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.
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 15 for Fall term
• by October 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.