To apply for financial aid, all students must annually file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The deadline for filing your FAFSA is June 30th of the current academic year. If you are taking summer school classes you need to file prior to the June 30th deadline.

1. Complete your FAFSA

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) can be completed online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. Submitting the FAFSA allows you to be considered for federal student loans (i.e. Stafford Subsidized and Unsubsidized), federal and state grants, and the federal work study program. Graduate students are eligible only for federal student loans. Be sure to include the SNC school code, 009192, on the FAFSA before it is submitted. SNC cannot receive your information if our school code is not listed.

2. Confirm your Admission Status

Only officially admitted students to SNC degree seeking programs are eligible for financial aid. In order to be officially admitted, a student must have a completed admissions file with no outstanding requirements (i.e., pending official transcripts, letters of recommendation, etc.) Eligibility to attend classes does not constitute a completed admissions file.

3. Complete your Financial Aid File

After submitting a FAFSA, the Department of Education will send you a Student Aid Report (SAR). The SAR will notify you of any corrections which need to be made to your FAFSA. Contact the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-4-FED-AID for questions concerning your FAFSA.

The Financial Aid Office will notify you if you are selected for Verification, a process where the information on the FAFSA must be verified as correct. A tracking letter detailing additional information needed and a preliminary award will be mailed. You will not be officially awarded until all additional information is received. Financial Aid will not be credited to your account until the Verification process is complete.

4. Confirm your Registration

In order for an undergraduate student to receive a SNC scholarship and/or grant, they must be enrolled full time (12 credits) each semester. Part time students are not eligible for SNC aid. If you drop below full time status, you may still use federal aid at reduced amounts. Contact the Financial Aid Office if you plan to drop below full time status to see how your award will be affected.

Graduate students must be enrolled at least half time (3 credits) each semester in MAT degree seeking classes in order to be eligible for financial aid. Teacher recertification and undergraduate classes do not count towards the three required credits. Please be aware that if you drop from full time (6 credits) to part time status, your financial aid will be reduced.

5. Accept your Financial Aid

You must accept your Financial Aid by signing and returning an Award Letter. An Award Letter will be mailed after your financial aid file is complete and an official award has been determined. Award Letters display offered amounts. You do not have to accept the full amount listed. Financial Aid will not be credited to your account until a signed Award Letter is received by the Financial Aid Office.

**If you are a first time borrower accepting student loans the following requirements must be fulfilled in order for your financial aid to be credited to your account.**

• Master Promissory Note – complete online at  www.studentloans.gov.
• Online Entrance Counseling - www.studentloans.gov.
• Institutional Information and Certification for Financial Assistance – sign form and return with Award Letter.

SNC scholarships and grants may be available to full-time (12 semester hours) undergraduate students. All admitted undergraduate students are reviewed for SNC merit based aid. Note: If you drop below full-time (12 credit hours per semester), you will lose your SNC scholarship for that semester.

Students may also apply separately for Private/Alternative Loans.

Important Financial Aid Dates

January 1st	Upcoming year FAFSA available online
April 30th	Recommended date to complete upcoming year Financial Aid file.
June 30th	Last day to file the upcoming year & summer semester FAFSA

Study Abroad

If you are enrolled in a degree seeking program at SNC and will participate in a sponsored study abroad program, you may apply for financial aid and be considered for all aid programs except SNC grants and Scholarships and Federal Work Study. A signed Consortium Agreement is required.