Applying for Aide

Apply for PIN

Complete Application

Results of Application

Verification Process

Helpful Tips

decorative art

Free Application for Federal Student Aid

The initial step to applying for most types of aid.

The student must determine whether to apply for PELL online or to complete and submit a paper application. Paper applications can be picked up in the financial aid office. Applications for the upcoming school year are available in the financial aid office and online beginning in January of each year. If a student decides to apply online, a FAFSA on the web worksheet may be obtained online or picked up in the Financial Aid Office.

The Financial Aid Office is open and available to serve students from 8:00am – 7:00pm on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday and from 8:00am – 4:30pm every Tuesday and Friday. Students are not required to make appointments. With rare exceptions, a Financial Aid staff member is always available during office hours.

Students that apply online will need a PIN code.

If a student files FAFSA online the student will need a PIN code. The parents of dependent students will also need their own PIN code. If you, or your parents, do not have a PIN, we encourage you to apply for one now. You can apply at the Federal Student Aid's PIN Web site, www.pin.ed.gov, by selecting Apply for a PIN. Students and parents of dependent students who have not previously applied for a PIN are able to apply for a PIN within the FAFSA application. Once you successfully complete a request, you will be e-mailed or mailed your PIN, depending on whether you and your parents provided an e-mail address. It will take approximately 1-3 business days after you request your PIN for you to receive an e-mail notification with instructions on how to retrieve it electronically, or 7-10 days to receive it in the mail via the U.S. Postal Service.

FAFSA must be completed on an annual basis. For example, the 2007-2008 FAFSA will be for Fall 2007, Spring 2008 and Summer 2008.

Students wishing to apply for financial aid must do so each year by completing a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). You must use your prior tax information when completing this form. Applications are available beginning in January for the upcoming school year.

We suggest that you complete your application online at www.fafsa.ed.gov.

Completion of the FAFSA uses the prior year income and current value asset figures. For example, 2006 tax return will be used on the 2007-2008 FAFSA.

Whether a student files his FAFSA online or on paper the student will need to have the following information in order to complete the FAFSA.

Social Security Number

Driver's License Number

Alien Registration Number, if you are not a US citizen

Federal Tax Return and W-2(s) for yourself and your spouse if married

Bank Account Balances

Investment Balances such as stocks, bonds, real estate

Business and farm assets

Records of Untaxed Income such as Social Security benefits, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), veterans benefits, etc for yourself and your spouse if married

You will be deemed a dependent student and will need the above items with your parent's information unless any of the following statements are true:

At least 24 years old by December 31st of the award year covered by the FAFSA

Graduate or professional student (Already have a bachelor's degree)

Married

Have legal dependents other than a spouse

Orphan or ward of the court

On Active Duty with the U.S. Military

Veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces

Remember to sign your FAFSA

After completing a FAFSA on the Web application, you and your parents—if you are a dependent student—will need to sign your application. Your FAFSA will not be processed until your signature(s) is received. Using a PIN to sign your application electronically is by far the fastest and most reliable way to sign your application. However, you can print, sign and mail in a signature page, or provide signature(s) on your paper Student Aid Report (SAR).

Advantages to Applying Online

	Faster processing than the paper application if you already have a PIN. If you or your parent, if applicable, does not have a PIN, you will need to print a signature page and mail it to the Federal Student Aid Program. Failure to do so will delay processing.
	Fewer errors and rejected applications because of internal and end-of-entry data edits which ensure that required fields are completed and conflicts are resolved prior to submission
	Skip logic, which helps “shorten” the form by allowing applicants to skip over questions that don’t pertain to them
	Availability of online help

Application Results

Student Aid Report

The Student Aid Report, or SAR, is the federal output record that contains a student's EFC and all the information provided by the student on the FAFSA. The SAR is sent directly to students, either electronically or on paper. The Expected Family Contribution, or EFC, is the amount that the student’s family is expected to contribute toward the Cost of Attendance (COA). The EFC, together with the student’s COA, helps determine the student’s need for federal funds. The number is calculated by the Central Processing System. You must have an official EFC before Isothermal Community College can proceed with the processing of a student's financial aid file.

Institutional Student Information Record

In order to have access to this data, the student must authorize Isothermal Community College to receive this data by listing the school code, 002934 on the FAFSA application. Isothermal Community College downloads ISIRS in batch, once per week. The ISIR (Institutional Student Information Record) is the official federal electronic document that provides a student's Expected Family Contribution as calculated by the Central Processing System. It includes all the data submitted by the student on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Once in receipt of a student's ISIR, items are identified that must be received before the student's Financial Aid file will be marked complete and an Award Letter issued. A letter to request these items is mailed to the student.

Files Selected for Verification

Central Processing System selects 30 percent of FAFSAs, some randomly and others based on certain edit criteria, for data verification. Schools must verify certain data reported on these FAFSAs, using documentation provided by the student. Isothermal Community College will mail a letter requesting these documents with the needed forms attached or students can obtain them online.

If selected for verification, submit the required forms:

Dependent

Student's tax return and Spouse's tax return if filed separately or statement of nonfiling

Parent's tax return or parent's statement of nonfiling (If the student's parents are divorced, provide the parent's information that provides more than 50% of the student's support. If the parent has remarried, the step-parents information must also be provided.)

Dependent Verification worksheet

Other information as requested by Financial Aid office

Independent

Student's tax return or statement of nonfiling

Independent Verification Worksheet

Other information as requested by Financial Aid office

Required to be on file for all students:

Submit data sheet to Financial Aid Office

Central Processing System flags for Social Security Number

Student

SSN did not match the Social Security Administration’s database. Please provide a copy of your social security card and driver’s license.

The Social Security Administration could not verify your social security number. Please provide a copy of your Social Security Card and driver’s license. Other documents, such as a birth certificate or marriage certificate, may be required after these have been reviewed.

The citizenship question on the FAFSA was left blank and the Social Security Administration could not confirm your citizenship status. If you are a native born citizen, please provide a copy of your birth certificate along with a copy of your social security card. If you are a naturalized citizen, please provide a copy of your naturalization documents. If you are an eligible noncitizen, please provide a copy of your alien registration information.

Parent

Father's date of birth or name on FAFSA does not match his date of birth in the Social Security Administration's records or the Social Security Administration could not confirm the SSN. Please provide a copy of your father’s social security card and driver’s license.

Mother's date of birth or name on FAFSA does not match her date of birth in the Social Security Administration's records or the Social Security Administration could not confirm the SSN. Please provide a copy of your mother’s social security card and driver’s license

Please provide a copy of both your father’s and your mother’s social security card and driver’s license. If your parents are divorced or separated, please provide the above information on the parent whose information was used on your FAFSA.

Selective Service

The Selective Service System could not confirm your registration in their system.

If you are a veteran, please bring a copy of your DD214 to the Financial Aid Office.

Men aged 18 through 25 are required to register with the Selective Service System. Students can register online at http://www.sss.gov/ or a copy of the worksheet for selective service may be obtained, completed and returned to the financial aid office.

If you were born after 1959, have not registered and are 26 years old or older, you must contact Selective Service at (847) 688-6888 to discuss your situation. Selective Service will then send you a letter which outlines your eligibility status. You must provide a copy of this letter to the Financial Aid Office, and a written signed explanation of why you failed to register.

Males born before 1960 are not required to register.

Department of Homeland Security

Your citizenship status could not be confirmed by the Social Security Administration or the Department of Homeland Security. If you are a naturalized citizen, please provide a copy of your naturalization documents. If you are an eligible non citizen, please provide a copy of your alien registration information. Review the appropriate Citizenship Status Confirmation form.

TIPS

	Complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) if possible by March 15 of the previous school year to ensure that the student receives state funds available for which the student qualifies.
	List Isothermal Community College's School code, 002934 on the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid).
	Make sure that your Isothermal Admissions file is complete.
	Provide all requested documentation. Your financial aid application cannot be processed without it.
	All students should file for FAFSA even though they think that they will not qualify because this could qualify the student for various types of Financial Aid Programs.
	Apply early! It takes about 3-5 weeks for a students file to be completely processed. Aid is not complete until the financial aid office is in receipt of a student's signed award letter. A SAR does not mean that aid is complete.