The Financial Aid Office is committed to providing financial assistance to students who lack the financial resources necessary to meet the costs of attendance at NCCC. We encourage all students and their families to apply in a timely manner should there be any question about the affordability of an NCCC education.

In addition to the information in this website, the Financial Aid Office provides printed materials to be used as ready references to explain the application process, and to further your understanding of a wide range of financial aid opportunities. Use this information so that you can develop a realistic education financing plan.

The Financial Aid Office maintains an “open door” policy and encourages prospective and continuing students to come into the office located on the second floor of 56 Park Place East (called the Goulet House). Financial Aid group presentations are offered on a weekly basis. You are strongly urged to make an appointment to attend one of these presentations to learn how to make the financial aid process work best for you.

Application workshops are also scheduled on Wednesday afternoons and during early evening hours to assist students in the proper and timely completion of financial aid applications that are then submitted via computer over the Internet. Contact the Financial Aid Office to make an appointment to attend either the group information sessions or the application workshops at (860) 738 – 6326.

Individual and family financial counseling are also provided. Counseling and advisement are tailored to the needs of the individual/family in areas of costs of attendance, financial aid overview, budgeting, money and debt management, establishment or improvement of credit, and educational financial planning. Advance appointments are highly recommended.

 

Financial Aid Office Staff:

Lou Bristol
Director of Financial Aid Services

Bonnie Kraft
Financial Aid Assistant

Email: NW-FinAid@nwcc.commnet.edu

Office Hours: M-F 8:00 AM - 5:00PM

Telephone: (860) 738-6326

NCCC Scholarships

NCCC has an extensive range of scholarships for new, continuing, and graduating students provided through generous gifts to the College to establish various scholarships.
Review the descriptions of Scholarships and become mindful of the application deadlines. Scholarship applications are available in the Financial Aid Office and the Office of the Dean of Continuing Education.

NCCC Student Employment

NCCC College Policy directs the Financial Aid Office to coordinate all on-campus student employment, solicit student worker needs of departments, advertise the positions, and refer possible job candidates to interviews with those departments. Federal Student Aid and State of Connecticut Department of Higher Education regulations require that students apply for financial assistance and be determined to demonstrate financial need in order to participate in either the Federal or CAP Work Study programs. Annual allocations of funds to the College determine the size of the payroll for either program.

The Operating Fund of the College contains a budget item for “Student Labor.” The amount of funds allocated for the Student Labor payroll establishes annually how many students can be referred to work in prioritized jobs on the campus.

Regardless of the source of funds or the specific payroll, the Financial Aid Office functions as the clearinghouse for all student employment. The Financial Aid Office maintains all job descriptions in a Job Book. Further information about specific policy and procedures is contained in the NCCC Student Employment Handbook.


What Are The Steps To Apply For Financial Aid?

Ensure that you have an email address. Free email addresses are offered through Yahoo (www.yahoo.com) for MSN Hotmail at (www.hotmail.com).

Step 1 – Apply for a Federal Personal Identification Number (Federal PIN). This is an electronic access code that serves as your unique identifier. You will need a Federal PIN to complete your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Keep and maintain the security of your Federal PIN. Don’t lose it or share it with anyone else, not even school counselors.

Go to www.pin.ed.gov and allow for three business days for the U.S. Department of Education to identify you and send you the four-digit Federal PIN. Note that if you are required to furnish parent’s income information, then you should be certain that one of your parents also applies for a Federal PIN (help them to apply in the same manner that you did). You may also go to this website to request a duplicate PIN, if necessary.

Step 2 – File the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA on the Web). To fill out your information required on the FAFSA, you will need various records and information. Locate and use the following:

• Federal Income Tax Form 1040, 1040A, or 1040 EZ for the previous tax year for yourself, your spouse (if married, and your parents, if applicable)
• W-2 Forms for the previous tax year provided to you by your employer(s) so that you, your spouse, or your parents can file a Federal Income Tax return.
• Social Security numbers for you, your spouse (if married), and your parents (if applicable).
• Dates of birth of your spouse (if married) and parents (if applicable).
• Records of untaxed income for the previous year such as Social Security benefits, welfare benefits, TANF, military and clergy allowances, child support received.
• Current bank statements and records of stock, bonds, or any other investments.
• Permanent Resident Alien card number.
• Dates of marriage, separation, or divorce for you and/or your parents (if applicable).

Go to www.fafsa.ed.gov. <Be careful, do not go to fafsa.com>.
Note that if you filed a FAFSA for the previous school year, you may request that the Federal Processor pre-fill your 2008-2009 FAFSA with data from the previous year..
List on your FAFSA, the school code number 001398 to authorize that your FAFSA information be sent to Northwestern Connecticut Community College

Be certain to “sign” your FAFSA using your Federal PIN, and the Federal PIN for one of your parents. If your FAFSA is not properly “signed” your FAFSA will be considered incomplete and any determination of eligibility rejected by the Federal Processor. If for some reason you and/or your parents cannot electronically sign by using a Federal PIN, then you can print out a FAFSA Signature Page, sign it in ink (including your parent) and mail it to the Federal Processor. This method of signature will add two weeks onto the process of sending your FAFSA information to the Financial Aid Office at NCCC.

Step 3 - Upon submission of a complete and properly signed FAFSA, the Federal Processor will tell you immediately if your are eligible for the Federal Pell Grant Program, the largest Federal Student Aid Program, and the platform for creating a financial aid “package” for you. See if the Federal Processor was able to calculate an “EFC” – Expected Family Contribution – to be used in determining your eligibility.

Be certain to read your Student Aid Report (SAR). Review the SAR to make certain that you have provided accurate and complete information. Learn whether your FAFSA is complete, lacks information, or contains all of the required signatures by reading your SAR. Be careful and don’t overlook this important step to ensure your FAFSA is complete.

Step 4 - After having filed the FAFSA, you should monitor the status of your application for financial assistance through NCCC. Provided that you have completed the admissions application process resulting in you being given a college ID (e.g. @01203456), you can now access your records in the Banner ONLINE self-service area.

Go to http://my.commnet.edu to log in. Note that the PIN requested is NOT your Federal PIN. Then select Student Services self-service to go to the Banner online self-service area. Note that ONLINE gives you access to not only your financial aid records, but also your academic records (grades and transcripts), and your tuition account.

Monitor your financial aid application status by clicking on “My Overall Financial Aid Status”. Check your academic progress status for financial aid.

Check to see if you have any outstanding requirements to ensure that your application is being processed by clicking on “My Eligibility”. Click on “Student Requirements” to see if your application was selected to be verified and requires you to provide a Verification Worksheet along with signed copies of Federal Tax Forms, etc.

Look to see if your application is complete and has resulted in sending you a Financial Aid Award Notification by clicking on My Award Information. Note the specific names and amounts of any financial aid program offered to you. If Federal Work Study or a Federal Stafford Loan is listed, note that you are required to indicate whether you accept or decline the offer. After 15 days, any offer of work study or a Stafford Loan that is not accepted will be rescinded and cancelled.

If your MyCommNet account becomes disabled, (it is disabled after 3 unsuccessful log in attempts – remember your password) you need to contact the Computer Center at ljassen@nwcc.commnet.edu. You may also access the web reset utility at http://www.nwcc.commnet.edu/registration.htm.

ONLINE is the chief means by which the College’s Financial Aid Office, Registrar’s Office and Cashier’s Office communicate with you in a secure and private environment that you can access 24/7.

What Is the Definition of an Independent Student?

The Expected Family Contribution is a calculation made by the Federal Processor using the sources and amounts of prior year income for you as the applicant, your spouse (if applicable), and/or your parents (if applicable). Whether or not you must report parental income is based upon whether your status is that of an independent student. For the 2007-2008 award year, you are automatically determined to be an independent student for federal student aid if you meet one or more of the following criteria:

• You were born before January 1, 1984.
• At the beginning of the 2007-2008 school year, you will be enrolled in a master’s or doctoral degree program (such as MA, MPB, MD, JD, PhD, EdD, or graduate certificate, etc.)
• You are married as of the date you make application.
• You have children who receive more than half of their support from you.
• You have dependents (other than children or a spouse) who live with you and the dependent receives more than half of their support from you, now and through June 30, 2008.
• Both of your parents are deceased OR you are (or was until the age of 18) a ward/dependent of the court.
• You are currently serving on active duty in the U. S. Armed Forces, or are a National Guard or Reserves enlistee called in for federal active duty for other than training purposes.
• You are a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces (see the definition in the box below).

A financial aid administrator can make a determination of independence with documentation of unusual circumstances, even if the student initially filed as a dependent student. The student bears the burden of proof in submitting documentation that may require statements or affidavits from disinterested third parties to include health care providers, social workers, high school guidance personnel, and/or members of the clergy all of whom could attest to the special circumstance that caused financial independence as an unusually young age.

Term Used In the Definition of an Independent Student

LEGAL DEPENDENT: Any child of the student who receives more than half of their support from the student (however the child does not have to live with the student), including a biological or adopted child. Also, any person, who lives with the student and receives more than half of his or her support from the student now and will continue to receive more than half of his or her support from the student through June 30, 2008.

What Are the Priority Deadline Dates?

All applicants for financial assistance are required to file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) well before the priority deadline dates established below to ensure that they have a complete, verified, and properly signed application.

To attend the Fall & Spring Semesters                    To attend Spring Semester only

July 1 for new students                                        December 1 for new students
June 1 for continuing students

Although the Financial Aid Office accepts applications on a first come first serve basis throughout the whole year, we strongly recommend that the FAFSA be filed well in advance of the above dates to allow for correction or verification of data. On-time applicants who meet the above dates will receive notification of eligibility before the beginning of classes. On-time applicants will then be able to deduct the anticipated financial aid funds from their tuition and fee charges. FAFSA data or income verification documents received after the Priority Dates will be reviewed on a rolling basis as long as available funds permit. Late applicants run the risk of not allowing enough lead time to process FAFSA data, complete any verification process, or correct data; therefore, campus-based funds may be exhausted by the time that the application is finally considered complete.

All financial aid applicants are strongly encouraged to develop a sound educational plan and to apply early to receive the fullest consideration and advantage to limited funds.

Requests for Federal Stafford Loans, including completion of Loan Entrance Counseling and filing of a Master Promissory Note, must be accomplished before the first day of classes of any academic term. Late loan applications will not be certified.

What Are the General Eligibility Requirements?

How Are Family and Income Information Verified?

Approximately 50% of all FAFSA’s are selected for a process of “Verification”. This means that the U.S. Department of Education requires the College Financial Aid Office to obtain documents to verify household information and taxable and non-taxable amounts of income from you, your spouse (if married), and/or your parent(s) (if applicable).

If you have requirements to verify information, you will be notified through the ONLINE self-service Student Information System and will have a list of the documents you need to submit to the NCCC Financial Aid Office. Log in to ONLINE, navigate to the sub-menu of “My Eligibility”, and click on “Student Requirements” for a listing of any specific verification documents required of you.

Your application for financial assistance is not considered complete until you submit the required verification documents. Delays in completing the verification process will delay processing of your FAFSA and being able to send you a notification of any financial assistance packaged for you. To meet Federal regulations, the last date for the submission of verification documents (Verification worksheets, income tax forms, etc.) is September 1 for the previous award year. Failure to provide verification information will result in forfeiture of any financial aid estimated or scheduled for that award period.

How Are Financial Aid Packages Determined?

If you have submitted a complete, accurate and properly signed FAFSA, and submitted the necessary income documents and forms to fulfill verification requirements, you will have your FAFSA reviewed for financial aid consideration on a first- come first-serve basis. You are first considered for the Federal Pell Grant program as the potential platform of identifying available funds from various programs to fill a portion of your “financial need”. Since not enough grant funds exist for all eligible students, you may seek part-time employment through the Federal Work Study Program or the College’s Student Labor payroll. Awards typically range between $1,200 - $3,000 per academic year.

As a last resort, students may seek a loan through the Federal Stafford Loan program. Loan amounts are determined by the Financial Aid Office commensurate with the financial need determination of each individual. Federal Stafford Loans must be repaid!

The goal of packaging financial aid for students is to fully utilize all financial aid programs and funds to the extent that funds are available to as many students as possible.

 

Eligibility for Federal, State, and College aid is based on the concept of “financial need”. Financial need is defined as the Total Costs of Attendance (COA) minus the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) = Financial Need. Using the data reported on the FAFSA, and subject to rigorous verification requirements, the Federal Processor reports to you a calculated EFC. The Financial Aid Office subtracts the EFC from your COA to determine your financial need, and constructs an aid package that meets your direct expenses as defined in Board of Trustee Policy for the Community Colleges.

Board of Trustee Policy for the Community Colleges directs that college financial aid packaging meet direct educational expenses: tuition and fees and an allowance for books and supplies of $1,000 to the extent that funds are available.

How Do I Monitor My Application Status?

You may monitor your financial aid application status by periodically accessing your information in ONLINE, the self-service Student Information System. Go to my.commnet.edu to log in, and then go to the self-service area in ONLINE, click on “My Overall Financial Aid Status.” If there is no message indicating that you have been awarded financial assistance, you should click on “My Eligibility” to see if you have any student requirements that are holding up further processing of your FAFSA. If you have no unsatisfied requirements, go to My Award Information to view any financial aid (dollars and programs) that has been authorized to you.

How Do I Receive Notification of Financial Aid Offered?

Upon completion of any verification requirements and/or completion of the Admissions process, you will receive notification of whether any financial assistance can be offered to you. If you are eligible, you are notified through ONLINE and will receive notification of specific financial aid programs and dollar amounts offered to you. To view your notification, log-in to http://my.commnet.edu and select student services to enter ONLINE, the self-service Student Information System. Then click on My Award Information. Note that notification is based on full-time status so as to report to you your maximum dollar amount of eligibility. If you register for less than 12 credits, the amounts of aid will be pro-rated according to your actual enrollment status as a half-time (50%), three-quarter time (75%), or less than half-time (25%-for Pell Grants only).
The pro-ration occurs at the time that you register and your tuition charges are actually determined for the number of credits.

What Are The Requirements For Satisfactory Academic Progress?

In March 2005, the Connecticut Community Colleges approved a uniform academic progress standard for all students who apply to receive student financial aid at any one of the twelve community colleges. This standard is reflected in the policy statement below and is effective for periods of enrollment beginning with the fall 2005 semester.

A student receiving Federal Title IV financial aid or other financial aid directly administered or certified by the college must maintain satisfactory academic progress towards the completion of a certificate or degree program of study. Satisfactory academic progress for financial aid recipients is measured by both quantitative and qualitative standards and is an assessment of a student’s cumulative academic record at the College. For further details, go to: www.commnet.edu/finaid/Documents/FinAid_Academic_Progress_Policy.pdf.

How Do I Notify the Financial Aid Office of Any Changes of Enrollment Plans?

If you have filed a FAFSA and listed NCCC as a recipient, but your plans to enroll at NCCC have changed, kindly notify the Financial Aid Office as soon as possible (preferably in writing). In this way you will be helping other students to have access to the financial aid funds that you no longer plan to use. If you plan to delay entry to the College for a later academic term, please contact the Admissions Office as well.

How Does Financial Aid Defer Payment of Tuition?

NCCC requires that fees be paid at the time of registration for classes. Payment of the remaining tuition charges is due at a designated time several weeks before the beginning of an academic term. However, students who have applied accurately, and in timely fashion may use the notification of financial aid awarded to defer payment until the federal and state funds are actually disbursed to the College. Students who withdraw from a course before financial aid is disbursed are still liable for the assessed tuition and fee charges. Fees are non-refundable.

In addition, students who have been awarded grants, scholarships, or loans in amounts greater than remaining unpaid charges may use their “credit balance” as a means of charging books and supplies at the College Bookstore. This can be done one week before the beginning of an academic term and continuing through the first two weeks of classes (or end of the course add/drop period).

All financial aid award notifications to students are based on the assumption of full-time status (12 credits or more) as an indication of their maximum potential eligibility to receive aid. If students register as ¾ time (9-11 credits)) or ½ time (6-8 credits), the award amounts are pro-rated for that academic term. The amount then paid out to the student’s tuition account will reflect the ¾ or ½ time status. Pell Grants, however, may be pro-rated for less than half-time enrollment (5 credits or less).

Refund and Repayment

Caution: If you are a financial aid recipient and are thinking about completely withdrawing from all classes, please consult with a financial aid counselor.

If you receive federal financial assistance and completely withdraw from, are dismissed, or stop attending NCCC before the 60th percentile of the academic term, you will be required to repay a percentage of the financial assistance that you received. The Financial Aid Office is required to apply a Federal Formula for Return of Title IV funds to determine the amount of federal student aid that you have “earned”, thus determine how much must to be returned to the federal government.

A return of funds may be required when cash has been disbursed to you from financial aid funds, or used by you to purchase books/supplies from the College Bookstore in amounts that are greater that the amount you earned during the academic term. This method of calculation is performed every two weeks during the school term for students who withdraw completely from all courses. It is also calculated no later than 30 days after the end of an academic term for students who stopped attending but did not officially withdraw.

Student Financial Aid Applicant Rights & Responsibilities

In keeping with student consumer requirements associated with federal student financial assistance, rights and responsibilities of student financial aid applicants are stated below:

STUDENT APPLICANT RIGHTS – You have the right to know:

College policy regarding enrollment, attendance and satisfactory academic progress standards.

STUDENT APPLICANT RESPONSIBILITIES – You are responsible:

Resource Links

I would like to:

Learn about financial aid from the U.S. Department of Education

Learn about student financial aid for Connecticut Residents

Apply for a Federal PIN

File the Free Application for Federal Student Aid On the Web (FAFSA on the Web)

Review the Smart Guide to Financial Aid

Complete a Scholarship Search on FastWeb

Use a financial aid calculator to determine my Expected Family Contribution (EFC) or compare my financial aid award package

Register with Selective Service

Obtain information about the GI Bill, Veterans Educational and Vocational Rehabilitation Benefits

Request income tax information from the Internal Revenue Service

Monitor my Financial Aid Status, or look at My Award Information, or review my Tuition Account Summary