Financial Aid
Frequently Asked Questions

There is not a separate application for our institutional scholarships. All students who complete the FAFSA and meet admissions requirements are eligible for scholarships. Eligible students are ranked using a formula where financial need is the primary consideration. Those applying by March 1 for the next academic year are given first consideration.

Unfortunately, no these fees are non-refundable after the semester has begun. DSCC makes every attempt to ensure that RODP courses are clearly marked in the course catalog and the schedule.

You may apply for federal financial aid (FAFSA) at any time; however, priority deadlines do exist depending on the type of financial aid you are seeking. March 1 is the priority deadline for scholarships, which the institution has limited resources. State scholarships have deadlines for FAFSA completion and other requirements that are set yearly.

The Student Aid Index (SAI) is an eligibility index number that the Office of Financial Aid uses to determine how much federal student aid you would receive if you attended the school. This number results from the information that you provide on your FAFSA form. This number is not a dollar amount of aid eligibility or what your family is expected to provide. A negative SAI indicates the student has a higher financial need. The Office of Financial Aid will determine your financial need by subtracting your SAI from the cost of attendance. 

Students who fall under the following category must use their parents’ income information: under the age of 24, unmarried, not a veteran, not an orphan or ward of the court, do not have dependents for whom they provide more than 50% of their support, and not working on a master’s or doctorate program. If any of these categories do not fit your circumstance, then you will need to provide your parents’ information on the FAFSA. If there is an extinuating circumstance, then you can contact the Office of Financial Aid financialaid@dscc.edu for information regarding a Dependency Override Request. 

For Dependent Students:

Your family size includes you; your parent(s) (including a stepparent, if applicable); your siblings if they live with your parents (or live apart because of college enrollment), they receive more than half of their support from your parents, and they would continue to receive more than half of their support from your parents during the upcoming academic year. This number should align with whom your parents could claim as a dependent on their tax return.

For Independent Students:

Your family size inclues you; your spouse, if applicable; your dependent children if they live with you, receive more than half of their support from you and will continue to receive more than half of their support from you during the upcoming academic year; any other dependents if they receive and will continue to receive more than half of their support from you in the upcoming academic year.

No, renewal of financial aid is not automatic. Students must file a FAFSA each year and demonstrate satisfactory academic progress.

Verification is a comparison of the FAFSA information with lRS Tax Transcript(s) and other external documentation. The U.S. Department of Education randomly selects students who must be verified.  DSCC may also select students for verification or request additional documents.  The Office of Financial Aid will notify you if you are selected for verification. 

You will see your financial aid requirements listed on your MyDSCC or you can contact the Office of Financial Aid at financialaid@dscc.edu.

You can turn them in at any DSCC location (Dyersburg, Covington, and Paris) or you can mail them to the Financial Aid Office at 1510 Lake Rd, Dyersburg, TN 38024. Documents can also be faxed to 731-286-3354. Any documents not containing personal information can be emailed to financialaid@dscc.edu.

Dyersburg State participates in the Federal Pell Grant, the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG), Federal Work Student, and the Direct Loan Programs. We also offer state programs such as the TN Promise scholarship for students right out of high school, TN Reconnect scholarship for adult students, Tennessee Student Assistance Award (TSAA) grant, and Hope (TELS) scholarship.

Institutional scholarships are also awarded for academic achievement, participation in school activities, financial need, community involvement and major emphasis of study. 

The amount for which you qualify depends upon family size, income, and assets reported on the FAFSA and is determined by a processor for the U.S. Dept. of Education. The amount also may depend upon your enrollment status.

The Pell Grant is awarded based on full-time enrollment and then adjusts to the actual hours you are enrolled in.

If you recently graduated from a Tennessee high school and obtained a 3.0 GPA or scored at least a 21 on the ACT exam, you may be eligible for lottery funds. For more information and additional program eligibility information, visit the College Pays website at here. For further questions about your Hope scholarship award, you can contact the Office of Financial Aid at financialaid@dscc.edu

It depends upon the criteria for the scholarship; however, most scholarships are awarded for one academic year or one semester. Usually, the best recommendation is to visit the Office of Financial Aid before the end of your most recent semester, and inquire about the scholarship criteria. The student will want to prepare a personal thank you to those individuals involved with providing the scholarship.

Contact Amy Kratochvila at 901-475-3126 or 731-286-3273 for information on VA benefits. Information is also available on the VA homepage.

The instructions for completing a student loan are available online:  Apply for a Student Loan

MPN stands for Master Promissory Note which is an agreement to repay loan funds. This is completed at https://studentaid.gov/mpn/. 

If you have bad credit, it will be up to the Department of Education whether or not they allow you to borrow additional funds. If you have filed bankruptcy, you will need to get approval from the bankruptcy trustee verifying the amount of additional debt you will incur. The letter is valid for 10 days and must be submitted to the Office of Financial Aid.

Subsidized loans are need-based loans where the government pays the interest due on the loan while the student is in school and during the grace period. Unsubsidized loans are non-need-based loans where the student is responsible for paying the interest due on the loan while they are in school and during the grace period.

The lender for the Federal Direct Loan program is the U.S. Department of Education. There are several companies that house these loans and they can be transferred from time to time. Your lender will email you with their contact information, website, and instructions to see your account. 

Federal regulations require that all first-year, first-time borrowers must wait 30 days from the first day of class to receive loan funds.

There is a billing due date scheduled and published for each semester. Your bill will need to be paid in full, have enough financial aid to cover it, or set up in a payment plan to secure your schedule. If your bill is not paid by the billing due date, then you will be dropped from your classes. 

Some books are already charged to your DSCC bill as ebooks. You will receive information regarding these books from Follett Bookstores.

All students should be prepared to purchase their textbooks by the first day of class. Due to the complexity of the financial aid awarding process and the federal requirement of verifying class attendance prior to the delivery of financial aid funds, there may be a delay in the receipt of financial aid funds.

The Book Voucher Program is available to students as an advance against their financial aid award to be used for the purpose of purchasing required books, supplies, or manuals for their courses.

The Book Voucher Program is available to students as an advance against their financial aid award to be used for the purpose of purchasing books, supplies, or manuals for their courses.

Students with a credit balance due to financial aid awards will not receive a refund until attendance has been verified for all classes.  Recipients will be notified via email to their MyDSCC mailbox when any disbursements are made and a refund is processed.

Satisfactory progress means that you are progressing toward completion of your degree.  As a minimum, you must maintain at least a 67% completion rate of all the courses you’ve enrolled in. You also must maintain at least a 2.0 GPA. We look at ALL classes you’ve ever taken in any college to determine your completion rate and GPA.

You may receive financial aid for up to 150% of the required hours for your degree or certificate. For an associate’s degree, you can receive financial aid up to 90 attempted hours. For a certificate, it depends on how many hours are required, but you can receive financial aid for 150% of those hours. We look at ALL classes you’ve ever taken in any college to determine how many attempted hours you have. 

Appeal instructions and forms are available online. You must also provide appropriate documentation as outlined in the instructions. Forms can be completed through your MyDSCC or submitted to financialaid@dscc.edu with your personal statement and supporting doucumentation. 

Lottery Scholarships (Hope/TELS): Dropping a class could result in losing your lottery scholarship forever. Please contact the Office of Financial Aid before dropping your class to find out how it would affect you. 

Loans: if you drop all classes, then we will calculate a Return to Title IV on your account to see if funds have to be returned. If you drop below 1/2 time, your loan payment grace period begins.

Additional information: Students may receive aid for 150% of their program (90 hours for associate degree students, less for certificate students) excluding Developmental courses. Please be aware that if you drop too many classes, you will run out of aid before you complete your degree. You must also maintain at least a 67% completion rate of all classes enrolled in.

Check with the Office of Financial Aid BEFORE dropping a class to see how your aid will be affected.

If you are eligible for Pell Grant during the fall/spring semesters, then you will be eligible for Pell Grant in the summer as long as you are enrolled in at least 6 hours.

TN Promise and TN Reconnect are also available in the summer semester if you are eligible.

Students may enroll in the Deferred Payment Plan during Fall and Spring terms. To enroll, you pay a down payment of at least 50% of your account balance plus a $25.00 deferred plan service fee. The remaining account balance will be deferred at 0% interest, and will be payable in two monthly installments. An additional late payment charge of $25 will be assessed for each installment not paid on or before the due date. 

A FAFSA must be filled out each academic year. It takes 3-5 business days to reach DSCC.

Once we receive it, if there are any additional documents needed, then you will receive an email to your DSCC email address and see red flags on your MyDSCC Financial Aid Requirements box. Once your financial aid is processed, you will receive an Award Notification email. 

For Federal Work Study Program allows students to work on campus and the government will pay for there , students should indicate an interest by checking the appropriate question on the FAFSA. Federal Work Study funds are awarded to students who meet the March 1st priority deadline.

Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid online at www.fafsa.gov  You must have a pin for yourself and a parent (if applicable) to sign the application electronically.  You can apply for a PIN at https://fsaid.ed.gov/npas/index.htm

Visit the Office of Financial Aid on any campus (Dyersburg, Covington, Paris) and counselors will be available to assist you with any questions.

• You can request a transcript from IRS, free of charge, in one of three ways:

Online

• Go to http://www.irs.gov
• Look in “Tools” Section
• Click “Order a Tax Return or Account Transcript”
• In the Type of Transcript field, select “Return Transcript”
• In the Tax Year field, select the tax year
• Receive your tax transcript within 5 to 10 working days

Telephone

• Call IRS @ 1-800-908-9946
• Follow instructions
• Receive your tax transcript within 5 to 10 working days

Paper

• Download IRS Form 45067T-EZ at http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f4056tez.pdf
• Mail or fax the completed form to the appropriate address
• Receive tax transcript within 5 to 10 working days

The Office of Financial Aid in Dyersburg is located in the Student Center on the Dyersburg campus. You may reach this office at 731-286-3350.

The Office of Financial Aid in Covington is located in the Jimmy Naifeh Building at the JNC-Tipton County center. You may reach this office at 901-475-3100.

The Office of Financial Aid in Paris is located at the Henry County Center. You may reach this office at 731-407-9618.

You can log into the MyDSCC Student Portal to see if the Financial Aid Office has received your FAFSA.  If you have not yet received your username and password from Admissions and Records, you can call the Financial Aid Office at 731-286-3350 to see if your FAFSA has been processed.  Once in the MyDSCC system you will need to follow these instructions:

• Click on the Student Tab
• Find the Financial Aid Requirements
• Select the Aid Year you want to view
  • The Financial Aid Application will show as complete if we have received the FAFSA.
  • If additional documents are needed, the requirements will display as needed.

You can log into the MyDSCC Student Portal to see if the Financial Aid Office has received your appeal.  Once in the system you will need to follow these instructions:

• Click on the Student Tab
• Find the Financial Aid Requirements
• Select the Aid Year you would like to view.
• View Student Requirements
  • The Financial Aid Appeal will show as complete if we have received all the required documents. This is not an indicator of the appeal being heard and a decision made, it is only an indicator that your appeal is ready to be heard at the next appeal meeting.

You can log into the MyDSCC Student Portal to see your award. Once in the system you will need to follow these instructions:

• Click on the Student Tab
• Find Financial Aid Awards
• Select the Aid Year you would like to view.
• Click on the Award Overview tab.
  • Award descriptions, amounts, and the status will display.  Funds displayed on this page are based on full-time enrollment and may be adjusted based on enrollment.
  • Based on what type of aid you are receiving, your awards could change, since aid is awarded at different times during the year.

You can log into the MyDSCC Student Portal to check the amount of your tuition and fees.  Once in the system you will need to follow these instructions:

• Click on the Student tab
• Find Payment of Fees

• If you are receiving Pell Grant, then you may attend any number of hours as long as you are degree-seeking.
• If you are receiving a student loan, you must maintain at least half-time enrollment. (6 hours)
• If you are receiving TN Promise, then yes, you must enroll and attend full time (at least 12 hours).
• If you are receiving TN Reconnect, then you must enroll and attend at least half-time (6 hours).
• If you are receiving the Hope Scholarship, you must enroll in at least half-time (6 hours)

Before dropping any classes that will change your enrollment status, talk to the Financial Aid Office first. Dropping your enrollment status could result in losing all eligibility for financial aid.

The verification process varies in the time it takes it to be completed, but typically takes 2-3 weeks after the Financial Aid Office has received all the requested documents. Processing is performed on a first-come, first-serve basis and is done as quickly as possible. You will be awarded any eligible financial aid once the verification process is complete. You can log into the MyDSCC Student Portal to check the status of your financial aid award.  Once in the system you will need to follow these instructions:

• Click on the Student Tab
• Click on Financial Aid Awards
• Select the Aid Year you would like to view.
• Click on the Award Overview tab.
  • Award descriptions, amounts, and the status will display.
  • Funds displayed on this page are based on full-time enrollment and may be adjusted based on enrollment.

You can log into the MyDSCC Student Information System to see if the Financial Aid Office has received your verification documents.  Once in the system you will need to follow these instructions:

• Click on the Student Tab
• Find Financial Aid Requirements
• Select Award Year
• View Student Requirements
  • There will be a red flag beside any document still needed, and a green check beside any document that has been received.
  • The ‘verification’ requirement refers to the entire process, and will not turn to a green check until the entire process is complete.

After the financial aid process has been completed, an email listing your award will be sent to your DSCC email address. This email will indicate the amount of aid you can receive based on a full-time enrollment status.

Yes, we do have scholarships. You must file a FAFSA and meet all admissions requirements to be eligible. Eligible students are ranked using a formula where financial need is the primary consideration. March 1 is the priority date for scholarships. Additionally, performance scholarships are awarded by the individual departments. Please contact the applicable department for scholarship requirements (e.g. athletic, music).

All institutions are required to develop a maximum period of time for students to receive aid at their institution, as well as monitor their progress along the way.  Students may receive aid for no more than 150% of the hours required for the degree (90 for associate degree students). As a minimum, you must complete 67% of the classes you attempt.  A grade of A, B, C, D, or P will be required for successful completion.   In addition, you must meet the institution’s minimum standards as you progress toward your degree. Failure to meet these requirements will place a student on suspension. View the Satisfactory Academic Progress Standards.

The maximum amount a first-year student can receive is $3500 not to exceed $1750 per semester. A second-year student may receive a maximum of $4500 or $2250 per semester.