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It Happens Every Semester Working in the financial aid office, I always end up talking with students who don’t have their financial aid in order in time to start classes. A lot of students at MTC depend on financial aid to defray the cost of attendance, but if their paperwork is not in place before the fee payment deadline, they sometimes have to wait until the next available session. Don’t be caught by surprise on this because it may cause the delay of your educational goals. Here is how to avoid this pitfall: First, complete your online FAFSA form for the upcoming academic year in February or March. The FAFSA is the free application for federal student aid and it is the single most important step to getting financial aid at MTC. By completing it, you’re automatically considered for both federal and state grants, and you have access to student loans as well. If you aren’t comfortable with completing it yourself, come over to the financial aid office and we can put you in touch with someone who, with your help, will complete the form for you. Second, monitor your campus email account. This account is the vehicle that MTC uses to make you aware of important information about your financial aid processing. For example, you could be selected for a process called verification, where the federal government requests copies of the tax forms and W-2s that you used to complete the FAFSA. Verification processing typically takes four weeks after we receive these documents from you, but if we get them just two weeks before the start of classes, chances are you’ll have to pay all of your tuition and book expenses out of pocket. So watch your campus email account closely, and you won’t be caught by surprise. Getting financial aid in place is essentially a matter of getting started early. The sooner you start the process, the easier it will be for you to get through it! |
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Dean K.