Frequently Asked Questions

The cost of attendance is an estimate for planning purposes and to determine your initial financial aid offers. It includes the costs associated with the student’s education for the academic year (fall and spring). The summer semester is optional and has a separate COA.

To apply for federal, state, or institutional aid, you need to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) every year. It becomes available October 1st each year online at studentaid.gov or download the myStudentAid app in Google Play or Apple Store.

FSU's school code is 001489.

We start awarding admitted and continuing students in Spring ever year (March/April). If it is after that time and you are just completing your FAFSA, allow 7-10 days for your award to be posted to your online Financial Aid page. If you don't see an award offer, you may need to review your FAFSA to make sure it was not rejected by the federal processor (missing signatures or invalid information may prevent the FAFSA process from completing. Log back in to your FAFSA application or via mobile app and check the FAFSA comments for instructions on how to finalize your FAFSA).

You need to activate your FSUID to be able to log in to see your financial aid status and award. Go to FSU's activation information page here to activate your ID.

You'll need your EMPLID -- which you can request here.

No, you don't need to report Florida Pre-Paid as a resource on your FSU award. Please read the FAFSA instructions carefully though, as you may need to report it as investment income if your parent's purchased the contract.

You will not need to accept your scholarships or grants, these will be automatically disbursed based on your eligibility. However, if you have been offered Federal Work Study or Federal Stafford Loan as a part of your award, then you'll need to decide if you want to accept or decline these awards. Work study can only be Accepted as awarded (full amount) or Declined. Loans can be Accepted as awarded, Reduced (accept a partial amount based on your estimation of what you will need to pay your expenses), or Declined. Please review our resources page at  https://financialaid.fsu.edu/resources/myfsu-guides for a step by step guide to accept or decline your awards.

For more information on Federal Work Study, or Federal Stafford Loans, please visit financialaid.fsu.edu.

All eligible students will be disbursed based on the dates posted on https://studentfinance.fsu.edu/. Please ensure that your are ready for disbursement by reviewing our financial aid disbursement checklist at https://financialaid.fsu.edu/resources/office-financial-aid-checklists.

If you are eligible for financial aid but your aid is not available during distribution you may be eligible for a tuition deferment. Check your student financial services account online at Student Financials on the Student Central webpage during the posted distribution period to see if your aid has been applied to your account or if a deferment has been posted.

Be sure to complete your FAFSA as early as possible every year (October 1). Research Scholarships locally and nationally. Know the renewal criteria for any grants or scholarships that you may be eligible for, so that you can make sure that you meet all renewal criteria.

The federal processor determines your individual family's ability to contribute to the cost of education ("Student Aid Index") using the information you provide on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and a standard formula established by the U.S. Congress. After receiving your Student Aid Index amount from the processor, the Office for Student Financial Services then subtracts your Student Aid Index from the standard student budget (average cost of attendance).

Yes, it can. Before you are allowed to view your financial aid package, the Terms and Conditions (you must agree to) indicates initial financial aid awards are our best estimate of what you are eligible to receive. You may view your current financial aid package on your Student Portal under "My Finances." Most changes in awards involve factors which are under your control, or of which you should be aware. Your award may be increased, reduced, or even canceled for various reasons outlined on our award revision page at https://financialaid.fsu.edu/resources/policies-procedures/award-revision.

Family assets, such as stocks and bonds, net business worth, and savings are taken into account in determining Student Aid Index toward a student's education. Eligibility for federal financial aid funds is determined by rules set by the federal government that provide, among other things, allowances for retirement needs in computing this contribution.

The amount on your financial aid package is created assuming you will be enrolled full time.

Pell Grant and Florida Student Assistance Grant are pro-rated if you are enrolled less than full time (minimum of 12 credit hours at the end of Drop/Add).

Pell/Florida Student Assistance Grant:

• If you are enrolled as a full time student you will receive the full amount of Pell/Florida Student Assistance Grant offered.
• If you are enrolled as a 3/4th student, you will receive 3/4th of the Pell/Florida
  Student Assistance Grant offer.
• If you are enrolled as a half time student you will only receive half of the Pell/Florida Student Assistance Grant offer.

Bright Futures:

• Bright Futures is paid per credit hour. It is estimated on your award based on 15 credit hours, but if you enroll in 12 it will pay less. If you enroll in 16, it will pay more (as long as you have remaining hours in the program sufficient to cover your enrollment).

Email us at financialaid@fsu.edu before the tuition deadline to request for assistance with your deferment.

Tuition and other university charges will be available to you on your online Account Statement on my.fsu.edu, details of this process are available on https://studentfinance.fsu.edu/student-accounts.

For general tuition rates, visit Student Finance website: https://studentfinance.fsu.edu/tuition-fees.

Please check the refunds page (https://studentfinance.fsu.edu/refunds) on Student Finance website for information related to refunds.

If you have been awarded financial aid, you may be eligible for a short term tuition deferment. If your aid is not available during distribution, go to Account Statement on the Student Central webpage to see if a deferment has been posted to your account.

Deferments can only be processed on the official distribution days, as listed on the Student Financial Services website at https://studentfinance.fsu.edu/.

FAILURE TO COVER TUITION AND FEES WITH EITHER FULL PAYMENT OR DEFERMENT WILL RESULT IN CANCELLATION OF CLASSES AND/OR A LATE PAYMENT FEE OF $100.00 ASSESSED TO YOUR ACCOUNT.

Tuition is due by the deadline set by the university each term, and must be paid or deferred by that date. Be prepared to pay any charges that your financial aid does not cover. You are responsible for checking your Account Statement on the Student Central webpage by the tuition deadline to see if the financial aid awarded for the semester is available/applied to your account, or to see if a full or partial deferment has been processed. For information on how to pay tuition or any university charges, go to Student Finance.

First, if you are not a first degree seeking undergraduate student, you will not be eligible for Federal Pell Grant. If you are working on your first bachelor's degree, then your application is next based on your Student Aid Index as calculated from your FAFSA application information. The calculation is a federal formula that uses income, family size, state of residency, and other data to calculate a number between 00000 and 99999.

Your FSAG award will disburse at the end of drop/add based on your enrollment. Please check the enrollment requirements for FSAG here https://financialaid.fsu.edu/terms-and-conditions.

There can be a couple of reasons why a Bright Futures scholarship may not show. If you are just graduating from high school this year, you'll need to make sure that you've completed your Bright Futures/State of Florida Application and that your scholarship has been posted with FSU's code 371 so that we can receive information from the state on your eligibility. We may not be able to process your Bright Futures scholarship until you take this step.

Also, if you are a new student to FSU, make sure that the Admissions/Records office has your Residency information to document your Florida residency status, as that is required for Florida Bright Futures awarding.

If you have lost your Bright Futures, please review the ‘Appeals’ section of our forms page at https://financialaid.fsu.edu/forms.

The Florida Legislature sets Bright Futures rules and rates each year. The best reference for Bright Futures payment amounts is the Florida Department of Education's website (floridastudentfinancialaid.org). 

Possibly. Each student who applies for aid is eligible for a certain amount according to their financial circumstances and educational costs. If an outside scholarship results in your receiving more aid than the federal processor indicates you are eligible to receive, you may lose other aid. This will depend upon the type of other aid you are receiving. IF you receive an outside scholarship, contact your home school financial aid office to find out how or if it will affect your total package.

• Please see the state fact sheets at https://www.floridastudentfinancialaidsg.org for specific renewal requirements for state awards.
• The state has an hours earned calculator available here that can help you determine if you have met the hours requirement: Bright Futures Credit Hour Tool  .
• You can log into your state file at https://www.floridastudentfinancialaidsg.org at any time to review your status.

• If you were a freshman this year (or if this was your first year of Bright Futures) and you are not meeting the GPA requirement (only) – you can take summer classes to see if you can improve your GPA.
• You cannot make up GPA if you have received Bright Futures beyond 1 year, and you cannot make up earned hours if you did not earn hours as required.

Florida Statute states if a student does not meet the scholarship and/or grant renewal criteria due to a verifiable illness or emergency beyond his or her control, he or she may file an appeal to the financial aid office at the institution he or she was attending at the time the problem occurred. Please log into your student portal to submit your state appeal.

Florida State University
Office of Student Finance
Attn: Private Scholarships
A1500 University Center A
Tallahassee, FL 32306-2394

To ensure timely disbursement, please make sure all checks are made payable to Florida State University. Be sure to include the student’s full name, student ID, the term for which the funds are for, and a memo with any additional requirements for the application of the scholarship funds.

An unsubsidized loan accrues interest during in-school grace period, while a subsidized loan does not. The Federal government pays the interest on the subsidized loan while you are in school at least 1/2 time (6 credit hours or more).

There are two types of Stafford Loans, Subsidized and Unsubsidized Stafford. More information can be seen on https://studentaid.gov/sa/types/loans.

Federal student loans are an investment in your future and are available to assist you with funding your education. You should not be afraid to take out federal student loans, but should exhaust all available resources and be a smart borrower.

To apply for a federal student loan, you must complete and submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid and the school will send you a financial aid offer based on your results. Before you can receive your loan funds, you will be required to complete Loan Entrance Counseling and sign a Master Promissory Note.

Direct Subsidized Loans are available to undergraduate student with a financial need and the
U.S Department of Education pays the interest while the student is enrolled at least half-time.

Direct Unsubsidized Loans are available to undergraduate and graduate students and does not require the student to demonstrate financial need.

Please check our loans page to determine your eligibility for all loans

You can find current interest rates here.

Yes. There are loan fees on all Federal Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Stafford Loans. The loan fee is percentage of the loan amount proportionately deducted from each loan disbursement.

The school will first apply your loan funds to your account to pay for tuition, fees, room and board, and any other school charges on your account statement. If additional fund remain, the balance will be sent to the student. ALL funds must be used for educational expenses.

When you receive your loan, you will be contacted by your loan servicer. Your loan servicer will provide regular updates on the status on your loan(s).

You are required to begin repayment your student loans 6 months after you graduate, leave school, or drop below part-time enrollment.

The amount a student is eligible for depends on certain factors, including your year in college. Review the table provided below.