FINANCIAL RESOURCES
How do I apply for financial aid (including grants, loans, work study, HOPE/Zell Miller and other scholarships)?
To apply for the HOPE/Zell Miller Scholarship, submit either the GSFAPP through GAfutures.org (list Georgia State as the school of choice) and/or the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at www.fafsa.ed.gov.
To apply for other scholarships, please visit sfs.gsu.edu/scholarships-grants/. The Scholarship Resource Center is located in 251 Sparks Hall, in the Student Advisement Center. You may email an Office of Undergraduate Studies scholarship specialist at [email protected] to make an appointment.
- Once you have completed the FAFSA, additional verification documents may be required. The requirements and most of the specific documents are available in PAWS.
- If you are a transfer student or are regaining HOPE/Zell Miller Scholarship eligibility and want to be considered for the HOPE/Zell Miller Scholarship, you must submit a HOPE Scholarship Institutional Application (HSIA). This form is available at the One Stop Shop (227 Sparks Hall, 292 Kell Hall).
- Please monitor your PAWS account periodically. Contact the Financial Management Center if you have questions concerning requested documentation.
How do I check my financial aid status?
Once your file has been completed, you can check the status of your financial aid award offer under the Financial Aid menu by selecting Award Information and then Award by Term.
When are the financial aid priority deadlines?
Fall — April 1
Spring — October 1
Summer — March 1
Please note that these deadlines are to have a complete file at Georgia State, not simply to submit the FAFSA. To meet these deadlines it is best to submit the FAFSA six to eight (6 – 8) weeks ahead of the deadline and then monitor your financial aid status in PAWS closely. Please visit the Financial Aid site for more details.
What is the general processing time for financial aid documents?
Please allow up to four (4) weeks for a loan application (such as a student Loan Change Form or a parent PLUS Loan Signature Page) to be processed.
Please allow four to six (4 – 6) weeks processing for a HOPE application (once we have received all required documents) to be reviewed.
How do I know when I have been awarded?
What are the minimum requirements to maintain financial aid?
How do I accept my loan and/or work-study offer in PAWS?
Under Award Information on the PAWS Financial Aid menu, I see an offer for Federal Work-Study. What do I have to do next?
After accepting the Work-Study award offer in PAWS, an information packet will be emailed to your Georgia State email address. Please note that work-study differs from other financial aid in that it does not post as a payment to your student account. You must work to receive a biweekly paycheck.
To find the available positions, you must have an active Panther Career Net account through University Career Services.
Upon being hired for a position, your supervisor will complete a Personnel Action Form (PAF) [available in Word or PDF] and send it to the Office of Student Financial Aid, which will verify your award status and then send the PAF to Human Resources for processing.
What is the IRS Data Retrieval Tool and how do I use it?
As you complete your FAFSA online, you will be asked a series of questions regarding your tax filing status. If you are eligible to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool you will enter your PIN and click Link to IRS. Your FAFSA information will be saved and you’ll be linked to the IRS website. On the IRS website simply enter the required information to validate your identity. Your tax return information will be displayed and you will be given the option to transfer your tax information into your FAFSA. Once the transfer has been completed you will be taken back to FAFSA on the Web to finalize your FAFSA.
Can I use the IRS Retrieval Tool and why should I use it?
- Have a valid Social Security Number.
- Have already filed a tax return.
- Filed a joint return if married.
- Have an unchanged marital status since December 31.
- Did not amend your tax return.
The IRS Data Retrieval Tool is designed to provide quick and efficient completion of your FAFSA. You will be able to import tax return data directly into your FAFSA with just a few clicks of your mouse. In most cases, applicants who use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool will not have to supply the Financial Aid office with Tax Return Transcripts from the IRS thereby decreasing the amount of time necessary to process your financial aid award.
What is Georgia State’s school code?
My FAFSA was selected for verification according to PAWS. What documents are needed after selection?
How will my eligibility for financial aid be determined?
Cost of Attendance – Expected Family Contribution = Financial Need
What is an Aid Package?
Will my financial aid award vary from year to year?
- The cost of education (tuition, fees, room, board, books, supplies, miscellaneous/personal expenses) may increase.
- Your family’s income may change.
- Your student loan eligibility may increase as you continue through school.
- The number of children in college may change.
- The amount of available funding changes.
- You may forget to reapply for financial aid and miss the priority deadline date.
How and when will my aid be disbursed to me?
Do I have to apply for financial aid every year?
How and when will my aid be disbursed to me?
How do I know if my FAFSA has been processed by the federal processor? How can I verify that Georgia State will receive the results?
What do I do with my Student Aid Report?
My SAR indicates that I was selected for verification. What does this mean?
What makes me an independent student?
- Will you be 24 years of age or older by December 31 of the award year?
- Are you married as of the date you fill out the FAFSA?
- Will you be working on a master’s or doctorate program (MA, MBA, DVM, PhD, EdD, etc) during the award year?
- Are you currently serving on active duty in the US Armed Forces for purposes other than training?
- Are you a veteran of the US Armed Forces?
- Do you have children who will receive more than half of their support from you during the award year?
- Do you have dependents (other than your children or spouse) who live with you and who receive more than half of their support from you, now and through the award year?
- At any time since you turned age 13, were both your parents deceased, were you in foster care, or were you a dependent or ward of the court?
- Are you or were you an emancipated minor as determined by a court in your state of legal residence?
- Are you or were you in legal guardianship as determined by a court in your state of legal residence?
- At any time on or after July 1, 2008, did your high school or school district homeless liaison determine that you were an unaccompanied youth who was homeless?
- At any time on or after July 1, 2008, did the director of an emergency shelter or transitional housing program funded by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development determine that you were an unaccompanied youth who was homeless?
- At any time on or after July 1, 2008, did the director of a runaway or homeless youth basic center or transitional living program determine that you were an unaccompanied youth who was homeless or were self-supporting and at risk of being homeless?
How do I complete the Loan Entrance Counseling? How do I sign the Master Promissory Note (MPN)?
Can I only accept part of the financial aid I have been awarded? For example, I was awarded grants and loans, but only want the grants. Is that okay?
I have received an additional scholarship after my financial aid award package has been sent to me. How will this additional scholarship impact my aid award?
When do I start repaying my student loan(s)?
What is the difference between a Subsidized and an Unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loan?
How do I apply for a Federal Pell Grant?
When will I be evaluated for the Zell Miller Scholarship?
When will I be evaluated for the HOPE scholarship?
- Free Application for Federal Student Aid: www.fafsa.ed.gov
- To obtain a Personal Identification Number (PIN) to complete the FAFSA and access student loan account information, see fsaid.ed.gov/
- To complete Direct Loan entrance or exit counseling, see www.studentloans.gov
- To complete a Direct Loan Master Promissory Note, see www.studentloans.gov
- To review all federal student loan history, see www.nslds.ed.gov
- HOPE Scholarship and Other Georgia Student Financial Aid Programs: GAfutures.org
- Selective Service System: www.sss.gov
- College Board Homepage: www.collegeboard.com
- FastWEB: www.fastweb.com
- The Free Scholarship Search: www.freschinfo.com/index.phtml
- The Gates Millennium Scholars Program: www.gmsp.org
- Hispanic College Fund, Inc.: www.hispanicfund.org
- Scholarships for Hispanics: www.scholarshipsforhispanics.org
The Financial Aid Federal Shopping Sheet is a consumer tool that Georgia State University provides to notify students about their financial cost to attend. It is a standardized form that is designed to simplify the information that students receive about costs and financial aid.
The shopping sheet generates figures that are estimates only and all tuition rates and fees are subject to change without notice.
- Georgia State’s standard allowance for some expenses may not match your actual costs. Additionally, the shopping sheet does not include any estimates for personal expenses or travel and such expenses may vary greatly based upon personal choices.
- The shopping sheet does not include some fees that are course-specific (e.g., lab fees, educational materials, art supplies, etc.).
All amounts shown on the shopping sheet or in other University publications or websites represent tuition and fees as currently approved by the University. However, Georgia State reserves the right to modify tuition rates and fees without prior notice and to make such modifications applicable to students currently enrolled at the University, as well as to incoming students. Students are responsible for all charges billed by the University.
The estimates included in the shopping sheet are not binding on the Secretary of Education, Georgia State University, or the State of Georgia.
To view your shopping sheet, access your PAWS account.
- Select the Finances Tab.
- Scroll down to the Financial Aid Section.
- Select Access My Financial Aid Information.
- Select Federal Shopping Sheet and enter the appropriate aid year.
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The Student Financial Management Center and the Offices of Student Accounts and Financial Aid are available to assist you despite the office physical closure. View Panther Answer to contact us.
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