South Puget Sound Community College

Financial Aid 101

Do you need help understanding financial aid? How do you apply? The answers to your questions are available to you! Attend Financial Aid 101 on-line and you will gain an understanding of what financial aid is, who is eligible, where the money comes from and how to apply.

Experience our on-line presentation: Financial Aid 101

Live sessions are offered during the following dates and times and are held in Building 22, Room 206.

• October 7 from 9 to 10
• October 16 from 4 to 5
• November 20 from 4 to 5
• December 11 from 9 to 10
• December 18 from 4 to 5
• January 8 from 9 to 10
• January 22 from 4 to 5

Why Should I Apply For Financial Aid

The cost of financing a college education is steadily rising. Many parents and students are finding it increasingly difficult to pay for college without some financial assistance. We attempt to make limited funds available in a fair and equal manner. The distribution of these funds is regulated by federal and state laws and we cannot determine your eligibility for financial aid unless you complete the application process.

When are applications reviewed?

We evaluate financial aid applications in batches based on the date the file was completed (all required items received in our office). Although we continuously review and award applications throughout the year, you need to make sure your application is completed by the deadline dates listed below to ensure notification of your financial aid eligibility before tuition is due. Applications completed after the deadline will be reviewed in the on-going process but CANNOT be guaranteed notification for tuition payment. Students wanting to enroll for that quarter must plan to pay their tuition to guarantee their enrollment. If they are later determined to be eligible, they will receive retroactive funds for that respective quarter. (Retroactive funding does not mean reimbursement of what you paid out of pocket. It may be more or less, depending on student eligibility and funds availability).

Application Deadlines

We evaluate financial aid applications in the awarding cycles listed below. When completing the application process by the awarding cycle date, you are assured notification of your financial aid eligibility in time for tuition payment. This is our commitment to you for completing the process by the specified date. Any applications completed after that quarter's awarding cycle date will be reviewed in the next cycle. Applications processed by the Federal Processor by our deadline date that have completed all other application requirements will be considered to have met the deadline. Files completed by April 28, 2006 will be given first consideration for all funds, including FSEOG.

• If you are applying for Fall Quarter, 2008 the deadline for your file to be completed is June 27, 2008.
• If you are applying for Winter Quarter, 2009 the deadline for your file to be completed is October 31, 2008.
• If you are applying for Spring Quarter, 2009 the deadline for your file to be completed is February 6, 2009.
• If you are applying for Summer Quarter, 2009 the deadline for your file to be completed is April 17, 2009.
• Priority Funding deadline for 08-09 the deadline for your file to be completed is May 2, 2008

Steps To Apply For Financial Aid

1. APPLICATION To start the process you must first complete the Free Application for Federal student Aid (FAFSA). You can do this by using one of the options listed below. You will also need our college code, which is 005372.

WEB APPLICATION - Before you can apply over the Web you must first request a personal identification number (PIN) from the Department of Education. This PIN will allow you and your parents (if applicable) to sign your application electronically. The Web address is www.pin.ed.gov. Applying for a PIN can take up to 7 days, so it is important to request your PIN immediately. Once you receive your PIN you can then file your application electronically here www.fafsa.ed.gov. To ensure your ability to meet our deadline requirements, this process must be completed at least three weeks before the published deadlines.

PAPER APPLICATION - Complete the paper FAFSA and mail to the Federal Processor using the envelope provided in the application packet. To ensure your ability to meet our deadline requirements, this process must be completed at least six weeks before the published deadlines.

2. DATA SHEET This is our institutional form and is available when you pick up your financial aid packet from the Financial Aid Office or by downloading the data sheet from the Financial Aid Forms section above. Returning students are required to fill out a new data sheet every school year (Sept. through August).

3. TRANSCRIPT EVALUATION An official credit evaluation of credits completed at other institutions is required. You must request OFFICIAL copies of all previous college, technical school and university transcripts to be sent directly to yourself. Then bring the transcripts in the ORIGINAL SEALED ENVELOPE to the Enrollment Services Office for review and complete an Application for Transfer of Credits. The evaluation process can take up to 8 weeks. To check on the status of your transcript evaluation, call Admissions at (360) 596-5241.

4. ADMISSIONS You must also apply for admissions to our college. This is a separate application process. Check with the Enrollment Services Office for application materials and deadlines. Their phone number is (360) 596-5241. You may also apply online.

Your application is not complete until we have received ALL the required materials, ALL discrepancies are resolved and you have an award letter from our office. We will contact you one time if you are missing information for your file. If you do not provide the additional information we are requesting we will discontinue your application. You are responsible for ensuring that your application is complete and ready for review.

During the review process you may also be required to provide us additional paperwork such as:

• A copy of your I-94, I-151 or I-688 if your eligible non-citizenship status is not confirmed.
• Leave and Earnings Statement.
• A signed copy of your and, if applicable, your parents 2006 tax return.
• A Verification worksheet which can be found above in the Forms section.
• A copy of your social security card if your social security number is not confirmed.
• Confirmation of your Selective Service (Military Draft) registration www.sss.gov if your registration is not confirmed.
• A statement from your lender if we have notification that you are in default on a federal student loan.

NOTE: Students cannot receive aid at two colleges concurrently.

Am I Eligible For Financial Aid?

All financial aid applicants must:

1. Apply for admission to the college;
2. Have a high school diploma or GED, or pass an ATB test.
3. Must be pursuing a college degree or certificate that is 6 months (24 credits) or more in length & eligible for financial aid.
4. Meet satisfactory academic progress policy standards. (The policy is available in our office.)
5. Not in default or repayment, or have not made satisfactory payment arrangements.

We use the following formula to determine your eligibility:

NOTE: Awards are subject to funds availabilty

Can I Afford College?

College costs are rising. Students must plan to pay for tuition, books, supplies, rent, food, utilities, transportation and personal expenses. Students are expected to plan ahead and be prepared to contribute to the cost of attending college. Our first priority is to help students pay for tuition and books. Below is a guide in estimating what it may cost you to attend South Puget Sound Community College for nine months. Living expenses will vary according to lifestyle choices.

School/Living Expenses	Living with Parent	Living in an Apartment
Tuition & Fees* (estimate only)	$2,800	$2,800
Books & Supplies	900	900
Rent, Food, Utilities, etc	2532¹	7842¹
Personal Expenses**	1548	1890
Transportation	1200²	1044²
TOTAL***	$8,980	$14,476
* Nonresident tuition and fees are higher. ** Additional costs may be added to expenses for students with special needs or who have daycare costs. *** No allowance is made for consumer debts ¹ Assumes student will be sharing housing costs with at least one other person. ² Includes cost of insurance, preventive maintenance and gas for nine months at 31 miles per day. If you travel additional miles allow about 22 cents per mile. No allowance is made for car payments or purchasing a new car.

What Am I Applying For?

The following list contains all financial aid available to South Puget Sound Community College. Funds are subject to availability and awarded first come, first served.

There are three basic types of financial aid:
1) grants    2) loans    3) work study

New aid programs may be added during the academic year. However, at the time of this publication the college participates in the following aid programs:

GRANTS. Grants are funds awarded to be applied towards school expenses. Normally, they will go toward tuition and fees first. Grants are not required to be repaid, unless you do not complete the credits registered for.

Types of grants offered are: Academic Competitiveness Grant, Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, Washington State Need Grant, Tuition Waiver, Student to Student Daycare Grant, and South Puget Sound Community College Grant.

LOANS. Loans must be paid back. Typically, repayment starts six months after you cease enrollment, or drop below 6 credits. For specific information regarding assessing your debt burden and repayment terms, review the Student Guide which is available at our office. There is an additional application process for loans. For more loan information visit the loans page.

Types of loans offered are: Federal Family Loan (FFEL) or Stafford Loan.

WORK STUDY. Work study is an opportunity for you to earn a portion of your financial aid eligibility by working on or off campus. You will indicate on the FAFSA and the Data Sheet if you are interested in the work study program. Instructions on how to apply for a particular position will be included in your award packet. You can also find more information at https:/jobcenter.spscc.ctc.edu

Types of work study offered are; Federal Work Study, Community Service Learning Work Study, Adult Literacy Work Study, State Work Study, Higher Education Work Study.

Student Responsibilites For Financial Aid Recipients

If you are awarded financial aid, you have certain responsibilities to maintain eligibility. You will be receiving detailed information with your award packet. These are some key items that you need to be aware of.

SATISFACTORY ACADEMIC PROGRESS – Students are required to meet satisfactory academic progress standards. Students who complete all credits with a quarterly and cumulative 2.0 GPA are considered to be making satisfactory progress. Students are also subject to completion ratios. You will receive detailed information with your award packet.

COMPLETE WITHDRAWAL – Students who have commenced attendance and are considering a complete withdrawal, are advised to talk to the Financial Aid Office. Completely withdrawing after receiving financial aid funds may put you in a repayment status. Students who owe a repayment are not allowed to enroll and in some cases cannot receive financial aid at any other institution until the repayment is resolved. See our office for the Return of Title IV funds policy.

TIMEFRAME – Generally, students are funded for the number of credits needed to complete an approved program of study. Students who have attended other colleges will be required to have a transcript evaluation done by Enrollment Services, after which a timeframe will be calculated. Students completing pre-requisite courses should consult with our office prior to requesting a transcript evaluation. Students are allowed up to 45 credits of remedial course work and one major change.

CORRESPONDENCE CLASSES – Correspondence classes are not considered eligible for financial aid until at least 50% of the course work has been completed. Please consult with our office if you are considering enrolling in correspondence classes.

STUDY ABROAD – If the college is offering a program abroad that applies to your eligible program of study, financial aid may be available to you. Contact our office for more information.

OUTSIDE FUNDING – Financial aid students are required to notify our office of any outside assistance you are receiving for education expenses. This includes: scholarships, DVR, VA Benefits, Employment Security, and any other educational benefits. Failure to report this information could result in an overaward and a student could owe financial aid.

Additional Information

UPDATING FINANCIAL AID – All students are responsible for updating address, phone number and other changes with our office. It is imperative that we have accurate information to contact you. Please note, that you also need to update Enrollment Services separately.

SCHOLARSHIPS – The Financial Aid Office has information about both outside private scholarships and the college’s Foundation scholarships. Please contact our office for more information, or visit our web site at www.spscc.ctc.edu.

Students may access FastWEB, a free scholarship search, through the Internet at www.finaid.org. This address connects you to the Financial Aid Information page where you can select FastWEB and conduct a search of over 180,000 private sector scholarships, fellowships, grants and loans.

Students who provide false information on any financial aid form will be subject to punitive actions.

PARKING - Students who have been awarded and have accepted their financial aid may contact the Financial Aid Office for a temporary parking voucher. Vouchers will be given out two weeks prior to the start of the quarter for those who will be picking up financial aid balance checks. Students will be required to show photo identification and aid status will be verified before temporary vouchers are given.

ENROLLMENT LEVELS AND YOUR FINANCIAL AID ELIGIBILITY

Your enrollment level is determined as of 8:00 am the first day of the quarter. See the specific dates below. This is the enrollment level that is used to calculate your financial aid eligibility. It will determine if you are a full time student (12 or more credits), a three quarter time student (9 – 11 credits), a half time student (6 – 8 credits) or a less than half time student (1-5 credits). Students’ aid is adjusted according to their enrollment level at that time. Students who adjust their enrollment after that time will not have their aid adjusted with the exception of students who fail to commence attendance in their classes. This means that enrollment changes after 8:00 am on the following dates for each quarter will not cause a recalculation in students aid:

Spring Quarter	8:00 am	Monday, March 31, 2008
Summer Quarter	8:00 am	Monday, June 23, 2008

School Code

Our school code for the FASFSA is 005372

Who To Contact For More Information

Student Financial Services
South Puget Sound Community College
2011 Mottman Road SW
Olympia, WA 98512
financialaid@spscc.ctc.edu
Phone: (360) 596-5232

• Carla Idohl-Corwin, Dean of Student Financial Services
• Kerri Chaput, Director of Student Grants & Scholarships
• Ben Beus, Program Manager/Student Loans
• Jose Dominguez, Director of Job Center
• Lynn Ouellet, Office Assistant/Job Center
• Yvonne "Cookie" Greer, Program Coordinator/Student Files
• Lynette Hill, Fiscal Specialist I
• Debbie Ellis, Financial Aid Assistant

Student Financial Services

Consists of the following: Financial Aid, Scholarships, and the Job Center. Student Financial Services supports the mission of Student Services. The mission of our staff is to enable students to meet their educational objectives through employment opportunities, and other financial assistance.

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