Financial Aid - Frequently Asked Questions

1. I probably don't qualify for aid. Should I apply for aid anyway?
2. How do I apply for Federal Financial Aid?
3. How do I apply for a Pell Grant and other types of need-based aid?
4. What is a Student Aid Report?
5. When and how will I receive my financial aid?
6. What expenses can I expect financial aid to cover?
7. Do I have to reapply every year?
8. Can my financial aid change?
9. How do I compare awards from several schools?
10. How is my "financial need" determined?
11. What is a "Standard Student Budget" or "Average Cost of Attendance?"
12. How do I apply for a scholarship?
13. Will our savings and other assets be considered when our financial need is being determined?
14. How do I become an Independent Student for Federal Aid purposes?
15. I'm going to be married during the school year for which I am applying for aid. Can I fill out my FAFSA as "married"?
16. If my parents are divorced or separated, whose financial data should be used when I'm completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)?
17. What if I have unusual circumstances?
18. What is verification?
19. What if I am selected for verification?
20. I want a Federal Work-Study job. How can I get one?
21. Do I have to pay taxes on the money I earn through Federal Work-Study?
22. Can I get aid for summer semester?
23. How do I apply for aid for summer semester?
24. Can audit courses be used to receive financial aid?
25. What happens to my financial aid status if I withdraw from school?

Yes. Many families mistakenly think they don't qualify for aid, and prevent themselves from receiving financial aid by failing to apply for it. In addition, there are some sources of aid such as Unsubsidized Stafford and PLUS loans that are available regardless of need. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is free, available on the web and www.fafsa.ed.gov and easy to fill out. There is no excuse for not applying.  Remember, filling out a FAFSA is FREE, if you are asked for payment, you may not be on a legitimate FAFSA web site.

2. How do apply for Federal Financial Aid?
If you are a senior in high school, or have already completed high school or your GED, and it is after January 1, then fill out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), and submit it to the colleges you are considering attending. This begins the financial aid process.  If you have not obtained a high school diploma or GED, and are over the age of compulsory attendance, you may still qualify for aid.  Please see a campus financial aid office for assistance. 

After your college receives your FAFSA from the Department of Education, you will be contacted about what steps you need to take to continue the process.

3. How do I apply for a Pell Grant and other types of need-based aid?
Submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). For Pell grants, other Federal and State grants, student employment, and student loans you should complete the FAFSA as soon after January 1 as possible.  Most schools have priority application deadlines.  The most aid is awarded to students who complete their FAFSAs before these deadlines. 

4. What is a Student Aid Report?
The U. S. Department of Education will process your electronic FAFSA in approximately one week. You will then receive a Student Aid Report (SAR) by email. The SAR will reflect the information from your application and, if there are no questions or problems with your application, your SAR will provide your Expected Family Contribution (EFC). This is the number used in determining your eligibility for federal student aid. Be sure to list the school code of the college you would like to attend on your FAFSA, so that the school may electronically receive your SAR.

5. When and how will I receive my financial aid?
Financial aid awards are normally released at the start of each semester. As a financial aid recipient, your financial aid award funds will first be used to pay your tuition/fees. After all your tuition and fees are paid for the semester, the balance of your financial aid money will be issued to you in the form of a check from the Office of Student Accounts (206-4574).

6. What expenses can I expect financial aid to cover?
Financial aid is awarded based on an average Cost of Attendance (COA) that includes appropriate tuition/fees for your educational program, books/supplies, and other educational expenses. Other educational expenses consist of living, transportation, personal and miscellaneous expenses during the academic year. Please do not expect that your financial aid will cover ALL costs incurred while attending college.  Your Cost of Attendance will be reflected as a Student Budget Group and will be calculated based upon the number of credits that you enroll in.

7. Do I have to reapply every year?
Yes. You must apply for financial aid every academic year. After your first year you will receive a "Renewal Application" from the federal processor (by email). The renewal application contains prefilled information from the previous year's FAFSA. Note that your eligibility for financial aid may change significantly, especially if you have a different number of family members in college or a significant financial change. Renewal of your financial aid package also depends on your making satisfactory academic progress toward a degree, such as earning a minimum number of credits and achieving a minimum GPA.

8. Can my financial aid change?
Yes.  Initial financial aid awards are the best estimate of what you are eligible to receive. Most changes in awards, however, involve factors that are under your control, and of which you should be aware. Your award may be increased, reduced, or even canceled, if:

• Your family financial circumstance changes, causing your need to change.
• You receive any additional outside resource, such as a privately awarded scholarship, which was not listed on your award notification.
• You provided incorrect data on your FAFSA or Renewal FAFSA.
• You do not maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress.
• You are suspended by the College.
• You do not enroll for the required number of hours to receive aid through the programs awarded to you.
• Your level of enrollment is less than full-time.  All initial awards are based on the belief that a student will enroll full-time.  If you do not enroll full-time, you will be placed in a student budget that accurately reflects your level of enrollment.

9. How do I compare awards from several schools?
Financial aid packages should be evaluated based on quantity and quality. A good measure of the quantity of your aid package is to figure out how much financial aid money you will have left after paying your tuition and fees instead of simply considering the total amount. A financial aid package is considered high quality if it allows a reasonable level of self-help awards (loans and work-study) compared to the total cost of education at the school, and is consistent from year to year.

10. How is my "financial need" determined?
The federal processor determines your individual family's ability to contribute to the cost of education ("Expected Family Contribution") by using the information you provide on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and a formula called "federal methodology." The formula considers your parents' and your income and assets, your family size, and the number of family members enrolled in college. If you meet the qualifications to be an independent student, your parent’s information will not be necessary. The EFC will be the same at any college you attend. After receiving your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) amount from the federal processor, the Office of Financial Aid then subtracts your EFC from the standard student budget (average cost of attendance). In formula form: Cost of Attendance - EFC = Student Financial Need.

11. What is a "Student Budget," or "Average Cost of Attendance?"
The Student Budget is the amount the College estimates it will cost to attend college for the academic year. Costs include: tuition/fees, books and supplies, housing, meals, transportation, and personal expenses. Budgets are calculated differently for students who are independent and dependent, or who are enrolled in certain programs with costs that differ from the standard credit-hour programs or are enrolled in less than full-time hours.

12. How do I apply for a scholarship?
You can visit the college’s scholarship web page at www.pima.edu/scholarship to see what is available. You can also visit www.fastweb.com, www.finaid.org, or www.college-scholarships.com/100college to search for  scholarships available across the country.

13. Will our savings and other assets be considered when our financial need is being determined?
Family assets, such as stocks and bonds, net business worth, and savings are taken into account in determining the student's expected family contribution toward  his/her education. Eligibility for federal financial aid funds is determined by rules set by the government that provide, among other things, allowances for retirement needs in computing this contribution.

14. How do I become an Independent Student for Federal Aid purposes?
You may be considered independent if you meet at least one of the following requirements:

• were born before January 1, 1984 (2007-2008), 1985 (2008-2009), 1986 (2009-2010)
• are a veteran of the US Armed Forces,
• are married,
• are a ward of the court, or were a ward of the court until age 18, or  meet one of the conditions listed at www.fafsa.ed.gov
• have a legal dependent for whom you provide more than half of their support

Please visit a campus financial aid representative if you feel you have special circumstances that should be considered for determining you rdependency status.

15. I'm going to be married during the school year for which I am applying for aid. Can I fill out my FAFSA as "married"?
No. You must indicate your marital status as of the date you are completing the FAFSA. Once you have indicated your marital status you cannot change that status for the academic year that you have applied for financial aid.

16. If my parents are divorced or separated, whose financial data should be used when I'm completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)?
If your natural parents are separated or divorced, use the natural parent with whom you lived the most in the past 12 months. If you lived with neither parent, or lived with each parent an equal number of days, use the parent that provided the most financial support to you over the past 12 months. If that parent has remarried, you must also include the step parent's financial information on the application, and parent and step parent should report themselves as married on the FAFSA.

Example: You have been living with your mother and stepfather for the past 12 months. You would use your mother's income and stepfather's income, and you would report on the FAFSA as the number in family: yourself, your mother, your stepfather, and any other children that they support.

17. What if I have unusual circumstances?
If any of the following circumstances apply to you or your family, and occurred during the application year, please see a financial aid representative.

• Divorce of parents, or you from your spouse
• Death of a major wage earner in your household
• Loss of employment of a major wage earner in your household
• Loss of other income or benefits (such as Social Security or child support) by you, your parents, or your spouse

18. What is verification?
Verification is a federally mandated quality control process in which files are selected at random to check certain data elements on the FAFSA. If your file is selected for verification, the school is required to compare these data elements with the information on your tax returns to "verify" their accuracy. Your SAR will tell you if you have been selected for verification.

19. What if I am selected for verification?
You will need to submit to the Office of Financial Aid signed copies of student and parent or spouse (if, applicable) federal tax returns, W2s, a completed Verification Worksheet and Worksheet ABC, verifying household size, untaxed income, and number in college.  If you are selected for verification the Office of Financial Aid will mail you notification listing what documents will be needed to complete the process.

20. I want a Federal Work-Study job. How can I get one?
Work-Study is a need-based program. To qualify, recipients must apply for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), with the results indicating that they have a financial need. Please note that to be considered for Federal Work-Study as part of your financial aid award, you MUST apply early in the year--before the April 3 priority deadline, since work-study funds are often committed early in the year.

21. Do I have to pay taxes on the money I earn through Federal Work-Study?
Yes, work-study income is taxable. You will receive a W-2 form from the College at the end of each year, and this form will indicate how much you made from all employment at the College, including work-study employment in the prior year. Note that although you may have to pay taxes on work-study earnings, you should list those earnings as income on your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), but then also report them as Title IV exclusions. When filling out the FAFSA, read the FAFSA booklet instructions for Worksheet #3 carefully.

22. Can I get aid for summer semester?
It depends. We consider summer semester sessions to be "add ons" to the regular academic year. If you have not already used up your full eligibility in the student loan program or Pell grant program, you may use either (or both) for summer school. Many scholarships are not available during the summer.

23. How do I apply for aid for summer semester?
If you are requesting federal aid (student loans, college work-study, or Pell grant) for the summer term, you must have a valid, verified Student Aid Report on file in the Office of Financial Aid. If you have not completed a FAFSA for the current year, contact our office as soon as possible.  You must fill out a Student Response form indicating that you would like any remaining aid to be applied to your summer enrollment.

24. Can audit courses be used to receive financial aid?
No. Audit course hours cannot be used to fulfill your hour requirement for financial aid.

25. What happens to my financial aid status if I withdraw from school?
Check with your financial aid representative before withdrawing from school. Depending upon when you withdraw from school, you may be required to repay a specified percentage of any aid you have received in the term in which you are withdrawing, since the funds you receive are designed to help you meet your living expenses for the entire term.