Telephone and Email

Contact the Financial Aid Office at askfinancialaid@cf.edu or 352-873-5801. The Financial Aid fax number is 352-873-5875.

Un miembro del equipo de trabajo que habla español está disponible para brindar información y respuestas a las preguntas sobre ayuda financiera en el College of Central Florida. Por favor llame al 352-873-5800 o envíe un email a
espanol@cf.edu
.

Office Hours

Fall and Spring
Monday – Friday 8 am – 4:30 pm
 
Summer
Monday - Thursday 8 am - 4:30 pm
 

Financial Aid Offices

CF Ocala Campus
Bryant Student Union, Office 106
3001 S.W. College Road
Ocala, FL 34474
 
 
CF Citrus Campus
3800 S. Lecanto Highway
Lecanto, FL 3446
 
 
CF Jack Wilkinson Levy Campus
15390 N.W. Hwy. 19
Chiefland, FL 32626

Helpful Contact Information

 Bright Futures - (FL Voc Gold Seal, FL Merit, FL Academic Scholar) 1-888-827-2004 www.floridastudentfinancialaid.org/ssfad/bf
CF Financial Aid Information Line Call Center: 1-352-873-5801  Facsimile: 1-352-873-5875 https://mycf.cf.edu/ICS/Financial_Aid/
Commission for Independent Education 1-850-245-3200 www.fldoe.org/cie
FAFSA - (Free Application For Student Aid) 1-800-433-3243 https://studentaid.gov/
Florida Governors's Council on Indian Affairs, Inc. 1-800-322-9186 http://www.fgcia.com/
Florida Prepaid College Plan 1-800-552-4723 http://www.myfloridaprepaid.com/
Florida TEACH 1-877-358-3224 http://teach-fl.com/general-info.php
Individual Student's Loan Information                                         1-800-433-3243 https://studentaid.gov/
IRS - (Internal Revenue Service) -                                           Ocala office -  
1-800-829-0922
1
-352-401-0010
http://www.irs.gov/
Loan Default - U.S. Department of Education 1-800-621-3115 https://studentaid.ed.gov/repay-loans/default
Office of Student  Financial Aid - (Tallahassee) 1-800-366-3475 http://www.floridastudentfinancialaid.org/
Records from closed Florida Schools - Private 1-888-224-6684 http://www.fldoe.org/policy/cie
Veterans Administration 1-888-442-4551 http://www.va.gov/

Financial Aid Forms 2024-2025

Financial Aid Forms

FAFSA - Federal Application for Student Financial Aid You must fill out a FAFSA every year to receive financial assistance. It is important that you apply early. Financial aid funds are limited and the process takes time. Although financial aid can be awarded throughout the year, the students who apply early may receive larger grant awards.   Bright Futures students are no longer required to fill out the FAFSA.  
 
 
 
To apply for Financial Aid:
 
 
1 . You will need a Federal Student Aid FSA ID.
 
 
2 . Apply at studentaid.gov . (CF's school code is 001471)
 
 
3 . After you have submitted your FAFSA, CF will contact you if any further information or documentation is needed before an aid notification letter can be mailed to you. Please click on Personal Info (near the top of the screen) to verify your mailing address is correct. For best results, apply for Financial Aid early, preferably between October and January for the following Fall term.
 
 
 
 
Financial Aid priority deadlines are:
• by July 1 for Fall term
• by October 1 for Spring term
• by February 1 for Summer term
      
 

CF Scholarships

CF offers more than 300 institutional scholarships with more than $1 million total annual awards. CF utilizes a single online application for all of its scholarships and all students are encouraged to apply. The priority deadline date for submitting a scholarship application for the 2024-2025 academic year is July 30, 2024, however, applications can still be submitted after the priority deadline. Most scholarships require the student to  demonstrate financial need on the FAFSA and be enrolled for 6 credit hours in the semester that they receive the scholarship. All scholarships require the student to have a 2.5 GPA or above.

 

 

To locate the CF online scholarship application, log in to the MyCF student portal, click on the My Financial Aid button, then select the Scholarship Application.

Federal Grants

Federal Pell Grant: For undergraduate students working toward a first bachelor's degree. The amount of one's grant is determined by the cost of attendance, enrollment status and the Student Aid Index (SAI) shown on the FAFSA Submission Summary. For most students, a lower SAI will indicate a higher award amount. A student with an SAI of 0 (zero) or lower has maximum eligibility. The Pell Grant is presumed to be the first source of aid to the student. Award amounts range from $739 to $7,395 for the 2024-2025 academic year. Award amounts are prorated if the student is enrolled less than full-time.
 
For more information about Pell Grants, visit Pell Grant Student Guide
 
Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG): For undergraduate students who demonstrate exceptional financial need (0 or lower SAI) as determined by the FAFSA Submission Summary. Funding in this program is extremely limited and will be awarded on a first-apply, first-award basis. Award amounts range from $250 - $500 per semester. Students must be enrolled at least half-time (6 credit hours). Award amounts are prorated if the student is enrolled less than full-time.
   

State Grants and Scholarships

Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program (Bright Futures): Students receive notification of their eligibility for Bright Futures following high school graduation. Visit the Bright Futures website  for complete and current information regarding student eligibility, award amounts, renewal and reinstatement.
 
Florida Student Assistance Grants (FSAG): For eligible Florida residents enrolled full-time in a degree program. For renewal eligibility, students must earn 24 credit hours in the previous fall, summer, and spring. Priority is given to early applicants. Award amounts range from $500 - $1,000 per semester. Note: Students with documented disabilities may be eligible for FSAG with less than full-time enrollment.
  
Florida Student Assistance Grants - Career Education (FSAG-CE): FSAG-CE is a need-based grant for eligible Florida residents enrolled at least half time in a Credit Certificate or Vocational Certificate program. Priority is given to early applicants. Award amounts range from $250 - $500* per semester. Awards will vary depending on each student's need and enrollment level. This program has very limited funds. This grant will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.
 
For additional details and regulations on all Florida scholarship and grant programs, please visit http://www.floridastudentfinancialaid.org

*Amounts may vary based on appropriation of funds from the Florida Office of Student Financial Assistance.

Federal Work Study

Students may indicate on their FAFSA if they are interested in a work-study position. Work-study eligibility is based on established financial need and enrollment in a degree or eligible certificate program. Students must be enrolled at least half-time. Jobs are located on campus and the work schedule is arranged around the student's class schedule. See the Federal Work Study Student Handbook, located under the Financial Aid Forms button for more information.

Tuition Installment Plan

An installment plan is available for those students who must pay all or a portion of their tuition. Students can learn more about this service at www.MyCollegePaymentPlan.com/cf.

Federal Direct Student Loans

Students are strongly encouraged to research and exhaust all other resources before choosing to borrow a Federal Direct Student Loan. These resources include CF Institutional Scholarships, Federal Work Study and the Tuition Installment Plan. If, after exhausting all other resources, you need to consider a student loan, contact the Financial Aid Office.

Master Promissory Note

First-Time borrowers at the College of Central Florida
By federal regulation, all first-time borrowers of federal direct student loans (subsidized or unsubsidized), at the College of Central Florida must have the first disbursement(s) of their loan(s) delayed 30 days from the start of classes. This applies
only to the first semester of attendance in which a Federal Direct Student Loan is borrowed and all eligibility requirements must be met before any disbursement of a loan.

Loan Entrance Counseling

Single-semester borrowers at the College of Central Florida (Summer-semester loans are considered single-semester loans)

By federal regulation all single semester federal direct student Loans (subsidized or unsubsidized), must have at least two disbursements. Therefore, any loan that covers a period of one semester (due to student request or as required by federal regulation) will be disbursed in the following manner:

Disbursement 1: 50% of the total loan amount will be disbursed after the drop/add period has ended, per the college calendar (first-time borrowers at the College of Central Florida are subject to a mandatory 30 day delay of their first disbursement).

Disbursement 2: The remaining 50% of the total loan amount will be disbursed at the half point of the enrollment period, per the college calendar.

Stafford loan borrowers must meet all eligibility requirements before any disbursement of a loan.
 
 
Loan Proration
U.S. Department of Education regulations require that students in their final period of study before graduation have their loan eligibility adjusted to match their enrollment in fundable coursework. For students with less than full-time (12 credit hours) enrollment, this adjustment may mean a reduction of their loan award. A final determination will be made after the add/drop period.
 
Example 1: A student will graduate in the fall semester upon completion of six fundable credit hours. The loan for the fall semester will be a single-semester loan (see above). Further, the loan will be prorated because she is enrolled half-time. If the student's annual loan limit is $4,500, the calculation is as follows:
 
6 credit hours remaining ÷ 24 credit hours (an academic year at CF) X $4,500 loan limit = $1,125 loan amount for the fall semester
 
Example 2: The student above will graduate in the fall semester and is enrolled in 12 fundable credit hours. The calculation is as follows:
 
12 credit hours ÷ 24 credit hours X $4,500 = $2,250 loan amount for the fall semester
 
Example 3: The student above is enrolled in 15 fundable credit hours to graduate in the fall semester. The calculation is as follows:
 
15 credit hours ÷ 24 credit hours X $4,500 = $2,812 loan amount for the fall semester
 

 

 
 
 

Satisfactory Academic Progress

(required for Federal Title IV Aid, STATE AID AND INSTITUTIONAL Aid)

 

   

All students receiving any type of federal, state and institutional aid must meet the standards of academic progress outlined below. The requirements for these standards are set by federal regulations (34CFR Sections 668.16(e), 668.32(f), 668.34).

  • Students must maintain at least a 2.0 grade point average (GPA), and;
  • Students must successfully complete at least 67 percent of all CF credits taken including transfer courses accepted by the institution (measures the pace of progress toward completion), and;
  • Students may attempt no more than 150 percent of the total credit hours in their degree or certificate program.

How are the above calculations made?          

If students attended other colleges, the attempted courses that are accepted as transfer credit by the College of Central Florida will be considered in the evaluation of academic progress.   For financial aid purposes, being enrolled in a course for credit beyond the official drop/refund deadline counts as an attempt.  Attempts include withdrawals and nonattendance (student is enrolled and fails to attend class.)  All successfully completed transfer courses accepted and courses taken at the College of Central Florida, including those taken as part of another program of study, will be included in determining a student’s Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). For financial aid purposes, successful completion of a course means an earned grade of A, B+, B, C+,C, D, SP or S. However, a grade of D is passing below average. All other grades (grades of F, I, W, and N) are considered unsuccessful completions and will impact a student’s progress determination.

 

GPA   Students must be in satisfactory academic standing consistent with the institution’s requirements for graduation; therefore, they must have a minimum of a 2.0 GPA in both the cumulative GPA and the CF GPA.   

 

Completion Ratio   The completion ratio is defined as the rate at which students are progressing through their program of study.  It is calculated by dividing the cumulative number of credit hours they have successfully completed by the cumulative number of credit hours they have attempted.  The resulting percentage must be 67 percent or greater (66.5 percent or higher may be rounded to 67 percent).  In the event of Academic Grade Forgiveness, the course would be counted as an attempt each time the student attempted the course and counted as a completion once. 

 

Maximum Time Frame   Students must complete their degree or certificate within 150 percent of their program length.  Coursework beyond the 150 percent timeframe is referred to as excess hours. The maximum time frame includes all attempted credit hours, excluding remedial hours, and compares the number of attempts to the number completed. If students have attempted 150 percent of the hours needed for their current declared program (e.g., 90 hours for an associate’s degree, 180 hours for a bachelor’s degree, etc.) they will no longer be eligible for financial aid.  In addition, when it becomes mathematically impossible for a student to complete the program within 150 percent of the maximum program length, the student is not meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress.

 

When does the College of Central Florida evaluate a student for SAP?          

Satisfactory Academic Progress will be evaluated when a FAFSA is received by the College of Central Florida each academic year and at the end of every term. The financial aid standards of progress apply to all semesters or enrollment periods regardless of whether a student received financial aid during a given semester, payment period, or enrollment period.  

 

What happens if you are not meeting SAP?            
                 

Failure to meet the minimum standards of progress will result in one of the following actions:

 

Financial Aid Warning   This occurs at the end of the semester for which satisfactory progress is measured and a student fails to meet all of the measurements outlined above.  Students in this status continue to receive financial aid without penalty for one semester. If a student has zero cumulative earned credit hours at the end of the semester/payment period, the student will be suspended with no warning period.  

 

Financial Aid Suspension This occurs at the end of the subsequent semester/payment period of enrollment for which satisfactory progress is measured and the student failed to meet the minimum standards.  A student suspended from aid for not meeting standards of progress may submit an appeal to be considered for future eligibility.  (See appeal guidelines below).

 

Financial Aid Probation   This status occurs when a student has been granted an appeal.  The student will receive aid during the probationary period.  If the student does not meet the standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress after the probationary term, he or she will be placed on Financial Aid Suspension. Students on suspension may continue to enroll and attend classes as long as all tuition/fees and any other charges are paid in full.

 

Financial Aid Academic Improvement Plan   If a student’s appeal has been granted and it is not possible to meet the minimum standards at the end of the probationary term, the student will remain on probation provided the student completes all of their attempted credits in a given term with a C or better.  A student will not be required to appeal if they are meeting the conditions of probation. 

 

Financial Aid Academic Improvement Agreement   In some extenuating circumstances, students may be placed on an Academic Improvement Agreement.  Students in this status may be assigned a variety of interventions (i.e. mandatory tutoring, reduced course load, less online coursework, meetings with student support specialists, etc.) and will be able to receive financial assistance as long as they meet the conditions of their Financial Aid Academic Improvement Agreement (FAAIA) each term. The Financial Aid Academic Improvement Agreement is designed to ensure that the student will be meeting SAP or graduating by a specific point in time. Although each plan is reviewed at the end of every term, the plan itself may be in effect for multiple terms.  Students who fail to meet the conditions of their FAAIA will not be eligible for future appeals unless profound mitigating circumstances existed during the period of enrollment the student was on the FAAIA.

 

Can you appeal the SAP suspension?
 
Students have the right to appeal a financial aid suspension if they had extenuating circumstances beyond their control which affected their ability to meet the satisfactory progress requirements. The appeal must include an explanation of why the student failed to make satisfactory progress and what has changed in the student’s situation that will allow the student to complete coursework successfully in the future. Appeal forms are available on the Financial Aid tab on the student portal under Financial Aid Forms. The appeal must include documentation of mitigating circumstances and how the previous issue(s) have been resolved. Appeals will not be granted after the end of the term for which the student is appealing. For best results the appeal request should be submitted to Financial Aid no later than 30 days before the end of the term.   The Financial Aid office will communicate its final decision to each student on the student portal and in writing or by email.

 

Extenuating circumstances beyond a student’s control include, but are not limited to: 

  • Student’s documented illness/injury which is an emergency or severe in nature
  • Death of a relative (parent, child) of the student
  • Personal Tragedy or natural disaster
  • Involuntary call to active duty
  • Documented domestic violence
  • Change in program of study (for maximum timeframe appeals)
  • Other mitigating circumstances that are not every day occurrences of life and beyond your control. (Lack of childcare, pregnancies, divorce, eviction, and   financial stress are not mitigating circumstances within themselves.)

If a student does not appeal or the appeal is denied, the student will remain in Financial Aid Suspension.   If a student submits an appeal request and the appeal is granted, the student will be placed on probation for the next semester that he or she enrolls in classes. Students will be eligible for financial aid for the probationary period provided all eligibility and compliances have been met for their chosen academic programs. If students do not meet SAP requirements during their probation semester, they will be placed back on suspension and will not be eligible for further financial aid at the College of Central Florida until SAP standards have been met.   

 

Documentation   

Attach date-specific documentation from a disinterested third party. Documentation should be kept to the minimum amount needed to provide sufficient proof of what is written in an appeal. CF reserves the right to require a student to reduce the number of pages if there is an abundance of documentation not needed for an approval.

Documentation includes, but is not limited to:

  • Letter from a physician or counselor on letterhead indicating the dates a student was under their care.
  • Copy of a death certificate, obituary or third party documentation of death.
  • Accident reports, police records, court records, etc.

 DO NOT submit original documents - they will not be returned. Make sure all copies are legible.

Letters from family, relatives, and friends are not recommended. If this is the ONLY information that can be provided, students may submit it but it may be considered insufficient to grant the appeal.  

 

Appeals submitted without documentation will be denied or returned without review.

 

Documents must be submitted according to the requirements listed above; however, this DOES NOT GUARANTEE approval.
 
Reinstatement          

 If a student is placed on Financial Aid Suspension, eligibility may be regained when he or she is meeting the minimum Satisfactory Academic Progress Standards outlined above. Students will be made aware of meeting standards by viewing their status on the MyCF porta. It is best to contact the Office of Financial Aid to determine the next steps if the student was previously suspended by later became eligible.

 

Remedial, English as a Second Language, Incompletes, Repeated Courses, Transient Courses

 

Remedial and English as a Second Language (ESL) Credit Hours
All attempts of Remedial and ESL credit hours attempted are included in the Financial Aid GPA.
As it is important for students to successfully progress through their coursework, remedial courses are included in the pace of completion; however, they are excluded from the determination of maximum time frame.

 

Financial aid only will pay up to 30 remedial credit hours. Example: Student previously attempted 31 remedial credit hours in prior terms. Student is currently enrolled in 12 credits, of which 6 are remedial and 6 are college-level. The student’s financial aid will be awarded based on the six college-level credit hours.

 

Please note that on a case-by-case basis the required prerequisite MAT 1033 can be paid with financial aid and is treated as a remedial course when considering the 30 credit hour limit described above; this course will be counted when calculating Completion Ratio and Maximum Timeframe for SAP purposes.

Incomplete Courses  An “I” grade will be considered an “F” during the Satisfactory Academic Progress evaluation.  If the student is not meeting standards and the “I” grade has been changed to a successful grade, the student may request their minimum standards be reevaluated during the following semester of enrollment. 
 

Repeat Courses  Students will be eligible for financial aid if they repeat courses they previously did not pass, provided other SAP criteria are met. If the student takes a class for the first time and fails it, the student may retake the class using financial aid. There are however, instances where a student cannot use financial aid to cover a course that is being repeated. The following examples illustrate how this is determined:

Example 1: A student takes MATH101 and fails the course. The student retakes the course to get a passing grade. The student uses financial aid to cover the cost of the course. If the student then fail the course again, the student can again retake the course and use financial aid to cover the cost. There is no limit on how many times a student can retake the course using financial aid as long as the student has not received a passing grade, providing satisfactory academic progress requirements are met.

Example 2: A student takes MATH101 and gets a D in the class, which is passing by the US Department of Education standards. The student wants to improve the grade and retakes the class. The student can use financial aid to cover retaking the class. Unfortunately, the student does not improve the grade in the class, but instead fails the class. The student cannot retake the class using financial aid, due to the fact that he or she has already received a passing grade for the class. In this situation, the student is limited to retaking the class one time using financial aid.

 

It is important to check with the Financial Aid Office regarding Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirements and the impact of repeat coursework and completion rates on financial aid eligibility. It is also important to know that in addition to the Federal guidelines on repeating coursework, CF’s Enrollment Services Office has internal policies which govern a student’s ability to retake courses. Students should check with their academic advisor on how the repeat coursework may impact their specific situation.

 

Transient Courses funded through a consortium agreement for transient students are included in determining academic progress. 

Career and Technical Certificate Programs (CTC)
         

Students in CTC programs must successfully complete the clock hour coursework with a 2.0 GPA for each course funded before additional payment can be made. 

 

Students will only be funded for the published length of the program. 

 

Students must complete their program of study within 150% of the published length of the program.

   

 

Application Dates For best results, apply for Financial Aid early, preferably between October and February for the following Fall term.

 

Financial Aid priority dates* to submit the FAFSA and all additionally requested documentation are:

 

 

 

· by July 15 for Fall term

 

· by December 1 for Spring term

 

· by April 15 for Summer term

 

 

*Students who submit the FAFSA and follow-up documentation after the priority date should be prepared to self-pay for courses until their financial aid application has been processed and a financial aid award has been made.

 

Attendance
Before financial aid can be disbursed, each student’s course attendance must be confirmed. Attendance must be "academic attendance" or "attendance at an academically-related activity." Examples include:
 

· Physical class attendance where there is direct interaction between instructor and student

 

· Submission of an academic assignment

 

· Examination, interactive tutorial, or computer-assisted instruction

 

· Study group assigned by school

 

· Participation in on-line discussion about academic matters

 

· Initiation of contact with instructor to ask question about academic subject

 

 

 

Summer Enrollment
Summer financial aid will be awarded to students that have not met their maximum annual limits for the academic year (fall through spring). In most cases, this process will begin after the spring add/drop period. Remaining financial aid is based on an individual’s eligibility.
 

Summer awards are not necessarily proportional to awards for standard-length semesters (fall and spring). Please note that summer enrollment periods are abbreviated (generally, 6 or 12 weeks instead of 16 weeks). All summer awards are estimates only, and may be adjusted before disbursement based on actual enrollment in A, B and/or C sessions at the initial census date.

Adding classes/credits as a Financial Aid recipient Students enrolling in A, B and/or C sessions must register for all classes upfront for the entire semester in order to have all credits included in their financial aid eligibility. Students registering for A, B and/or C sessions who adjust their schedule after the last date of the A/C add/d rop period (census date) cannot receive financial aid for any additional classes. Please keep this in mind when scheduling your classes each semester.

 

NOTE: Students registering for B session only may add classes up to the last date of the add/drop period for the B session.

 

See the college calendar for these, and other, important dates.

 

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