Office of Financial Aid

We’ve compiled some common terms and processes regarding financial aid to help you understand your financial aid offer at Texas A&M International University!

Determining Your Financial Aid

We use your TAMIU Cost of Attendance (COA) and Student Aid Index (SAI) from your financial aid application to determine your aid offer. Your COA determines the maximum amount of financial aid you could receive, and your SAI determines the type of aid you are eligible for. Your SAI is not the amount your family will have to pay for college or the amount of aid you will receive.

Cost of Attendance (COA)

The Cost of Attendance (COA) represents an estimate of what TAMIU has determined as the average expenses a student might incur while attending school each semester. Potential costs included in the COA are tuition and fees, books and supplies, living expenses (housing and meals), transportation, and personal-miscellaneous expenses. The COA assigned to you will be based on enrollment. Housing expenses are based on your address on your FAFSA. If your living arrangement does not match what is reflected on your financial aid offers, you can change your housing status with the Office of Financial Aid. Federal guidelines prohibit us from offering you financial aid over your COA. This established COA may be estimated higher than your direct costs.

Financial Need & Eligibility

We follow the federal methodology the Department of Education established to determine need and eligibility for financial aid. We are required to establish a COA for each student. We then subtract the Student Aid Index (SAI) derived from information provided on the FAFSA to determine the remaining financial need. Your estimated COA, resources, SAI, and remaining need are listed on your offer letter. Resources such as outside scholarships, exemptions, waivers, and employer reimbursements will affect your financial aid package.

Enrollment Requirements

You'll need to meet some minimum enrollment requirements to qualify for financial aid. Students are automatically offered aid based on full-time enrollment (undergraduate students 12 or more hours) and (graduate students based on 6 hours or more). Various types of aid could have additional enrollment requirements, such as grants, scholarships, and federal loans. We will automatically update your cost of attendance to match your enrollment after census day.

Financial Aid Revisions

Financial aid offers are determined using information from your FAFSA or TASFA. Many factors can change your financial aid offers. TAMIU reserves the right to modify, reduce, and/or cancel your offer due to any revisions you make to these financial aid applications, the verification of income process, amended laws, or if funds are withdrawn or exhausted. If your aid gets adjusted, you will receive an email to your TAMIU email address, which can happen throughout the academic year, even if aid has been accepted or paid out.

Gift Aid (Grants/Scholarships)

Gift aid is money that does not have to be paid back (i.e., grants and scholarships). Grants are offered to you based on your Student Aid Index (SAI) as determined by FAFSA and funding availability. This amount can be adjusted based on any resources or exemptions you may receive. We also encourage you to apply for outside scholarships to help increase your gift aid.

Net Price/Cost

Net price gives you a realistic indicator of what you could potentially pay out of pocket after your gift aid (grants/scholarships) is applied. Your net price is calculated by subtracting your gift aid from your cost of attendance.

Federal Student Loans

Federal student loans are not based on credit and are guaranteed by the government. These loans will have to be repaid. Subsidized and Unsubsidized Direct Stafford loans are low-interest loans offered by the Department of Education to help cover educational expenses. You may accept your Stafford loan(s) online through your TAMIU Uconnect. Once you have accepted your loan, complete the Loan Entrance Counseling and electronically sign your Master Promissory Note (MPN).

• Subsidized Loans: is a federal student loan for undergraduate students who have financial need. The US Department of Education pays the interest on subsidized loans while the student is enrolled at least part-time.

• Unsubsidized Stafford Loans: is a student loan that doesn't require financial need and accrues interest while the student is in school.

Options for Remaining Costs

Your “Remaining Cost” can be paid out-of-pocket or through other options requiring additional research and actions.

Disbursement of Financial Aid

Aid Applying to your TAMIU Bill

Federal, state, and institutional aid is disbursed after the 12th class day of each semester, provided that all paperwork and requirements are complete. This is the earliest date that TAMIU will disburse aid. You may receive notifications that your bill is unpaid before the disbursement of your aid. Financial aid will only be disbursed if you are enrolled in the required number of hours, have accepted your aid, completed all requirements, and do not have any holds.

Refunds

All financial aid will be applied toward your tuition and fees first and then to any additional charges billed to you at TAMIU (e.g., housing, meal plan). If your financial aid amount is more than your total bill, the remaining amount will be issued to you as a refund. Refunds will be sent via BankMobile starting the following Friday after census day. To learn more on how to set up your refund choice, please click here.

Withdrawal (Not Attending TAMIU)

If you decide not to attend TAMIU and you have registered for classes, you will need to officially withdraw from those classes by withdrawing before the first day of class. International students and athletes must have prior approval from their respective offices before withdrawing. If you do not officially withdraw, your classes may be held, and financial aid will be credited to your account. If you officially withdraw, your financial aid will either be canceled, or a calculation will be computed to determine how much of the unearned aid will be returned to the original source, which could result in a balance due to TAMIU. Please review additional information about withdrawing from the institution and how it can affect future aid. If you are registered at another institution and have not officially withdrawn from TAMIU courses and canceled your financial aid, the other institution will not be able to disburse your financial aid. Federal law prevents financial aid disbursement at multiple institutions within a term. You may use the Request to Cancel All Aid form on our website to cancel your aid before it disburses.

Exceptional Financial Circumstances

Certain situations, including the loss of employment and unexpected costs, can affect your SAI and the ability to pay. If you have an exceptional circumstance, please review our Special Circumstances site for additional information.

Maintaining Eligibility

The offering and disbursement of financial aid (federal, state, and institutional) is contingent on students' eligibility to receive financial aid funds. To continue receiving student aid, submit a FAFSA or TASFA by the priority deadline each year and make Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). SAP means maintaining good grades and completing enough classes to stay on track to graduate within the timeframe expected by your school and within federally mandated timeframes.