Financial Aid Frequently Asked Questions
Early Application Period
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October
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Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) becomes available for the upcoming
award year. Submit financial aid application online at www.fafsa.ed.gov.
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March 2nd
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Cal Grant application deadline - Submit both FAFSA and GPA Verification
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April - May
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Respond to Missing Information Letter (MIL). Submit all required documentation to
the Financial Aid Office.
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July
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Financial Aid Office begins emailing of Award Notifications to students who applied
and submitted documentation during the early application period.
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September 2nd
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Cal Grant application deadline - Submit both FAFSA and GPA Verification (applies to
FAFSA only)
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Early Application Period
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October
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Dream Act Application becomes available for the upcoming year. Submit Dream Act Application
online at www.caldreamact.org.
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March 2nd
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Cal Grant application deadline - Submit both Dream Act and NON-SSN GPA Verification
form
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What FAFSA or CA Dream Act Application should I complete?
Complete the 2020-2021 FAFSA or CA Dream Act, if you will be attending during the
Summer 2020, Fall 2020, and/or Spring 2021.
Complete the 2021-2022 FAFSA or CA Dream Act, if you will be attending during the
Summer 2021, Fall 2021, and/or Spring 2022.
*Please note: Priority deadline for 2020-2021 FAFSA and CA Dream Act is March 2, 2020.
You MUST meet at least one of the following conditions if applying for the 2020-21
academic year:
- You were born before January 1, 1995
- You will be enrolled in a master's or doctorate program at the beginning of the school year
- You are married as of the day you apply
- You have children who receive more than half their support from you
- You have dependents (other than your children or spouse) who live with you and who receive more than half their support from you at the time you apply and through June 30, 2019
- At any time since the age of 13, were both of your parents deceased, were you in foster care, or were you a dependent or ward of the court
- You are currently serving on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces for purposes other than training
- You are a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces
- You are or were an emancipated minor as determined by a court in your state of legal residence
- You are or were in legal guardianship as determined by a court in your state of legal residence
- You were determined at any time on or after July 1, 2016 by your high school or school district homeless liaison to be an unaccompanied youth who was homeless
- You were determined at any time on or after July 1, 2016 by the director of an emergency shelter or transitional housing program funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to be an unaccompanied youth who was homeless
- You were determined at any time on or after July 1, 2016 by the director of a runaway or homeless youth basic center or transitional living program to be an unaccompanied youth who was homeless or were self-supporting and at risk of being homeless.
Depending on when you file and how quickly you submit the required documents, it could
take anywhere from a couple of weeks to a few months. Please check your financial
aid status on your Self-Service account or follow up with the Financial Aid Office to check the status of your file.
Yes. Many families mistakenly think they do not qualify for aid and prevent themselves
from receiving financial aid by failing to apply for it. The FAFSA form is free. Apply,
you may qualify.
There is In-State tuition available: AB 540
Requirements:
- Attended a California high school for a minimum of three years, or
- Attainment of credits in California from a California high school equivalent of at least three or more years of full-time high school coursework and a total of three or more years of attendance in California elementary schools, California secondary schools, or a combination of those schools.
- Attend a combination of California high school, adult school, and community college for the equivalent of three (3) years or more.
- Graduated from a California high school or received the equivalent general education
diploma (GED), High School Equivalency Test (HiSET), or Test Assessing Secondary Completion
(TASC).
- Register or be currently enrolled in a California Community College, California State University, or a University of California.
- Sign a statement with the college or university (NOT with DHS) stating that he/she will apply for legal residency as soon as he/she is eligible to do so.
California DREAM Act Application
The passage of AB131 authorized state funded financial aid to AB540 eligible students.
If you are an undocumented AB540 student, complete the CA Dream Act application. Visit Dreamers at MSJC for more information.
Scholarship Listings for Undocumented Students:
The Expected Family Contribution (EFC) is the number used to determine your federal
student aid eligibility. Based on your application, it determines what you and your
family should be able to contribute towards your educational expenses.
In order to sign your FAFSA electronically you must create a FSA ID. Your FSA ID confirms
your identity when you access financial aid information and electronically sign Federal
Student Aid documents. If you do not already have an FSA ID, create one at fsaid.ed.gov.
You may also sign the application by printing out the signature page and mailing it
to the central processor.
You may apply prior to submitting your admissions application. However, you must
be admitted and enrolled to receive the aid you qualify for. Visit the Enrollment Services web site for more information.
Verification is a process in which files are selected at random to check certain data
elements on the FAFSA. If your file is selected for verification, the school is required to verify the
information reported. Your SAR will tell you if you are selected for verification.
Mt. San Jacinto College Financial Aid Office considers between 6 and 8.5 units as
half-time and 12 or more units as full-time for the Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters.
The Federal School code is 001246. The Federal School Code for CADAA is 00124600. See School Code list to search for another institutions school code.
Federal Financial Aid guidelines require that the Mt. San Jacinto College Financial
Aid Office ensure that each student who receives financial aid maintains SAP. In order
to do so, the Mt. San Jacinto College Financial Aid Office has established and monitors
the following components, known collectively as SAP standards; a student’s cumulative GPA and cumulative completion rate. Visit the SAP section
of the Mt. San Jacinto College Financial Aid Office website for more information.
I don't live with my parents, I live on my own. Do I still need to provide their information
on FAFSA?
Even though you don't live with your parents, you will have to provide parent information.
The FAFSA gives specific criteria for determining when a student may file for federal
aid without using parental income information. However, if there are other extenuating
circumstances please feel free to contact the Financial Aid Office for further assistance.
You, the student, are the only person the Office of Financial Aid will release information
without written permission to disclose your information to someone else. You can chose
to do so by filling out a Consent to Release form.
The Self-Service landing page displays the documents being requested to complete your financial aid
file.
It takes roughly 7-10 business days to appear on a student's file after submission.
Some eligible programs of study for financial are AA, AS, and Certificate programs.
You will be able to access this via Self-Service beginning January 31st, if you have one available to you.
If you do not have an "ISIR received" posted on Self-Service and it has been over a week since you submitted your FAFSA, it may be due to one of
the following reasons:
1. MSJC's school code was not included on your financial aid application
2. You may have completed the wrong application for the current school year
3. Your social security number does not match what is on your FAFSA and the MSJC
Enrollment Application
4. You did not put your social security number on your admissions application
If you do not see a CA College Promise Grant awarded on Self-Service it may be due to one of the following reasons:
1. Your FAFSA or CA Dream Act application has not been received
2. You are not considered a CA resident
3. Based on your FAFSA, you do not demonstrate a "need"
4. You have been placed on Academic Dismissal
I paid for my registration fees before I was awarded the CA College Promise Grant.
Can I get a refund for my classes?
If you paid your courses out of pocket and have been awarded the CA College Promise
Grant, you should automatically be rebilled. The refund takes 30-45 business days
to be processed and issued back to the original method of payment. If a debit or
credit card were used, the funds will be returned to the same card. If cash or money
order were used, a check will be mailed to the address on file.