Eligibility for Aid

Student Eligibility 

To receive aid from federal student aid programs, you must meet basic requirements.  You can find a list of these requirements on page 7 of this publication:  Funding Your Education 2012-2013.  More information can be found at www.studentaid.ed.gov/eligible.  There is no age limit to receive federal student aid.

To be eligible for federal financial aid programs:

  •   Federal Pell Grant Program
  •   Federal Perkins Loan
  •   Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant
  •   Federal Work Study program (FWS)
  •   Federal Direct Lending Program that includes the Federal Direct Loan and Federal Parent PLUS Loan
students must meet the following criteria:

  • Be accepted for admission;

  • Be enrolled as a regular student, attending classes in a degree or certificate program;

  • Be a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen;

  • Meet the financial aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy;

  • Be registered with the Selective Service if you are male;

  • Not be in default on a student loan or owe a repayment of Title IV federal financial aid funds. (A repayment occurs if the student receives financial aid funds and then withdraws within the first 60% of the term, officially or unofficially, from the University.)

  • Meet specific criteria for a particular financial aid program. See the “ Funding Education Beyond High School” publication for eligibility requirements for each program listed above.

  How Much Financial Aid Can I get?

Special Students

Students classified as “Undergraduate Special” (SPU), if they are a visiting student or not seeking a degree may not be eligible for federal financial aid; check with a financial aid counselor for further information. 

Students classified as “Graduate Non-Degree” (SPG) may be eligible for financial aid if enrolled in pre-requisite classes for admission into a graduate degree program or enrolled in classes to complete teaching certification requirements. These students may be awarded Federal Direct Stafford Loans for a maximum of 12 consecutive months and a one-time occurrence during an educational career and are subject to loan limits that are of a fifth-year undergraduate.   

Students Seeking Additional Degrees

Students enrolled in a program at ETSU which leads to a Second Undergraduate, Master's, or Ph.D. degree, can only be eligible for Federal Direct loans, Federal Parent loans (if the student is dependent), or Alternative/Private Loans.   For further information, view the Second Degree Student Information sheet.

Other Information

Students may receive aid for no more than 30 attempted hours of remedial coursework.   English as a Second Language (ESL) classes are included in the 30 credit hours.  

Eligible Noncitizens

A U.S. national (includes natives of American Samoa or Swains Island), U.S. permanent resident (who has an I-151, I-551 or I-551C [Permanent Resident Card]), or an individual who has an Arrival-Departure Record (I-94) from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) showing one of the following designations:

  • "Refugee" 
  • "Asylum Granted" 
  • "Cuban-Haitian Entrant (Status Pending)"
  • "Conditional Entrant" (valid only if issued before April 1, 1980) 
  • Victims of human trafficking, T-visa (T-2, T-3, or T-4, etc.) holder 
  • "Parolee" (You must be paroled into the United States for at least one year and you must be able to provide evidence from the USCIS that you are in the United States for other than a temporary purpose and that you intend to become a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.) 






          Maintain Your Eligibility

          Funding Your Education