Financial Aid and Eligibility - The Financial Aid Process

The Student Financial Services mission is to assist eligible students benefit from federal, state and institutional financial aid in the form of grants, scholarships, work-study programs and student loans. 

How is eligibility determined?
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is required for all students seeking all types of financial aid at most colleges and universities including Palo Alto College.  The FAFSA is required and necessary in order to determine your family’s ability to pay.  Financial aid is awarded based on financial need.
 
The Expected Family Contribution (EFC) is a measure of the family’s financial strength and indicates how much of your family’s financial resources they should contribute to help pay for the student’s education.  The EFC is calculated from the information reported on the FAFSA. 

The EFC is calculated according to a formula established by federal law.  Your family’s income (taxable and untaxable), assets, and benefits (for example, unemployment, Social Security, etc…) are used to determine the EFC.  Family size and the number of family members attending college are also considered.  The EFC appears on the Student Aid Report (SAR) you will receive after the FAFSA is filed.

Determining Financial Need:
Cost of Attendance – (minus) EFC = (equals) Financial Need.

Financial Aid administrators are required by law to calculate financial need based on the formula above. 

GENERAL ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
To be considered to receive federal, state and institutional financial aid funds all applicants must:

1. Complete the Free Applications for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) every academic year.
2. Be either a US citizen or eligible non-citizen, *
3. Have a High School Diploma or a GED,
4. If a male, be registered with Selective Services,
5. Declare a eligible program of study/major
6. Continuing Education (CE) courses do not qualify for federal student aid.  (See Financial Aid for Continuing Education)
7. Meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirements,
8. Not owe a refund of a federal grant or be in default of a federal loan,
9. Enroll in at least 6 hours for most financial aid programs.  Depending on the students EFC (3) credit hours may qualify for Pell Grant only.
10. Have financial need as determined by the federal needs analysis methodology per the FAFSA.
11. Not have been convicted for the possession or sale of illegal drugs for an offense that occurred while receiving federal student aid.

*If not a US citizen and therefore not eligible for federal aid, you may be eligible for Texas state aid only if you qualify as a    Texas resident.

How do I apply for FAFSA?

1. Apply for a PIN www.pin.ed.gov  (for you and your parents).
2. Gather all the proper Documents .
3. Go to FAFSA (www.fafsa.ed.gov) online.  Palo Alto College School Code #016615

The PAC Financial Aid Staff is available to assist with completing the FAFSA.  Bring us the following documents.                                                                                                                                                            

1. Social Security Numbers for student and parents.
2. Date of Birth for student and parents
3. Your (and your spouse’s if you are married) federal tax returns for previous year with all W’2 forms.
4. Parent’s federal income tax return for previous year (if you are a dependent student) with all W’2 forms.
5. Alien registration or permanent resident card (if you are not a US citizen).
6. Have your (and parent’s) FAFSA PIN number if you need assistance applying on the web.

I have submitted my FAFSA.  Now What? 
 
FAFSA Student Aid Report (SAR)                                                                                        

Allow at least 3 to 4 weeks for the results of your FAFSA to be processed and sent to the school.  The Student Aid Report (SAR) is the result of submitting the FAFSA to the federal processor (either on line or by mail).  The EFC appears on the SAR.   Your SAR will be electronically sent to the schools you listed on your FAFSA.  Make sure to list Palo Alto College (#016615) as one of the schools to receive your SAR information.    If not, your financial aid cannot be awarded to you if you qualify.

Your SAR may be selected for a process called Verification.  The federal application processor selects the students for verification.  If there is an asterisk (*) next to your EFC, then you have been selected by the US Department of Education for Verification.  All colleges are required by federal law to complete this process for all students who are selected, without exception.  Palo Alto College fully enforces this requirement.   

1. The following documents are required to be submitted to the Financial Aid for Verification.
2. A signed copy of the students (and spouse, if applicable) income tax return.
3. A signed copy of the parent’s income tax return if the student is “dependent”.
4. A Verification Worksheet.
5. A Non-Tax Filer Form if no income was reported for student and/or parent.
6. Other documentation as requested by the Student Financial Services office.

If corrections are required after your FAFSA information has been verified or checked, Student Financial Services will make the corrections electronically.  Once the corrections are sent back to the PAC financial aid system an award will be processed based on the new EFC.

If the required Verification documents are not submitted to the school the financial aid process cannot be completed and you cannot receive any financial aid. 

• Completed applications received by the priority date will receive priority consideration for funds based on eligibility.
• Completed applications received after priority date will be processed and awarded based on eligibility and remaining funds.
• Applications received after the final date will be processed for future semesters within the applicable academic year. 

*Summer:  1) A separate summer application is also required to request financial aid for the summer                      terms.
                 2) Students must first enroll for Summer classes before requesting summer                      assistance.
                 3) Summer assistance is only based on availability of funds.  There is no guarantee that                      funds will be available.
                 4) Summer transfers are not eligible for financial aid at Alamo Community Colleges,                      including Palo Alto College.
  
FINANCIAL AID POLICIES
Federal, state and institutional financial aid programs must adhere to various regulations and guidelines.  The Alamo Community Colleges (ACC) Student Financial aid Council has developed certain policies that must be enforces by all Student Financial Services offices within the ACC.  These policies may be found in the ACC Student Financial Services Policies and Procedures Manual.