Financial Aid
Assistance available
The purpose of financial aid is to assist students in securing their education.
The School of Nursing offers financial aid information and counseling to all students attending the School via the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid. Most aid is awarded to students on the basis of FINANCIAL NEED. However, some financial assistance is awarded based on scholastic achievement only. The federal government defines financial need as “the difference between the student’s Cost of Attendance (COA) and the student’s calculated Student Aid Index (SAI).
The cost of attendance for a student is an estimate of that student’s educational expenses for the period of enrollment. A student’s cost of attendance includes tuition, fees, average loan fees, and an allowance for books and supplies, transportation, miscellaneous personal expenses, and food and housing. For a graduating student, an allowance for costs associated with obtaining professional licensure is included. For a student with a disability, an allowance for expenses related to the student’s disability can be included. For a student with dependents, an allowance for dependent care can included if child care costs are not paid by any other agency or source. To include child care expenses in the cost of attendance, the Child Care Expense Form, available in the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid, must be submitted. The addition of child care expenses to the cost of attendance may not always result in additional financial aid due to federal student aid program limits.
To be eligible to award student financial aid provided by the United States Department of Education, the School maintains current accreditation by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN). The ACEN is located at: 3390 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 1400, Atlanta, GA 30326 (404) 975-5000, Web: https://www.acenursing.org/
The School of Nursing receives and maintains both federal student loan and PELL Grant information via the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS). The student may access his/her federal student aid information at https://www.studentaid.gov
Prospective and current students are encouraged to review the U.S. Department of Education’s website https://studentaid.ed.gov. This site provides a comprehensive overview of federal student aid. Student eligibility requirements and descriptions/requirements of federal grants and the Direct Loan Program are outlined.
An overview of and availability of Federal financial aid is presented to students during Orientation. Students are encouraged to meet with the Coordinator of Student Affairs individually to discuss the availability of, and their potential eligibility for, Federal financial aid prior to arranging private student loans or alternative financing programs.
Financial aid awards are given to students without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, marital status, or disability.
Application Process
All students wishing to apply for federal/state financial aid must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The information required on the FAFSA is utilized by the United States Department of Education to determine student’s eligibility for aid and to calculate the Student Aid Index (SAI). The completion of this form is required of all financial aid applicants regardless of income.
The easiest, fastest, and most accurate way to complete a FAFSA form is using the online application and providing consent and approval for the access, disclosure, and use of federal tax information (FTI). The online FAFSA form provides robust instructions for completing the form. It also provides a clear path for the student and each contributor, allowing them to skip (or never see) questions that are unnecessary, irrelevant, or already known based on information previously provided or imported. The online FAFSA form is available at studentaid.gov/fafsa.
Whenever possible, the Department uses data received directly from the IRS to calculate a student’s SAI and Pell Grant award. The Department of Education accesses tax information held by the IRS pertaining to FAFSA applicant, and, where applicable, their parents and spouses, through a secure method: the Future Act Direct Data Exchange (FA-DDX). Applicants and contributors will be required to provide consent and approval to retrieve FTI directly from the IRS.
Each person who provides data in the online FAFSA must have an account username and password to access the form. This username and password, otherwise known as the FAFSA ID, serves as an electronic signature and a digital identifier. Therefore, each individual must create their own account and should not share their login credentials with anyone.
It is not necessary to wait for acceptance to the school to file a FAFSA. The student should complete the FAFSA as soon as possible after October 1 of the year prior to the desired enrollment year. The School’s institutional code is 006507.
If the FAFSA cannot be completed online, another option is the paper PDF FAFSA, which students can get at studentaid.gov. They can print the PDF and fill it out by hand, or they can type their data on the PDF before printing and mailing it.
After the FAFSA has been processed, the student will receive a FAFSA Submission Summary. The student must schedule a financial aid appointment with the Coordinator of Student Affairs to discuss the financial aid award package. Financial aid appointments/award packages for current students are available in April of each year. Financial aid/award packages for newly accepted students are available beginning in July of each year. The student is required to report any additional/outside aid received. Each financial aid recipient must sign a Financial Aid Offer notice accepting/acknowledging any monies received.
Verification
Verification is a process by which the educational institution verifies the reported (or not reported) data that was submitted on the student’s FAFSA. A student who is chosen for verification will be notified in writing and given a Verification Worksheet to complete. Students who are selected for verification are placed in one of three groups by the Department of Education. The group determines which FAFSA information Trinity School of Nursing must verify. The student may be required to submit additional documentation as outlined on the Verification Worksheet. The student may be asked to verify or submit documentation related to one or more of the following:
- Parent/Student/Spouse Federal Tax Information such as adjusted gross income, U.S. income taxes paid, untaxed portions of IRA distributions, untaxed portions of pensions, IRA deductions and payments, tax exempt interest income, education credits, foreign income exempt from federal taxation
- Parent/Student/Spouse Income Earned from Work
- Family Size
- Identity/Statement of Educational Purpose
When FTI is received from the IRS via the FA-DXX, the FTI received is considered verified and no additional documentation is necessary. As a result, the FA-DXX is the fastest, easiest, and most secure method of meeting income and tax verification requirements.
When information is not transferred from the IRS, a transcript can be obtained from the IRS or a signed copy of the income tax return can be submitted along with applicable schedules that were filed with the IRS.
The student must submit the signed Verification Worksheet and any required documents as indicated on the worksheet to the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid within 30 days of receiving verification information from the School. No aid will be awarded until the Verification Process is completed. After the completed verification worksheet and required documentation has been submitted, the Coordinator of Student Affairs will review the data and determine if any corrections need to be made. The student will be notified of the necessary corrections, and the student may be required to schedule a follow-up financial aid appointment if changes are required as a result of Verification findings. Corrections can be made by the student utilizing the online FAFSA or by the Coordinator of Student Affairs utilizing the FAFSA Partner Portal. The School verifies 100% of accepted/enrolled students that are selected by the U.S. Department of Education. If the verification findings demonstrate that an individual has misreported information or altered documentation in order to fraudulently obtain federal funds, evidence of such actions will be provided to the Office of Inspector General.
The Office of Admissions and Financial Aid may select a student for verification in addition to those who were selected by the U.S. Department of Education. If selected for verification, the student is required by federal regulations to cooperate in the verification process.
Additional Details
Some FAFSAs will be flagged for unusual enrollment history (UEH) by the U.S. Department of Education as a result of the student having received federal Pell grants or loans at multiple institutions in recent years. This requires that Trinity School of Nursing review the student’s enrollment history and determine whether or not the student is enrolling only long enough to receive cash refunds of federal student aid.
Trinity School of Nursing, in the process of reviewing the student’s UEH flag, will check the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) for complete enrollment history including the names of institutions attended and the dates of attendance. Academic transcripts from all colleges and universities attended during the previous four years will be reviewed.
If federal Pell grants or loans were received, and credit hours (passing grades A-D) were not earned at each institution attended during these award years, the student may be determined ineligible for further financial aid. The student may be asked to provide valid documentation explaining the reason behind the unusual enrollment history.
If a student is determined by Trinity School of Nursing to be ineligible for federal student aid on the basis of (or lack of) documentation, he/she may appeal the determination by contacting the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid. Students whose aid eligibility is denied as a result of their UEH can be considered for federal student aid after enrolling for one academic term, not dropping or withdrawing from any courses after the term begins, and meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP).
The process for determining a student’s eligibility for financial aid is basically the same for all students. There are situations where adjustments can be made if a student has special circumstances such as: change in employment status, income, or assets, change in housing status, tuition expenses at an elementary or secondary school, additional family members enrolled in college, medical, dental, or nursing home expenses not covered by insurance, child or dependent care expenses, severe disability of the student or other members of the student’s household. Students may request the Special Circumstances Form from the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid. Completion of the form/process does not ensure an adjustment to the student’s financial aid award.
A student who elects to appeal his or her dependency status for financial aid purposes must complete the Dependency Override Appeal Form. A student who does not meet the federal definition of an independent student must file the FAFSA as a dependent student and provide parental information. Students who are estranged from their parents due to extenuating or unusual circumstances which can be documented by an objective third party may qualify for a dependency override. Students may request the Dependency Override Appeal Form from the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid.
Unusual circumstances do include (but are not limited to ):
*Human trafficking, as described in the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7101 et seq.);
*Legally granted refugee or asylum status;
*Parental abandonment or estrangement; or
*Student or parental incarceration.
Unfortunately, parents’ unwillingness to help pay for college, parents’ unwillingness to provide information for the FAFSA or verification, student not being claimed as an exemption on parents’ tax returns, or student demonstration of total self-sufficiency does not make the student independent for financial aid purposes.
Any student who has obtained an adjustment for unusual circumstances and a final determination of independence will be considered independent for each subsequent award year at the same institution unless–
*The student informs the institution that their circumstances have changed; or
*The institution has conflicting information about the student’s independence.
If assistance is needed to complete any of the forms listed, the applicant should call the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid at (740) 283- 7637 between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 pm Monday – Friday.
Contact Admissions
All inquiries or correspondence for admission should be directed to the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid at the School of Nursing between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Phone: 740-283-7637
E-mail: [email protected]
Fax: 740-283-7461