ATTENTION: Due to the high volume of financial aid applications, students who have completed their FAFSA and turned in their financial aid paperwork to the Financial Aid Office should expect to wait 10 - 12 weeks before their file will be processed. Notification by the Financial Aid Office to the student will occur after the 10 - 12 weeks has elapsed.
1. Complete a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) via the web at www.fafsa.ed.gov or by filling out the paper application, available at the Financial Aid Office. We do recommend that you apply via the web because applying via the web is faster than applying by paper.
A. California residents may apply for the state Cal Grant Program by submitting your FAFSA application by March 2nd of the academic year. For the 2007-2008 academic year, you need to submit your FAFSA application by March 2, 2007.
B. If you do not already have your Personal Identification Number (PIN), you may apply for one at www.pin.ed.gov. The PIN is used to electronically sign the FAFSA. If you are a dependent student, your parent(s) may also apply for a PIN.
C. If you have not filed your tax return, you may report estimated tax figures on your FAFSA. You may use your W-2 or paycheck stubs to accurately estimate your income tax information.
Our federal school code is 001289
2. After you have submitted your FAFSA:
You will receive a Student Aid Report (SAR). You need to review your Student Aid Report to make sure the information is correct. The Student Aid Report is a summary of your FAFSA data. You do not need to submit your SAR to Financial Aid. We will receive your electronic data from the Central Processing System as long as you have listed our school code on your FAFSA and you have been admitted to Shasta College by filling out an Admissions Application.
3. Await notification from our Financial Aid Office
The Central Processing System will send us your information electronically. We will mail you the appropriate paperwork to be completed and returned to the Financial Aid Office. We may request additional documentation (such as your federal tax return, etc.) to verify your FAFSA information.
How to submit forms to the Financial Aid Office:
You may submit the required forms to the Financial Aid Office in person, by mail or by fax. We recommend you submit forms and required documentation in person so we can review the forms. We will not accept incomplete documents. If you mail incomplete documents, we will mail the forms back to you with further instructions.
We will also review your Satisfactory Academic Progress. You will be notified in writing if you have been placed on Probation or Disqualification.
We will also review your FAFSA data against your admissions records at our college. It is very important that you answer the following items accurately on your Admissions Application:
A. Educational Goal – you need to officially declare a program goal on your Admission Application
B. High School Graduate status
C. Citizenship Status
D. Demographic Data (mailing address, telephone number)
If there is a discrepancy on any one of the above items, we will send you a letter to explain the discrepancy which can cause a delay on your financial aid application process.
ATTENTION: Due to the high volume of financial aid applications, students who have completed their FAFSA and turned in their financial aid paperwork to the Financial Aid Office should expect to wait 10 - 12 weeks before their file will be processed. Notification by the Financial Aid Office to the student will occur after the 10 - 12 weeks has elapsed.
4. Award Notification
After we have reviewed your financial aid application and all necessary items, we will send you an Award Letter. The Award Letter notifies you of the awards you are eligible for.
You will be sent a Check Release Schedule along with your Award Letter that will outline conditions pertaining to awards and check releases.
If your Award Letter includes a Federal Work Study award, you will receive a notice instructing you to contact the Financial Aid Office at (530) 242-7700 for work study assignment. If you do not respond by the date indicated, the Federal Work Study award will be cancelled and you will receive a revised Award Letter.
Federal Student Loans are not automatically awarded. You will need to attend our Student Loan Entrance Session. For dates, please check the link to Financial Aid Calendar in the left hand menu.
You will also receive a compete copy of the Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy. It's very important that you read and understand your academic responsibility to receive financial aid this year as in the future.
5. Disbursement
Financial Aid checks are sent by mail and any money owed to Shasta College will be deducted from any financial aid monies before disbursement.
It is very important that you notify the Financial Aid Office of address and phone number changes as soon as possible!
The financial aid awards listed on your Award Letter are based on the assumption that students will enroll full-time. The actual disbursement amount will reflect your enrollment status. The number of units you are currently attending will be verified prior to releasing any financial aid check.
Enrollment in late starting classes may delay the release of your financial aid check!
If you have any questions about the application process, please contact the Financial Aid Office at
(530) 242-7700 or send us an email at finaidinfo@shastacollege.edu