Types of Students

There are six different student types for Financial Aid purposes. These types are different from the students types of the Office of Admissions.

Beginning Freshmen

You made it to College, now what? You will have to make another important decision and that is how you are going to pay for your tuition and fees. Let Financial Aid help! Here are a few things you might not know about Financial Aid:

Financial Aid cannot be awarded to you unless you apply for it.
Financial Aid cannot be awarded to you until the Financial Aid Office (FAO) receives your application and all other required information. All of this information must be complete and accurate. You will be notified as to any information you must submit to the FAO.
Once you are awarded financial aid, the funds will be applied to your charges before any excess funds are disbursed to you.
Funds are awarded for two semesters. You will receive half of your total award in the first semester, and half in the second. The amount of the award is based on full time attendance. Certain types of awards will be reduced if you are not a full time student. Please refer to the Terms and Conditions of Awards.
If you receive a student loan, your initial disbursement will not occur until 30 days after the first day of class. You will be responsible for any charges that are due before these funds are available to you.

Now you are ready to begin the application process.

Returning Students

If you are a Returning Student but are new to the Financial Aid Process, please see the Beginning Freshmen tab for helpful information. Also please note these items as well:

You must reapply for financial aid every year. If you received financial aid this past year at Gordon, and you completed the FAFSA, you must reapply for the next aid year by completing the FAFSA for that aid year.
If you are only applying for the HOPE scholarship, you can apply at FAFSA or GSFAPPS. It is recommended that you complete the new GSFAPPS electronic application on the GAFutures website.

Now you are ready to begin the application process.

Learning Support

Students that are required to take Learning Support courses are subject to the following stipulations:

Students can only receive financial aid for a total of 30 attempted hours of remedial coursework.
Learning Support courses are no longer eligible to receive payment from the HOPE scholarship program beginning with the fall 2011 semester.
In order to receive financial aid a student must:
Be enrolled at Gordon State College.
Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress according to the Gordon State College Standards.
Not owe a refund on any grant or be in default on any educational loan.
Not have borrowed in excess of the loan limits under the Title IV programs at any institution.

Now you are ready to begin the application process.

Transfer Students

If you wish to apply for federal student aid, but have not already completed the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) for the academic year in which you plan to enroll at Gordon State College, you can apply on-line at www.fafsa.ed.gov. Gordon's School Code is 001575.

If you have already completed the FAFSA for the academic year in which you plan to enroll at Gordon, but did not list Gordon as one of the schools that should receive your information, you should contact the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 800. 433. 3243 for further instructions on having your information released to Gordon.

Transcripts will be evaluated by the Registrar/Admissions office to determine HOPE eligibility for transfer students.

Please Note: No financial aid (including the HOPE Scholarship) will be awarded until all of your previous academic work has been submitted to Gordon State College. This would include all courses taken at any other school you attended before enrolling at Gordon State College. You must furnish all official transcripts from any school you have enrolled in and/or attended prior to Gordon State College.

Transient Students

A transient student attending Gordon State College is defined as a student that has received permission from the institution where the student is currently enrolled in order to take classes at Gordon State College on a temporary basis.

If you are interested in attending Gordon as a transient student and are eligible for the HOPE scholarship at your current institution, you may be eligible to receive payment for your classes at Gordon through the HOPE scholarship program.

In order to determine your eligibility for the HOPE scholarship, you must have the Financial Aid Office at your current institution submit a HOPE Scholarship Eligibility Certificate for Transient Study to the Gordon State College Financial Aid Office. This document will inform the Gordon State College Financial Aid Office of your HOPE scholarship eligibility status. The Gordon State College Financial Aid Office will not award your HOPE Scholarship funds until this document is received and your eligibility is verified.

Please Note: Gordon State College does not award the HOPE grant.

Non-Citizens

Eligible Citizens and Non-Citizens:

A student must be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen to be eligible for federal or State of Georgia student aid. State of Georgia aid programs (including the HOPE Scholarship, Governor's, etc) also require the eligible non-citizen status to have been granted 12 months prior to the first day of classes of the term for which the student wishes to receive the state aid. A parent of a dependent undergraduate student who wishes to borrow a Federal Stafford PLUS Loan must also be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen.

The general requirement for eligible non-citizens is they are in the U.S. for other than a temporary purpose with the intention of becoming a citizen or lawful permanent resident as evidenced by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). To be considered for financial assistance administered by the Gordon State College Financial Aid Office, you must have one of the following citizenship or eligible resident classifications:

U.S. Citizen
U.S. National (includes natives of American Samoa and Swain's Island)
U.S. Permanent Resident who has:
1. A Permanent Resident Card (Form I-551 since 1997), or
2. A Resident Alien Card (Form I-551 before 1997), or
3. An Alien Registration Receipt Card (Form I-151, issued prior to June 1978), or
4. An Arrival/Departure Record (CBP Form I-94) or the new Departure Record (Form I-94A with the endorsement "Processed for I-551. Temporary Evidence of Lawful Admission for Permanent Residence. Valid until (Date Cannot Have Passed). Employment Authorized.", or
5. A machine readable immigrant visa (MRIV) in the holder's passport. The MRIV will have an admission stamp, and the statement "UPON ENDORSEMENT SERVES AS TEMPORARY I-551 EVIDENCING PERMANENT RESIDENCE FOR 1 YEAR" which appears directly above the machine readable section. An MRIV with this statement, contained in an unexpired foreign passport and endorsed with the admission stamp, constitutes a temporary I-551, valid for one year from the date of endorsement on the stamp.
6. A United States Travel Document (mint green cover), which replaces the Reentry Permit (Form I-327) and the Refugee Travel Document (Form I-571). It is used by lawful permanent residents (as well as refugees and asylees) and is annotated with "Permit to Reenter Form I-327 (Rev. 9-2-03)."
Citizens of the Federated States of Micronesia and the republics of Palau and Marshall Islands.
Note: Citizens of Palau are eligible only for the Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Opportunity Grant or Federal Work-Study (FWS). Citizens of Micronesia and the Marshall Islands are only eligible for the Federal Pell Grant. None of these students are eligible for FFELP student loans.
For eligible noncitizens other than permanent residents:
1. Refugees with a Form I-94 or I-94A annotated with a stamp showing admission under Section 207 of the Immigration Nationality Act (INA). Also acceptable is the old Refugee Travel Document (Form I-571) or the new U.S. Travel Document cited in paragraph 3.f. above annotated with "Refugee Travel Document Form I-571 (Rev. 9-2-03)."
2. Asylees with a Form I-94 or I-94A and a stamp reflecting admission under Section 208 of the INA, or the same travel documents cited in 5.a. above.
  Note: A refugee or an asylee may apply for permanent resident status and may have an I-94 that includes the endorsement "209a (or 209b) pending. Employment Authorized." These students are eligible for federal student aid funds if the I-94 has not expired.
3. Parolees with a Form I-94 or I-94A with a stamp indicating they have been paroled into the United States for at least one year, with a date that has not expired.
4. Cuban-Haitian entrants with a Form I-94 indicating they have been classified as a "Cuban-Haitian Entrant (Status Pending). Reviewable January 15, 1981. Employment authorized until January 15, 1981." This document is valid even if the expiration date has passed. However, if the I-94 is stamped "applicant for permanent residence", the Cuban-Haitian entrant is not eligible for federal student aid and must request documentation of permanent residency status from the USCIS.
5. Victims of Human Trafficking are entitled to the same benefits as refugees under the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act (VTVPA). Because this status is certified by the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and not the DHS, these students must submit their certification or eligibility letter from the HHS to us for review and subsequent contact with the Office of Refugee Resettlement. The spouse , child or parent of a trafficking victim might be eligible for aid, but will have a T-visa (e.g., T-2 or T-3) which must be submitted to us along with the certification letter.

Students applying for federal Title IV aid as eligible non-citizens whose citizenship status is not electronically confirmed by the FAFSA process must provide the Gordon State College Financial Aid Office with documentation. The Gordon State College Financial Aid Office will then initiate a secondary confirmation process with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The confirmation of an eligible citizenship status must be received before students can be awarded any aid.

Ineligible Non-Citizens:

Individuals with F-1, F-2, or M-1 Student Visas, B-1 or B-2 Visitor Visa; J-1 or J-2 Exchange Visitor Visa; H or L series Visas (which allow temporary employment in the U.S.), or a G series Visa (pertaining to international organizations), or a Notice of Approval to Apply for Permanent Residence (I-171 or I-464), an I-94 stamped "Temporary Protected Status" or an approved Form I-797 "Application for Voluntary Departure under The Family Unity Program" ARE NOT ELIGIBLE for any financial assistance administered by this office.

The following are only suggestions and not the responsibility of the Gordon State College Financial Aid Office.

For scholarship and loan information, international students should check the following Web sites:

This list is only suggestive. The Gordon State College Financial Aid Office does not endorse or confirm the business practices of any organization.