Frequently Asked Questions

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the application for most types of financial aid at Indiana State University, including Federal and State aid. This is an annual application that needs to be completed each academic year you are attending.

Check out our guide to the FAFSA. This page is full of information to answer your questions on completing the application, making corrections and resources.

You'll use prior-prior year income and tax information when filing your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). For more assistance visit our FAFSA page or Tax Return Transcript page.

Your FSA ID (Federal Student Aid) confirms your identity when you access your financial aid information and electronically sign Federal Student Aid documents. You will need an FSA ID to electronically sign and submit your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), as well as to make any needed corrections later. If you are a dependent student, your parent will need his or her own FSA ID, too.  

Do not allow someone to create your FSA ID for you, and you should not create one for someone else. Not even for a family member. This can cause problems with your financial aid down the road. Visit this page for detailed instructions.

The same username and login information will be used each year they complete a FAFSA.

• Student and Parent
• Parent uses the same FSA ID if they have more than one child as a student.

The outside scholarships and the private alternative loan programs are generally two options that may be available to students when there is unmet need. For information on these program requirements, visit types of aid.

Students are generally expected to pay for books with their refunds or other personal means. A student can expect to receive a refund of aid if:

• The Student has satisfied all financial aid requirements shown on the portal, such as:
  • Turned in any missing documents
  • Completed verification, if selected
  • Web accepted loans, if available
  • Completed entrance counseling for any loans
  • Signed any required master promissory notes; and
• The student has been awarded aid over the amount of tuition and room/board (if living on-campus)

Refunds are available no earlier than 10 calendar days before the first day of class. The most convenient way to get a refund (if available) is to sign up for Direct Deposit.

If a student meets all of the conditions to receive a refund before the start of class but has not actually received the money, the student can apply for an Administrative Loan or a Sycamore Emergency Loan to obtain books before the 7th day of class. Contact the Office of Student Financial Aid if you believe you qualify.

You must meet all the institution requirements before financial aid is disbursed to your student account. The initial disbursement of aid occurs 10 days prior to the start of the semester, exception summer. Half of the amount applied for is disbursed at the start of the fall semester and the other half at the start of the spring semester.  Be sure to check out the minimum credit hour requirements for each type of aid and check the MyISU Portal for any outstanding requirements.

Generally, you may not have received your loan funds due to not completing one or more of the required steps, including accepting your Federal Direct Subsidized/Unsubsidized Loans online or completing the Master Promissory Note and Entrance Counseling. You can check for other requirements on Types of Aid webpage or you can speak with a financial aid staff member.

Indiana State University is required to issue From 1098-T, Tuition Statement, which reports either qualified education expenses billed during the calendar year or qualified education expenses paid during the calendar year. The 1098-T is available on the MyISU Portal!  Click the Student Self-Service badge, select the Financial Resources tab, then choose 1098-T.  You can also visit the Office of the Controller webpage for more information.

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) is used to define successful completion of coursework to maintain eligibility for student financial aid. Federal regulations require us to establish, publish, and apply standards to monitor your progress towards completion of your certificate or degree program. If you fail to meet these standards, you will be placed on financial aid probation or suspension. Students must maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress in order to receive funding from the following federal programs: Pell Grant, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG), Work Study, Federal Direct Subsidized/Unsubsidized Loan, and Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loan. Some additional grants and scholarships may also use the SAP standards as minimum criteria for receipt of funding.

SAP SUSPENSION may be appealed if unusual and/or mitigating circumstances affected academic progress. Such circumstances may include a severe illness or injury to the student or an immediate family member, the death of a student's relative, student activation into military service, or other circumstances as deemed appropriate for consideration by the SAP Appeals Committee.

Read our Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy.

Verification is a Federal process used to confirm student's eligibility for certain aid programs.  Students who are selected for verification must submit information to verify the data that they provided on the FAFSA.  Please visit our Verification webpage for more information.

ISU cannot release student information to anyone unless the student has consented to the disclosure of information because of Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). This Act was passed by Congress in 1974 and is also referred to as the Buckley Amendment. Records that are protected by FERPA include personal information, enrollment records, grades, and class schedules. The University must have written permission from the student before releasing information from the student's record.

To set up a FERPA proxy, visit privacy rights and policy.

The Sycamore Emergency Loan Program is intended to assist students who have a need for short-term financial assistance, and who agree to use these funds exclusively to pay educational expenses related to their attendance at Indiana State University.

Available to all full-time students in good academic standing, loans can be made to a maximum of $400 (in $50 increments) and must be repaid within 30 days. Loans must be repaid within the semester for which the funds are intended. There is no interest charge associated with this emergency loan program. A student may have no more than one loan outstanding at a time. For more information - Click Here.

Yes, you can use financial aid to cover living expenses for on or off campus. The Office of Student Financial Aid calculates the Cost of Attendance for all students which determines the maximum amount of financial aid that a student can receive. If the total amount of financial aid is greater than the total charges on a student's account, the student will be issued a refund. This refund can be used to pay for educational expenses including off campus housing.

The Financial Aid electronic forms are set up to send student emails to their University email address. Be sure to check your University inbox or trash folder for the email. If you are still unable to locate the email, contact our office and offer us a different email address to send the link to. For other electronic form assistance, click here.

Yes, an undergraduate student who will graduate in the fall semester will receive a federal direct student loan offer that is prorated based on their enrolled hours and dependency status for the semester. This means you may be offered a different amount in direct student loans than you are used to. The spring semester portion of any loans will be cancelled.

If a course is dropped prior to the last 100% refund date (typically the 7th day of class), it may reduce the student’s Cost of Attendance (COA) and enrollment level. For example, if dropping a class on the 5th day of the semester changes their schedule from 12 hours to 9 hours, then their enrollment level will change from full time to three-quarter time. This may result in a lower amount of Federal Pell Grant and/or Direct Loans.

The student’s Cost of Attendance will freeze on the last 100% refund date (typically the 7th day of class). If a class is dropped after that date, it will not change the cost of attendance or the enrollment level as long as the student attended the class prior to dropping it. If the student does not begin attendance in a class, we may reduce their financial aid awards.

For more information, visit:

• Title IV Policy
• Enrollment Effects

The Federal Work Study Program is a subsidized student employment program. While the name of the program may be deceiving, employees are expected to work (not study) while earning pay.

Federal Work Study can be requested through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or by submitting a Work Study Request form.

Students must apply, interview and be hired for specific Work Study jobs.

For more information about all things Work Study, visit Federal Work Study.

Before the semester begins your Cost of Attendance (COA) is based on the expected enrollment of Full Time status (Undergraduates 12 + credit hours | Graduate/Professional 6 + credit hours). Then 2 weeks before the semester begins your COA will be based upon the actual number of credit hours in which you are enrolled. If you are planning to be enrolled in less than full time credit hours you will need to complete the Expected Enrollment Form.

For more information, visit Enrollment and Its Effects on Financial Aid.