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Financial Aid Process

  1. In order to see if you qualify for Financial Aid you must first fill out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). You will be completing the 2026-27 Application. To apply, go online to . Be sure to use our school code (042239), so we will automatically be sent a copy. If you do not have internet access you can schedule an appointment to come in and complete the FAFSA at the school or talk to our Financial Aid Administrator, Randy Cotterell for other options. (NOTE: If you are applying for our Spring (March 2027) class, you must complete both the 2026-27 and the 2027-28 FAFSA)

    When completing your FAFSA for our school, a commonly missed question that students struggle with is listed below:

    Question: When the student begins the 2026-27 school year, what will their college grade level be?

    You will select the following: 1 - First-Year (Freshman)

  2. Once submitted, your FAFSA will be processed and your Student Aid Index (SAI) will be determined based on the Dept. of ED’s Federal Need Analysis Methodology and information you provide on your FAFSA application.

  3. Within 1-3 days, you will receive a copy of your FAFSA Submission Summary that specifies your Student Aid Index (SAI) and lets you know that your FAFSA has been processed. At this time, we will also be notified of your FAFSA.

  4. Once you have applied to Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ (submitting ALL required documents, as listed on the Student Enrollment & Application Procedures) and have been accepted to our massage therapy program, you will be asked to reach out to the Financial Aid Office.

  5. At this point we will review your FAFSA and notify you of any corrections which need to be listed on your FAFSA.

  6. IF no corrections were needed OR once your corrected FAFSA is returned to us from the Dept. of Education (ED), we will create an offer for you. Depending on the types and amount of financial aid for which you are eligible, your financial aid offer may include a mixture of grants and/or loans and will be communicated to you in the form of a Financial Aid Offer Letter (via email).

  7. Once the Financial Aid Offer meets your approval, you will be released to schedule your enrollment with our Admissions staff.

  8. During your enrollment, you will complete admissions paperwork for the admissions office and meet with our financial aid administrator to review the formal financial aid offer in more detail. Unless something changes, you will only receive a Financial Aid Offer Letter once you have been enrolled at Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­. During the review process, your financial aid administrator will include specific information on how to accept and/or apply for financial aid offered, along with next steps in the process.

  9. Once we have received your finalized financial aid letter back, if you are taking out loans you will need to complete the Loan Entrance Counseling and the Master Promissory Note on the website (as required by the Dept. of Education (ED)). We will provide your more information about that when it happens.

For questions or assistance, please schedule an appointment with the Financial Aid Administrator, Randy Cotterell at [email protected] or call 615-360-8554.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to fill out the FAFSA? It depends. According to the Department of Education (ED) FAFSA website, it generally takes ~1 hour for individuals to complete their FAFSA using their electronic filing services on the website. Completing the FAFSA via paper method can take longer.
Who has to sign the FAFSA? You and your parent(s) (for dependent students) must use your own unique UN/PW to electronically sign your FAFSA before submitting to the Dept. of Education.
How do I know if I am a "dependent" or "independent" student? The Department of Education determines your dependency status using a very rigid set of criteria.

INDEPENDENT: This means for Financial Aid purposes the custodial parents' income and asset information is not required in determining a student's financial aid, and therefore not required on the FAFSA.

DEPENDENT: This means for financial aid purposes, regardless of how much support you may actually receive from your parents or legal guardians, you are still likely to be considered a Dependent Student (unless you meet certain criteria) and required to have your parents complete their financial portion of the FAFSA, as well as electronically sign and submit.

Exceptions are granted rarely and only in extreme cases. However, if you have special circumstances that you feel warrant consideration, and for which you may be able to provide documentation, you may contact your school's financial aid office. Only your school's financial aid office may issue a "dependency override" on the FAFSA application.

IMPORTANT: If you are considered a DEPENDENT student and do not provide your parents' information on your FAFSA, your application WILL BE REJECTED.
Should I give my consent to use the new Future Act - Direct Data Exchange (FA-DDX) tool to share/import my tax information? Yes. In fact, your FAFSA will not fully process without the Student (and/or Spouse / Significant other) and/or Parents Consent.
What if I file a joint tax return with my spouse in 2024, do they need to grant consent to use the FA-DDX? Yes. Beginning with the 2026-27 FAFSA, both spouses must grant consent.
What if I don't think I qualify for assistance? Even if you think you and/or your family earns too much to qualify for aid, students are encouraged to complete and submit a FAFSA; filing is free and unless you apply you will never know how much you may qualify for. Regardless of income, most families are eligible for multiple types of aid, such as federal loans (Stafford and PLUS), and students are frequently surprised by the amount of aid for which they qualify.
What if the Financial Aid Package isn't enough? It is not uncommon for students and families to find themselves in need of additional assistance to help cover the total cost of their higher education expenses. Fortunately, there are options which include private education loans. With a credit-based private education loan, you can finance up to 100% of your COA, including related educational expenses such as computers, housing, transportation, etc.
Could I qualify for Pell if I already have a bachelor's degree? No. Students with a bachelor's degree will not receive any more Pell; yet apply on the FAFSA, you may qualify for loans. Students can also make monthly payments to Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ (MBI).
May I pursue an adjustment based on a special or unusual circumstance? Yes! Contact our financial aid office for more information and required paperwork.

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