Page 117 - Palo Verde College 2020-2021 Student Handbook / Planner

Financial Aid
RETURN OF FINANCIAL AID FUNDS
Palo Verde College determines the amount of federal financial aid a student earns, per federal law. Per federal regulations, Federal Grant recipients are responsible for any funds Palo Verde College pays to the federal financial program on behalf of the student when the college performs a Return to Title IV Calculation. The college calculates a grant overpayment when a student either withdraws from ALL their classes prior to 60% of the semester, receive all F’s or a combination of all F’s and W’s. Should the student fail to repay these funds to the institution, the institution shall place a national hold on the student’s record, and they will not be able to enroll in the future. See the “Refunds and Return of Title IV Funds” section.
A Student who feel they must withdraw, see a counselor or advisor at once to discuss the academic or personal reasons for leaving. There maybe services (such as tutoring or personal support) to help students remain in school. Speak with instructors; see what advice and assistance they can offer. Please work with the Financial Aid Office. If it is determined money is owed back to the federal program, to prevent the loss of student aid eligibility, contact the federal student aid program to arrange for regular payments. It is important to take care of the details before leaving. Leaving without planning for repayment of funds owed, the Financial Aid Office will place a national hold on your student aid eligibility.
HOW TO APPLY FOR FINANCIAL AID
1. You may choose any of these methods to file a FAFSA form:
• Log in at fafsa.gov to apply online or
• Fill out the form in the myStudentAid mobile app, available on the App Store (iOS) or Google Play (Android) or
• Complete a 2020-21 FAFSA PDF or a 2020–21 FAFSA PDF (note: you must print out and mail the FAFSA PDF for processing) or
• Request a print-out of the FAFSA PDF by calling us at 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243) or 334-523-2691 (TTY for the deaf or hard of hearing 1-800-730-8913); then fill out the form and mail it for processing
2. Do not leave any questions unanswered unless indicated on the form to skip or leave blank. If the answer is zero or none, put a zero in the answer space to that item.
3. Use whole dollar amounts only. Do not use cents.
4. You must provide your social security number (SSN). If you do not provide your SSN, your application cannot be processed.
Students must re-apply each school year for financial aid and also receive a reminder to renew from the Federal Student Aid program. The first day to submit a FAFSA for the upcoming academic year is October1st.
It usually takes a minimum of 3 to 5 days to complete the processing of your application once your application has been submitted to the Department of Education. Once the Department of Education has processed the FAFSA, students receive an email that they may now review their Student Aid Report or SAR by logging on to the FAFSA website. It is very important to review your SAR for any conflicting information or verification status requirements.
Once the college has received the FAFSA, students receive an email from the financial aid office requesting documents, forms or other additional information. Please do not delay in contacting the financial aid office.
Students may be required to provide an IRS Income Tax Transcript (and their parent’s in accordance to their dependency status) to the Financial Aid Office. Additional forms or documents may be required if the student or their parents received non-taxable income or if there is conflicting information. Once the student’s financial aid file is complete it is considered “ready for packaging”. Once awarded, students receive an “Award Package Acceptance Letter” by email from the financial aid office with instructions on scheduling an appointment and what documents to bring to the appointment. The award letter appointment is an overview of the award package, eligibility requirements and overview of the awarding process. Therefore, these are usually presented as an orientation throughout the semester. The presentation is scheduled to allow as many students to attend at a time that is the most convenient for them. So, it is important to select a time that is convenient you. Please be on time, so as not to be a disruption to other students. At this time, the student may decide to accept or reject all or part of the award. All students awarded federal financial aid must attend the award letter orientation and sign their award package acceptance form.
All students who submit a FAFSA application by the state Cal Grant deadlines, have their GPA submitted electronically by the college to the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC). Students who do not have 24 units or more but would still like to be considered for a Cal Grant are required to have their GPA verified by the last school of attendance. Students submit a GPA Verification form to the last school of attendance for completion and send the form directly to the Commission. The FAFSA application must be postmarked no later than March 2, 2020 to be considered for a Cal Grant High School Entitlement, Transfer Entitlement, or Competitive Award. For those not eligible for an entitlement award, California Community College students can still be considered for a Competitive Cal Grant award and have an additional deadline of September 2, 2020 to submit their FAFSA and GPA to the Commission for consideration.
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