Newly Admitted Students » Applying for Federal Aid
Applying for Federal Aid:
All students are encouraged to file a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), regardless of eligibility for Federal Aid. The FAFSA is available by January of each year at www.fafsa.ed.gov. TC's institutional code is G03979.
a. Before filing your FAFSA, you must apply for your PIN online.
( http://www.pin.ed.gov/PINWebApp/pinindex.jsp )
In addition to filing a FAFSA application, to be eligible for federal student aid, you must:
§ Be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen
§ Be enrolled for at least 6 credits (half-time)
§ Be enrolled in a degree seeking program
§ Not owe a refund on a federal grant or be in default on a federal student loan
NOTE: Those students who wish to attend TC in the Summer of 2009, MUST complete BOTH, the 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 Free Applications for Federal Student Aid!
After filing the FAFSA, students will receive a Student Aid Report (SAR), which must be reviewed for accuracy, and necessary corrections must be made. If there are questions, please contact the Office of Financial Aid.
If you are selected for the Verification process:*
- You will receive a notification from the TC Office of Financial Aid requesting additional information be provided, such as a copy of your most recent income tax forms.
- You are also required to complete the 2009-2010 Verification Worksheet. This worksheet can be found at http://www.tc.columbia.edu/financialaid/index.asp?Id=Forms&Info=Forms
* All students DO NOT need to complete this process. Those who are selected will be notified accordingly by the Office of Financial Aid.
The NYS Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) is a grant offered to eligible New York state residents attending approved institutions in the state of New York.
• To be eligible, you must:
§ Be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen
§ Be attending full-time (12 or more credits/semester)
§ Be in a degree-seeking program
§ Not be in default on a student loan or on any repayment of state awards
§ Meet various state and income eligibility criteria
§ File a FAFSA
• Graduates may receive a maximum yearly award of $500.
International Students:
- Are NOT eligible for Federal Aid
- Are eligible for private loans, with a U.S. co-signer
- Are eligible to receive internal and some external scholarships
We encourage you to fill out the TC Scholarship Application!
External Scholarship Opportunity
