We understand that navigating and understanding Financial Aid processes and policies can be challenging. The details below provide a short description of the Financial Aid policies at Kennesaw State. If you would like more information, you can use the tabs to read the full policy. If you have any questions, our Financial Aid counselors are ready to offer support and guidance. You can find your counselor on our Contact Us page.

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Policies

  • Information in this policy is more detailed and of all the material found on the Scholarships and Financial Aid website.
  • Higher education financial aid professionals are bound by a code of conduct, the details of which are provided in this Code of Conduct.
  • The earliest that a KSU may disburse Federal Student Aid funds to the student's account is 10 days before the first day of classes for that payment period.
  • In order to receive any financial aid funds, you must be in attendance at Kennesaw State University. However, if you are studying away from the KSU campus, transcripts are required to document your attendance. Final grades (transcript) must be received to determine your continued financial aid eligibility. Once KSU allows you to take coursework at another institution, the Financial Aid Office will immediately place a “HOLD” on your financial aid account. This hold will remain until the transcript has been received by KSU and a determination is made regarding eligibility criteria being met for the education experience away from KSU.

  • If you reduce your course load during the term, you may not be eligible for the entire award offered to you.  In the event you need to withdraw from all courses, and receive Federal Financial Aid or HOPE Scholarship, we encourage you to consult with our experienced Financial Aid counselors to determine what impact dropping or withdrawing classes may have.

    If you withdraw from school before completing 60% of the enrollment period may be required to repay all or a portion of the financial aid funds back to the school or to the U.S. Department of Education.

  • In some situations, you can use financial aid to pay for classes you repeat. It is important to check with your Financial Aid Office regarding Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirements and the impact of repeat coursework and completion rates on financial aid eligibility.

    It is also important to know that in addition to the Federal guidelines on repeating coursework, KSU has an internal policy which governs your ability to retake courses as well as use financial aid to cover them.

  • The NCAA has issued specific guidelines describing the circumstances under which an athletic grant-in-aid can be canceled during the term of the award. Policies and procedures have been established by KSU relating to the cancellation, nonrenewal or reduction in size of an athletic grant-in-aid and the steps that a student-athlete may take to appeal changes in grant-in-aid status. These policies are established by KSU. Changes to the policy may be made at any time at the discretion of KSU.

  • Federal regulations require that a student has met - and continues to meet - some basic academic progress standards before he/she can receive federal financial aid.
    You must meet the requirements of the KSU SAP policy of the school he/she to be eligible for federal financial aid.

    If you do not meet SAP requirements, this policy explains your options and how to get back to good standing, as well as appeal and approval processes.

Code of Conduct

In compliance with the requirements of the Higher Education Opportunity Act (H. R. 4137) as signed into law on August 14, 2008, the following is the Code of Conduct regarding student loans for the Office of Student Financial Aid at Kennesaw State University.

Kennesaw State University

  • Does not require students to use a particular lender or in any way limit the choice of lenders for students.

  • Does not recommend external lenders to students or their parents, and does not maintain a list of lenders that are preferred over other lenders.

  • Processes loan applications through any lender a student or parent chooses.

  • Does not solicit or accept anything of value from any lender in exchange for any advantage sought by the lender to make educational loans to students enrolled at, or admitted to, the University.

  • Prohibits employees of the financial aid office, or any employee who otherwise has responsibilities with respect to educational loans, from taking from any lender any gift worth more than nominal value.

  • Prohibits employees of the financial aid office, or any employee who otherwise has responsibilities with respect to educational loans, from entering into any type of consulting arrangement or other contract to provide to a lender services relating to educational loans.

  • Prohibits employees of the financial aid office, or any employee who otherwise has responsibilities with respect to educational loans, who serve on an advisory board (or commission or group) relating to educational loans established by a lender or group of lenders from receiving anything of value from the lender or group of lenders in connection with serving on such advisory board (or commission or group).

  • Prohibits external lenders' employees, representatives, or agents from providing staffing services to the Office of Student Financial Aid.

  • Prohibits external lenders' employees, representatives, or agents from identifying themselves to students of the University or their parents as employees, representatives or agents of the Office of Student Financial Aid.

  • Does not assign for any borrower, through award packaging or other methods, a loan to a particular lender, and does not refuse to certify or delay certification of any loan based on the borrower's selection of a particular lender or guaranty agency.

Disbursement Policy

Per Federal Regulations - the earliest that a school may disburse Federal Student Aid funds to the student's account is 10 days before the first day of classes for that payment period.  It is the policy of the KSU Financial Aid Office that no financial aid (Federal, State or Institution) be disbursed prior to 10 days before the first day of class.

For Example, if a student is attending a study abroad program and their first day of classes for the Fall semester begins on September 27, we will not be able to disburse any financial aid funds prior to September 17th.

The published dates for disbursements each semester are listed on the Dates and Deadlines page. 

submit fafsa Dates and Deadlines

Hold Policy

In order to receive any financial aid funds, students must be in attendance at Kennesaw State University. When a student is studying away from the KSU campus -transcripts are required to document their attendance. Final grades (transcript) must be received to determine a students continued financial aid eligibility.

Per the U.S. Department of Education, Transcripts must be received in order to determine:

  • Whether the final transcript may impact a student's eligibility under Federal Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) rules;

  • Whether a student may have withdrawn from school and the first notification is through the transcript -which then requires financial aid funds to be recalculated -which could result in the student owing KSU additional funds;

  • Whether the student ever started every class -if not -school must perform financial aid recalculation and student could owe funds back to KSU;

  • Whether the student did not take the required courses (if they switched classes) and therefore they are not part of his/her degree and cannot be used to determine financial aid eligibility.

The Kennesaw State University policy is as follows:

  • Students will complete the necessary steps required to receive credit for coursework taken at “Host” school. (Financial Aid Acknowledgment, Credit Approval Request Form and Consortium Agreement must be submitted and approved prior to the start of classes at the Host institution or prior to leaving country for Study Abroad programs, Host Enrollment Verification must be submitted immediately following drop/add at Host institution).

  • Once KSU allows the student to take coursework at another institution, the Financial Aid Office will immediately place a “HOLD” on the students financial aid account. This hold will remain until the transcript has been received by KSU and a determination is made regarding eligibility criteria being met for the education experience away from KSU.  If a student is on an exchange program, through the Education Abroad Office, and the host institution will not be submitting a transcript to KSU - final grades must be received and posted by the KSU Office of the Registrar before future financial aid may be disbursed.

  • On a case-by-case basis, a student's record will be reviewed to determine if SAP would or would not be impacted. Before a review is allowed, a letter must be received from the host school notating that the student did indeed attend and take the coursework showing on the consortium form. As part of the letter from the host school, a notation must be included that the student completed at least one course successfully. For programs lasting longer than one term, the student must submit to the Financial Aid Office at letter from the host school on letterhead notating their attendance and their successful completion of at least on course for the first term of attendance.

  • The student (whose aid was allowed to disburse) will be given 1 month from the first day of classes in any subsequent term to have the transcript received by KSU. If this does not occur, all aid will be removed from the student's account.

  • Once a transcript has been received and a determination is made regarding eligibility, the hold will be removed and aid will be allowed to disburse. On a case-by-case basis, and if the “Host” institution provides a document on institutional letterhead, the hold may be relaxed. Once more, the final transcript must be received within 1 month from the first day of classes, if not received, the aid will be removed.