Financial Aid

The financial aid program at Tennessee Technology Center at Dickson is designed to aid students who would find it difficult or impossible to attend without financial assistance.  The financial aid staff welcomes the opportunity to assist students in the application process and discuss financial needs for education.

With the ever-increasing cost of post-secondary training and education, it’s necessary many times to secure financial assistance to pay tuition, books and even other school-related expenses.

Obtaining financial aid for training and education isn’t a complicated process, but it is detailed...and can be tedious. Click here for a copy of TTC Dickson's Financial Aid Matters newsletter.

FAFSA - Free Application is first step to aid

Following are the steps to take to check your eligibility for aid and possibly receive financial aid:

1. Complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). You can mail the form to the U.S. Department of Education or you can go onto the Internet to http://www.fafsa.ed.gov and complete the application on line. If you file on-line, the system provides some automatic checks and helps prevent common mistakes. Also, on-line filing speeds your application along and eliminates the lag in mail times. It’s important that you use the Tennessee Technology Center at Dickson school code of 013955. This is the code for all campuses - Dickson, Clarksville, Franklin, Fairview and Ashland City. If you do not submit this school code on the FAFSA, the local staff cannot access your financial aid record.

2. Wait approximately two-three weeks for information from the federal government. You will receive a Student Aid Report (SAR) explaining any problems with your application or other issues you need to resolve. You will also receive a Personal Identification Number so you can access your records electronically.

3. After solving all issues you can with the federal financial aid contacts, contact the Financial Aid Office at the Tennessee Technology Center at Dickson (615.441.6220, ext 113), and ask if you appear in the financial aid records.

4. Submit signed copies of all required documents to the Financial Aid Office if selected for verification by the U.S. Department of Education.

5. Complete your financial aid file, as verified by the Financial Aid Office.

Eligibility - See if you meet financial aid requirements

Following are general student eligibility requirements at the TTC for federal and state financial aid programs:

• Be enrolled as a regular certificate or diploma-seeking student in an eligible program.
• Be a U.S. Citizen or an eligible non-citizen (permanent resident).
• Must be making satisfactory progress and meet attendance requirements in accordance with policy.
• Must have High School Diploma, GED, approved Home School certification (NOTE: Not required for Wilder-Naifeh Technical Skills Grant).
• Must not be in default on a Federal Perkins/National Direct Student Loan, Federal Family Education Loan, Federal Direct Student Loan, Income Contingent Loan or a Consolidated Loan or must have documented satisfactory repayment arrangements if in default.
• Must not owe a refund or repayment on a Federal Pell Grant, Tennessee Student Assistance Award, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant or a Byrd Scholarship or must have documented satisfactory repayment arrangements if owe a refund or repayment.
• Must have a federal confirmation statement of registration compliance indicating either that the student has registered with the Selective Service or that the student is not required to register.
• Must have completed a statement of educational purpose saying that the student will use the money only for expenses related to attending the school (Usually collected on the FAFSA).
• Must not commit an offense involving possession or sale of a controlled substance while receiving financial aid.

Several federal and state aid programs available

Students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) so eligibility for these programs can be determined. This application must be completed each academic year.  

Federal Pell Grant. Award amounts are determined by the Estimated Family Contribution (EFC) number generated by the FAFSA.

Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG). These are small awards made to students showing the greatest need as determined by the FAFSA. FSEOG funds are limited at TTC Dickson and are awarded based on extreme financial need. The financial aid officer will inform students of their eligibility.

Federal Work Study Program (FWSP). Periodically, the center will advertise opportunities for student worker positions. Those students interested in work study should apply at that time. Students work after school in clerical and maintenance positions. The positions are based on monies available.

Tennessee Student Assistance Award Program (TSAA). These are small awards made by the Tennessee Student Assistance Corp. to students with financial need as determined by the FAFSA. The financial aid officer will inform students of their eligibility.

Wilder-Naifeh Technical Skills Grant (lottery scholarship). Most every adult in Tennessee is eligible for the technical skills grant which is currently paying up to $2,000 a year for full-time enrollment (subject to availability of funds through the Tennessee Student Assistance Corp.). Most Tennessee residents at least 18 years of age or who have a high school diploma/GED are eligible to apply for the Wilder-Naifeh Technical Skills Grant. Independent students and dependent students' parents must be a Tennessee resident for one year as of  the following dates: March 1 for Spring term, July 1 for Summer term, Nov. 1 for Fall term. The award isn't based on income, and part-time students may be eligible for a prorated amount. There is no minimum high school grade point average required and no ACT test is required to qualify for the award. Students can receive the Wilder-Naifeh in addition to federal Pell grants and other financial aid. For more details about the Wilder-Naifeh Technical Skills Grant, click here.

State Vocational Rehabilitation. This program operates through the Department of Human Services. Eligible disabled students receive assistance depending upon the student's demonstrated need. Eligibility should be established prior to enrollment.

Here are phone numbers for area offices:

615.790.5506

615.790.4244

Workforce Investment Act (WIA). Eligible students may receive federal assistance for tuition and fees, books and supplies, transportation and day care services.  Students must be assessed and certified prior to their enrollment.  The school must receive written certification prior to the student's first day of class  Below are some local WIA offices:

Dickson County, 615.446.0229

Montgomery County/Cheatham County, 931.551.9737

Humphreys County, 931.296.5872

Hickman County, 931.729.5941

Stewart County/Houston County, 931.289.4127 

Williamson County, 615.790.3311

Veterans Assistance. This program assists eligible veterans and their dependents by providing educational benefits through the Veterans Administration.

Upon enrollment, veterans must present their DD214 form and AARTS Transcript to the Financial Aid office. Paperwork will then be processed and forwarded to the Veterans Administration. Checks will be received in approximately two to three months after enrollment.

Veterans must submit transcripts/certificates of previous education/training from colleges, technical or vocational schools, military, etc. Previous credit will be evaluated based on these transcripts, MOS descriptions, and previous work experience.

Once certified, each veteran must verify attendance with VA on a monthly basis to receive the prior month’s check. This verification can be done by calling 1-877-823-2378. The Veterans Administration will not issue approval for payment until verifications are received.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Veterans must obtain approval of training schedules from school administration and must inform the Financial Aid Officer of any changes in training schedules to obtain VA approval.

Tennessee Code Annotated 49-7-104 allows deferred tuition and fees for eligible students receiving U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs benefits. Contact the Financial Aid office for the proper paperwork that needs to be filed prior to enrollment.

TTC Dickson participates in the following VA Education Benefits programs:

Chapter 30 - Montgomery GI Bill / Active Duty

Chapter 33 - Post 9/11

Chapter 35 - Survivors & Dependents Education Benefits

Chapter 31 - VA Vocational Rehabilitation

Chapter 1606 - Selected Reserve

Chapter 1607 - Reserve Educational Assistance Program (REAP)

Verification - It's not hard...just necessary

Verification…some students blanch at the word, thinking they’ve been selected by the Internal Revenue Service for an audit. When other students hear the word verification, they dismiss the significance of the process and delay a possible financial aid award.

Reality lies somewhere in between.

Verification is a two-step process whereby the U.S. Department of Education randomly selects financial aid records and calls for them to be checked against tax forms and other documents.

When a student’s financial aid record is flagged for verification, the student will need to:

• Use the Internal Revenue Service data retrieval tool on the FAFSA web site or submit a tax return transcript. 
• Complete and submit a verification form asking for a list of household members and sources of other income such as untaxed pensions, IRA distributions, IRA deductions and education credits.

Verification is an important step in the process of receiving financial aid. It’s not a process to be feared, yet it is a process to be taken seriously. Quick turnaround in submission of requested documents can ensure your financial aid file gets processed in a timely, accurate manner.

Have a complete financial aid file? You can charge against it

Progress, attendance requirements

To retain financial aid, students must maintain satisfactory progress and meet attendance requirements. Specifically:

• To make satisfactory progress a student must maintain at least a “C” average for each term.
• A student must complete 91% of scheduled hours each term/payment period, in order to remain in good standing for financial aid purposes. Scheduled hours are the amount of hours for which you enroll and pay at the beginning of the term. For instance, if a student is enrolled full-time (six hours a day) from the first day of a term, then s/he is enrolled for 432 hours for the term. When absence hours go over 42 hours, the student is subject to termination.
• When a student fails to meet satisfactory attendance/progress, the disbursement of the next financial aid payment will be delayed.

Payout of funds

Pell, Wilder-Naifeh and other state financial aid funds, including those amounts not charged against tuition and/or books, will be disbursed later in the term. Students must present a valid student  ID to pick up a check.

Pell grants and Wilder-Naifeh grants are earned in a prorated manner on an hourly basis. In compliance with guidelines set forth by the U.S. Department of Education, if the student terminates school prior to the last day of his/her enrolled time or payment period, a recalculation will be done which may determine that the student owes part of the grant back to the federal department, the Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation, or to the Tennessee Technology Center at Dickson.

The Wilder-Naifeh Technical Skills Lottery Grant is disbursed per term. The Pell Grant is disbursed each payment period. There may be multiple disbursements in each payment period. Payment periods are calculated by taking the hours of the program length, subtracting previous credit hours to get the actual program length for the student, then taking that number and using the schedule below:

• If the actual program length is 1296 hours or greater, take the first 1296 hours and divide by 2 for payment periods 1 and 2. Then for the remaining hours in the actual program length...if 648 hours or greater, divide remaining hours by 2 for payment periods 3 and 4...if less than 648 hours, the remaining hours are the last payment period.

• If actual program length is between 648 and 1296 hours, divide that number by 2 for payment periods 1 and 2.

• If actual program length is less than 648, the program length is the payment period.

For additional information, Email: Betty LaRose, Financial Aid Coordinator, at betty [dot] larose [at] ttcdickson [dot] edu or Machelle Gillean, technical clerk, at machelle [dot] gillean [at] ttcdickson [dot] edu.