Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships

https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa

Georgia College Financial Aid Office does not require an additional application to obtain most financial aid for the summer semester. The Financial Aid Office will automatically evaluate students’ eligibility who enroll for Summer Semester 2026 beginning approximately March 19, 2026. Students must have a complete 2025-2026 FAFSA and/or GSFAPP on file in order to be reviewed for eligibility. Students with complete files will be evaluated in the order in which they enroll in classes, with students who register first being evaluated first. If an additional application is needed for summer term, the student will be contacted after the initial review for
student loans.

The Cost of Attendance on the student’s Offer Letter may not be reflective of your actual Cost of Attendance due to Summer having mini sessions. The calculated Summer Cost of Attendance will be reflective of the student’s Summer enrollment and prorated based on enrollment of one, two, or three months. The Cost of Attendance includes both direct and indirect costs. Students should contact their Financial Aid Advisor if additional details are needed.

Dates to use excess aid in the GCSU Barnes & Noble Bookstore with an authorization on file
are:

• May 15 – May 22 for May courses
• June 2 – June 9 for June courses
• June 30 – July 7 for July courses

Bridge Scholars students can purchase books at the bookstore with excess financial aid on their
move in day only which is June 20, 2026.

I. Financial Aid Information

• Sources available during Summer terms can possibly include:
  • HOPE and Zell Miller Scholarships – for qualifying students
  • Federal Pell Grant
  • Federal Direct Loan (Subsidized and/or Unsubsidized)
  • Federal Work Study (FWS) - available in limited amounts
  • Federal Direct PLUS Loans – for Parents of Dependent
    • Students and Graduate Students with approved credit decisions. PLUS loan borrowers must complete an application for Summer term even if an application was completed for Fall and or Spring terms within the same aid year. Also, borrowers must complete an electronic master promissory note (MPN).
      The application and MPN can be completed at the Direct Loan website. Applicants should be sure to complete the application for the current aid year and not the aid year that starts with Fall term.
• Eligibility for aid will be based on data and supporting documents submitted for the 2025-2026 award year. Summer Semester is the last term of the academic year.
• Eligibility for Summer Aid is based on the enrolled hours at the time of the initial evaluation for the summer semester. If you are initially enrolled less than half-time and then increase your enrollment status to at least half time (6 hours for undergraduate and 5 hours for graduate), please notify the Financial Aid Office via email at financialaid@gcsu.edu if you wish to pursue a Direct or PLUS loan.
• Pell Grant award amounts may represent full-time enrollment eligibility, but actual disbursement will be adjusted according to actual hours enrolled.
• Direct loan borrowers that accepted and were disbursed their “annual loan limit” (based on class level) from the Subsidized/Unsubsidized programs for Fall and Spring will NOT qualify to receive additional funds for the summer semester.
• HOPE Scholarship funds will be awarded based on the 2025-2026 summer’s “per credit hour” rate which is $256.50 per credit hour. Award may represent full eligibility, but actual disbursement will be adjusted according to actual hours enrolled as well as remaining attempted or paid hours allowed according to state regulations.
• All HOPE and Zell Miller awards are preliminary until conclusive determination is made after Spring semester grade processing is completed approximately mid-May. Therefore, adjustments or cancellation of these awards may be necessary if recipients lose eligibility (i.e., GPA, 127 attempted or paid hours reached, etc.) and if already paid will become due immediately at the GCSU Business Office.
• Students will be notified of their summer semester eligibility via their GCSU Bobcat email account with instructions for accessing the on-line offer letter via their PAWS account. Please note that special messages regarding summer will appear on the Notifications tab.
• Course Program of Study regulations state that only courses required for degree completion can be used to determine your aid eligibility for Federal financial aid programs such as loans, grants and work-study. If a student is enrolled in courses not required for their major, their financial aid will be adjusted accordingly and the student may owe a balance.
• The Financial Aid Office reserves the right, on behalf of the college, to review and modify, including cancel, awards at any time because of changes in your academic status, academic program, resident status, enrollment status, etc. All Financial Aid offers are contingent upon the availability of funds and the students’ eligibility at the time of disbursement.
• “Actual” payments (disbursement) to student accounts for the Federal Loan Programs (Direct and PLUS) will NOT be made until the start of the summer session that the student is enrolled at least half-time (6 hours for undergraduate and 5 hours for graduate). Students may use the“authorized” payments of these loans to satisfy their bills at the Business Office and to charge purchases at the Barnes and Noble Georgia College Bookstore during designated dates. However, students will NOT receive refunds (direct deposit or paper checks) for their credit balances of remaining aid after institutional charges are subtracted until “actual” payments are made.
• Georgia College students who are planning on taking transient coursework with another institution and have been approved to do so by the Georgia College Registrar’s Office may qualify for financial aid. Students are required to pay all costs at the host institution by the host institution's payment deadline and receive any aid eligibility through Georgia College as reimbursement. If students are enrolled at GCSU and at a host institution, students may be required to pay out of pocket at Georgia College, if their enrollment at GCSU does not allow for disbursement of aid.
  • HOPE/Zell Miller Scholarship eligible students may receive HOPE/Zell Miller if attending an eligible institution. HOPE/Zell Miller funds must be paid by the host institution. GCSU Financial Aid Office will send approved outgoing transient students a short questionnaire to complete via their bobcat email. Once the questionnaire has been completed, GCSU Financial Aid will review student’s eligibility for HOPE/Zell Miller Scholarships and will notify the host institution of student’s eligibility. The host institution may then award and disburse these funds based on their policies and the student's enrollment status.
  • In order for students to receive federal funds for transient coursework, a Consortium Agreement must be completed by the host institution. Please note that some institutions will not participate in the consortium process which may cause student aid ineligibility. GCSU Financial Aid will review the courses enrolled at the host institution to determine aid eligibility based on courses required for the student’s degree program at GCSU and aid eligibility will be disbursed accordingly.
• Please note that changes to your enrollment after you have been reviewed for financial aid eligibility, may result in funds having to be paid back to the Georgia College Business Office.

• Students must submit complete financial aid applications to be considered for aid.  Some programs have a limited supply of funds.   Please note that this is not a guarantee of funds availability but rather a time frame based on previous history.  All limited-funded programs are awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis.
• Students must submit complete financial aid applications by the deadline in order to use financial aid funds to pay for the semester's bill. Students whose files are not complete by this date should be prepared to pay costs until applications are processed and eligibility is determined.
• Students who have already completed the FAFSA application process and who are eligible to borrow additional loan funds, must do so three weeks prior to the last day of class. View our Adjustments page for more information.
• Students and parents must submit all documents prior to the last day of the term the student is last enrolled to be considered for financial aid eligibility. For example, Federal Direct Loans, GRAD PLUS Loans and Parent PLUS Loan applications must be received prior to the last day of the term the student is enrolled for any consideration of possible loan disbursements. Three weeks prior to the last day of the term is the standard deadline for these applications to be submitted for review, however applications will not be processed if submitted after the last day of the term the student is enrolled.
• Students with financial aid funds exceeding their direct costs to GCSU, may use the excess funds up to $1000 per semester to purchase books and supplies at the GCSU Barnes and Noble Bookstore. Authorization through the students PAWS account is required to opt in. Students can email financialaid@gcsu.edu to opt out if an authorization has been completed. Students can also choose to purchase their books and supplies elsewhere without notifying Financial Aid.