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General Information

Here is an overview of standard policies and practices governing student financial aid; please read carefully.

Correspondence

If you consent to electronic transactions, your APSU email account will be the primary method of communication used by the APSU Office of Student Financial Aid & Veterans Education Benefits (SFAO) regarding your financial aid. It is important for you to check your email account frequently.

Federal Eligibility Requirements

Enrollment

Fall Semester: Fall, Fall A, Fall B, Fall I, and Fall II
Spring Semester: Wintermester, Spring, Spring A, Spring B, Spring I, and Spring II
Summer Semester: Maymester, Summer I, Summer II, Summer III, Full Summer

Any combination of hours between Clarksville Campus and Fort Campbell Campus terms in each semester is permitted. Example: 3 hours Fall, 3 hours Fall A, and 6 hours Fall II are considered 12 hours for the fall semester.

The following tables detail enrollment levels for undergraduate and graduate financial aid eligibility.

Undergraduate

  Full-Time 3/4 Time 1/2 Time Less Than 1/2 Time
Fall (August - December) 12+ hours 9-11 hours 6-8 hours 1-5 hours
Spring (January - May) 12+ hours 9-11 hours 6-8 hours 1-5 hours
Summer (May - August) 12+ hours 9-11 hours 6-8 hours 1-5 hours

Graduate

  Full-Time 3/4 Time 1/2 Time Less Than 1/2 Time
Fall (August - December) 6+ hours 4-5 hours 3 hours 1-2 hours
Spring (January - May) 6+ hours 4-5 hours 3 hours 1-2 hours
Summer (May - August) 3+ hours N/A 2 hours 1 hour
  • In order to be enrolled full-time for the full academic year, you must attend full-time from Fall to Spring.
  • Coursework ineligible for federal aid will not be considered. Examples include certain repeats (see our Repeat Policy), courses not in program, and audits.

Course Choice Counts

  • For aid to pay for courses in your major, minor, or other degree requirements, it must be part of your program of study or be necessary to earn the total hours required for your degree.
  • Taking courses not a part of your program of study could result in receiving less financial aid and potentially having to pay for courses out-of-pocket.

Cost of Attendance

  • Your financial aid Cost of Attendance (COA) is based on an allowance for direct (tuition/fees) and indirect (housing, meals, etc.) costs for full-time enrollment. Your financial aid awards may not exceed your COA.
  • All students are initially packaged with a full-time COA. COA's are recalculated beginning approximately one week prior to memo of aid. It is then recalculated daily until the Pell Recalculation Date. For students who are offered federal aid, the COA will be based upon courses in-program. COA's for students who are not offered federal aid will be based on actual enrollment, in accordance with the Repeat Policy.

Financial Aid Offers

  • If an out-of-state student converts to in-state status, the student may be billed as aid and COA are adjusted.
  • You must report any additional resources you expect to receive to assist with your education to the SFAO. Examples include military tuition assistance, private scholarships, tuition discounts, third party payments such as Vocational Rehabilitation, etc. You may report this information by completing the Additional Financial Aid Resource Form. If you do not report this information in a timely manner, you may be awarded aid you are not eligible to receive and could be required to repay back any excess funds received due to the overaward.
  • Financial aid is based on the number of hours enrolled. After you pass a class with a grade of A, B, C, D or P, you can enroll in the class and have it count towards your financial aid eligibility only one more time. You can repeat the course again; however, it can no longer count in the hours needed for financial aid eligibility. See our Repeat Policy.
  • Grants will automatically be accepted for you. Grants are prorated based on the number of hours enrolled.

Estimated Family Contribution (EFC)

  • Amount a family can be expected to contribute toward a student's college expenses, determined based on your answers on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
  • If there has been a significant change in your family circumstances, for example, loss of parent/student/spouse's income, separation or divorce of student/parents, death of parent/spouse, you can complete a Special Circumstances Request.

Scholarships

On-Campus Scholarships
  • You may apply for most on-campus scholarships using the APSU Scholarship Application or the APSU Admissions Application (incoming freshmen).
  • The APSU Scholarship Application website has information regarding all on-campus scholarships and their requirements.
  • It is very important that you follow-up on any additional requirements. Failure to do so may make you ineligible to receive the scholarship.
Off-Campus Scholarships
  • You must report any scholarships that you will receive to the SFAO. It could affect your eligibility for federal/state financial assistance. You may complete the Additional Financial Aid Resource Form to report this information. Failure to complete this form may create a billing.
  • If you receive an external award, it may be listed as an Outside Resource. 
State Scholarships

Federal Pell Grant

  • The Federal Pell Grant is available to eligible students, seeking an Associate's or first Bachelor's degree.
  • Graduate students and students seeking an additional Bachelor's degree are not eligible to receive the Federal Pell Grant.
  • There is a 12-semester (full-time) lifetime limit for Federal Pell Grants. This limit applies to all Federal Pell Grant eligible students.
  • The Department of Education will communicate to all FAFSA applicants who are close or who have exceeded the lifetime limit.

Direct Loans

  • Federal Direct student loans are debt that must be repaid. We advise students to borrow wisely. For information on repayment and debt management, visit Financial Awareness & Money Management and studentaid.gov.
  • You must accept any Federal Direct Loans you wish to receive. Accept subsidized loans before accepting unsubsidized loans. Federal Direct Loans have annual and aggregate limitations. You may review this information at our general loan information page.
  • You may request your loans be reduced or cancelled at any time using the Adjustment Form for Loans.
  • You must be attending at least half-time (6 undergraduate or 3 graduate hours) at the time of loan disbursements.
  • All first time borrowers at APSU must complete Loan Entrance Counseling and electronically sign a Direct Loan Master Promissory Note (MPN) at studentaid.gov for loans to disburse.
  • New first time Federal Direct Loan borrowers will have a maximum subsidized Direct Loan limit of 150% of the length of their academic program. Students will be limited to receiving subsidized loans for 3 years in a 2 year program or 6 years in a 4 year program. Students reaching this limitation could receive unsubsidized loans if eligible. Additionally, borrowers who reach the 150% limitation will have their interest subsidy end for all outstanding subsidized loans.
  • APSU does not automatically award Parent PLUS as part of the financial aid awards package. However, if a dependent student enrolled at least half-time has remaining need, parents may choose to apply for Parent PLUS loans to help cover educational expenses. Information related to Federal Parent PLUS Loans may be reviewed on our webpage.

Disbursement of Financial Aid Funds

Disbursement involves financial aid funds being credited to your student account. If the credit results in a refund due to the student, the refund will be released by Student Account Services. Refund dates can be reviewed at Student Account Services under ‘Important Student Account Services Dates.'

  • Financial aid funds are generally disbursed 10 calendar days prior to the start of a Clarksville campus term as long as the student has completed all financial aid requirements and funds were accepted.
  • For students who complete financial aid requirements or accept aid after the disbursement date indicated above, disbursement of funds generally occurs within three business days of offer acceptance and completion of all related requirements.

Financial Aid Refunds & Registration Confirmation

  • If your financial aid awards are more than your APSU charges, you will receive a financial aid refund.
  • You can receive your financial aid refund by signing up for direct deposit. If you do not select direct deposit, a check will be mailed to you at a later date.
  • You must confirm your registration to keep your classes from being dropped.
  • If you receive full financial aid for Fall I or Spring I courses and receive a refund, you should keep the refund to help pay for your Fall II or Spring II courses.

Payment

  • You are responsible for paying all charges owed to APSU.
  • If it is determined that you become ineligible for any financial aid awarded during the academic year, you must repay the balance owed plus any related collection costs owed to the APSU Student Account Services & Cashier's Office.