Frequently Asked Questions

It normally takes 7-10 business days before the college receives and loads the FAFSA application into our system. If the student is selected for verification, it may take up to 20-25 business days to complete the verification process.

Verification is the audit process of reviewing and determining a student's eligibility for Title IV assistance. The verification process determines the accuracy of the information a student and/or parent reports on his/her FAFSA. At least 30% of all FAFSA applications are randomly selected for verification by the Department of Education (DOE).  You are must submit paperwork to verify income, family members, untaxed income, etc. We are required by the DOE to verify this information before financial aid can be awarded and disbursed.

In order to be eligible for any form of federal, state, or institutional financial aid, you must fulfill the following requirements:

• You must be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen
• You must have a valid social security number
• You must be admitted into a degree or certificate/diploma seeking program. You may apply for aid before you are admitted but you must be admitted before aid can be awarded or disbursed
• If you are a male of at least 18 years of age, you must be registered with selective service
• To retain eligibility you must maintain satisfactory academic progress (SAP)
• First time college students must have a high school diploma, a General Educational Development Certificate (GED), or home schooled diploma
• Not be in default on any educational loan
• Not owe a refund on a Pell Grant or Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG)

Pell Grants are awarded based on the credit hours a student is enrolled in and the Estimated Family Contribution (EFC). In order to receive a full Pell Grant award a student must be enrolled in 12 or more hours with a zero EFC.

Pell Grants are awarded based on the credit hours a student is enrolled in and the Estimated Family Contribution (EFC). In order to receive a full Pell Grant award a student must be enrolled in 12 or more hours with a zero EFC.

Yes. Students may submit their Financial Aid documents, at any of our four campus locations. These documents may also be emailed to the Office of Student Financial Aid.

The Department of Education recently established new regulations which reduce the duration of a student’s eligibility to receive a federal Pell Grant from 18 full-time semesters (or its equivalent) to 12 full-time semesters (or its equivalent). This provision applies to all federal Pell Grant eligible students effective 2012-13.Beginning with fall 2012, a student has 6 years (12 full-time semesters) of total Pell Grant lifetime eligibility. (This includes all years Pell was received prior to fall 2012.) All the years each student has received federal Pell grant will be counted toward the 6 years, regardless of when the student began receiving aid. You can find your Lifetime Eligibility Used for the federal Pell Grant by going to nslds.ed.gov and creating a student account. NSLDS, the National Student Loan Data System, tracks your lifetime Pell Grants, loan usage and overpayment status. If you have loans, you may view how much you owe and to whom.

The refund selection kit is a kit that will arrive in the mail shortly after a student registers for classes.  This kit includes instructions and a personal code that enables the student to make a refund preference selection. A student should choose their refund preference at RefundSelection.com.