APPLYING FOR
FINANCIAL AID

Are You Eligible for Financial Aid?

To qualify for financial aid, you need to meet a few requirements.

Citizenship Requirement

• Be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen.

Educational Requirements

• Have a high school diploma or its equivalent (i.e., GED®).
• Be fully enrolled in an eligible degree or certificate program.
• Meet Satisfactory Academic Progress standards.

All degree programs at Indian River State College are eligible for financial aid. Certificate programs that are 24 or more credits and vocational programs that are 600 or more clock hours are also eligible. Apprenticeship programs are not covered.

For most aid programs, “fully enrolled” means being enrolled at least half-time. (Some students are eligible for Pell Grants for less than half-time enrollment.)

Enrollment Category	Number of Credits
Full-time	12 credits or more
Three-quarter-time	9 to 11 credits
Half-time	6 to 8 credits
Less than half-time	5 credits or fewer

Satisfactory academic progress means that you are moving through your academic program of study at a reasonable rate and making progress toward your degree. You can find all the details in the Standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy.

Application and Financial Requirements

• Have a complete financial aid file.
• You cannot be in default on prior federal student loans or in “overpayment” on any prior federal grant.

Your financial aid file will include your completed and error-free FAFSA, along with other documents as requested. Check your financial aid status online to find out what documents are needed.

Some students have their financial aid application selected for a process called verification. If you are selected, your Student Aid Report (SAR) will say so, and you will need to submit some additional documentation. We explain all the details in the Verification section of this page.

When to Apply

The earlier you can apply, the better. Some forms of aid are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. Applying later means you may miss out on this aid.

Also, your financial aid application will take us time to process. To make sure we can award you your financial aid by the time classes begin, make sure you send your completed, error-free FAFSA and any other needed documents to the Financial Aid Office by the priority deadline.

Semester	Priority Deadline
Fall	July 15
Spring	October 15
Summer	March 16

If you miss the priority deadline, don’t give up! Apply as soon as possible. We will consider you for all financial aid that is still available (such as Pell Grants, Direct Federal Loans and Direct PLUS Loans).

Complete Your FAFSA

Start your financial aid application by filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, and sending it to Indian River State College. Our school code is 001493.

The FAFSA will ask about your income and finances to determine your financial need. Your financial need will determine what kinds of need-based financial aid, like grants and loans, you qualify for.

To be considered for the most financial aid available, make sure you complete your FAFSA as soon as possible after it opens. This has traditionally been October 1, but in recent years it has sometimes opened later.

Indian River State College must receive your complete and valid FAFSA on or before our priority deadlines (see When to Apply, on this page).

Your FAFSA is not considered valid, meaning we cannot prepare an award for you, unless you have signed it. If you are a dependent student (dependency status is determined as you complete the FAFSA), a parent’s signature is also necessary on your FAFSA. Your parent will need their own FSA ID number to sign your FAFSA electronically.

Award Notification

When you have completed all the required steps of the financial aid process we will process your financial aid file. You will receive an email with instructions on how to view your awards online. Make sure your RiverMail account is activated.

Your financial aid award is based on:

• Demonstrated financial need as defined by the FAFSA results.
• Cost of attendance assuming full-time enrollment. (If your enrollment changes, your award will be reduced.)

Award Adjustments

If any of the following situations happen, we will need to recalculate, and possibly reduce, the amount of your financial aid award.

• You withdraw from classes. If you withdraw from classes (at any time) and are registered for a special registration class that begins later in the term, your financial aid award will be recalculated based on your new enrollment, and you may have to repay funds to the Pell Grant program.
• You don’t attend class during the first week. Students who do not attend a class during the first week will be withdrawn from that class by the instructor. Your financial aid award will be recalculated based only on the classes you have started attending, and this may result in you owing money to Indian River State College.
• You don’t attend at least 60 percent of the semester. You must attend classes at least 60 percent of the semester in order to be eligible to keep the financial aid you have received. If you totally withdraw before completing 60 percent of the semester, you may be required to repay funds. Special registration classes—classes that do not start on the regular term start date—may have a different 60 percent date cutoff. If you are unsure, check with the Office of Financial Aid before withdrawing.

For more information, see Withdrawal and Return of Aid.

Verification

The federal government may select your financial aid application for a process called verification. If you are selected for verification, this will be noted on the Student Aid Report (SAR) you receive from the processor.

Until verification is complete, federal verification regulations dictate that federal financial aid cannot be disbursed. Verification may also result in corrections that change your award amounts. Direct student loans may not be certified until verification is complete.

The Financial Aid Office also has the authority to select files for verification if there appears to be a conflict of information.

If you are selected for verification, you will be notified by the SAR. You can look for your specific verification requirements on Workday under Action Items.

Verification worksheets and related documents can be found on the Financial Aid Forms page.

The Financial Aid Office may require other documentation on a case-by-case basis for certain data elements, such as child support, proof of separation or divorce, Social Security/SSI benefits, veteran benefits, or any other items deemed necessary. Once all your information is submitted, along with any other necessary documents, your application will be reviewed to determine if you are eligible for aid.

Transfer Students

Transferring to Indian River State College

If you are transferring to Indian River State College and you have already filed a FAFSA for the year in question, you can make corrections on your FAFSA to add Indian River State College as one of your desired schools using the school code 001493. Not all financial aid programs are transferable. Eligibility for some programs will be determined by Indian River State College.

Your student loans and Pell Grants will not transfer. If you have loans or Pell Grants for the current academic year at another school, you should cancel those loans or grants as soon as possible and then apply to Indian River State College.

If you are the recipient of a private scholarship, you should contact the donor of the scholarship and notify them that you are transferring to Indian River State College.

All students transferring to Indian River State College must be sure to read the policies regarding Satisfactory Academic Progress.

Transferring away from Indian River State College

If you are transferring from Indian River State College to another school, be sure to:

• Visit the Federal Student Aid website to add your new school.
• Check with the Indian River State College Foundation if you have received a transfer scholarship.
• Contact your new school immediately (at least two to three months before transferring) to find out what is needed.

Your student loans and Pell Grants will not transfer. If you are transferring mid-year, you will need to cancel your loans and/or grants at Indian River State College and contact your new school about the loan process there.

GED® is a registered trademark of the American Council on Education (ACE) and administered exclusively by GED Testing Service LLC under license. This material is not endorsed or approved by ACE or GED Testing Service.