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Scholarships & Financial Aid

Rights & Responsibilities

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Your Rights and Responsibilities as a Financial Aid Recipient

  • You must meet the requirements outlined in the Student Financial Aid Statement of Satisfactory Academic Progress in order to apply for and receive financial aid.
  • Most financial aid is granted for one year and may be renewed if you meet the required stipulations. All renewal documents must be received by May 1 to ensure funding.
  • If you receive financial aid from sources outside the university, please notify the financial aid office of the amount and source of that aid. This is a federal requirement.
  • If you have received awards based on financial need, funds from any additional source that exceed your “need” must be adjusted to prevent over awards. Aid may be reduced so that total aid received complies with federal and state eligibility guidelines. When possible, this reduction takes place in either work-study or loan programs.
  • Notification of revisions will be sent to your official TCU email account.
  • If your FAFSA is selected for verification, all requested verification documentation must be submitted and processed or aid may be canceled. No disbursements of financial aid may be made until verification documents have been processed.
  • The maximum duration of most TCU-funded awards is eight semesters or a total of 124 TCU semester hours of undergraduate study, whichever occurs first. A ninth semester of aid is allowed if you are in a program requiring more than 124 hours for a baccalaureate degree. The maximum duration of TCU-funded awards for transfer students is four years, or up to bachelor degree completion, whichever comes first. 
  • Repeating classes may impact aid eligibility. Classes in which you originally received a grade of “F” or “NC” may be repeated, and funded, until a passing grade is obtained. Classes in which you originally received a passing grade may only be repeated and funded one additional time. This limitation pertains to financial aid policy only. Academic policy may allow for additional repeated coursework, without the benefit of aid.
  • If you withdraw after the semester begins, you may be subject to repayment of financial aid funds to the university as defined in the withdrawals and return of funds policy.
  • Federal and state student aid received may only be used for educational purposes and federal financial aid can only be given to a student for coursework that is required for degree completion. Aid will not be given for any charges incurred for coursework that is not required.
  • Your aid eligibility could change for dropped hours; please refer to the aid adjustment policy.
  • Work-study awards are not a guarantee of employment. You will need to acquire your own job to receive work-study funds. Earnings are paid on a biweekly basis and based on hours worked.
  • Assuming all required documents have been completed and you are enrolled in the required number of hours, disbursement of funds for fall and spring will occur approximately seven days prior to the first day of class. For summer disbursement information, see summer aid.