Financial Aid—Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if I am eligible for the PELL grant?
- A student must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to determine eligibility. The Department of Education will provide a Student Aid Report (SAR) to the student indicating initial eligibility and forward an Institutional Report to the school(s) listed on the FAFSA. It is then the schools’ responsibility to contact the students letting them know if they have been selected for verification or if they are eligible, the amount of award available, or if they are not eligible.
How can I apply for the Pell grant or any other grants?
- The PELL grant is a federal grant and can be applied for through the completion of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) via the website: www.FAFSA.ed.gov. Application is automatically made for NC state grants upon completion of the FAFSA. Other grants and scholarships are available at www.cfnc.org.
- There are institutional scholarships available through a local application process, in that applications are available at SCC or on SCC’s website: www.stanly.edu.
- Please note that Stanly Community College does not participate in any Federal loan programs.
What do I need to apply for the PELL Grant?
The following information is needed prior to filing your FAFSA on the web:
- Your Federal Student Aid PIN *
- Your SSN
- Parent(s) SSN if you are a dependent student**
- Your driver’s license number (if you have one)
- Your Alien Registration Number if you are not a US citizen
- Your W-2 forms and any other records of money earned
- Your Federal Income Tax Return
- Your parent(s) Federal Income Tax Return if you are a dependent student**
- Untaxed income, i.e. social security benefits received, welfare, child support received, etc.
- Bank statements
- Federal school code: Stanly Community College = 011194
*The Federal Student Aid PIN is the student’s electronic signature and can be applied for via the www.fafsa.ed.gov website. Please note that if you are a dependent student, a PIN is required for a parent as well.
**You are considered a dependent student if you under the age of 24, are not married, are not providing more than one-half the support of a child or a dependent for the upcoming academic year, are not serving in active duty, and are not a veteran. Please note that it does not matter if you are living on your own or have filed separate tax returns. These guidelines are fairly strict and can only be overridden in extreme circumstances, i.e. abuse, death of both parents, ward of the court, etc.
How long does it take to find out if I am eligible?
- Generally, it takes the Department of Education two to three days to process an application if done via the web and up to two weeks if the application is mailed. Once the Department of Education processes the application, it is batched and put into “mailbox” and then each school downloads the processed applications. Stanly Community College usually downloads the data once a week; however, during peak periods downloads are done on a daily basis.
How much PELL grant will I get?
- The PELL grant awards are dependent on the Estimated Family Contribution (EFC). The EFC is an amount that has been determined by the Department of Education, as a result of the information provided on the FAFSA, that a student can contribute toward his or her education. This does not mean the student has to pay this amount; however, the school uses this amount to determine a student’s award level. The awards can range from $400 to $4,310 per academic year.
How many credit hours do I have to take to receive PELL?
- The PELL grant is prorated depending on the number of hours enrolled and eligibility of the classes. To receive the full award, a student must be enrolled for 12 plus eligible credit hours; to receive three-quarters of the award, 9 to 11 eligible credit hours; to receive one-half of the award, 6 to 8 eligible credit hours; and less than half of the award, 1 to 5 eligible hours. Eligible credit hours or classes are determined as being classes that are required to complete the active Program of Study on record. Classes may be counted as eligible if they are substituted for required classes. A substitution form must be completed and submitted to the Records/Registration Department.
What happens if I do not have enough PELL to cover tuition and fees?
- Any remaining balance due following the PELL award being placed into the students account is the student’s responsibility. The Business Office will send out a billing statement of the exact amount that is due and payable.
What happens after I am awarded the grant?
- Once a student has accepted his or her award, the student account reflects financial aid pending and any remaining funds (award less tuition and fees) are available for book charges.
Why do I have to complete an attendance form?
- Federal guidelines state that a school must have a process in place that determines that a student has begun “training” before any federal monies can be released into the student's account. At this time, SCC uses the Attendance Report to verify that a student has completed one full class period or begun “training.” To allow the Business Office ample processing time, we ask that the attendance verification be turned in within two weeks from the first day of the term and/or a week prior to additional disbursement dates. Please note that the award offer includes a "Conditions of Award" form that specifically addresses this issue (Item No. 7) and requires the student's signature.
How do I get Attendance verification from the instructor when I am taking an online class?
- Students need to ask their online instructors to email the Financial Aid Department and verify that the student has participated in the class. Participation is determined by and must come directly from the instructor. The email can simply state, " student name is participating in my class identifier class." Online students who are receiving the PELL grant do not need repeated, periodic verification throughout the semester. One verification is sufficient.
What if I fail or withdraw/drop a class?
- Classes that have been failed or dropped/withdrawn are PELL eligible when a student re-enrolls for the class providing they are required in the active program of study. Failing and/or withdrawing from classes impact a student Satisfactory Academic Progress Standards. These standards are measured qualitatively, quantitatively, and maximum timeframe, i.e. cumulative GPA, cumulative attempted hours divided by cumulative completed hours and cumulative attempted hours cannot exceed 1.5 times the number of credit hours needed to complete active program of study.
What about summer semester?
- The PELL grant award is based on the current academic year. We split the award between the fall and spring semesters; therefore, if a student has been enrolled full time in eligible classes for both fall and spring semesters, he or she has used up the PELL grant for the academic year and nothing is available for the summer semester. However, if a student has received less than full-time awards for the fall and spring semesters, he or she would be eligible to receive any remaining award for the summer semester. The prorated awarding schedule would apply to the summer semester the same way it applies for the fall and spring semesters.
What if I have not decided my major yet? Can I be a special credit student and receive the PELL Grant?
- No. Students must be in a degree-seeking program and at least on the diploma level to received PELL Grant.
When can I get my textbooks? What if I want to buy my books elsewhere? What if I have used books from my friends?
- A student is able to “charge” books through our bookstore the week before the start of the term and the first week after the start of the term providing that they have completed the financial aid process, i.e. received and returned a signed award offer. Students can buy books elsewhere; however, they would have to pay out of pocket and wait for any PELL refund to be compensated for the purchase. There is no financial aid penalty for students who have used books from friends, as it is not a requirement that financial aid recipients get their books from our bookstore.
What is a PELL refund?
- A PELL refund is the monies that are remaining after tuition, fees, and any book charges have been deducted from the PELL award. PELL refunds are available on published disbursement dates provided that attendance has been verified. The disbursement dates are listed on the SCC web site and are available at the Financial Aid and Business Offices.
What types of financial aid are available for continuing education courses?
- Financial aid for continuing education courses is scarce. The PELL Grant is only available to students who are in a degree-seeking program on at least a diploma level. The exception to this rule would be Cosmetology Certificate and Basic Law Enforcement Training programs due to the clock hours involved. Most state grants indicate that recipients be “Pell eligible” with the exception of Targeted Assistance funds.
- Targeted Assistance funds are for students who have need, are not Pell eligible, and are enrolled in High Demand, Low Enrollment programs, i.e. Esthetics, BLET, etc.
- One other source of financial aid for continuing education is the Golden Leaf funds. The Golden Leaf funds have a specific need category that students must fall into and must be a resident of targeted counties to be eligible.
How many hours must a student carry to remain on their parents’ insurance?
- The Financial Aid Office considers 12 credit hours or more to be full time; however, it is up to the individual insurance companies as to what they consider/accept to be full-time enrollment. The student should check with his or her insurance company prior to registering.
Do you handle Veteran Affairs?
- Yes, Stanly Community College is approved to certify Veteran educational benefits. Any students interested in using or transferring Veteran benefits are asked to contact the Financial Aid Office at (704) 991-0302.
