Financial Aid Process

Students at the Colorado School of Traditional Chinese Medicine may be eligible to receive Title IV Direct Unsubsidized loans and Title IV Graduate PLUS loans. Pell grants and Subsidized Direct loans are not available for graduate students and are thus not available at CSTCM. Students who wish to apply for financial aid should follow the steps below.

1. Complete your FAFSA at www.fafsa.ed.gov. If you are given the option to complete more than one FAFSA, verify that you are selecting the correct one based on your start date.
2. Complete a Subsidized/Unsubsidized Master Promissory Note and Entrance Counseling at www.studentloans.gov. If you would like to receive Graduate PLUS loans, you will also need to complete a PLUS Master Promissory Note as well.
3. Applicants who are eligible for education benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs should provide the Financial Aid Administrator (FAA) with a letter certifying that eligibility. If you are expecting to receive some other kind of aid, please notify the FAA.
4. Prospective or current students who need an explanation of any aspect of the financial aid process should contact the FAA in-person or through e-mail or phone.
5. Before the start of every trimester, students will meet with the FAA to sign their Enrollment Contracts. During this meeting, the FAA will explain how much the student is allowed to borrow and the student will notify the FAA of how much they want to borrow. The FAA will also address any questions or concerns the student has regarding financial aid.
6. Before the student loan is disbursed, the FAA will e-mail the borrower an award letter explaining how much the student is set to receive.
7. Financial aid students can request a book voucher so that books or supplies ordered in Yan Jing Supply can be charged to student’s school account. This allows students to use student loans to purchase required materials without needing to wait for the loan disbursement date.
8. Student loans are disbursed on the third Friday of every trimester. Student loan refund checks are available on this day to be picked up in the Financial Aid Office.
9. Within 30 days after each student loan disbursement, the FAA will e-mail a Notification and Right to Cancel Notice to borrowers. This e-mail details the gross and net amounts of the disbursement and explains borrower’s right to cancel the loan if they choose.
10. Students who wish to receive additional student loans after the initial disbursement date should consult with the FAA.
11. All students who graduate must complete Exit Counseling, either online or in-person with the FAA. Any student who withdraws or drops below half-time or enters an Approved Leave of Absence will be asked to complete on-line or in-person Exit Counseling and any who fail to do so will be sent Exit Counseling materials.