Is Financial Aid Useless for TESU?

[schristian10]

For the most common degree plans here that include transferring 90-114 credits, is there any current way to utilize students loans or grants at TESU in conjunction with these degree plans?

[bjcheung77]

You can, if you take enough courses for credit per term, you can... for example take enough credits to spread out a couple of terms, or max it out in 3 terms. I would recommend doing so if you're going for the 16 residency credits versus paying a residency waiver fee.

[jch]

You definitely can utilize financial aid grants and loans at TESU. However, it will require added planning and work. Unfortunately, TESU adversely changed their financial aid system recently. Now, six credits per term is required for half-time status, and full-time requires a whopping twelve OL/GS credits in a term. Thus, you'd have to take on a very heavy load to maximize aid. Thankfully, any leftover eligibility can be spread across the remaining terms in the academic year.
Also, keep in mind that TESU generally requires financial aid recipients to stay on a JAN/APR/JUL/OCT course calendar.

[dfrecore]

I would say that TESU is not the best school if you only want to transfer in 90cr; if you really want to go to maximize Financial Aid yet go to a school that takes more credits but is cheaper, I'd look at COSC and EC.

If you want to maximize Financial Aid and get school completely paid for, I'd choose UMPI unless they just don't have a degree you want.

[schristian10]

You definitely can utilize financial aid grants and loans at TESU. However, it will require added planning and work. Unfortunately, TESU adversely changed their financial aid system recently. Now, six credits per term is required for half-time status, and full-time requires a whopping twelve OL/GS credits in a term. Thus, you'd have to take on a very heavy load to maximize aid. Thankfully, any leftover eligibility can be spread across the remaining terms in the academic year.  
Also, keep in mind that TESU generally requires financial aid recipients to stay on a JAN/APR/JUL/OCT course calendar.

So theoretically all one has to do is have a single term with 6 OL/GS credits to qualify for the half-time aid and it will be dispersed evenly throughout the rest of the year? My plan is to start with a flat-rate term of 6 OL/GS credits as the Cornerstone, PLA-100 & PLA-200, with two ePacks for 12 credits, then over the course of the year gather all of the required alt credits, and finish at the end with the capstone and a 1 credit course. This would be enough for the 16 TESU residency credits to remove the waiver fee, but would this be a good degree plan to utilize financial aid?

What would happen with the aid loans or grant money during the time when I would be a fully enrolled student but not registered in any classes while obtaining alt sourced credits?

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I would say that TESU is not the best school if you only want to transfer in 90cr; if you really want to go to maximize Financial Aid yet go to a school that takes more credits but is cheaper, I'd look at COSC and EC.

If you want to maximize Financial Aid and get school completely paid for, I'd choose UMPI unless they just don't have a degree you want.

I was looking at the degreewiki page but I didn't see the credit requirements for the big three summarized anywhere. If TESU requires 120cr* and they accept up to 114 transfer credits if 24 are RA, how does COSC, EC, and UMPI differ in their general credit requirements?

I should mention I am going for a business degree.

[jch]

So theoretically all one has to do is have a single term with 6 OL/GS credits to qualify for the half-time aid and it will be dispersed evenly throughout the rest of the year? My plan is to start with a flat-rate term of 6 OL/GS credits as the Cornerstone, PLA-100 & PLA-200, with two ePacks for 12 credits, then over the course of the year gather all of the required alt credits, and finish at the end with the capstone and a 1 credit course. This would be enough for the 16 TESU residency credits to remove the waiver fee, but would this be a good degree plan to utilize financial aid?

What would happen with the aid loans or grant money during the time when I would be a fully enrolled student but not registered in any classes while obtaining alt sourced credits?

---

I would say that TESU is not the best school if you only want to transfer in 90cr; if you really want to go to maximize Financial Aid yet go to a school that takes more credits but is cheaper, I'd look at COSC and EC.

If you want to maximize Financial Aid and get school completely paid for, I'd choose UMPI unless they just don't have a degree you want.

I was looking at the degreewiki page but I didn't see the credit requirements for the big three summarized anywhere. If TESU requires 120cr* and they accept up to 114 transfer credits if 24 are RA, how does COSC, EC, and UMPI differ in their general credit requirements?

I should mention I am going for a business degree.

Nope, this isn't how it works. You only get financial aid during terms when you're taking TESU courses. Pell Grants require at least six applicable credits in that term. Any aid qualified for during a term is disbursed in that term. Nothing is disbursed during other terms, even though TESU still counts you as enrolled. However, any unused aid eligibility is still available for the remaining terms, if you qualify then. Also, only the online and guided study course formats count toward financial aid status. E-pack and TECEP credits are not included.
Here's how your example would pan out:
First term: 6 OL credits would give you half-time financial aid status in this term. The 6 EP credits aren't counted. You'd be eligible for 50% of your per-term grants. If you receive the largest possible Pell Grant, 50% would be about $1700. The remaining ~$3000 would have to be paid with loans and/or cash.
Other terms while working on alt credit: no financial aid received. Zero eligibility because you're not taking any courses at TESU.
Final term: no grants received. Four credits is below the minimum for grant eligibility. Would need to pay everything with loans/cash.
Thus, this plan doesn't work out well for financial aid. At TESU, maximizing Pell Grant money requires taking twelve OL/GS credits per term. Then take an e-pack on top of that for free if desired. This is a very heavy load that isn't easy to manage.
I agree with dfrecore that UMPI is a better option. For a simple, cheap, and fast business degree, their program has you covered. Transfer in 90 alt credits using the posted plans and knock out the remaining 30 there in a few terms.