Catalog 2010-2011 - South Texas College

There is not a maximum EFC that defines eligibilityfor the other financial aid programs. Instead, yourEFC is used in an equation to determine yourfinancial need:Cost of Attendance- Expected Family Contribution (EFC)= Financial NeedTo determine your need for aid other than FederalPell Grant, the calculation to determine unmetneed is:Cost of Attendance- EFC- Pell Grant and any other Financial Aid= Unmet NeedDependency StatusWhen you apply for Federal Student Aid, youranswers to certain questions will determinewhether you are considered dependent on yourparents. If you are considered dependent on yourparents, you must report their income informationand assets as well as your own. If you areconsidered independent, you must report only yourown income information and assets (and those ofyour spouse, if you are married).Students are classified as dependent orindependent because Federal Student AidPrograms are based on the idea that students(and their parents or spouse, if applicable) havethe primary responsibility for paying for their postsecondary education.You are an independent student if at least one ofthe following applies to you:4You were born before January 1, 1986 forthe 2009-2010 (July 1, 2009 to June 30,2010) Federal Award Year, or January 1,1987 for the 2010-2011 (July 1, 2010 to June30, 2011) Financial Aid Award Year4You will be working on a master’s ordoctorate program on the award year youare applying for (beyond a bachelor’sdegree)4You are married4You have children or dependents otherthan a spouse4You are an orphan or were a ward of thecourt (until age 18)4You currently serving on active duty in theU.S. Armed Forces for purposes other thantraining or4You are a veteran of the U.S. Armed ForcesIf you think you have unusual circumstances thatwould make you independent even though noneof the above criteria applies to you, please reviewthe Dependency Override information in theProfessional Judgment section of this catalog andtalk to a financial aid representative. He or she willadvise you on how to put together your case forreview by the Financial Aid Appeals Committee.The committee reviews all requests from studentsfor changes in dependency status. All decisionsmade by the committee are final.APPLYING FOR FAFSA AND RENEWALFAFSAThe Free Application for Federal Student Aid(FAFSA)The FAFSA is made available each year bythe U.S. Department of Education to determinestudent eligibility for financial aid. The formmust be filled out completely and correctly for astudent’s eligibility to be calculated correctly. Readthe instructions carefully when you complete theFAFSA or the Renewal FAFSA. Most mistakes aremade because students do not follow instructions.Pay special attention to any questions on income,because most errors occur in this area.When you apply, you should have certainrecords on hand. These records are listed on theapplication. You should save all records and allother materials used in completing the applicationbecause you may need them later to verify theinformation you reported is correct.You should make a copy of your application (orprint out a copy of your FAFSA) before you submitit. This way, you have a copy of the data yousubmitted for your own records, so be sure youkeep all documents and be sure the informationyou report is accurate.Renewal FAFSAIf you applied for federal student aid this pastschool year, you probably will be able to file aRenewal Free Application for Federal Student Aid(Renewal FAFSA) online.If you qualify to use the Renewal FAFSA, youwill have fewer questions to answer. Most of theinformation on the form will be preprinted and willbe the same as the information you provided inthe previous year. You will have to write in somenew information and update information that haschanged (for example, family size, and income).Check with the Office of Financial Aid if you havequestions about the Renewal FAFSA.WAYS TO SUBMIT A FAFSAAPPLICATION TO THE U.S.DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONBy MailIf you apply by mail, your application will beprocessed in approximately four weeks. You willreceive a Student Aid Report (SAR) by mail. Atthat time, the SAR will list the information youprovided on your application, and any questionsthat the U.S. Department of Education may havein response to your application. Each school youlisted on the application may also receive yourapplication information if the school can receivethe information electronically.If it has been more than four weeks since youmailed in your application and you have notreceived a response, visit the STC Financial Aidoffice and we can check on your application, oryou can check yourself by calling 1-800-433-3243.TTY users may call 1-800-730-8913. You can alsocheck online at: www.fafsa.ed.gov54