You will achieve the life you’ve always wanted.

If neither of your parents have earned a college degree, then yes, you are a first-generation college student!

Depending on your schedule, you could be in class for several hours a day or none at all. Some students try to have classes on certain days of the week, while others enjoy spreading their classes across the week. Unlike high school, you are not expected to spend the entire day on campus if you aren’t in class. Pro tip: plan on spending two hours studying/working outside the class for every hour in the class.

Unlike high school, at college there is no supply list, and your textbooks are not provided. Many students are surprised by the additional cost of books or access codes for online content. Many items come down to personal preference, but a good planner, whether digital or paper, is a must! If you are an incoming freshman, you will be automatically signed up for the Brenau Book Bundle, a rental program that saves you time and money by bundling all of your books before the first day of class. Learn more about this program on the Brenau Book Bundle page.

Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at fafsa.gov. The FAFSA becomes available to file on Oct. 1 of each year for the upcoming fall academic year (beginning in August)

Here’s a link to the instructions on our Financial Aid page.

Brenau offers many program-based, academic and competitive scholarships. The Brenau Dreams Scholarship, which covers tuition costs, is given to two students who are the first in their families to go to college. Read more about Brenau’s scholarship offerings on the scholarship page.

Brenau offers four interest-free payment options to help families choose the best option.

One-payment option

Tuition charges are due on or before the first day of each academic term semester during the academic year. Tuition may be paid through CampusWEB, by mail or in person at the Brenau Accounting Office or the North Atlanta location.

Three-payment option

You can sign a Deferred Payment Contract to pay one-third of tuition on the first day of the academic term. The other two-thirds of the tuition will be paid in equal payments 30 days and 60 days from the first day of the academic term for a one-time fee of $35.

Four-payment option

You can sign a Deferred Payment Contract to pay one-quarter of tuition on the first day of the academic term. The remaining three-fourths of the semester’s tuition will be paid in equal payments 30 days, 60 days and 90 days from the first day of the semester for a one-time fee of $50.

Full year payment option

You can sign a Deferred Payment Contract to pay tuition over 10-monthly payments based on an estimate of the full academic year’s tuition/fees, The first payment is due on the first day of the semester. The remaining balance will be paid in nine equal payments due each month for a one-time fee of $75. . You must be an undergraduate or graduate student enrolled in Brenau’s day programs to qualify for the full-year payment option.

After you are admitted, you will work with an academic adviser who will introduce you to your program plan. A program plan is a road map of courses that lead to your degree. Your adviser will help you choose classes that create a balanced schedule and make sure you take classes in the proper sequence.

You can absolutely work while you are taking classes at Brenau. You’ll quickly realize the importance of managing your schedule while taking classes, and many of our students help balance this by working on campus. Both working on campus and off campus are acceptable. We encourage you to take advantage of Brenau’s student services, which offer help with managing work and college life.

First, email your professors to let them know that you’re sick and unable to attend class. We also encourage you to also seek medical attention by visiting the Center for Health and Well-being. If you anticipate missing several classes because you need to recover or go to a doctor’s appointment, you will need to notify Didi Cassell, and provide her with your doctor’s excuse. She will notify your professors of the absence. Her email is dcassell@brenau.edu.

Adjunct:

A professor who teaches on a limited-term contract, often for one semester at a time.

Advisor:

A faculty member who works with a student to make sure they take the correct classes to meet graduation requirements.

Board:

The term “board” in “room and board” refers to your meal plan.

Credit hour:

One credit hour is equal to 15-16 hours of instruction. Your credit hours are calculated over the full semester, which is generally 14 weeks. Most lecture and seminar courses are worth three credit hours.

FAFSA:

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the form you need to fill out to get financial aid from the federal government to help pay for college. At Brenau, we also use the FAFSA to determine what additional grants we can award you based on your or your parent’s income.

GPA:

Your GPA, or Grade Point Average, is a number that indicates how well or how high you scored in your courses on average.

Internship:

A short-term work experience offered by companies and other organizations for students to get some entry-level exposure to a particular industry or field.

Meal plan:

A method of purchasing meals up front for the duration of the semester at the college you attend.

National First Generation Day (Nov. 8):

The date of the annual National First-Generation College Celebration to honor the anniversary of the signing of the Higher Education Act of 1965.

Peer Assistant/PA:

An undergraduate student staff member who works alongside the student services staff during ROAR (Brenau’s student orientation) to assist new students with their academic transition to the university.

Resident Assistant/RA:

An undergraduate student staff member who lives in the residence halls. RAs help support the academic success, social development and personal growth of students by creating programs and experiences.

Registrar:

The office that’s responsible for registering students and keeping academic records, including transcripts.

Scholarship:

Financial support awarded to a student to help pay for college based on academic achievement, talent or athletic ability.

Work study:

Federal Work Study provides funds for part-time jobs on campus for undergraduate students with financial need, allowing you to earn money to help pay educational expenses. You must file your FAFSA to find out if you are eligible for work study.