Who Qualifies for Financial Aid?

In short, everyone qualifies for some form of financial aid as long as the applicant meets some basic requirements such as being:

• A U.S. citizen or qualified legal resident
• In good standing on any previous federal loans
• A student at an eligible school in an eligible program

The term "financial aid" can be confusing as some people only associate free money as financial aid. In fact, financial aid refers to all forms of aid that help support a student's education costs.

The first step in qualifying for any type of financial aide is completing the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid).  Even if an applicant is denied grants or work-study, he or she may qualify for federal student loans which have below-market interest rates and deferred and extended repayment options.

How Much Do I Qualify For?

The FAFSA results help colleges determine the amount of financial aid available to a student. Money is distributed starting in the spring of the preceding school year. Students should go through the application process early to ensure that all of their information is received and processed by the time the school begins distributing funds.

Through the financial aid application process, the school is able to determine the amount of  the student's financial aid need, which it then attempts to meet though a combination of scholarships, grants, loans, work-study programs and family contributions.

Learn More From the SC4
Financial Aid Website 

Our local community College, SC4 (St. Clair County Community College) provides additional information about the financial aid process at their Web site .

FAFSA

Key to Funding Your Education

Scholarships and grants require the FAFSA  

FAFSA Web site

A new link to make filling out the FAFSA eaisier

A great feature of student aid on the Web is MyFSA. Establishing a MyFSA account allows you to register your name and basic profile information that can be used to search and match you to the right career fields, colleges and scholarships.

At your option, your profile information can be used to pre-populate certain fields on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), FAFSA4caster and electronic college admission applications. You can even calculate an estimated family contribution (EFC).