Financial Aid

Determining and Maintaining Eligibility

Determining Eligibility

  1. When you complete and submit the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), the federal processor will review your data and determine your EFC (Expected Family Contribution) using a formula prescribed by law.
  2. You will receive a SAR (Student Aid Report) from the federal processor that will include your FAFSA information as well as your EFC. The federal processor will also send your information to the schools you requested on your FAFSA.
  3. Based on your FAFSA information and student status, an estimated TCA (Total Cost of Attendance) for the year will be calculated. We will then subtract your EFC from your TCA to determine your financial need (TCA-EFC=Financial Need).
  4. Based on this information an award package will be created for you.

Maintaining Eligibility

  1. It is important to note that your financial aid package may change from year to year depending on things like income, dependency status, your academic program, and the number of credits you plan to enroll in each quarter. Therefore, you are required to resubmit the FAFSA each year to be considered for aid the following academic year.
  2. To maintain your eligibility for financial aid, students must be making Satisfactory Academic Progress.
  3. If you have become ineligible for financial aid because you are not meeting the SAP, you may file for an appeal.