Financial Aid and Scholarships

Financial Aid Terms

  • Academic Year: A period of time schools use to measure a quantity of study. For example, a school's academic year may consist of a fall and spring semester, during which a student must complete 24 semester hours. Academic years vary from school to school, and even from educational program to educational program at the same school.
  • Citizen/Eligible Non-citizen: You must be one of the following to receive federal student aid:
    • U.S. citizen
    • U.S. national (includes natives of American Samoa or Swain's Island)
    • US permanent resident who has an I-151, I-551, or I-551C (Alien Registration Receipt Card)
    • If you're not in one of these categories, you must have an Arrival-Departure Record (I-94) from the US Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) showing one of the following designations in order to be eligible:
      • "Refugee"
      • "Asylum Granted"
      • "Indefinite Parole" and/or "Humanitarian Parole"
      • "Cuban-Haitian Entrant, Status Pending"
      • "Conditional Entrant" (valid only if issued before April 1, 1980)
    If you have only a Notice of Approval to Apply for Permanent Residence (I-171 or I-464), you aren't eligible for federal student aid. If you're in the United States on an F1 or F2 student visa only, or on a J1 or J2 exchange visitor visa only, you can't get federal student aid. Also, persons with G series visas (pertaining to international organizations) are not eligible for federal student aid.
  • Cost of Attendance (COA): The total amount it will cost a student to go to school--usually expressed as a yearly figure. It is determined using rules established by the US Congress. The COA includes tuition and fees; on-campus room and board (or a housing and food allowance for off-campus students); and allowances for books, supplies, transportation, loan fees, and, if applicable), dependent care, costs related to a disability, and miscellaneous expenses. For students attending less than half time, the COA includes only tuition and fees and an allowance for books, supplies, transportation, and dependent-care expenses. Talk to the financial aid administrator at LSU Alexandria if you have any unusual expenses that might affect your cost of attendance.
  • Default: Failure to repay a loan according to the terms agreed to when you signed a promissory note. Default also may result from failure to submit requests for deferment or cancellation on time. The consequences of default are severe.
  • EFC (Expected Family Contribution): When you apply for federal student aid, the information you report on the FAFSA is used to calculate your EFC. This formula used to calculate your EFC is established by law and is used to measure your family’s financial strength on the basis of your family’s income and assets. The EFC is used to determine your eligibility for federal student aid.
  • Eligible Program: A course of study that leads to a degree or certificate and meets the US Department of Education's requirements for an eligible program. To get federal financial aid, you must be enrolled in an eligible program

    Exception: If a school has told you that you must take certain coursework to qualify for admission into one of its eligible programs, you can get a FFEL Program Loan (or your parents can get a PLUS Loan) for up to 12 consecutive months while you're completing that coursework. You must be enrolled at least half time, and you must meet the usual student aid eligibility requirements.

  • Financial Aid Award: The total amount of financial aid (federal and nonfederal) a student receives.
  • General Education Development (GED) Certificate: A certificate students receive if they've passed a specific, approved high school equivalency test. Students who don't have a high school diploma but who have a GED may still qualify for federal student aid. A school that admits students without a high school diploma must make a GED program in the vicinity of the school available to these students and must inform them about the program.
  • Guaranty Agency: The organization that administers the FFEL Program for your school. The federal government sets loan limits and interest rates, but each guaranty agency is free to set its own additional limitations, within federal guidelines. This agency is the best source of information on FFEL Program. To find out the name, address, and telephone number of the agency serving your state, or information about borrowing, visit http://www.ed.gov/offices/OPE/guaranty.html or call the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243).
  • Half Time: Half-time enrollment at LSU Alexandria is at least six hours during regular semester or three hours during the summer semester. You must be attending school at least half time to be eligible to receive FFEL Program. Half-time enrollment is not a requirement to receive aid from the Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG), and Federal Work-Study programs.
  • IRS: The IRS provides information and necessary forms on the Hope & Life Time Learning Educational Credits.
  • Master Promissory Note: The binding legal document you sign when you get a student loan. It lists the conditions under which you're borrowing and the terms under which you agree to pay back the loan. It will include information about your interest rate and about deferment and cancellation provisions. It's very important to read and save this document because you'll need to refer to it later when you begin repaying your loan.
  • Regular Student: Is someone who is enrolled in an institution to obtain a degree or certificate. Generally, to receive aid from the programs discussed in this booklet, you must be a regular student. (For some programs, there are exceptions to this requirement. See the definition of eligible program.)
  • Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP): Hours that must be passed to make satisfactory academic progress at LSU Alexandria and the GPA requirements. [more]
  • Selective Service Registration: If required by law, you must register, or arrange to register, with the Selective Service to receive federal student aid. The requirement to register applies to males who were born on or after January 1, 1960, are at least 18 years old, are citizens or eligible non-citizens, and are not currently on active duty in the US Armed Forces. (Citizens of the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, or Palau are exempt from registering.). [Register now]
  • Tuition Opportunity Program (TOPS): Click TUITION OPPORTUNITY PROGRAM (TOPS) to check eligibility for the TOPS Scholarship. Also learn about the appeal process.
  • FAFSA PRE-APPLICATION WORKSHEET: The FAFSA ON THE WEB PRE-APPLICATION WORKSHEET has been developed for you to complete prior to filling out the online FAFSA. In the past, the paper FAFSA was used by students; however, the paper FAFSA questions will not follow the same order of questions as the online FAFSA.

Louisiana State University at Alexandria | 8100 Hwy 71 South | Alexandria, LA 71302 | Phone: 888.473.6417