How Does My Child File For Financial Aid?

What is the first step?
First time students without a Personal Identification Number (PIN), and parents of dependent students should request a PIN from www.pin.ed.gov. Your PIN can be used each year to electronically apply for federal student aid, serves as an electronic signature and provides access to personal records. You should never give your PIN to anyone, including commercial services that offer to help you complete your FAFSA. Be sure to keep your PIN in a safe place.

Completing the FAFSA is the next step in the financial aid process. If you have questions on what you need to properly complete a FAFSA, the purpose of the FAFSA or how to check the status of your FAFSA, check out the Department of Education for great information.

To apply for federal aid, complete the FAFSA online. This will reduce processing time of the application by the Department of Education from weeks to days. Paper FAFSAs are still available in most high schools, colleges or by calling the Department of Education at 800-433-3243. The FAFSA does include a preaddressed envelope to the federal processing center.

When applying for financial aid, expect to answer questions about the family's income and savings. Most of this information is readily available from tax returns, paycheck stubs, and bank and other financial account statements.

If you or the student has further questions regarding the completion of the FAFSA online visit the Department of Education web site or call the COCC Financial Aid Office at 541-383-7260.

Is my child eligible to apply?
Any US citizen or eligible noncitizen may apply, who has a high school diploma or GED or evidence of ability to benefit as determined by the Department of Education. The student must be admitted into a degree or certificate program. Scholarships and Veterans programs have additional eligibility requirements. Please check out all the criteria at the Department of Education's web site or contact the COCC Financial Aid Office.

COCC Federal School Code 003188

When does my child apply?
The 2012-2013 FAFSA covers the Summer 2012 through Spring 2013 terms. The 2013-2014 FAFSA will be available online beginning January 1, 2013. This application is for the Summer 2013 through Spring 2014. Complete best time to complete the FAFSA application is between January 1st and March 31st. FAFSA applications received later will be considered for funding from available aid programs such as Pell Grant and federal loan programs. If entering school in the middle of the school year, complete the FAFSA as soon as possible. To actually receive aid, a correct, complete financial aid application must be at the College before the last day of enrollment in the school year. You must apply for financial aid each year.

Do our income taxes have to be done before we fill out the FAFSA?
No. If you have not completed your tax return yet, you can still submit your FAFSA using an estimation of the income and tax data. Once you have filled your tax return, you must return to the FAFSA application and update any any income or tax information.

Remember, it can take 2 - 3 months to process an application for financial aid.

What happens after the FAFSA is completed?
Once the application is submitted, the Department of Education will begin processing the information within 48 hours. The FAFSA information is entered into a formula from the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, and the result of this calculation is the Expected Family Contribution (EFC). The EFC is the way a family's ability to pay for college is calculated. The formula for determining eligibility for federal aid programs is the same for every college.

Once the application is submitted and processed by the Department of Education, a Student Aid Report (SAR) which contains your EFC will be available. An electronic copy of your SAR will be available to the schools listed in Step Six of the FAFSA. If the FAFSA is submitted electronically, the SAR will be available with in 72 hours from date of submission. If the FAFSA was mailed, the SAR will be mailed in about 4 - 6 weeks. It is important to review the SAR to make sure all of the information is correct and to provide any necessary corrections or additional missing information.

The schools listed on the FAFSA receive your EFC along with the rest of the information. The EFC is used to prepare a financial aid package to help meet financial need. Financial need is the difference between your EFC and the school's cost of attendance (which can include living expenses), as determined by the school.

Filing out the FAFSA and applying for student financial aid is free. Be wary of mailings or website that offer to submit your application for you or to find you money for school if you pay them a fee. Some of them are legitimate, and some are scams. Generally, any information or service you pay for can be had for free from your school or from the U.S. Department of Education.

Will the school ask for any documents?
COCC may ask you and a parent to complete other types of documentation. COCC will mail a 'Requested Document' letter notifying the student of the documents needed and how to download them from their Bobcat Web account. If internet access is not available, Boyle Education Center or any outlining centers will have copies of the requested forms. Please return the documents as soon as they are completed. Processing of any document by the Financial Aid Office may take 2 - 4 weeks. After all documentation has been satisfied, COCC will award you the aid you are eligible for.

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What types of financial aid are available?