Graduate Students

Where to Start

  • Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid each year using TKU’s school code (035163).
  • Be admitted to TKU.
  • Enroll and maintain at least half-time enrollment at TKU.
  • Cancel all pending financial aid offers/awards at your other school(s), if applicable.
  • Apply for scholarships.
Step 1: Submit your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)

What you need to do

  • Request FSA ID, if you haven’t created one previously.
  • Gather important documents.
  • Fill out the FAFSA online. TKU’s school code is 035163.
  • Wait for your Student Aid Report via email. (This will give you an estimate of federal aid for the full academic year – it is not an official award offer.)
  • Make sure you are applying for the FAFSA that corresponds with the correct year you anticipate enrolling.

What we do

  • Download your FAFSA and match it to your student profile.
  • Determine what additional steps are needed.
Step 2: Apply to TKU

What you need to do

  • Fill out an application for Admission.
  • Include your Social Security Number.
  • Make sure your information matches your information on the FAFSA.

What we do

  • Create an applicant/student profile and email.
  • Send you instructions on how to access your email.
Step 3: Additional Documents

What you need to do

  • Check your TKU student email for a notification on the additional documents needed. (This is typically sent within 7-10 business days after we’ve received your FAFSA and you are enrolled at TKU.)
  • Log into the TKU Financial Aid Portal. Instructions for creating your account will be included in our first email to you for next steps.
  • Complete any outstanding documents listed in the portal. Most documents can be completed electronically or will need to be uploaded to the portal.

What we do

  • Review all documents and send any necessary corrections to FAFSA to the Dept. of Education.
  • Notify you via email if any documentation is incomplete and/or insufficient.
Step 4: Award Offer Sent

What you need to do

  • Make sure you are enrolled at least half-time.
  • Wait for your award letter via email. (This is typically sent within 7-10 business days after enrollment and all documents in step 3 have been received.)

What we do

  • Verify student is meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress standards.
  • Verify enrollment.
  • Set your financial budget.
  • Determine what programs you are eligible for.
  • Make initial awards.
  • Review your awards to ensure your awards are accurate.
  • Send you an award offer notification.
Step 5: Accept Your Awards

What you need to do

  • Log in to the TKU Financial Aid Portal and review your awards.
  • Determine your tuition/fee costs as well as any additional expenses to ensure you are not accepting more aid than is needed.
  • Accept or Decline each award. Adjustments can be made to award amounts in the portal before acceptance.
  • Complete Loan Entrance Counseling and Master Promissory Note for any loans being borrowed.

    * NOTICE: We are unable to disburse federal loans until these two steps are completed.

What we do

  • Submit accepted award information to the US Department of Education.
  • Begin disbursement processes one week after courses start (to verify student attendance).
Step 6: Check for Aid Disbursements

What you need to do

  • Wait for disbursement notification via email.
  • Check your Student Ledger to see disbursements post to your account. This typically occurs in the second week of classes after attendance is verified.

What we do

  • Receive reporting from professors that student is attending courses during first week of classes.
  • Send disbursement requests to Dept. of Education.
  • Receive aid deposits from Dept. of Education.
  • Post disbursements to students’ accounts.
Step 7: Credit Balance Refunds

What you need to do

  • Determine how you want to receive any refunds from TKU.
    • If you’d like to receive refunds via direct deposit, complete the eRefund form.
    • If you’d like to receive refunds via direct deposit, complete the eRefund form.
  • Keep attending classes!

What we do

  • Determine which students have received more aid than needed to pay their tuition/fee balance at TKU.
  • Issue refund checks and direct deposits. (TKU will send all credit balance refunds to students within 14 business days once the credit appears on the student’s account.)