Early Application Period for FAFSA	October 1st	Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) becomes available for the upcoming award year. Submit financial aid application online
	March 2nd	Cal Grant application deadline - Submit both FAFSA and GPA Verification
	April - May	Submit all required documentation to the Financial Aid Office
	July	Financial Aid Office begins emailing Award Notifications to students who applied and submitted documentation during the early application period
	September 2nd	Cal Grant application deadline - Submit both FAFSA and GPA Verification (applies to FAFSA only)

Early Application Period for CA DREAM Act	October 1st	CA Dream Act Application becomes available for the upcoming year. Submit Dream Act application online
Early Application Period for CA DREAM Act	March 2nd	Cal Grant application deadline - Submit both Dream Act and NON-SSN GPA Verification form

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 2021-2022 FAFSA and CA Dream Act is March 2, 2021.

What makes me an independent student?

You MUST meet at least one of the following conditions to be considered independent:

Turn 24 years old within the academic year
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 any time since the age of 13, both of your parents were deceased, you were in foster care, or you were 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 to be an unaccompanied youth who was homeless by your high school or school district liaison
You were determined to be an unaccompanied youth who was homeless by the director of an emergency shelter or transitional housing program funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
You were determined to be an unaccompanied youth who was homeless or were self-supporting and at risk of being homeless by the director of a runaway or homeless youth basic center or transitional living program

How long does it take for Mt. San Jacinto College to complete my financial aid file?

Your submission of the FAFSA or CADAA can take roughly 3-5 business days to be received by Mt. San Jacinto College. Your Financial Aid Offer letter will be available depending on when you file and how quickly you submit the required documents. During peak periods, verification may take 3-4 weeks to complete. 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.

I probably don't qualify for aid. Should I apply?

Yes. We encourage all students to apply for Financial Aid. 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!

Is financial aid available for undocumented students?

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:

Latino College Dollars

Educators for fair consideration (E4FC)

What is an EFC?

The Expected Family Contribution (EFC) is a number used by your school to calculate how much financial aid you are eligible to receive. Your EFC is not the amount of money your family will have to pay for college, nor is it the amount of federal student aid you will receive.

What is an FSA ID?

Your FSA ID confirms your identity when you access financial aid information and is used to electronically sign Federal Student Aid documents. If you do not already have an FSA ID, create an FSA ID

The alternative to sign the application is by printing out the signature page and mailing it to the central processor. If you are having technical difficulties, you may call 1 (800) 433- 3243.

Must I be accepted for admissions before I can apply for Financial Aid?

The FAFSA and CA DREAM Act applications open every year on October 1st for the upcoming academic year. We encourage students to apply early to ensure their applications are received and active before their registration appointment. Students must be admitted and enrolled to receive the aid they qualify for. For important dates and deadlines visit the Enrollment Services web site.

What is verification?

Verification is a secondary review process in which files are selected at random to check certain data elements on the FAFSA or CADAA. 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 and your school will notify you via student email or Self-Service.

How do I submit my verification documents to the Financial Aid Office?

We respectfully request that students submit verification forms and related documents to the Financial Aid Office online through our Student e-Document Submission in the MSJC Student Support Hub

Before using the Student e-Document Submission, please review the following guidelines to ensure that your submission is processed properly:

• verify that document(s) are clear, legible, and fully complete

• use black or blue ink on all documents

• documents that require a signature must have wet, handwritten, signatures or Adobe Digital Signature

• ensure file is a scanned PDF (recommended) or accepted image file (e.g., jpeg, jpg, or png)

Please note: Google Chrome is the recommended browser when using the e-Document Submission.

What is considered half-time and full-time?

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.

What is the Federal school code for Mt. San Jacinto College?

The Federal School code for the FAFSA is 001246. The Federal School Code for CADAA is 00124600. Please note: Only schools listed on your FAFSA or CA DREAM Act will receive your application.

What are the Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Standards?

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, cumulative completion rate and maximum unit timeframe.

I don't live with my parents, I live on my own. Do I still need to provide their information on FAFSA?

The FAFSA gives specific criteria for determining when a student may file for federal aid without using parental income information. Please see “What makes me an independent student?” for more information. However, if there are other extenuating circumstances please feel free to contact the Financial Aid Office for further assistance.

Who has access to my financial aid information?

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 choose to do so by filling out a Consent to Release form.

How can I look up what documents that I need to turn in?

Your Financial Aid Checklist in Self-Service will display the documents being requested to complete your financial aid file.

How long will it take for my documents to appear as received on my Self-Service page?

It takes roughly 3-5 business days to appear on a student's file after submission for the current academic year.

What is an eligible program of study for financial aid?

Some eligible programs of study for financial are AA, AS, and Certificate programs.

Where do I receive my 1098-T form for tax reporting purposes?

You will be able to access this via Self-Service beginning January 31^st, if you have one available to you. You will not receive a 1098-T form if your tuition fees were waived by the California College Promise Grant or a K-12 fee waiver.

I applied for Financial Aid, but nothing is showing up. Why is that?

Once you submit your FAFSA, please allow 3-5 business days for your application to be processed and sent to us. If you log into your Self-Service and your Financial Aid Checklist does not reflect "Submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)” as complete, 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 or are under the wrong academic year on Self Service

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

I applied for Financial Aid, but I was not awarded a fee waiver, Why?

If you do not see a CA College Promise Grant awarded on your Self-Service Financial Aid Offer Letter, 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 or AB540/ exempt group

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 for 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.