Financial Aid Checklist

First Time Students

General Information About The Free Application For Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)

A student who wants to receive federal financial aid to attend Kennesaw State University must file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, also known as the FAFSA.

When you submit a completed Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), the Department of Education's (ED's) Central Processing System (CPS) uses the data to check eligibility through data matches and to calculate your Expected Family Contribution (EFC). The EFC is used by ED and Kennesaw State to determine aid eligibility.

Kennesaw State University's Title IV school code is 001577. You must enter this number for KSU to receive your information. If you neglect to enter 001577 on your FAFSA, we have no way of knowing that you have applied for financial aid.

Make sure you sign your FAFSA. There are three ways to sign:

After you submit your application, the last page will display your confirmation number. If you don't see this confirmation number, your FAFSA has not been submitted.

You will receive a Student Aid Report (SAR) that provides the EFC and advises what to do next. The same information is sent to each school the student listed on the FAFSA, in the form of an Institutional Student Information Record (ISIR). Kennesaw State University's Title IV school code is 001577. You must enter this number for KSU to receive your information. If you neglect to enter 001577 on your FAFSA, we have no way of knowing that you have applied for financial aid.

Filing a FAFSA only determines your eligibility and analyzes your need for financial aid and does not directly result in receiving aid. The Kennesaw State University Office of Student Financial Aid will determine the types of aid and award amounts based on your EFC (derived from FAFSA data) and the cost of attendance (as determined by the school).

Should you apply to more than one school you may find that the aid packages offered vary from school to school.

Filling Out And Filing The Federal Application For Free Student Aid (FAFSA)

You will need to have the previous year's tax returns handy to complete your Free Application For Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). An independent student will need their own tax return as well as that of their spouse (if you are married). Dependent students will need both their own tax returns and those of their parents.

Before entering any data, you should review the information found under "Before Beginning a FAFSA" at www.fafsa.ed.gov.

You may file your Free Application For Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) anytime after January 1. Since some limited funds are available on a first come first serve basis, the sooner you file your FAFSA the better. Kennesaw State's priority deadline is April 1. This means that to be considered for need based aid (i.e. SEOG, Perkins Loan, FWSP) your financial aid file should be complete on or before April 1.

What To Expect Once Your Federal Application For Free Student Aid (FAFSA )Has Been Correctly Filled Out And Filed

If you file electronically and sign with a PIN it usually takes ED approximately 72 hours to process a completed FAFSA.

Kennesaw State downloads information from the federal government once a week. For information about the status of your financial aid application please check Owl Express.

If your file is chosen for verification it does not mean you did anything wrong. It is simply a way for the federal government to perform quality control on the funds that are disbursed. The federal processor randomly selects 30% of the applicant pool for a process called verification. The institution that is attempting to process your financial aid must compare the information you provided on your FAFSA with actual documents (i.e. federal tax return(s), verification worksheets, etc.).

The entire process of applying for and receiving financial aid typically takes two to three months, but can take as long as four months. Federal verification, delays in receiving paperwork, and corrections all prolong the process. See Frequently Asked Questions for more details.

Once you have:

If you are eligible to receive HOPE you should refer to the Georgia HOPE Scholarship And Grant Information page as well as the Georgia Student Finance Commission for complete details.

If you are eligible to receive a loan you should refer to the Student Loan Application Process page for more details.

Any student who wants a Federal Subsidized or Unsubsidized Stafford Loan who has not previously received a loan from KSU must fulfill a federal Entrance Loan Counseling requirement before their loan will be processed. The Office of Student Financial Aid will not process your loan unless you have participated in loan counseling at KSU. Kennesaw State University only offers loan counseling over the web. However, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact our office and/or schedule an appointment to speak with a Financial Aid Counselor.

Satisfactory Academic Progress

The Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended by Congress, requires that a student maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress in their course of study to continue receiving Federal Title IV Financial Aid. Failure to maintain satisfactory academic progress will result in the loss of Federal Title IV Financial Aid. Federal Title IV Financial Aid includes the Pell Grant, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG), Perkins Loan, Subsidized Stafford Loan, Unsubsidized Stafford Loan, PLUS Loan, State Incentive Grant, and HOPE Scholarship/Grant.

Determining Satisfactory Academic Progress involves several different criteria. Students must meet or exceed all SAP requirements to continue receiving financial aid. These standards apply to part-time students as well as full-time students. You should familiarize yourself with the requirements of Satisfactory Academic Progress.

Exit Loan Counseling

After receiving a student loan, students are required to complete an Exit Loan Counseling session once they graduate or cease to be enrolled at least half-time. These sessions are conducted in accordance with federal guidelines. Failure to attend and exit counseling session, will result in an academic hold being placed on the student's file.

Return Of Title IV Funds

As part of the Higher Education Amendments of 1998, Congress passed new provisions governing what must happen to your Federal financial assistance if you completely withdraw from school in any semester. You should familiarize yourself with Kennesaw State University's Institutional Refund Policy - Return of Title IV Funds.

Certain information on this page is reproduced courtesy of the US Department of Education.
Copyright © 2003, IFAP. All rights reserved.

Kennesaw State University Title IV School Code: 001577