Applying for Aid

Step 1: Create a Federal Student Aid (FSA) ID, which allows you to sign your FAFSA form electronically. Your FSA ID also can be used to access the myStudentAid app and access certain information online. While you can get your FSA ID as you’re completing the FAFSA form online, getting it ahead of time and using it to fill out the FAFSA form on fafsa.gov or on the myStudentAid mobile app cuts down on errors and delays. Find out how to get an FSA ID and what to do if you forgot your FSA ID.

Step 2: Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and send the completed application to the federal processing center in the envelope provided, or apply online. The Title IV code for Shawnee is 007693.

Tip: Use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool to import your tax information to the FAFSA.

Step 3: After completing the FAFSA, you will receive a Student Aid Report (SAR), which summarizes the information you reported on your FAFSA. It includes your Expected Family Contribution (EFC), your estimated eligibility for federal student loans and Federal Pell Grants, and whether you’ve been selected for verification.

Corrections to your FAFSA can be made via the Student Aid Report (SAR) once received. You do not need to complete another FAFSA.

Please Note:

• Students must submit their FAFSA to Shawnee Community College each year.
• Filing electronically shortens processing time and improves the accuracy of the information provided on the FAFSA.
• The FSA-ID serves as an electronic signature for the FAFSA form, which significantly improves the processing time.
• A paper signature page must be downloaded, signed and mailed for students or parents who don't have a FSA-ID.

Basic Eligibility Criteria

Students must

• demonstrate financial need(for most programs);
• be a U.S. citizen or an eligible noncitizen;
• have a valid Social Security number (with the exception of students from the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, or the Republic of Palau);
• be enrolled or accepted for enrollment in an eligible degree or certificate program;
• maintain satisfactory academic progressin college or career school;
• sign the certification statement on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid(FAFSA^®) form stating that

• • you are not in default on a federal student loan,
  • you do not owe money on a federal student grant, and
  • you will use federal student aid only for educational purposes; and

• show you’re qualified to obtain a college or career school education by

• • having a high school diploma or a recognized equivalent such as a General Educational Development (GED) certificate;
  • completing a high school education in a homeschool setting approved under state law (or—if state law does not require a homeschooled student to obtain a completion credential—completing a high school education in a homeschool setting that qualifies as an exemption from compulsory attendance requirements under state law); or
  • enrolling in an eligible career pathway program and meeting one of the "ability-to-benefit" alternatives described below.

Additional eligibility requirements can apply in certain situations for non-U.S. citizens, students with criminal convictions, and students with intellectual disabilities.

Eligible Non-citizen

Many non-U.S. citizens qualify for federal student aid. You are considered a citizen or eligible non-citizen if you fit into one of the following categories:

1. You are a

• • U.S. national (includes natives of American Samoa or Swains Island) or
  • U.S. permanent resident with a Form I-551, I-151, or I-551C (Permanent Resident Card, Resident Alien Card, or Alien Registration Receipt Card), also known as a "green card."

2. You have an Arrival-Departure Record (I-94)from U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS) showing*

• • “Refugee,”
  • “Asylum Granted,”
  • “Cuban-Haitian Entrant,”
  • “Conditional Entrant” (valid only if issued before April 1, 1980), or
  • “Parolee” (you must be paroled for at least one year, and you must be able to provide evidence from the USCIS that you are in the United States for other than a temporary purpose with the intention of becoming a U.S. citizen or permanent resident).

3. You hold a T nonimmigrant status ("T-visa") (for victims of human trafficking) or your parent holds a T-1 nonimmigrant status. Your college or career school’s financial aid office will ask to see your visa and/or certification letter from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. *
4. You are a “battered immigrant-qualified alien” who is a victim of abuse by your citizen or permanent resident spouse, or you are the child of a person designated as such under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).*
5. You are a citizen of the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, or the Republic of Palau. If this is the case, you may be eligible for only certain types of federal student aid:

• • Citizens of the Republic of Palau are eligible for Federal Pell Grants, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, and Federal Work-Study.
  • Citizens of the Federal States of Micronesia and the Republic of the Marshall Islands are eligible for Federal Pell Grants only.

*To qualify for federal student aid, certain eligible noncitizens must be able to provide evidence from the USCIS that they are in the United States for other than a temporary purpose with the intention of becoming a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. Will link to the SCC Affidavit (to meet this residency guideline) that we are required to post on the Registrar website. 

Undocumented students including DACA recipients, are not eligible for federal student aid but may still be eligible for to receive state and private scholarship aid. See Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid.

Enrollment Changes/Withdrawal

Changes in enrollment can have a significant impact on students current and future financial aid eligibility. Tuition and fees may be adjusted when students add, drop or withdraw from classes. Financial Aid may be reduced and, in some cases, canceled when students withdraw from classes.  Furthermore, dropped or withdrawn classes are included in the calculation determining Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP).

Unofficial Withdraw

Students who stop attending all classes during a semester and do not go through the Shawnee Community College official withdrawal process, are treated as “unofficially withdrawing” from SCC.  At the end of each semester, SCC identifies all students who did not pass at least one class. The Financial Aid Office works with academic departments and instructors to document each student’s last date of attendance. Using attendance and grade information, students are reviewed under the Return of Funds calculation. The last date of attendance is also reported to the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) and enrollment status is updated with the National Clearinghouse.

Reduced Hours of Enrollment

The amount of aid eligibility is dependent on the number of hours in which a student is enrolled and billed. This is typically established on the tenth day of class each semester. If you add classes after the tenth day, your bill may increase. Students who withdraw from classes after the tenth day will not have their bill adjusted unless they meet the pro-rata refund policy criteria or withdraw from SCC completely.

There are some exceptions to these general rules for students enrolled in courses that only meet for part of the semester (such as eight-week courses) and start after the tenth day of classes.

Federal Pell Grant: You must be enrolled and billed for at least 12 credit hours in a semester to receive the full amount of the awarded Pell Grant. If you are billed for fewer than 12 credit hours, the amount of the Pell Grant award is reduced according to your hours of enrollment.

ISAC MAP Grant: You must be enrolled and billed for at least 15 credit hours in a semester to receive the full amount of the Illinois MAP Grant awarded. The grant will reduce by 1/15 for each credit hour below 15 hours of registration.

Most other grants, scholarships: You must be enrolled and billed for at least 6 credit hours. If you are billed for less than 6 credit hours, many grants and scholarships will be canceled.

If there is a larger reduction of financial aid than reduction in tuition, you will be billed for the difference.

Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid

The Retention of Illinois Students & Equity (RISE) Act allows eligible undocumented, DACA, and transgender students who are disqualified from federal student aid to apply for all forms of state financial aid. To apply, students should complete the Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid, which provides a pathway for qualified students to apply for the Monetary Award Program (MAP) grant.

Verification is the process of confirming the accuracy of the information reported by you on the FAFSA. The Federal Central Processing System randomly selects for verification and Shawnee Community College may also select students for verification.

If you are selected for verification, the SCC Financial Aid Office will send you a Verification Worksheet that you must complete and return to our office along with any other supporting or requested documentation. Students selected for verification must provide all supporting and requested documentation to be eligible to receive and maintain financial aid.

U.S. income tax return information is part of the verification process.  You may complete the FAFSA income section using the IRS Tax Retrieval Tool, which is the preferred method of the SCC Financial Aid Office.  If you do not use the Tax Retrieval Tool, you must send a copy of the IRS Federal Tax Return Transcript. 

Federal Tax Return Transcript(s) may be requested online at www.irs.gov. Click "Get a tax record> Click "Get Transcript by Mail or Get Transcript Online", and provide the requested information or you may call 800/908-9946 and follow the prompts to request a transcript. Make sure to request the Tax Return Transcript and not the Tax Account Transcript.  There is no cost, but there is a 7 to 15-day processing time.

If there are discrepancies with the information provided on the FAFSA, the Financial Aid Office will make the necessary corrections and the student will receive an updated Student Aid Report (SAR). Occasionally, the documentation that was provided does not provide all of the necessary information to complete the verification process. In these situations, you will be sent another letter outlining the additional documentation that is needed. Students selected for verification, must provide the school the verification documents no later than 120 days after the last day of enrollment.  Once the verification process is complete, the student will receive a financial aid offer letter.

For the 2021-22 FAFSA cycle, schools may ask you to verify your identity and your high school completion, but schools will not ask you to verify income or family size.

Once your FAFSA and all requested information has been received and your financial aid offer for the upcoming year is ready to view, the SCC Financial Aid Office will notify you. You will receive a Shawnee Community College Student Financial Aid Offer Letter, reflecting all federal, state and SCC offers of aid; including scholarships, need-based grants, and federal work study for which you are eligible to receive.  

Students can access their Financial Aid Offer Letter via MySCC, Student Self-Service to review and accept financial aid, complete required documents, and view their account balance.

While the Financial Aid Office at Shawnee Community College is responsible for administering financial aid programs, the Shawnee Community College Bursar Office distributes aid to students.  

Even if you’re expecting financial aid or plan to work on campus, you should plan to arrive at SCC with sufficient funds to purchase books and supplies necessary to begin the semester.

Financial aid refunds are generally disbursed to students­­­ each semester at midterm.

Any transaction in which a financial aid credit exceeds SCC charges for the term, a refund is generated that can be used to pay for other costs associated with your education.

Enrollment Changes/Withdrawal

Changes in enrollment can have a significant impact on students current and future financial aid eligibility. Tuition and fees may be adjusted when students add, drop or withdraw from classes. Financial Aid may be reduced and in some cases canceled when students withdraw from classes.  Furthermore, dropped or withdrawn classes are included in the calculation determining Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP).

Unofficial Withdraw

Students who stop attending all classes during a semester and do not go through the Shawnee Community College official withdrawal process, are treated as “unofficially withdrawing” from SCC.  At the end of each semester, SCC identifies all students who did not pass at least one class. The Financial Aid Office works with academic departments and instructors to document each student’s last date of attendance. Using attendance and grade information, students are reviewed under the Return of Funds calculation. The last date of attendance is also reported to the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) and your enrollment status is updated with the National Clearinghouse.

Reduced Hours of Enrollment

The amount of aid eligibility is dependent on the number of hours in which a student is enrolled and billed. This is typically established on the tenth day of class each semester. If you add classes after the tenth day, your bill may increase. If you withdraw from classes after the tenth day, your bill will not be adjusted unless the student meets the pro-rata refund policy criteria or withdraws from SCC completely.

There are some exceptions to these general rules for students enrolled in courses that only meet for part of the semester (such as eight-week courses) and start after the tenth day of classes.

Federal Pell Grant: You must be enrolled and billed for at least 12 credit hours in a semester to receive the full amount of the awarded Pell Grant. If you are billed for fewer than 12 credit hours, the amount of the Pell Grant award is reduced according to your hours of enrollment.

ISAC MAP Grant: You must be enrolled and billed for at least 15 credit hours in a semester to receive the full amount of the Illinois MAP Grant awarded. The grant will reduce by 1/15 for each credit hour below 15 hours of registration.

Most other grants, scholarships: You must be enrolled and billed for at least 6 credit hours. If you are billed for less than 6 credit hours, many grants and scholarships will be canceled.

If there is a larger reduction of financial aid than reduction in tuition, you will be billed for the difference.