Financial Aid at MCC

FAQs

How do I apply for financial aid?

You must complete and submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for each new academic year.  You may complete the FAFSA online at www.fafsa.gov, by phone between 8:00am and midnight Eastern time at 1-800-433-3242, or in person on FAFSA Day at Mayland which is held each year in February / March.

I’ve submitted my FAFSA.  What happens next?

After submitting your FAFSA, you will receive an e-mail (using the e-mail account listed on your FAFSA) from the Department of Education containing a link from which you can print your Student Aid Report (SAR).  The SAR is a print out of all the information you included on your FAFSA and also contains your Expected Family Contribution (EFC).   You will also receive an e-mail from Mayland requesting additional documentation for the purpose of processing your FAFSA application.  Please respond promptly to ensure timely processing of you application.  

Must I re-apply for financial aid each year?

Yes.  Because financial aid is based on financial need, students must complete a new FAFSA application each academic year.  Each fall semester begins a new award period, so the FAFSA should be completed each spring for the upcoming fall smester.

Do I have to be a fulltime student to get financial aid?

No. All of the Pell Grant awards are based on full time status (12 credit hours or more). However, if the student attends less than 12 credit hours, the Pell Grant award will be prorated based on the number of credit hours the student is actually attending. Students may also be eligible for Work-Study (FWS) and Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) if attending less than full time. You must be enrolled at least 6 credit hours or more to be eligible for Work Study or the North Carolina Community College State Grant (NCCCG). For the North Carolina Student Incentive Grant (NCSIG) the student does have to be enrolled with full time status of 12 credit hours of more.

When will I get my financial aid funds?

Students who apply, submit all required documentation, and meet eligibility requirements will receive an award letter in the mail stating the amount of the award they are eligible to receive.  This amount is based on full-time enrollment (12 or more credit hours) and will be adjusted accordingly for students who attend less than full-time.  

All financial aid funds are deposited into your student account at the college from which tuition and fees are drafted.  You may then use your student ID number to charge books and supplies at the bookstore up to the amount of funds that remain in your account.  After all charges have been deducted from the account, a check will be written to you for the balance of your account.  The Cashier will notify you by LEO and with a posted sign at the Cashier’s window when your financial aid refund check is ready.  To have your check mailed to your home, please contact the Business Office with your request.

All students picking up Financial Aid checks from the Business Office must present a form of picture ID.     

Pell Grant Disbursement Schedule:

Summer 2011 - June 22

Fall 2011 - September 23

Spring 2012 - February 15

Do I have to report my parents’ income?

Financial aid is based on the principle that students and their parents have the primary responsibility to cover the expenses of postsecondary education.

The federal government will consider a student independent of parents if one of the following applies:

• The student is 24 years or older
• The student has legal dependents (other than spouse) that he/she provides more than half of their support
• The student is considered a ward of the court or an orphan
• The student is a Veteran

Can I apply for financial aid if I haven’t applied for admission?

Yes.  However, it is best to apply for admission first.  To complete the process to receive Pell Grant funding, a Mayland Community College application along with all transcripts from other schools must be on record in the Registrar’s Office.

Are all programs of study eligible for financial aid?

No.  Your program of study must be a Pell approved program.  

Students taking Continuing Education classes are not eligible to receive federal financial aid. 

Students who are participating in dual enrollment classes are not eligible to receive Pell grant funding.  All students must have at least a high school diploma or GED, or meet minimum score requirements on the college placement test to be eligible for financial aid.

Students classified as “Special Credit,” “Undecided,” or non-degree seeking are ineligible for federal financial aid. 

Some certificate and diploma programs also do not qualify for federal student aid.

Any course applied to a student’s Pell Grant award must be a required course for that student’s specific Pell eligible program of study (major).  The required courses for each program are listed in the Mayland Community College Catalog.

Federal Pell Grant funding will pay for up to 30 credit hours of remedial coursework.

What happens if I withdraw from a class or drop out completely?

It is imperative to understand that failing grades and withdrawals will count against your satisfactory academic progress and could affect your financial aid status.

On October y, 2000, the Higher Education Amendments of 1998, Public law 105-244, required colleges to notify students who received financial aid (Title IV Funds) and withdrew from all classes of the Return to Title IV Funds Policy.  Therefore, if a student completely withdraws from college before the 60% point of the semester, that student may be required to return all or part of the aid he/she was awarded.  Federal and State regulations also require that students receiving financial aid maintain satisfactory academic progress.  This includes completing 66% of the total cumulative credit hours attempted at Mayland Community College. 

It is the student’s responsibility to attend the first day of class.  Failure to attend or failure to contact the instructor with the intent to attend may negatively impact a student’s financial aid award.

What is verification?

Verification is a random process used by the U.S. Department of Education and Mayland Community College to verify that the information recorded on the FAFSA application is accurate.

If you are chosen for verification, you will be asked to submit several required documents that include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Verification Worksheet (Dependent or Independent)
• Signed copy of your federal tax forms
• Signed copy of your parents’ federal tax forms (dependent students only)
• Additional documentation as required for certain verification cases