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Frequently
Asked Questions
How
do I apply for federal and state financial aid programs?
What
is the PIN and why do I need to apply for one?
What
is Highland's school code?
Do
I have to reapply for financial aid every year?
Why
do I have to provide my parents' information on the FAFSA?
How
can I check the status of my FAFSA application?
I
received my Student Aid Report (SAR) in the mail today. What am
I supposed to do with it?
What
is verification?
I
was picked for verification, but I misplaced my tax return from
the previous year. What do I do?
How
will I know if I am eligible for financial aid at Highland Community
College?
I
received an award letter indicating I qualify for financial aid.
How do I receive my financial aid?
Can
I use my financial aid money to purchase books?
How
do I apply for a Federal Work-Study job?
How
do I apply for scholarships?
How
could the Standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress policy affect
my financial aid?
I
just found out that my financial aid was terminated. What can I
do?
How
do I transfer my financial aid from my previous school to HCC?
Is
financial aid available during the summer sessions?
Will
adding and/or dropping classes affect my financial aid?
How
do I apply for federal and state financial aid programs?
You
will need to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid
(FAFSA). It can be completed online at www.fafsa.ed.gov
. To apply online, it is recommended that you (and your parent,
if you are a dependent) first be assigned a Personal
Identification Number (PIN ) from the U.S. Department of Education.
You can request a PIN at www.pin.ed.gov
. If you do not have access to a computer, there are computers
available for your use to file FAFSA forms in the financial aid
area. While the online version of the form is available at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov
, you can still get a paper FAFSA from the financial aid office
at HCC or by calling 1-800-4-FED-AID. In addition to the FAFSA,
you will need to complete Highland's financial aid forms and any
verification documents if you are picked for verification by the
Department of Education.
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What
is the PIN and why do I need to apply for one?
The PIN (Personal Identification
Number) serves as your identifier to let you access your personal
information in various U.S. Department of Education systems. The
PIN also allows you to sign your Federal student aid application
online and allows you to correct your application data online. If
you provide an e-mail address when applying for your PIN, you'll
get an e-mail response in approximately 48 hours that contains a
link to your PIN through the Internet. If you don't provide an e-mail
address, you'll get your PIN in 7-10 days through regular mail.
In the interest of keeping your personal information
secure, do not share your PIN! You should never give your PIN to
anyone. Be sure to keep your PIN in a safe place.
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What
is Highland's school code?
001681
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Do
I have to reapply for financial aid every year?
Yes. If your financial circumstances
change, you may get more or less aid. After the first year you file
a FAFSA you will receive an e-mail notification or a reminder by
US mail to renew. Even if your income should stay the same or you
did not file Federal Tax Returns, you are still required to apply
for financial aid every year.
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Why
do I have to provide my parents' information on the FAFSA?
When
you apply for federal student aid, your answers to the questions
in Step 3 of the paper FAFSA or in Step 2 of the online FAFSA will
determine whether you're considered dependent on your parents or
independent. If you're considered dependent, your parents' income
and assets as well as your own must be reported on the FAFSA. Students
are classified as dependent or independent because federal student
aid programs are based on the principle that students (and their
parents or spouse, if applicable) are considered the primary source
of support for postsecondary education.
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How
can I check the status of my FAFSA application?
At
any point during the processing period, you can use your PIN to
check the status of your FAFSA or to check on a correction you made
to your FAFSA:
•
Click on the FAFSA icon located at the
lower left of this site's home page.
• Click on the first item
in the right-hand column (under “FAFSA Follow-up”):
“Check
status of a submitted FAFSA.”
• Read
the Check Status page, click on “Next” at the bottom of the page,
then
enter
the information required.
Checking
the status of your application at any time during the processing
period is beneficial, but we recommend you at least check the status
at the following times:
•
3 to 5 days after submission - if you
used a PIN to sign your application
• 2-3
weeks after submission - if you printed, signed, and mailed a signature
page.
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I
received my Student Aid Report (SAR) in the mail today. What am
I supposed to do with it?
It
is important to review your SAR to make sure that the information
that you provided is accurate. You also need to review it to determine
whether the Department of Education has noted any issues with the
information you provided. If the Department of Education noted any
problems with your FAFSA, the issues will need to be corrected before
your financial aid can be processed. The SAR will also tell you
if you have been picked for verification.
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What
is verification?
Because errors can occur on a student's FAFSA, student applications
are sometimes selected by the CPS (Central Processing System) to
be verified by the College they are attending. If your financial
aid application was selected for the verification process you will
be required to submit a verification worksheet, your signed federal
income taxes, W-2's and IL state residency verification for state
aid. Depending on your dependency status, you may also be required
to submit tax information for your spouse or parents. If errors
are identified during verification that require corrections, the
financial aid office will submit any necessary corrections to the
Department of Education.
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I
was picked for verification, but I misplaced my tax return from
the previous year. What do I do?
If
you had a tax preparer complete your tax return, you can contact
them to get a copy. If you completed the tax return yourself, you
can contact the IRS for a copy of your transcript at 1.800.829.1040.
W-2's can be requested by contacting your employer(s), or by requesting
a transcript from the IRS at the above number.
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How
will I know if I am eligible for financial aid at Highland Community
College?
You will receive a letter from
the financial aid office indicating what kind of assistance you
are eligible for and the amount.
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I
received an award letter indicating I qualify for financial aid.
How do I receive my financial aid?
This depends on the type of
financial aid you are receiving and when your financial aid file
is completed. In most cases,
- state
grants and scholarships are applied to your account 3-4 weeks
after the start of class. Approximately two weeks later, any excess
funds are either mailed or distributed at the scholarship ceremony
that the Foundation holds in the fall for scholarship recipients.
All spring refund checks for state aid and scholarships are mailed.
- loans
are disbursed based on the disbursement schedule and when the
student completes the loan forms. The loan advisor can tell you
when to expect disbursement. First time borrowers must schedule
an appointment to meet with the loan advisor. Unless you have
other financial aid to cover your tuition, tuition will be taken
out of your loan amount first. Any excess funds will be mailed
to you. NOTE: For freshmen, first time borrowers, first disbursements
are not made until at least 30 days into the semester.
- federal
grants are applied to your account approximately 9 weeks into
the semester. Any excess funds are mailed to you after the 60%
point of the semester has been completed.
- College
Work Study funds are paid bi-weekly by paycheck from the payroll
department for hours worked.
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Can
I use my financial aid money to purchase books?
Students
receiving Pell, loans or funding from Partners for Employment may
have eligibility for help with books. Book vouchers will be available
at the bookstore two weeks prior to classes starting. You must have
a complete financial aid file and be enrolled in classes.
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How
do I apply for a Federal Work-Study job?
If
your award letter indicated that you are eligible for a Federal
Work-Study job, you must contact Career Services at 815.599.3536.
Work-study positions are limited. You must complete an application
and interview process.
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How
do I apply for scholarships?
Scholarship
applications can be found on our web site, or you can pick up applications
at the Financial Aid Office or the Foundation Office. Since many
of our Foundation scholarships require financial need, you may need
to complete a FAFSA as part of the scholarship application process.
The majority of scholarships have an application deadline of April
1, 2007, for the 07-08 academic year. Please contact the Foundation
Office at 815.599.3413 for questions.
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How
could the Standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress policy affect
my financial aid?
Federal
law mandates financial aid recipients maintain a certain standard
of academic performance in order to qualify for and retain financial
aid eligibility. If you are not maintaining these minimum academic
standards you will lose your financial aid for the future. Every
student that applies for financial aid at HCC is asked to read and
sign a copy of the Standards of Academic Progress Policy. If you
have questions regarding the policy, please contact the Financial
Aid Office.
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I
just found out that my financial aid was terminated. What can I
do?
If
you encountered extenuating circumstances that prevented you from
meeting the Standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements
you may complete a Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal form with
the Financial Aid Office. The appeal along with required documentation
of your situation will be reviewed and if approved you may get your
financial aid reinstated.
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How
do I transfer my financial aid from my previous school to HCC?
Financial
aid does not transfer from one college to another. To determine
your financial aid eligibility at Highland, you will need to add
Highland Community College to your FAFSA. Once this has been done,
the Financial Aid Office will then be sent your FAFSA information.
We will then process your information to determine your financial
aid eligibility at Highland. Since the cost of attendance
differs between colleges, you may qualify for more or less aid at
Highland.
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Is
financial aid available during the summer sessions?
If
you are a Pell recipient, contact the Financial Aid Office to determine
if you have any eligibility left to use for the summer semester.
Students are awarded summer Pell if they do not use 100% of their
Pell eligibility during the fall and spring semesters.
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Will
adding and/or dropping classes affect my financial aid?
Yes,
depending on the financial aid you are receiving, your enrollment,
and when it is done, adding/and or dropping classes could increase
or decrease your financial aid award. Check with the Financial Aid
Office if you are thinking about changing your class schedule to
determine how it will affect your financial aid award package.
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