To receive financial aid, students must meet all of the federal eligibility requirements. Students must:
- Have a high school diploma or a General Education Development (GED) certificate
- Be a U.S. citizen or an eligible non-citizen
- Be enrolled or accepted for enrollment as a regular student in an eligible program of study
- Demonstrate financial need as determined by the federal methodology (excludes the federal unsubsidized Stafford Loan Program)
- Have a valid social security number
- Maintain satisfactory academic progress, as defined by the College Financial Aid Office
- Sign a Statement of Educational Purpose/Certification Statement on Overpayment and Default
- Register with Selective Service, if required to do so
- Complete the verification process, if selected to do so, by submitting a copy of federal tax forms and any other required documents
- Not have had eligibility for federal benefits suspended or terminated due to a drug-related conviction
- Mot be receiving Financial Aid for concurrent post-secondary attendance
Dependency Status
Students who apply for financial aid must determine whether they should apply as independent (self-supporting) students or as dependent students. Determination of a student's dependency status is made in the student status section on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
Students who meet at least one of the following criteria are considered independent:
- Students who were born before January 1, 1984 (for the 2007-2008 academic year)
- Students who are married
- Students who have legal dependents other than a spouse
- Students who are orphans or wards of the court (or were wards of the court until they reached age 18)
- Students who are veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces (this does not include active duty military students)
Students who claim to be independent may be asked to provide documentation to verify their dependency status prior to receiving financial aid. Students who want to be considered independent due to circumstances other than those listed should contact a financial aid advisor prior to completing the FAFSA.
NOTE! A student's living situation (whether the student lives with his or her parents) does not affect the student's dependency status.
Verification
Verification is the process of checking the accuracy of the information supplied by a student when s/he applies for financial aid. When verification is required for an application, that application is said to have been "selected" for verification. Applications are selected by the Central Processing Center, Department of Education. However, the College may also select students for verification and ask a student to provide additional documentation within 45 days of notification.
No financial aid disbursements will be made until verification is completed. If verification is not completed within 45 days, a request of the student's financial aid may be canceled, and the student may be asked to make arrangements for payment of tuition without consideration of financial aid. The student will be notified of verification results.
