Financial Aid Checklist

_____ 1. PRIORITY DEADLINE. The goal of the Financial Aid Office at South Plains College is to provide aid to all students who need assistance to pursue a higher education. Much of the financial aid available to students is awarded on a first come, first served basis. June 10th is the priority deadline for students to have completed their financial aid file. Students completing their file after that date may not have their financial aid available for them to use at registration.

_____ 2. FAFSA. Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at
www.fafsa.ed.gov. The FAFSA must be completed annually starting in January of each year, in order to be considered for grants, some scholarships, federal work study and student loans. If you are a continuing student, complete your FAFSA Renewal Application. South Plains College’s Title IV school code, as requested on the FAFSA application, is #003611.

_____ 3. PIN NUMBER. Request student and parent PIN numbers, if you do not already have them, from the Department of Education at www.pin.ed.gov. These will be used to access your FAFSA application to make corrections and they will be used as your signatures for the FAFSA.

_____ 4. SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION. Please click on scholarship application to download of copy. The application deadline is March 1st.

If you are selected for verification, we will also need:

_____ 5. VERIFICATION FORM. If you are selected for verification, you will be notified by email, letter or postcard. Please complete the appropriate Verification Form and return it to the Financial Aid Office.

_____ 6. TAX RETURNS. A signed copy of the student’s income Tax Return (not W-2’s) needs to be submitted. The student’s parents must also send in a signed copy of their tax return if the student is a dependent, or the spouse’s if the student is married. We will request additional information if needed.

After your application is complete:

_____ 7. AWARD NOTIFICATION. First Time South Plains College students will receive a Financial Aid Notification of Award Letter and they must sign and return it to our office. First-time students can see their awards online at Campus Connect. Continuing students will receive an email and can access and respond to their award notification on Campus Connect.

_____ 8. LOANS. At SPC, a student or parent must complete a Stafford Master Promissory Note or Parent Plus Master Promissory Note. The Stafford Master Promissory Note or Parent PLUS Master Promissory Notes must be completed online at 'Loans-By-Web'.

_____9. ENROLLMENT. You must be enrolled at least half-time (6 hours for each fall & spring
semester) before any loans can be disbursed.

_____10. CHECK DISBURSEMENTS/REFUNDS. After your loan has been awarded, the Loan Coordinator will send you a letter with the dates you may expect your loan check to be disbursed to you. The lender will send your check to SPC electronically and it will automatically be posted to your account. Any amount left after tuition and fees are paid will be mailed to you. Freshman first-time loan borrowers will have a 30 day delay before their loan is disbursed. Loans must be disbursed in two disbursements per loan period.

_____11. GRANT AND SCHOLARSHIPS are credit balances in your account to be used to pay for tuition and fees, and books and supplies as for as they will go. If there is a remaining balance, you will receive a check in approximately 4 weeks into the semester. Grant and scholarship awards are made assuming that you will be enrolled full-time. If you are not enrolled full-time, your award will be adjusted accordingly.