FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

• How and where do I drop my classes?
• How do I withdraw from the University?
• Can I submit a grade change form?
• I did not receive my grades, why?
• I was trying to register for classes and the maximum hours I can take are 12, why?
• What should I do if my name is not appearing on the class roll?
• I was enrolled last semester, do I need to reapply?
• I applied last year but did not enroll, do I submit an application again?
• Where do I apply for Graduation?
• What is the required GPA for post graduate applications?
• I am currently enrolled at another college/university, can I take a course that is offered at Texas Southern University?
• Do you accept correspondence courses?
• Do I have to reapply for financial aid each year?
• Why do I have to provide my parents’ information on the FAFSA?
• Is there a point when a family’s income is too high to be eligible for financial aid?
• Are there any academic requirements I need to meet to renew my aid?
• What is the definition of a professional student?
• If I am interested in loans, will I need to submit a application?
• When will refunds be issued?
• Are freshmen required to live on campus?
• How do I apply?
• When is the deadline for applying?
• Is there a minimum score required on the SAT/ACT?
• Where can I take TASP?
• Can I have my transcript sent to you, or may I bring it?
• How many college credits do I need to apply as a transfer student?
• How do I apply for a Pell Grant and other types of need-based aid?
• What is a Student Aid Report?
• When and how will I receive my financial aid?
• Can my financial aid change?
• What is verification?
• What if I am selected for verification?
• If I am in default on a previous loan, what documents are needed to clear the default?
• Can I receive aid for the summer?
• Where do I pay for tuition and fees?
• If I have a financial hold, where do I go?
• What is the refund policy for dropping a course and remaining enrolled at the University?
• How much money do I need to pay out of pocket as a first installment payment?
• How can I make payment online?

Students must pick up a drop form from the Registrar’s office. Then have an academic advisor sign the form and return it to the Registrar’s Office. (NOTE: If you have not paid your fees and the University is still in the registration process, you can go to your academic advisor to have the courses voided.)

First, pick-up a drop form from the Registrar’s Office. Then, obtain all appropriate signatures, and return the form to the Registrar’s Office.

No, only an instructor can submit a grade change form.

Either due to an invalid address on file or a financial hold. (Check with the Comptroller’s Office.)

Academic performance during the semester preceding the current term determines a student’s maximum load.

Check your payment status at the Bursar’s Office or Comptroller’s Office.

No, just check with your respective department. (GUAC if you have not PASSED TASP)

No, we will update your file for any semester up to one year of application.

Graduation applications are obtained from the department of the student’s major. Student must secure all required signatures, then payments for graduation should be made in the Bursar’s Office. Finally, submit completed application with curriculum attached prior to the deadline to the Office of the Registrar.

Yes, you will be admitted as a “post baccalaureate.” You are also required to submit an official copy of your transcript to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, indicating baccalaureate degree conferred.

Yes, a student can have “concurrent enrollment,” but no more than the maximum allowable Texas Southern University load for any given semester.

Yes, but only when written permission is granted in advance by the Dean of the school or college that the courses come under.

Yes, yearly application is necessary for financial aid.

Refer to the FAFSA instructions, one through three, regarding dependent students.

No, there is no automatic cutoff level for financial aid eligibility.

Students must maintain satisfactory academic progress. If a student has not maintained satisfactory progress, approval for reinstatement by the Undergraduate Academic Standards, Honors Committee or the Dean of Undergraduate is needed. (Exceptions are made by petition to the Financial Aid Office)

Students enrolled in the Law and Pharmacy programs are considered professional students. (Please Note: Pharmacy students must have earned a bachelor’s degree or have completed at least 179 earned hours. Law students must have earned a bachelor’s degree.

First time borrowers must complete a loan application and will be required to sign a master promissory note (MPN) from Texas Guarantee before a loan check is released to school. Previous borrowers are not required to submit a loan application if you answered yes to the loan question on your FAFSA application. This will allow your loan to be automatically linked with Texas Guarantee. A master promissory note will be required before a loan check is released to Texas Southern University.

Refunds will be issued after the 12th class day in the Bursar’s Office, Everett O. Bell Building basement.

No, but housing is available for those that wish to reside on-campus. (Contact University Housing at 713-313-7178 for more information.

Complete and submit your application, along with a non-refundable $25.00 application fee, to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. Make sure to have your high school send an official copy of your transcript or your GED test scores.

Twelve days after the first class day.

No, but taking the SAT/ACT is not required.

At Texas Southern University in the Testing Center, located in the Education Building, Room 7.

Transfer students Transcript must be sent by the issuing institute’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions. Freshman students Transcript may be sent by the issuing high school, or transcript may be hand delivered by the student if it is in a sealed envelope from the high school, marked “unofficial if seal is broken”.

There is no minimum unit requirement to apply.

Submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). To indicate interest in student employment, student loans, and parent loans, you should check the appropriate boxes. Checking these boxes does not commit you to accepting these types of aid. You will have the opportunity to accept or decline each part of your aid package later. Leaving these boxes unchecked will not increase the amount of grants you receive.

After you file your FAFSA, the U.S. Department of Education will process it in approximately four weeks. Then, you will receive a Student Aid Report (SAR) in the mail. The SAR will reflect the information from your application and, if there are no questions or problems with your application, your SAR will provide your Expected Family Contribution (EFC), the number used in determining your eligibility for federal student aid. List Texas Southern University (Code 003642) on your FAFSA so that will also receive a copy of your SAR.

Financial aid awards are normally released at the start of each semester. Financial aid award funds will first be used to pay your tuition/fees and on-campus housing bills. After all your University bills are paid for the semester, the balance of your financial aid money will be issued to you in the form of a check from the Cashier’s Office.

Yes. As stated in the student award notification, initial financial aid awards are our best estimate of what you are eligible to receive. Most changes in awards, however, involve factors that are under your control, or of which you should be aware. Your award may be increased, reduced, or even canceled, if:
· Your family's financial circumstances change, causing your need to change.
· You receive any additional outside resource, such as a privately awarded scholarship, which was not listed, on your award notification.
· You provided incorrect data on your FAFSA or Renewal FAFSA.
· You do not maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress.
· The University suspends you.
· You do not enroll for the required number of hours to receive aid through the programs awarded to you.

Verification is a federally mandated quality control process, in which files are selected at random to check certain data elements on the FAFSA. If your file is selected for verification, the school is required to compare these data elements with the information on your tax returns to "verify" their accuracy. Your SAR will tell you if you have been selected for verification.

You will need to submit to the Office of Financial Aid signed copies of parent and tax returns and a completed Verification Worksheet verifying household size, untaxed income, and number in college.

A letter is required from the agency, or holder of the defaulted loan, stating that the default has been cleared.

It depends. We consider summer session to be an "add on" to the regular academic year. If you have not already used up your full eligibility in the student loan program or Pell grant program, you may use either (or both) for summer school. Many scholarships are not available during the summer.

For your convenience, The University has designated three locations to receive tuition and fee payment: FH, EBH and JHJ.

If you are paying the outstanding balance, go through the cashier’s line, and the hold will be released immediately. If you have other problems, please see the problem resolution team located in FB, EBH and JHJ.

If you drop one or more classes in the first twelve (12) days, you may be eligible for a 100% refund of tuition and building use fees only. However, this may influence your continued eligibility for financial aid. Please consult your financial aid counselor prior to dropping or withdrawing.

At least fifty percent (50%) of the total cost of your tuition and fees is required at the time of registration.