Financial Aid

Financing higher education is one of the major concerns for students and parents. Carson-Newman University offers a comprehensive financial aid program that includes federal, state, and institutional resources of aid.

The Financial Aid Office at Carson-Newman University is available to assist families in completing the steps that are necessary in applying for aid. Students wishing to apply for any type of assistance must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This information is used in a formula established by the U.S. Department of Education to calculate the Student Aid Index known as the SAI. The SAI is a number that represents a family’s financial strength and ability to pay for college and helps determine how much financial aid a student is eligible to receive.

Many types of assistance are based upon financial need, which is defined as the student’s educational cost minus the SAI. The FAFSA should be completed even if students think they will not qualify, are requesting merit-only awards, or are requesting loan or work-study employment. The State of Tennessee requires the submission of the FAFSA to be able to receive the TELS (HOPE) Scholarship or the Tennessee Promise Scholarship. In addition, to receive assistance from federal student aid programs, students must be U.S. citizens or eligible non-citizens; be admitted into a degree program; and continue to make Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress (FASAP) every semester.

Apply for Financial Aid

Complete the FAFSA online at https://studentaid.gov. FAFSAs may be submitted year-round, but priority processing for new students will take place for FAFSAs received by February 1st prior to the fall semester. If a paper application is needed, students may request one directly from the U.S. Department of Education. List Carson- Newman University on your FAFSA with our federal code of 003481.

Once all forms have been received, a financial aid counselor will review the file for financial aid eligibility, and an Aid Offer notification letter and email will be generated directing the student to their MyCN to view the proposed assistance.

NOTE: Federal and/or state regulations governing the application process and awarding of financial aid may change. These changes may impact the awarding and renewal of financial aid at Carson-Newman University.

Student responsibility in completing necessary forms and returning them to the Carson-Newman University Financial Aid Office as quickly as possible cannot be over emphasized.

Information and forms are available on the C-N Financial Aid website at Financial Aid | Carson-Newman University or may be obtained by writing or calling:

Financial Aid Office Carson-Newman University
1645 Russell Avenue Jefferson City, TN 37760
(865) 471-3247 or 1-800-678-9061

No aid is automatically renewable; all aid requires application each year. For further information, please e-mail the Financial Aid Office at financialaid@cn.edu or consult our website. More detailed information is also available in the Financial Aid Handbook online.

Disbursements

All financial aid will be credited to your student account each term. For traditional semester attendance, disbursement is scheduled roughly two weeks from the start of the term (after census date) upon confirming you have begun attendance in each class anticipated.

Until the aid is disbursed to your student account, aid will be pending. Award amounts will be based upon your actual attendance in each class. For instance, if you register for 12 credit hours, but only begin attendance in 9 credit hours, your award amounts will be recalculated for 9 credit hours. It is important to begin attendance and have your schedule finalized by the last day to make a schedule change without a fee (census date) each term. Disbursement dates for module classes are traditionally scheduled on the first Thursday after the census date of each module.

Federal Work-Study

The Federal Work-Study Program provides jobs for students who have financial need and who need to earn a part of their educational expenses. Students can attend a job fair to facilitate job placement. Eligible students are placed in jobs on campus where they can work a limited number of hours per week. Jobs are available in a variety of departments across campus. The rate of pay for most jobs is at least the federal minimum wage.

Types of Assistance

Scholarships and grants, loans, and part-time employment through the work-study program. These types of assistance may be awarded individually or in combination depending upon the needs of the student and family. The financial need of a family will be used in priority for awarding funds. Notification of assistance will be in the form of an Aid Offer notification letter as well as an email to the student’s email and will direct them to access the actual offer via MyCN at the student’s convenience.

New students must first apply and be accepted for admission to Carson-Newman University and file the current year FAFSA before an aid letter is prepared. Continuing students need only to complete the FAFSA each year and maintain satisfactory academic progress. For additional information on any financial aid topic or scholarship program, please contact the Financial Aid Office or view online at Financial Aid | Carson-Newman University.