Financial Aid

Applications, forms and information concerning financial aid are available from:

Office of Financial Aid
Thomas Edison State University
111 W. State St.
Trenton, NJ 08608
(609) 777-5680
finaid@tesu.edu

Additional information is also available on the University website at www.tesu.edu.

Eligible Thomas Edison State University students who are taking the required number of Thomas Edison State University courses per semester may be considered for Pell Grants and federal loans. New Jersey residents who qualify and take at least 12 credits per semester may also be eligible for New Jersey Tuition Aid Grants. View more information on the NJ Stars II Scholarship.

Please note only Guided Study and online courses are eligible for federal aid.

Financial Aid for Graduate Students

Graduate students are eligible for Federal Direct Student Loans. Detailed information may be found in the Financial Aid Packet, which may be accessed through the Thomas Edison State University website or by calling the Office of Financial Aid at (609) 777-5680.

Financial Aid Appeals

Students who do not meet the satisfactory academic progress requirements will be denied additional financial aid. If, because of a mitigating circumstance (such as loss of income, death in the family, etc.) a student falls below the required standards, he or she may appeal by explaining the circumstances to the Financial Aid Appeals Committee within 30 days of notification concerning his or her academic performance. All appeals should be in writing and forwarded to:

Financial Aid Appeals Committee
Office of Financial Aid
Thomas Edison State University
111 W. State St.
Trenton, NJ 08608

If an appeal is granted, the student must regain satisfactory academic progress after the end of the appealed semester to be considered for further aid. If progress is not made at the end of the appealed semester, but the student completes all courses attempted with grades of C or better in that semester, an additional semester may be awarded. Students should contact the Office of Financial Aid after the results of the appealed semester are posted.

Academic Progress for Continuing Financial Aid

Thomas Edison State University state and federal financial aid recipients must maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.0 (C) to meet the minimum standards for satisfactory academic performance. In addition, the student must complete 67 percent of all courses attempted, which includes transfer credits which count toward the student's current program. Satisfactory academic progress will be monitored at the end of each academic year. If a student’s cumulative average falls below 2.0 (C) or does not meet the 67 percent criterion, the student is not maintaining satisfactory academic performance. (Grades of W are not considered complete.) Students will be notified in writing if they fail to comply with this policy. Students will not be reviewed for academic progress until they have attempted two semesters of course work. Please note, courses on extensions are not considered completed until grades are posted. Grades of NC will be considered an F for GPA calculations.

There is also a maximum time frame during which the University may award federal aid. Sixty credits are required to earn an associate degree. The maximum attempted credit hours that may be attained in this degree program are 90 credit hours. For the bachelor’s degree (120 credits), the maximum attempted credit hours that may be accumulated in this degree program is 180. All credit hours attempted, whether or not they are completed or passed, are counted toward the maximum time frame in the aforementioned program. If a student exceeds the maximum number of credits in a degree program, he or she will not be eligible for state or federal student financial aid. This limit includes credits that have been transferred toward a degree. Financial aid will pay for a repeated course only once. Students not making satisfactory academic progress will be placed on Financial Aid Probation for the next semester.

Financial aid will be processed for that semester to give the student an opportunity to regain satisfactory progress as determined by College policy. Students may either regain satisfactory academic progress after their probationary grades are in, or at least complete all the probationary term’s courses with grades of C or better.

Other Financial Aid Sources

One of the most overlooked sources of financial assistance is the educational benefits that companies offer to their employees. Information about a company’s educational benefits is usually available through the human resources office. Additional aid might be available through the state education agency in your area.