Student Services
Financial Aid

TUI University offers Federal Pell Grants, Federal Stafford Loans and, ACG for eligible students.  

In addition to multiple eligibility criteria, students must be US Citizens, permanent residents or eligible non-citizens as defined on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). International students are not eligible to receive Federal Pell Grants, FSEOG and FFELP.

Federal Pell Grant Program
Assists undergraduate students with financial need who are attending an eligible public or private postsecondary school. Pell Grants are only awarded to undergraduate students who have not earned a bachelor's or professional degree. Pell Grants, which do not have to be repaid, are awarded to students based on need and their enrollment levels. The need is determined by the information provided by the applicant on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA must be filed each award year. How much the applicant will receive under the Pell Grant program is based on the cost of attendance, and the applicant's enrollment status as a part-time (half-time or less than half-time) or full-time.

Federal Education Loans
These loans are guaranteed by the US Department of Education and may be subsidized by the U.S. government or unsubsidized by the US government. For a subsidized loan the U.S. government pays the interest on the loans while the student is enrolled at least half-time at an eligible postsecondary school. The Federal Stafford subsidized loan is awarded based on financial need as determined by the information the applicant provides on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).  

The FAFSA must be filed each award year. The Federal Stafford unsubsidized loan is not awarded based on need. If the student qualifies for an unsubsidized loan, the student will be charged interest from the time the loan is disbursed until it is paid in full. The student can choose to pay the interest while enrolled in school, or allow it to accumulate. Accumulated interest will be added to the principal amount of the loan and will increase the amount to be repaid. If the student makes interest payments while in school, the total cost of the loan will be less than if the student allows the interest to accrue.

Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG)
The ACG program is for Pell eligible students only and a student may receive only two ACG awards. Students must be full time in an associates, bachelors or combined undergraduate/graduate degree program or in a two-academic-year program acceptable for full credit toward a bachelor's degree. The student aid report will note eligibility and TUI University will review in detail.

National SMART Grant (Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent)
The SMART grant is for Pell eligible students that are US citizens, enrolled in the third or fourth year of study have a GPA of 3.00 and you must meet the requirements of CIP (Classification of Instructional Programs code list). If you qualify for this grant your student aid report will note the eligibility, and TUI University will review your file in detail.

FAFSA Application
The first step in applying for financial aid is to complete the free FAFSA. Its purpose is to determine student financial need and several other eligibility factors established by the laws governing the federal student financial aid programs. To begin the process and find out about eligibility, please complete the application available online at the following link: www.fafsa.ed.gov The TUI University school code is 041279. Please contact the TUI University financial aid office when you receive your Student Aid Report (SAR).

Please contact the financial aid office at financialaid@tuiu.edu if you have any questions about applying for financial aid.

Policy for Return of Title IV Funds to Lenders When Students Cease to Be Enrolled Prior to the End of a Payment Period
Federal Pell Grants and Federal Stafford Loans are also known as "Title IV Funds" and "Federal financial aid." Federal financial aid is disbursed based on student enrollment status for each payment period. A payment period (term) is two consecutive sessions of enrollment. There are two terms each academic year. Summer and fall sessions constitute the first term; winter and spring sessions constitute the second term. When a Title IV recipient ceases enrollment in all courses of a payment period before the end of the payment period the student may be ineligible for a portion of the Federal student aid awarded for that payment period. To determine if any Federal funds must be returned by the student or TUI the TUI Financial Aid Department will complete the Federal Return to Title IV (Federal student aid) Worksheet provided by the U.S. Department of Education. This worksheet is used to calculate the portion of the Federal funds awarded for the term that has been earned by the student. In brief, a student earns the Federal student aid funds awarded on a pro rated basis according to the percentage of the term the student completed based on the students completion of assigned coursework. Once a student has completed 60% of the payment period, the student is deemed to have earned 100% of the funds. This percentage is the basis for the computation of the return, if any, to the Federal student financial aid programs including both the Stafford Loan and the Pell Grant programs. For students who drop all classes, the date the student ceases to be enrolled will be the date the student notifies the TUI Registrar that he/she is dropping all classes for that session or the date that the student was last engaged in a learning activity. Once it is determined that a student who has received Title IV funds is no longer enrolled prior to the end of the term and the worksheet is completed, the Director of Financial Aid will send to the student the following notifications:

• A complete description of the refund policy with which the University must comply.
• The requirements for the treatment of Title IV funds when a student ceases to be enrolled prior to the end of the term.
• The requirements and procedures for officially withdrawing from the University.

Policy on Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) for Federal Financial Aid
To be eligible for Federal financial aid (also known as "Title IV funds") a student must be making satisfactory academic progress in his/her degree plan. Any student who is not making satisfactory academic progress under the standards of this policy cannot receive Title IV funds. There are two primary measurements that schools must use to establish student eligibility under SAP. They are qualitative (GPA) and quantitative (credit completion).

GPA: At TUI, cumulative GPA is assessed at the end of each term (twice per year). A student is deemed to be making satisfactory academic progress if that student maintains a cumulative GPA as specified by his/her degree as follows:

• Bachelor of Science in Business Administration - 2.20
• Master of Business Administration - 3.00
• Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration - 3.20
• Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences - 2.20
• Master of Science in Health Sciences - 3.00
• Doctor of Philosophy in Health Sciences - 3.20
• Bachelor of Science in Computer Sciences - 2.20
• Bachelor of Science in Information Technology Management - 2.20
• Master of Science in Information Technology Management - 3.00
• Master of Arts in Education - 3.00
• Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Leadership - 3.20

If a student is not meeting the minimum cumulative GPA requirement at the end of any term, the student will be placed on Title IV Probation for one term. If at the end of the Title IV Probation term the student still is not meeting the cumulative GPA requirement, the student will be deemed ineligible for SAP and will not be eligible for Title IV until all standards of SAP are met. Please note that Title IV Probation relates to the SAP determination of students receiving Title IV student aid and is separate and distinct from a student's academic status. The University's Academic Probation Policy determines student academic standing.

To meet the credit completion requirements, students must be making progress (earning credits) at a rate to ensure they will complete their educational program (degree plan) in no more than 150% of the total credits required to graduate from the program. Students must successfully complete at least 67% of all attempted credits. "Successfully completed" credits, solely for purposes of SAP and Title IV eligibility, are those for which the following grades are awarded:  

• Undergraduate level courses: A, A-, B+,B, B-, C+, C, C-,D
• Master level courses: A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C
• Doctoral level courses: A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, PR

All other grades are counted as "unsuccessful completion" for purposes of SAP and Title IV eligibility.

Please note that while certain grades are considered "successfully completed" for SAP and Title IV eligibility, a grade of D at the undergraduate level, C+ or C at the master level, or B- or C+ at the Doctoral level are not acceptable grades for degree completion and these courses with these grades may need to be repeated. The student should seek the advice of his or her academic advisor or Dean to determine what is required to satisfy TUI academic requirements for graduation. Transfer credits are counted as attempted and completed credits.  This quantitative assessment is made at the end of each academic year (Winter/Spring term).  Students who do not meet this standard are not eligible for Title IV funds until they meet all terms of the SAP standards. If, a student who was not making SAP achieves SAP during a term, the student will be eligible for the entire term.

Grades of "W" are not considered in determining GPA but are considered credits attempted. If a student repeats a course, the credits from both the original and the repeated course are considered credits attempted for SAP and Title IV eligibility purposes and both courses are considered in computing the student's GPA for SAP and Title IV eligibility purposes. Students who receive a failing grade may repeat the course, and if a passing grade is achieved, have the repeated course cancel the failed course for purposes of transcript cumulative GPA only.

The grade for the passed course will be the one remaining on the TUI transcripts. A Ph.D. student who receives a failing grade in DBA699, DHS699 or DEL699 may repeat the course twice. The conditions for the repeat and cancel are as follows:

• Undergraduate Students: Three grades of less than C during the duration of undergraduate studies may be repeated and cancelled.
• Masters Level Students: Two grades of less than a B- during the duration of the masters' level studies may be repeated and cancelled.
• Ph.D. Level Students: One grade of less than a B during the duration of the Ph.D. program may be repeated and cancelled. Except DBA 699, DEL 699, and DHS 699 as stated above. 

See the Repeat and Cancel Policy in the TUI Catalog for additional information.

Grades of "I" (Incomplete) will not be included in the cumulative GPA computations but will be counted in attempted credits. When the grade of "I" is changed to a letter grade, SAP will be recalculated. If SAP is not met, the student may be required to repay Title IV funds.

If a student has attempted credits equal to 150% of the degree program, they are no longer eligible for any Federal financial aid. For example, a student in an undergraduate program of 120 credit hours should be completed by the student receiving Title IV funds with no more than 180 credit hours attempted.

If students change their educational program, they are reassessed under all criteria of SAP.

TUI does not offer non-credit remedial courses.

Appeals of Satisfactory Academic Progress deficiencies can only be granted in cases of mitigating circumstances as defined by the institution. These include illness or injury of student or student's dependent; death of student's immediate family member; military deployment; other medical or personal hardship. The appeal must be made in writing to the appropriate Dean and accompanied by related documentation such as medical notes, birth or death certificates or military papers. The matter that is the basis for the appeal must be corrected or completed and not be expected to be a matter to affect the student's future progress.

Policy on Determination of Amount for FFEL loans
The amount of FFEL loans eligibility for any TUI student will be determined in these three steps.

• The cost to attend the degree program will be determined.
• That amount will be reduced by the sum of:
  • Any anticipated military tuition assistance;
  • Any anticipated Pell Grants;
  • Any other estimated financial assistance including TUI scholarships; and
  • Expected family contribution (EFC) from the FAFSA for subsidized loan eligibility.
• The remainder will be compared to the Title IV limits for FFEL loans to determine the maximum amount of loan for the student based on grade level.

Policy on Delay of Receipt of Funds for First Time Undergraduate FFEL Students
This policy will apply only to FFEL undergraduate students who are applying for the first time for an FFEL loan as a TUI University student. The TUI Financial Aid Department will instruct the appropriate lender to delay forwarding the appropriate funds to TUI until 30 days after the first day of classes for the appropriate term. If a student is only enrolled in the second session of a term, disbursement will be delayed until 30 days after the start of that session. These funds will then be posted to the student's account. If total Title IV aid for a term is greater than tuition and fee charges and a credit balance is created by any disbursement, the balance will be forwarded to the student within 14 days.

Policy on Exit Counseling
Whenever a TUI FFEL student leaves the system, that student will receive exit counseling. This will include students who leave the system for any reason:

• Students who complete their degree program.
• Students who voluntarily leave their degree program before the end of their degree programs.
• Students who are denied continuation in their degree program because of unsatisfactory academic performance.

The Registrar and the Financial Aid Loan Coordinator will identify all such students each session and provide on-line exit counseling with e-mail notification of this counseling.

The exit counseling will include:

• A sample loan repayment schedule passed on the total indebtedness incurred while at TUI.
• Available options for loan repayment to include the standard, extended, graduated, and income-contingent/income sensitive plans.
• In addition, loan consolidation will be discussed.
• Debt management strategies.
• Deferment, forbearance and cancellation options.
• The borrower's responsibilities to keep in touch with the lender and make notification of any change of status.
• A clear statement of how to contact TUI.
• Certain entrance counseling topics such as consequences of default, the importance of repayment obligation, the use of the master promissory note and stressing that repayment is required regardless of educational outcome or subsequent employment.
• Information about the SFA Ombudsman's office.
• Contact information about the lenders.
• Advisement on preparation of correspondence to the lender including deferment requests.

In addition, the TUI Financial Aid Department will obtain from the student any change in the student's personal information such as name, address, social security number, driver's license number, address of next of kin, and name and address of employer or anticipated employer.

Policy on Payment of Credit Balance Student Accounts
When Title IV funds are received by TUI, they will be credited to the individual student accounts within 3 days. Students are notified electronically of all federal student loan disbursements and may cancel or decline those awards. If total Title IV funds disbursed for a term is greater than TUI charges, and a credit balance exists, TUI will send the student a check for the credit balance within 14 days. Student should therefore be vigilant about informing TUI of any changes in address.

While nearly all funds are received electronically, TUI occasionally receives student loan proceeds in the form of a paper check made co-payable to TUI and the student. The student must endorse the check before it can be negotiated and posted to the student's account. The Bursar's office will forward the check to the student for endorsement. When the endorsed check is received by TUI, at this time TUI will immediately deposit it and the funds will be posted to the student's account. Any credit balance will be sent to the student no later than 14 days after that posting.

Policy on Loan Cancellation
When TUI credits any student's account with FFEL funds, the student will receive notice for the following:

• The date and amount of the disbursement.
• The student's right to cancel all or a portion of the loan and to have the loan proceeds returned to the lender.
• The procedures by which the student must notify TUI that he/she wishes to cancel the loan or loan disbursement. This notice will be sent no earlier than 30 days before and no later than 30 days after the student's account is credited.

These notices may be sent either in writing or electronically but if sent electronically, a record will be maintained of the receipt of the notice. If a student notifies TUI that he/she wishes to cancel all or a part of a loan, TUI must return the loan or cancel or do both within 14 days of sending the notice described above, or if that notice is sent more than 14 days prior to the start of the payment period, on the first day of the payment period. If the student requests a loan cancellation after this period, TUI may return the loan proceeds or cancel the loan, or do both in accordance with the applicable program regulations. TUI must inform the student either in writing or electronically as to the outcome of any request for loan cancellation.