Financial Aid
The student financial aid program at Fisk University is based on the principle that all eligible, motivated students who earnestly seek an education at the University should be able to obtain it, regardless of socioeconomic status. In implementing this principle, the University uses its student aid resources to provide financial support to as many students in need as possible. All principles, policies, and procedures governing the Fisk student aid program are consonant with this basic principle. They also comply fully with the regulations, which govern federally supported student financial assistance programs.
The University strongly endorses the principle that the primary responsibility for the financing of a student's education rests with the student and the student's family, and that any aid provided by the University is always supplemental to the family's maximum effort to provide the necessary funds. The student is required to promptly notify the University of any outside financial assistance in order to prevent an over-award, as defined by the U.S. Department of Education. Failure to report such resources may result in cancellation of all assistance.
Financial aid is awarded on an annual basis and the amount to be offered is determined by an examination of the family’s financial position. Information about a student’s financial aid is, therefore, highly confidential and discussed by the University only with the student and the student’s parents or guardians, unless otherwise authorized.
Student aid funds rarely meet all the financial needs of eligible students. Students interested in applying for federal student aid are encouraged to complete their FAFSA applications by March 15 in order to receive maximum institutional and federal funds.
Institutional financial aid programs generally require academic excellence. Academic scholarship programs recognize academically talented high school students who wish to enroll in the freshman class. Recipients of an academic scholarship are selected on the basis of outstanding high school records and qualifying scores from either the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) or the American College Test (ACT). Recipients are selected during the admission process, and no special application is necessary. Additional information about these scholarships may be obtained from the Office of Admission.
Note that all students must be admitted to Fisk University before any aid is awarded. Also, no actual offer can be made to any student until all required documents have been received in the Office of Student Financial Aid. A completed FAFSA application qualifies the student for consideration for the types of aid for which the applicant is eligible.