Financial Aid Links & FAQ

Yes, you must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) each academic school year.

The payment is due 14 calendar days before the start of the term, as defined by the official academic calendar.

Undergraduate students must be registered at least:

• 3 hours a semester to be eligible for the Pell Grant
• 6 hours a semester to be eligible for Federal Direct Loans
• 9 hours a semester for the Texas Tuition Equalization Grant
• 12+ hours a semester for all other financial aid
  • Graduate students must be registered at least 3 hours (half-time) a semester to be eligible for financial aid

Yes, any changes to your schedule may result in an adjustment to your financial aid package. Please contact Student Central to discuss any implication of adding/dropping classes.

Direct costs include charges which are paid directly to CTX such as tuition, fees, Tornado Textbook program and housing and food if you are living on campus.

Indirect costs are estimates of expenses that will be incurred as a result of attendance at CTX. These costs may be paid to a third party. Depending on your situation, your indirect costs may differ from Concordia’s estimate. Examples of indirect costs are supplies, transportation, personal expenses, loan fees, and, if applicable, off-campus housing.

Since the Department of Education is now asking for "prior-prior year" income tax information for the FAFSA, it is very likely that you will have filed the necessary tax return before you complete your FAFSA. You can use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool while you are completing your FAFSA to transfer your income information from the IRS website directly to your FAFSA. If that option is not available to you, use a copy of your income tax return to report the requested income information.

There are a series of questions that are asked on the FAFSA that determine if a student will be considered independent or dependent. These questions also determine whether or not parent information should be included on the FAFSA.

If the student answers yes to any of these questions, the FAFSA will define them as an “independent” student and they will be instructed not to provide parental information on the FAFSA. However, Concordia may need to request additional documents to verify and determine the student's dependency status. If Concordia determines the student is not independent, the student will be instructed to correct the FAFSA and include parental information.

The 2022-2023 questions are:

• Were you born before January 1, 1999?
• As of today, are you married? (Also answer “Yes” if you are separated but not divorced.)
• At the beginning of the 2022-2023 school year, will you be working on a master’s or doctorate program (such as an MA, MBA, MD, JD, PhD, EdD, graduate certificate, etc.)?
• Are you currently serving on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces for purposes other than training?
• Are you a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces?
• Do you now have or will you have children who will receive more than half of their support from you between July 1, 2022 and June 30, 2023?
• Do you have dependents (other than your children or spouse) who live with you and who receive more than half of their support from you, now and through June 30, 2023?
• At any time since you turned age 13, were both your parents deceased, were you in foster care or were you a dependent or ward of the court?
• As determined by a court in your state of legal residence, are you or were you an emancipated minor?
• Does someone other than your parent or stepparent have legal guardianship of you, as determined by a court in your state of legal residence?
• At any time on or after July 1, 2021, did your high school or school district homeless liaison determine that you were an unaccompanied youth who was homeless or were self-supporting and at risk of being homeless?
• At any time on or after July 1, 2021, did the director of an emergency shelter or transitional housing program funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development determine that you were an unaccompanied youth who was homeless or were self-supporting and at risk of being homeless?
• At any time on or after July 1, 2021, did the director of a runaway or homeless youth basic center or transitional living program determine that you were an unaccompanied youth who was homeless or were self-supporting and at risk of being homeless?

For dependent students, if your parents are divorced, the custodial parent is responsible for filling out the FAFSA. For federal student aid purposes, the custodial parent is the parent with whom you lived the most during the past 12 months. (The twelve month period is the twelve month period ending on the FAFSA application date, not the previous calendar year). If you did not live with one parent more than the other, the parent who provided you with the most financial support during the past twelve months should fill out the FAFSA. Note, however, that any child support and/or alimony received from the non-custodial parent must be included on the FAFSA.

Please retain the Student Aid Report (SAR) for your records. It does not need to be sent to Concordia, as the Department of Education provides us with this information. Check your SAR to see if you have been flagged for Verification. If so, contact Student Central to discuss the required documentation. Also, review your SAR for errors. If any are found, log in to your FAFSA, make the appropriate correction(s) and re-submit your FAFSA.

Your EFC is the FAFSA’s calculation of your Expected Family Contribution. This is not what a student is required to pay out-of-pocket towards their education. The EFC is just an estimated number the federal processor derived to determine what the family can afford to contribute towards educational expenses. Student Financial Services uses the EFC to determine whether or not a student will be eligible for need-based aid, non-need-based aid, or a combination of the two. If the EFC is greater than the Cost of Attendance, the student will only be eligible for non-need-based aid. If the EFC is less than the Cost of Attendance, the student will likely be eligible for some need-based aid. (Formula: Cost of Attendance - EFC = Need)

You must list all outside sources of assistance that you will receive or anticipate receiving on your admissions application or in MyInfo at the time of your award acceptance. If you are notified of a scholarship award or reimbursement after submitting your application, please contact Student Financial Services via email as soon as possible. The organization awarding your scholarship should send payment to the Concordia University Texas Accounting Office prior to August 1.