Aid applicants must satisfactorily meet all the prerequisites for admission to the University and submit all required paperwork to the Financial Aid Office before any aid commitment can be made. In order to receive financial aid, you must be admitted and accepted for enrollment for the purpose of obtaining a degree or certificate offered by MSU.  Summer guest students, non-degree seeking students and Graduate Students enrolled in undergraduate Military Science courses only are not eligible to receive financial aid.  And, we encourage you to pursue other scholarship opportunities while attending MSU.

You may access the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at www.fafsa.ed.gov and electronically submit your application using your PIN!  Or, you may complete the FAFSA paper application as detailed in the instructions. *(NOTE: If you applied for financial assistance in the previous year, you may complete a Renewal FAFSA online which can be used to apply for financial assistance).  The appropriate tax return(s) for you and/or your spouse OR you and/or your parents must be completed prior to completing this FAFSA. Pay special attention to the Instruction Booklet as well as the Worksheets --these will provide many answers to your questions! The completed FAFSA must be mailed to the Pell Grant Processors. Do NOT include your income tax documentation or any letters of explanation as this may delay the processing of your application.

1. After submitting the FAFSA application, YOU, the student, will receive a Student Aid Report (SAR) which is your indication the application has been processed with the Pell Grant processor. Please retain the SAR for your personal records.  (NOTE: If you apply online, your FAFSA will be processed quicker!)
   
   
2. Within 3-5 days after receipt of the SAR, an automated "Missing Information Letter" (MIL) may be sent to you requesting additional information (e.g. tax returns, verification worksheet etc...), if required. Complete all information FULLY AND COMPLETELY; any question left blank or incomplete will delay the processing of your financial aid eligibility. Additionally, if you are selected for "verification", OR discrepancies are noted in your application, additional documents may be required. The Financial Aid Office will review your information and determine if you must provide additional forms. If so, a subsequent MIL will be forwarded to you.  If you are not selected for "verification", your financial aid eligibilty will be determined (as detailed in #4 below).
   
   
3. The MSU-FAO will review your previous academic history (MSU and transfer hours) to ensure you are currently meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress – review and retain this information for your personal records.
   
   
4. The MSU Financial Aid Office will notify you of the types of award(s) and dollar amount(s) you are eligible to receive. (NOTE: if you are selected for verification and have returned all requested information, please allow additional time for receipt of your award letter as we complete the verification process). Determination of financial aid awards for the award year is tentatively scheduled to begin on/around April 15th.
   
   
5. You must 'accept' or 'decline' your awards by logging into WebWorld. Once in WebWorld, click on 'Enter Secure Area' and then you  must enter your Mustangs ID and PIN Number (please refer to the following):
   
   Your Mustangs ID is the student ID number you currently have as an MSU student --OR, if you are a new or transfer student, your Mustangs ID will be the number you have previously received from MSU. 
   
   Your PIN Number will be your birthdate (mmddyy) and you will be required to change it before you can proceed; your PIN Number must be a 6-digit number of significance to you (please do NOT include alpha characters in your PIN for optimum performance).  NOTE: if you have previously logged into webWorld and, therefore , have already updated your PIN, please use the updated PIN Number to view your award(s). 
   
   If you accept a Direct Loan(s), you will be instructed to complete the process for your loan(s) approval.
   
   
6. Your financial aid award(s) will be disbursed to you during each registration period.
   
   
7. You may follow the progress of your financial aid application via  MSU's  "WebWorld".  Enter your Mustangs ID and PIN number (as detailed in #5 above) and, once you have provided this information, you may begin your search.
   
   
8. Also, contact the MSU Admissions Office at (940) 397-4334 to obtain an application for admission to the university, if you have not already done so. If you are a BEGINNING FRESHMAN, you must also have your high school transcript and your ACT/SAT scores forwarded to the Admissions Office. If you are a TRANSFER student, you must have academic transcripts sent from all previously attended colleges or universities. You may wish to contact the Admissions Office for further details.