So I started my classes at my community college this past August. I waited for my FAFSA to be processed by my community college to see what financial aid they might have for me. My cost of attendance came out to be $13176, but my “un-met” need was also $5797. Based on the FAFSA that I filled out for 2018-2019, my EFC score came out to be $6182. From what I understand, an EFC of $6000 (and over) renders me ineligible to receive aid from the Pell Grant. My parents are separated and so my father makes ~$79k, which we filled out on the FAFSA. I currently live with him, and we received financial aid from SMC in the previous year, but this year seems to not be the case. Mostly everything for the information input for FAFSA has mostly stayed the same, with the exception of the number of people in household and the AGI (adjusted gross income).
According to the financial aid portal for my college, “Your current education goal (which is to transfer to a 4-year university without an Associate degree) is not eligible for financial aid. Your (declared) educational goal does not qualify you for Federal Financial Aid”. I honestly don’t know what to make of this. Strangely enough, when I applied for the California College Promise Grant, I was granted the waiver and my enrollment fees got waived.
I’m currently in contact with the financial aid on whether there was any sort of error(s) encountered. Does anyone have any clue or ideas as to why this may have happened? Or whether incorrect information occurred within the FAFSA?
You need to be enrolled in a ‘degree seeking program.’ You don’t have to get that degree, just be ‘seeking’ it. Work with the college to reclassify you to a ‘degree seeking’ student.
@twoinanddone I apologize for inquiring about this, but I don’t follow. What do you mean exactly by "degree seeking’?
@mommdc Actually no, it’s just me who’s identified as a college student for the 2018-2019 academic year. And as far as the EFC is concerned, I’m skeptical about it as well, especially since the both the EFC and AGI had been slightly lower in previous years. Are there perhaps maybe other factors I’m unaware of that may account for the change in EFC?
Students who are just taking classes at a college do not qualify for federal aid, and most state programs. You have to be working toward a degree at that school. For example, if you take a course at another school in the summer, even though you are planning to go back to the 4 year university and you will transfer and use those credits, you can’t get FA.
Your community college may not have you as degree seeking. You might be able to fix that quickly with a signature that you are working toward a degree.
@twoinanddone I see, that definitely clarifies the situation a lot better. I was slightly confused earlier by what you described as a degree seeking program. But in regards to the program at my community college, I’m taking courses here for the whole of 2018-2019 year. I think you might be right in that my college may have misidentified me as not going for a degree.
As far as federal loans go, I have not qualified for any as far as the FAFSA is concerned. However, I think I may have found part of the reason why – according to my Student Aid Report, there’s a limit to the total amount of subsidized Federal student loans that I may receive, which is ~$31,000 for combined subsidized and unsubsidized loan aggregate limit. The amount of subsidized loan limit alone is $23,000, which is what I’m close to.