How much money am I getting?
Once you complete and submit the FAFSA and the Gloucester County College Financial Aid Disclosure and Release Form, The Office of Financial Aid will review the information at such time the financial aid administrator could request additional information.  If no such request is made you will receive an award letter by mail.

What is Gloucester County Colleges Title IV School Code?
006901

How long will it take before I know what my awards are?
Once you have completed and submit the FAFSA and the Gloucester County College Financial Aid Disclosure and Release Form, The Office of Financial Aid will review the information at such time the financial aid administrator could request additional information.  If no such request is made you will receive an award letter by mail.  The review process can take up to three weeks.

Can I get financial aid for the summer?
The Financial Aid academic year for Gloucester County College begins with the fall semester and ends with the summer semester.  You may have remaining financial aid eligibility if you did not use your full amount during the Fall/Spring semesters.  Please check with the front counter at the Office of Financial Aid.

What if I drop a class or two, will it affect my financial aid?
Please refer to the Academic Progress and Withdrawal & Refunds pages.

When will I get a refund?
After the 10th week of the semester.

Do I have enough money for books and when will I get the book voucher?
If your financial aid is in excess (will cause a credit) of your bill you can receive a book voucher.

How do I qualify for a Federal Stafford loan? 
You must be a U.S. citizen (or eligible non-citizen), enrolled at least half-time (6credits) and with no unresolved defaults on prior federal student loans.

Is there a credit check required to receive a Stafford loan? 
A credit check is NOT required to receive a Stafford loan.

Do my parents or I make too much money to qualify for the Stafford loan?
No, unlike other types of aid, all students are eligible to receive the unsubsidized Stafford loan regardless of you or your parent’s income.
 
What is the difference between the subsidized Stafford loan and the unsubsidized Stafford loan?

• The subsidized Stafford loan is awarded to students based on need, and interest does not accrue on the principle of your loan while you are enrolled in school at least half-time.
• The unsubsidized Stafford loan is not based on need, and interest accrues on the principle of your loan during your in school enrollment.

Do I need to fill out the FAFSA in order to receive the Stafford loan? 
Yes, you must file the FAFSA to receive either the subsidized or unsubsidized Stafford loan.

How do I apply for a Stafford loan?
Please refer to the Loan Information page.

What is the Entrance Interview? 
All first-time borrowers must complete the Stafford loan Entrance Interview at www.mappingyourfuture.org.  The purpose of the entrance interview is to help the students understand his or her loan and responsibilities associated with the loan and repayment.

What is the MPN?
The Master Promissory Note is the actual loan application used by the loan servicer.  Please refer to the Loan section.

How will I receive my Stafford loan funds? 
The Stafford loan funds will be directly disbursed to your school either electronically or by check.  Proceeds are disbursed in two or more installments (ex. Fall & Spring).

What are the repayment terms of the Stafford loan?
You have two choices regarding repayment of your Stafford loan.

• You may either pay the interest (on an unsubsidized loan) and/or the principle of your loan while you are in school or
• You may defer all payments until six months after you graduate or are no longer at least a half-time student.

What is Federal Verification?
Verification is the process of obtaining documents from the student/parent to verify answers given on the FAFSA match the tax forms or other source documents.

How am I selected for Federal Verification?
There are two ways that a student/parent can be selected.  First, you can be selected by the Federal Department of Education according to criteria which is not shared with the college.  The federal government selects roughly 30% of all FAFSA filers for verification.  The college is then required to perform the verification on behalf of the federal government.  Second, federal law allows that you can be selected by the college using guidelines established by the college. 

Is the college allowed to ask me for my private tax and financial documents?
Yes, federal statute authorizes and requires the Financial Aid Office to request documents it deems necessary to perform verification.

Will Federal Verification delay my award letter?
Yes, it is Gloucester County College’s (GCC) policy that we will not award any financial aid until verification is complete.

What will happen if my FAFSA answers do not match my tax forms or other documents?
The GCC Office of Financial Aid will electronically correct the data on the FAFSA to match the tax documents or other source documents.

Do I have the right to discontinue Federal Verification?
Yes, you must put in writing that you do not wish to pursue the verification process.  By not pursuing your verification process you will not receive financial aid (including loans) and you will be responsible for any past, current and future balances to GCC.

What happens if the semester ends, enrollment is discontinued and verification has not been completed?
According to federal law you may forfeit all or part of your federal financial aid.  You should contact the GCC Office of Financial Aid at 856-468-5000 ext. 6292 if you are planning to leave the college for any reason.

What happens if conflicting information is given during the course of federal verification?
The law requires the college to resolve the conflict before we are allowed to disburse any federal financial aid.

What happens if I purposely give false or misleading federal verification information?
According to statute the penalty for fraud may be a fine of up to $20,000, prison time, or both.

Are colleges required to consider special conditions appeals in regard to federal financial aid?
No, the law leaves the decision up to the individual college.   The college may decide which cases they will consider and which they will not.  The law only requires that the college consider each request on an individual case by case basis, and that the college be consistent and “reasonable” in its decisions.

Are there special conditions that GCC will not consider?
Yes, the college will not consider requests to reduce income to account for the following:

• Private elementary or secondary school tuition for a sibling.
• Tax liens owed to the IRS or the state of residence for back taxes owed in a dispute.
• One-time adjustments to Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) as a result of a windfall, e.g. lottery or game show winnings, etc.
• Adjustments to AGI for premature pension distributions unless they were as a result of a period of unemployment, or another condition over which the taxpayer did not have control.
• Adjustments for fluctuations to monthly business income for business owners.
• Temporary short-term annual periods of unemployment covered by wages or union benefits.

Must I file a FAFSA to be considered for a special conditions appeal adjustment?
Yes, you must first file a FAFSA using your base year income data before we are able to make adjustments to income.

Does GCC select students or parents who make a Special Conditions Appeal for federal verification?
Yes, if the student was not selected for verification by the federal government prior to the request for Special Conditions Appeal, GCC will select and send a verification worksheet.  The Special Conditions Appeal will not be considered until verification is complete.

What special conditions will GCC consider?
GCC will consider situations such as:

• Death or disability of an income provider
• Divorce
• Unemployment due to layoff or business closing
• Retirement of an income provider
• Loss of Child Support income or expiring Unemployment benefits
• Unusually high, medical expenses unreimbursed by insurance
• Other situations arise on a case by case basis
• Adjustment for reduction of income due to the student’s own voluntary actions. 

Must I be officially admitted to GCC as a matriculated student working towards a degree to be considered for Special Conditions Appeal?
Yes, only students who are eligible to receive Federal Title IV aid may be considered for Special Conditions Appeal.

How do I apply for an income reduction determination?
You would obtain the GCC Special Conditions Appeal Application which corresponds to the academic year in which you are enrolled, e.g. 2009-2010, etc.  This form may be obtained from the GCC/Financial Aid website under forms or at the Office of Financial Aid.

When may I obtain the GCC Special Conditions Appeal Application?
It is generally available on the GCC website under the forms page of the Financial Aid section mid February. 

Is the decision of the Financial Aid Office final?
Yes, The U.S. Department of Education Office of Postsecondary Assistance will not entertain appeals and have ruled that the decision of the Office of Financial Aid is final.

Are colleges required to consider Dependency Override (DO) requests in regard to federal financial aid?
 No, the law (Federal Title IV) leaves the decision up to the individual college.  The college follows guidelines established by the US Department of Education as to what can be considered in determining a student’s dependency status.  The law only requires that the college consider each request on an individual case by case basis, and that the college be consistent and “reasonable” in its decisions.

Is my parent’s refusal to fill out my FAFSA, or provide federal tax data sufficient grounds for a Dependency Override??
No, The U. S. Congress has declared under Title IV that such refusal will not be grounds for independent status.

Must I file a FAFSA to be considered for a Dependency Override?
Yes, you must first file a FAFSA using your base year income data before we are able to consider your request.  You should fill out the FAFSA as completely as possible and follow the instructions to submit without parent signature.

Does Gloucester County College select students who request a Dependency Override for federal verification?
Yes

Does GCC honor a dependency override processed by another college or vice versa?
No, GCC reserves the right to make our own determination of the student’s dependency status.

Must I be officially admitted to GCC as a matriculated student working towards a degree to be considered for a Dependency Override?
Yes, only students who meet all Federal Title IV eligibility requirements may be considered for a D.O.

How do I apply for a Dependency Override/Appeal to become an Independent Student?
You would obtain the GCC Dependency Override Application that corresponds to the academic year in which you are enrolled, e.g. 2009-2010, etc.  This form may be obtained from the GCC/Financial website under forms section or at the Office of Financial Aid.

To be an Independent Student when may I obtain the GCC Dependency Override Application form?
It is generally available on the GCC/Financial Aid website under forms at the end of February that corresponds to the academic year or at the Office of Financial Aid

Is the decision of the Financial Aid Office (FAO) final?
Yes, The U.S. Department of Education Office of Postsecondary Assistance will not entertain appeals and have ruled that the FAO’s decision is final.