Financial Aid Consumer Information Q&A

You must meet the following requirements:

1. Be enrolled as a regular student in an eligible program
2. Meet one of the following academic criteria:
   • Have a high school diploma or its recognized equivalent (e.g., HiSEt or GED)
   • Be home-schooled, as required by state law
3. Be a United States citizen or eligible non-citizen
4. Have a valid Social Security Number with the Social Security Administration, if required
5. Have not obtained an undergraduate degree
6. Not exceeded 600% of the Lifetime Eligibility Used for Pell Grant.
7. Not be in default on a Title IV loan or, if in default, have made satisfactory repayment arrangements
8. Not be liable for an overpayment of a Title IV grant or Federal Perkins Loan or, if liable, have made satisfactory repayment arrangements
9. Must be in compliance with SAP requirements

Fill out your FAFSA on the internet at www.fafsa.gov. The federal financial aid award year starts July 1 and runs through June 30. You may file your FAFSA online starting October 1 for the upcoming award year. Include Tulsa Tech’s school code on your FAFSA: 012572.

Tulsa Tech has representatives available to assist students in completing the FAFSA online. Please contact the financial assistance office at (918) 828-5280 for more information.

Tulsa Tech does not participate in the federal student loan program but does have many scholarship opportunities. To maximize the financial aid you may be eligible for, we suggest you complete Tulsa Tech’s online scholarship application. 

After your FAFSA is submitted online, you will receive an email response from the Department of Education informing you of the status of your application. If you entered Tulsa Tech's school code, 012572, the school will also receive a copy of the report.

The Verification Process

If you are chosen for verification by the Department of Education and you are eligible for a Pell Grant, you will receive an email from Tulsa Tech’s financial assistance office requesting the documents that must be verified. You must submit the requested documents within 30 days of the date on the email or Tulsa Tech has the right to forfeit Federal Financial Aid awards for the year.

Tulsa Tech verifies 100% of the applicants selected by the Department of Education’s Central Processing System (CPS) eligible for a Pell Grant, FSEOG, and OTAG. Tulsa Tech may also require verification documents from students not selected by CPS if there is a reason to believe the student has falsified information on their FAFSA.

Students chosen for verification may be required to submit an Institutional Verification Worksheet. Additional requested documentation may include: a signed copy of federal tax transcript, proof of citizenship, a letter from the Selective Service, and/or additional information that may be required to resolve conflicting information.

After the verification process has been completed, your eligibility will be re-evaluated. If you are not eligible for a Pell Grant you will receive an email from Tulsa Tech’s financial assistance with additional information.

Overpayments and Referrals

Referral of Overpayments: If the verification process reveals an overpayment has occurred, Tulsa Tech will make every effort to collect the overpayment. If Tulsa Tech is not able to collect Federal Pell Grant overpayments (which were not the result of an Institutional error); Tulsa Tech will refer the overpayment case to the Department of Education for collection. If a case is referred to the Department of Education, the student will be ineligible to receive federal student aid funds at any school until the overpayment is resolved.

Referral of Fraud Cases: If Tulsa Tech suspects an applicant, employee, or other individual has misreported information and/or altered documentation to fraudulently obtain federal funds, Tulsa Tech will report the suspected activities to the Department of Education’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG).

Tulsa Tech uses the Federal Needs Analysis Methodology to determine the Student Aid Index (SAI), as well as the student’s Cost of Attendance (COA).

The COA is the total amount it will cost to attend Tulsa Tech. The COA includes tuition, fees, books and supplies, as well as, an allowance for food and housing, transportation, personal and miscellaneous expenses. COA could also include the cost of obtaining a license, certification, or first professional credential; dependent care expenses or disability-related expenses.

The SAI is the amount that indicates how much of a student’s family financial resources should be available to help pay for school. It is determined by the U.S. Department of Education based on the information you submitted on your FAFSA. The SAI can include a parental contribution, for dependent students, and a student contribution and spouse if applicable, for an independent student.

If an agency will be paying your tuition, fees, etc., it is your responsibility to notify the financial assistance office of any awards you will be receiving.

Professional Judgment is a discretionary decision or professional opinion reached on the basis of the experience of the financial aid administer. The professional judgment decisions at Tulsa Tech will be made on an individual basis to determine eligibility for Federal Pell Grant only.

Professional judgment may be requested for death or disability of student/spouse/parent, involuntary loss of employment, or other special circumstances that may have led to changes in income. A Request for Professional Judgment form must be submitted to the financial assistance office, along with supporting documentation.

This process may take several weeks to complete. You will be notified if the request has been denied. If the request is approved, you will receive an award offer indicating the amount of Pell Grant you are eligible for.

Professional Judgment to override a dependent student’s status will be made on an individual basis.

Federal Pell Grant

Once you have met all requirements for federal aid, the financial assistance office will mail you an award offer, an explanation of disbursements, and a Pell Grant Authorization form.

Your Pell Grant eligibility is based on the following:

• Student Aid Index and full-time entitlement amount from the Federal Pell Grant schedule
• Federal Pell Grant cost of attendance
• Program in which you are enrolled
• Number of hours enrolled for the school year
• The academic year definition for calculating Federal Financial Aid eligibility is 900 hours and 26 weeks.
• All programs that are 900 hours would have two payment periods of 450 hours and 13 weeks.
• For programs less than 900 hours, the payment periods are one half of the total hours and weeks of the program.

Charging Books and Supplies

Tulsa Tech students who have been awarded a Pell Grant will have the option of using Pell Grant funds to purchase books and supplies at the Tulsa Tech bookstore within the first ten days of their start date. If your Pell Grant is more than your student account charges, and you do not have another scholarship or sponsorship covering your books and supplies, you need to inform the bookstore attendant that you would like to use your Pell Grant to purchase your books and supplies. It is your responsibility to inform the bookstore attendant; by not doing so you will be considered to have opted-out of the process.

Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)

Tulsa Tech has a limited amount of FSEOG funds. FSEOG will be awarded to students as follows:

• Must be receiving a Federal Pell Grant
• Have a zero SAI
• Priority consideration will be based on the original FAFSA processing date
• Priority consideration will be given to students not eligible for institutional scholarships, outside scholarships or other types of financial aid resources
• Qualifying students will be awarded up to $800.00 per year ($400.00 for each payment period)
• Funds not awarded and disbursed during the first half of the academic year will be reserved to be awarded in the second half of the academic year.

If Tulsa Tech has remaining FSEOG funds to award after disbursements have been made to eligible students meeting the requirements above, awards may be made to students based on next lowest SAI.

Oklahoma Tuition Aid Grant (OTAG)

Every fall and spring, the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education will send Tulsa Tech a list of students that are eligible for Oklahoma Tuition Aid Grant (OTAG) funds. You must be a legal resident of Oklahoma as determined by the current Policy on Resident Status of Enrolled Students in the Oklahoma State System of Higher Education. OTAG funds are limited, so you need to complete your FAFSA as early as possible, after October 1 for the upcoming award year. OTAG funds are awarded to the neediest students first, based on the SAI from your FAFSA.

If you have met the requirements for a Federal Pell Grant, your OTAG funds will be requested from the Oklahoma State Regents office. Once the funds have been received an award offer will be mailed to you indicating your OTAG award.

Federal Pell Grant Funds

Federal Pell Grant funds will be applied directly to your student account for the current school year. The Explanation of Disbursements form, which you will receive with your award offer, lists the estimated date(s) of your disbursement or disbursements for each corresponding payment period. All charges, including tuition, books, etc., for the current payment period must be paid in full before any refund will be issued to you. If there is a credit balance after the funds have been applied, you will receive a refund check at your campus.

Please keep in mind that in order to be eligible for your Pell Grant disbursements, you must successfully complete all the clock hours and curriculum associated with the hours in each corresponding payment period. These requirements are described in the ‘What is Satisfactory Academic Progress?’ section of this document.

Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)

FSEOG will be divided into two disbursements. The first disbursement will be applied to your student account after you have been awarded FSEOG, which is usually at least 30 days after the first day of class. The second disbursement will be applied to your student account once you have successfully completed the hours in the first payment period by meeting the requirements described in the ‘What is Satisfactory Academic Progress?’ section of this document. These funds will be applied to the tuition, fees, books, etc., for the current school year.

Tulsa Tech will send you an award offer notifying you when your FSEOG funds will be applied to your student account. If the funds create a credit balance, a refund check will be issued to you at your campus.

Oklahoma Tuition Aid Grant (OTAG)

Tulsa Tech will mail you an award offer notifying you when your OTAG funds have been received from the Oklahoma State Regents office. These funds will be applied to the tuition, fees, books, etc., for the current school year. If the funds create a credit balance, a refund check will be issued to you at your campus on the date provided in the award letter.

For Title IV Federal Financial Aid, OTAG, and Oklahoma Promise, Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) means that the student is proceeding in a positive manner toward fulfilling certificate requirements in a normal length of time. SAP means that the student is meeting the qualitative (grade) and quantitative (maximum time frame) requirements for the program of study. Both of these standards are cumulative for the program. These standards are reviewed at the end of each payment period, when the student’s scheduled clock hours have elapsed, regardless of whether the student attended them. Depending on the number of hours in the program, a student would have two or more payment periods. Example:  A 900-hour program would have two payment periods of 450 hours/13 weeks.

Qualitative Grades

Students must maintain a 2.0 grade point average (GPA) or better, or a C or better in the program. Grade requirements may be defined differently in programs or courses for which special grading scales exist to meet state or national certifications or other special requirements. Requirements are defined in the applicable program handbook and/or course syllabi. Students will be expected to complete all hours of the program and must maintain 90% attendance. This includes but is not limited to attendance for in person learning, work based learning and off-site learning opportunities.

Quantitative Measure – Maximum Time Frame

Students are required to complete their program within 150% of the length of the programs published time frame. However, students will only receive financial aid for 100% of hours for which the program is accredited. Students must progress at a pace of 67% at the end of each payment period. This percentage is based on the calculation of clock hours successfully completed divided by the clock hours scheduled to complete.

For example, if a 1050-hour program is listed as 1050 hours and 37 weeks for a full-time student, the student must complete the program in 55.5 weeks. If the student is attending part-time, the program would take twice as long to complete; therefore, the program would take 74 weeks to complete, and a part-time student would have 111 weeks to complete it.

Disbursement Rule

Students in their first payment period are eligible for a disbursement after verification that they are enrolled in and attending an approved program on at least a half-time basis.

For subsequent payment periods, students must successfully complete 100% of all course work and attend at least 90% of the scheduled clock hours within the payment period to be eligible for a disbursement.

Warning Status

A student not meeting the standards outlined above may be placed on Warning Status for the following payment period. The student would receive financial aid during this warning period. If the student does not meet the SAP requirements of two payment periods in a row, the student would be notified in writing that they have been placed on a Suspension Status and lose eligibility for financial aid.

If the student feels there was an error in the calculation of his/her SAP, it is the student's responsibility to contact the financial aid office.

If a student is making SAP at the end of the Financial Aid Warning, they shall be returned to normal SAP status with no loss of Title IV eligibility.

If your financial aid has been suspended, you are responsible for any remaining tuition charges. You may ask for your aid to be reinstated after you have earned a grade of “C” or better once you have completed the number of hours in the payment period for which your aid was terminated. You must notify the financial assistance office in writing once you have met these requirements.

The law specifies how Tulsa Tech must determine the amount of Title IV program assistance that you earn if you withdraw from school. The Title IV programs that are covered by this law at Tulsa Tech are: Federal Pell Grants, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (FSEOG), Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant.

When you withdraw during your payment period, the amount of Title IV program assistance that you have earned up to that point is determined by a specific formula. If you received (or Tulsa Tech received on your behalf)less assistance than the amount that you earned, you may be able to receive those additional funds in the form of a post-withdrawal disbursement.

If you received more assistance than you earned, the excess funds must be returned by the school and/or you. The amount of assistance that you have earned is determined on a pro rata basis. For example, if you could have completed 30% of your payment period, you earn 30% of the assistance you were originally scheduled to receive. Once you have completed more than 60% of the payment period, you earn all the assistance that you were scheduled to receive for that period.

Recalculation of Pell Grant Awards for Students Who Graduate Early

Students are expected to successfully complete all clock hours as they progress through their program of study. However, a portion of the Pell Grant funds that were awarded to a student who successfully completes the requirements for graduation before completing the number of clock hours that they were scheduled to complete may be required to be returned. Successfully completed clock hours may include a limited number of clock hours for which the student was granted an excused absence. The school must return the difference between the recalculated award amount and the Pell Grant amount that the student originally received to the U.S. Department of Education. The student will not be responsible for repaying these funds to the school.

Tulsa Tech offers several institutional scholarships, as well as opportunities for funding from outside agencies. For information on these funding options and how to apply, please contact the financial assistance office.

• CTSO Scholarship
• Oklahoma National Guard Waiver
• Accelerating Independence Scholarship
• Tulsa Works Scholarship
• Pathways Scholarship
• Financial Needs Scholarship
• Partner School Scholarship
• Superintendent Scholarship
• Gene Haas Scholarship
• Margaret Hudson Scholarship
• Oklahoma Promise
• Tulsa Tech Education Foundation Scholarship
• Veterans Educational Benefits
• Workforce Investment Act
• Vocational Rehabilitation
• Tribal Benefits

Contact the financial assistance office if you have any questions about information in this document or other consumer information posted on the Tulsa Tech website. If you have any additional questions, please contact:

Tulsa Tech
Financial Assistance Office
PO Box 477200
Tulsa, OK 74147.7200

P: 918-828-5000
F: 918-828-5269
E: financialassistance@tulsatech.edu