www.pstcc.edu/financial_aid/stafford.html

Please answer the following questions to determine your dependency status

1. Were you born before January 1, 1988?

2. As of today, are you married? (Also answer "Yes" if you are separated but not divorced.)

3. At the beginning of the 2011-2012 school year, will you be working on a master's or doctorate program (such as an MA, MBA, MD, JD, PhD, EdD or graduate certificate, etc)?

4. Are you currently serving on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces for purposes other than training?

5. Are you a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces?

6. Do you have children who will receive more than half of their support from you between July 1, 2011, and June 30, 2012?

7. Do you have dependents (other than your children or spouse) who live with you and who receive more than half of their support from you, now and through June 30, 2012?

8. At any time since you turned 13 were both your parents deceased, were you in foster care or were you a dependent or ward of the court?

9. Are you or were you an emancipated minor as determined by a court in your state of legal residence?

10. Are you or were you in legal guardianship as determined by a court in your state of legal residence?

11. At any time on or after July 1, 2010 did your high school or school district homeless liaison determine that you were an unaccompanied youth who was homeless?

12. At any time on or after July 1, 2010, did the director of an emergency shelter or transitional housing program funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development determine that you were an unaccompanied youth who was homeless?

13. At any time on or after July 1, 2010, did the director of a runaway or homeless youth basic center or transitional living program determine that you were an unaccompanied youth who was homeless or were self-supporting and at risk of being homeless?

If you answered "No" to all of the above questions, you are considered dependant. You will need your 2010 federal taxes and your parents 2010 federal taxes to complete the FAFSA.

If you answered "Yes" to one or more of the above questions, you are considered independent and will only use your 2010 federal taxes (and your wife's or husband's if you are married) to complete your FAFSA.