Welcome to the Office of Financial Aid and On-Campus Student Employment.

Greetings from the Financial Aid staff at Tusculum College!

Our goal is to assist in making an education at Tusculum College financially possible for all students who are accepted for admission through the use of a vari ety of resources that include scholarships, grants, loans, and work-study programs. The Office of Financial Aid works together with your family's financial resources so that we c an assemble a financial aid package for you. Though the federal government states that the student and his/her family have the primary responsibility for the financing the cost o f education, the Office of Financial Aid strives to act as a supplement to the applicant's personal resources.

Currently over ninety percent of the students in our Residential College and over sixty percent of our students in the Graduate and Professional Studies programs receive some form of financial aid. Financial aid comes from many different sources, including the federal and state governments, private sourc es, and from Tusculum College through donations from churches, companies, and individual donors. We are very grateful for all who support our students

Students are granted assistance through the federally-funded programs, based upon their financial need, which is determined by the difference between the Cost Of Attendance (C OA) and the calculated Expected Family Contribution (EFC). The EFC is calculated from the information submitted in Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) which is used to determine eligibility for federal and state funds. The FAFSA is typically available online January 1, for the upcoming academic year, and it must be completed each academic ye ar for which the student wishes to seek aid.

Students are strongly encouraged to apply for financial aid as early as possible after January 1 each year to ensure that they do not miss the deadline for possible federal an d state grant programs. To begin the application process, simply follow our steps to apply. For additional information on federal financial aid programs, review the Student Guide from the United States Department of Education.

We also recommend that students seek scholarship assistance through their communities. High School Guidance Counselors, social and civic clubs, employers, local libraries, and the Internet are excellent sources of scholarship information. We suggest using FASTWEB as your on-line scholarship resource. In addition, there are various "self-help" options that may be considered by the student, which include both student employment and federal loans.

Students may also want to explore the eligibility criteria for receiving Vocational Rehabilitation benefits and Veterans' benefits.

Our staff is anxious and available to help you secure the funds necessary to make a Tusculum College education a reality, not just a goal. The Office of Financial Aid is open Monday - Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and we are located on the second floor of Virginia Hall on the Main Campus. Appointments are recommended, but not required, for finan cial aid counseling so that we can prepare the proper information for your individual package.