Southeastern Community College

Southeastern Community College offers a variety of financial aid opportunities, especially for students who, without aid, would be unable to begin or continue their college education. In 2010-2011, 90% of our students received aid. Over 10.5 million dollars was awarded.

Types of financial aid include grants, scholarships, low-interest loans, and on-campus jobs. Grants, like scholarships, are gifts which do not have to be repaid and are usually based on financial need. Scholarships usually require high academic performance or special talents and generally are not based on financial need. Loans must be repaid, usually after the students leave college. Those who have on-campus jobs receive an hourly wage.

Student Eligibility Requirements
To be eligible for most financial assistance, students must generally meet the following requirements:

1.	Demonstrate financial need
2.	Have a high school diploma or GED
3.	Be enrolled as a regular student in an eligible program
4.	Be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen
5.	Make satisfactory academic progress as defined by the school

Entering students must also meet all admission requirements (see program descriptions). Returning students must be in good academic standing. That is, they must be meeting the satisfactory academic progress requirements for financial aid recipients. These requirements are found in the college catalog.

How to Apply

Students needing financial assistance should contact their high school guidance counselor or the SCC Financial Aid Office for information and applications.

What is a Federal Student Aid PIN and what is it used for?
Your PIN is an electronic access code that serves as your personal identifier and can be used every year to electronically apply for federal student aid and to access your U.S. Department of Education records online. Your PIN allows you to:

"Sign" your application electronically and complete the student aid process completely online-no paper is involved.
If you're a dependent student and one of your parents has a Federal Student Aid PIN, he or she can sign the application electronically online as well.
Make online corrections to your FAFSA.
Access your Student Aid Report (SAR).
"Sign" a master promissory note for a federal student loan.
Access your federal student aid records online, including your student loan history information on NSLDS.

How and when should I get a PIN?
You, and your parents if you're a dependent student, can apply for a PIN anytime at www.pin.ed.gov. Note: Initially, your PIN can be used only to sign your FAFSA. Your personal data (Social Security Number, name, and date of birth) must successfully match with the data the Social Security Administration has for you before your PIN can be used for other federal student aid purposes, such as signing a promissory note. After your data successfully matches with the Social Security Administration's data you can use your PIN at other federal student aid Web sites. Your SAR will contain a comment that lets you know whether your data successfully matched with the Social Security Administration's data or not. If your data does not match you will receive a notice with information to help you resolve the issue.

1.	All applicants must complete an SCC admission application and complete all admission requirements.
2.	Applicants must electronically complete the financial aid application, Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at www.fafsa.ed.gov. To complete the FAFSA, the student will need to have prior year income information such as federal tax returns, W-2 wage statements, and records of untaxed benefits received from child support, pensions, disability, etc. The student will be notified by the central processor within two to three days of the results of this application by email. Instructions direct the student to check the accuracy of the information reported and to make any needed corrections to the information.
3.	Specific aid programs may require additional forms. These forms are available from the SCC Financial Aid Office.
4.	Applicants who are selected for verification will be required to submit additional satisfactory documentation to verify income reported.
5.	When all forms have been received by the SCC Financial Aid Office, the office will send each student an award letter indicating the type and amount of aid awarded. Students must complete and return the acceptance of the award letter to the office within 10 days. No award is final, and no money will be released, until the acceptance is received by the SCC Financial Aid Office.

Deadlines
Students should apply as soon after January 1 as possible for aid for the following fall semester. The later the application, the less chance there is of receiving some types of financial aid such as work-study, supplemental grants, and NC aid. Pell Grant and student loans can be processed throughout the academic year.

Separate applications are required for summer school financial aid.

Dependency Status
Certain questions on the FAFSA will determine whether the student is considered dependent on the income of their parents. If the student feels that they have unusual circumstances that would make them independent, they should make an appointment with the Director of Financial Aid to discuss their situation.

Special Circumstances
If the student or their family has experienced a significant reduction in family income since the prior year income reported on the FAFSA, they may request consideration for financial aid based on the current year situation. Examples of reasons for change are unemployment, divorce, separation, death, disability, high medical expenses, etc. The student should complete an Income Reduction Certification form.

Financial Need
Financial aid from most of the student aid programs is awarded on the basis of financial need. The information reported by the student on the FAFSA is used in certain formulas, passed into law by Congress, that calculate the student s need and eligibility. Eligibility for the Pell Grant program is determined by a formula and depends on a number called the EFC (Expected Family Contribution). If this number is low enough, the student will be eligible for a Pell Grant. The lower the number, the larger the grant award will be. If this number is higher than a certain number, the student will not be eligible for the Pell Grant.

There is not a minimum or maximum EFC in determining eligibility for the campus-based aid programs. The financial need is determined by using the following equation: Cost of Education, less Expected Family Contribution, equals Financial Need.