How to Apply for Aid

Financial Aid Application Process
All federal financial aid items must be completed online at https://studentaid.gov

STC believes that education is a family investment. Therefore, the primary responsibility for financing a student’s education rests with the student and the student’s family. Financial aid is intended to supplement, not replace, a family’s resources. The Financial Aid Office at STC strives to assist qualified students needing financial assistance in obtaining aid to meet the economic responsibilities to attend school. This assistance includes counseling students to understand the financial expenses of attending school, informing students of the kinds of aid available and how to apply, and assisting students with the application process.

Students are required to complete their financial aid applications on-line. The school cannot determine your financial aid eligibility until your financial aid applications have been processed and verified, if required. It is important to complete your applications as early as possible. Some FAFSA applications are flagged for a process called verification. If your application is flagged, additional information will be required by our office. You will be notified in writing of what documentation is needed and no financial aid will be processed until it is received and verified.

 

Before you begin completing the FAFSA application, you will want to gather the information required to apply. Listed below are some of the data items you will need to complete this application:
--Your Social Security Number and your parents’ Social Security number if you are providing parent information.
--Your driver’s license number.
--Your federal income tax returns, W-2s, and other records of money earned for the prior, prior tax year.
(Beginning with the 17-18 award year, students and their families will provide income and tax information from the tax year one year earlier than has been used in the past.)
--Information on cash; savings and checking account balances; investments, including stocks and bonds and real estate (but NOT including the home in which you live); and business and farm assets for you.
--Records of your untaxed income, such as child support received, interest income, and veterans noneducation benefits.

 

EVERY STUDENT MUST HAVE ALL THREE ITEMS BELOW COMPLETED TO RECEIVE AID

 

1. Complete the FAFSA – School Code – 015888

If you have never completed a FAFSA application in the past, or if you previously had a PIN number, you will now be required to create an FSA ID prior to being able to complete your application. Instructions for creating a new FSA ID are located below.
--When completing the section asking what degree or certificate you will be working toward, please choose: Certificate/diploma (occupational/technical/educational program of less than 2 yr.)
--It is highly recommended that you import your Tax Return information from the IRS

 

2. Complete Loan Entrance Counseling

Click on the "Log In" button, use your FSA ID information to log into the site. Select "Complete Aid Process" found in the top navigation bar. Select "Complete Entrance Counseling" from the drop-down menu. Select “Start” next to I’m an Undergraduate Student (Subsidized/Unsubsidized Loan). Select the school(s) you want to notify of counseling completion and then follow the instructions to complete and submit your entrance counseling results.

 

3. Complete a Master Promissory Note

Click on the "Log In" button, use your FSA ID information to log into the site. Select "Complete Aid Process" found in the top navigation bar. Select "Complete a Master Promissory Note (MPN)" from the drop-down menu. The Master Promissory Note (MPN) page will appear. Select “Start” next to I’m an Undergraduate Student (Subsidized/Unsubsidized). Then follow the instructions to complete, sign, and submit your MPN

 

Creating and using the FSA ID

 

What’s an FSA ID?
The FSA ID is a username and password combination you use to log in to U.S. Department of Education (ED) online systems. The FSA ID is your legal signature and shouldn’t be created or used by anyone other than you—not even your parent, your child, a school official, or a loan company representative. You’ll use your FSA ID every year you fill out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form and for the lifetime of your federal student loans.

 

How do I get an FSA ID?
Visit https://studentaid.gov/fsa-id/create-account/launch to create an FSA ID. You’ll need your Social Security number, full name, and date of birth. You’ll also need to create a memorable username and password, and complete challenge questions and answers so you can retrieve your account information if you forget it. If you need to provide information about your parents on the FAFSA form, one of your parents will need an FSA ID to sign the FAFSA.

You’ll be required to provide either your email address or your mobile phone number when you make your FSA ID. Providing a mobile phone number and/or email address that you have access to will make it easier to log in to ED online systems and allow additional account recovery options.
 

Important: A Social Security number, email address, and mobile phone number can only be associated with one FSA ID. If you share an email address with someone else, then only one of you will be able to use that email address to create an FSA ID. 

Learn more about how you can use your FSA ID at https://studentaid.gov/help-center/answers/article/how-can-i-use-my-fsa-id-username-and-password. Find this fact sheet at https://studentaid.gov/resources.