Financial Aid

PLEASE REFER TO THE FINANCIAL AID GUIDE FOR ALL QUESTIONS REGARDING FINANCIAL AID, INCLUDING SCHOLARSHIPS, GRANTS AND LOANS.

Hardin-Simmons University is committed to providing excellence in education that is affordable for our students, regardless of their personal financial status or background. Approximately 90 percent of students receive some form of financial assistance through various scholarship, grant, loan, and work programs.

Working together with you, we will put together the best program of financial assistance for which you qualify. Combined with what you and your family can provide, this assistance should make your college career a wise and affordable investment.

Applying for Financial Aid

The following information (steps) applies to all students wishing to determine eligibility for financial assistance through various programs of which eligibility is required.

Be sure to read through "My Financial Aid Guide". It anticipates and answers questions on a variety of financial aid topics including "Expected Costs".

• STEP 1: Apply to Hardin-Simmons University

  Scholarship funding is available through HSU, for those who have Applied for Admission.
  
  Once you are admitted, you will receive notice of the scholarship awards for which you qualify (see Institutional Scholarships).

• STEP 2: Apply for Federal and State Grants and Loans

  To begin the process of obtaining financial aid, fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This form must be completed online. Online applications require a PIN for both you and a parent or guardian.

  FAFSA forms should be submitted as soon as possible AFTER January 1 of each year. The FAFSA is based on the previous tax year and is a document that must be filed annually. Some funding is limited, so for priority processing, submit the form prior to March 1 of each year. Make sure to include HSU’s code: 003571.

• STEP 3: Complete Verification (if selected)

  Your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) may be selected for review in a process called verification. The law says that before awarding Federal Student Aid, we may ask you to confirm the information you and your parents reported on your FAFSA. To verify that you provided correct information the financial aid office at your school will compare your FAFSA with the information on this worksheet and with any other required documents. If there are differences, your FAFSA information may need to be corrected. You and at least one parent must complete and sign this worksheet, attach any required documents, and submit the form and other required documents to the financial aid administrator at your school. Your school may ask for additional information. If you have questions about verification, contact your financial aid administrator as soon as possible so that your financial aid will not be delayed.

  New federal guidelines now stipulate that FAFSA Verification can no longer be completed using paper tax return forms. All documentation must come directly from the IRS in the form of an official tax transcript or by utilizing the IRS electronic Data Retrieval Tool feature now available beginning with the 12/13 FAFSA. This IRS Link transfers the necessary tax information directly to your FAFSA.

  In addition to the IRS Transcript or IRS Data Retrieval Tool, below is a list of the documents and actions from you, which may be required by the federal government to complete your FAFSA Verification.

  1. Provide a SIGNED, completed copy of the 2012-2013 Verification Worksheet. You can obtain this form by clicking here.
  2. Transfer your parents' federal tax return information using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool. Don't forget to electronically re-sign and resubmit your FAFSA once your tax information has been successfully transferred by the IRS Link.
  3. If your parents did not and are not required to file an Income Tax Return, you may be required to submit copies of all your parents' W2 forms.
  4. Transfer your (and your spouses's) 2011 federal tax return information using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool. Don't forget to electronically sign and resubmit your FAFSA once your tax information has been successfully transferred.
  5. If you did not and are not required to file a 2011 Income Tax Return, you may be required to submit copies of all your (and/or your spouse's) 2011 W2 forms.
• STEP 4: Submit your Texas Residency Affirmation Form

  Bona fide Texas residents looking to be eligible for state grant funds must complete an Oath of Residency Form before being awarded any state grant funds.

• STEP 5: Seek Outside Scholarships

  Look through the HSU "My Scholarship Guide". It contains numerous helpful, safe websites and more than 100 scholarship offers provided to HSU students from numerous donors.

  Talk to your high school counselor and explore credible web sites like www.fastweb.com to learn more about the availability of outside awards. Your local library, newspaper, and community organizations are also good sources for scholarship information.
  
  Your church may offer a scholarship that may also be eligible for matching by HSU. See the Forms section for the forms that need to accompany Outside Scholarships.

  Beware of scholarship search services that may be scams and/or frauds. Do not pay for information or services that are provided free elsewhere.

• STEP 6: Apply for Departmental Scholarships

  Each academic department (based on major area of study) is responsible for the awarding of scholarships within its department. Not all departments award money to incoming freshman. Please contact the appropriate academic department about scholarships within your major field of study.

• STEP 7: Review Your Award Notification
  Once admitted to HSU, filed your FAFSA, and submitted verification documents (if applicable), you will be sent an official award notification listing the types and amounts of aid for which you qualify.
  
  Specific cost calculations can be found on page 5 of the on-line My Financial Aid Guide.
  
  You may want to use the Cost Calculator to help determine your financial strategy.
• STEP 8: Apply for Student Employment

  If you have eligibility and desire to work on campus, and have pre-enrolled for the next long semester, you may apply for one of the many part-time jobs available on campus. Please note that there are typically more students wanting jobs than there are available jobs. Log into Blackboard for more information and to complete an on-campus job application.

• STEP 9: Educational Loans

  If you have been awarded a Direct Loan or determine you need to seek a Parent PLUS loan or Private Educational Loan, please refer to the Loans section of the HSU website by clicking HERE.

• STEP 10: Enrollment Deposit
  A $300 enrollment deposit for all new students must be paid prior to class registration. The deposit is refundable prior to May 1st. The deposit will be added to first semester costs.
• STEP 11: Financial Settlement
  One-third of any balance not covered by financial assistance is due at financial settlement. For the fall semester, financial settlement is typically the last Monday of July. Please consult your pre-registration statement for official dates. The My Financial Aid Guide has a section on Payment of Accounts that will provide information about the financial settlement process.
  
  Your feedback will help us to improve our service to you via access our Customer Satisfaction Survey.
  
  For students, the costs are more manageable at HSU, thanks to our Tuition Guarantee Program (the HSU Committment).
  
  You can also contact us with any suggestion, question or comment by e-mail at: financialaid@hsutx.edu. Thank you.