Malcolm X College of Chicago

HOW TO APPLY FOR FEDERAL AND STATE FINANCIAL AID PROGRAMS

Students can apply for federal and state financial assistance either by completing and mailing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or by completing and mailing the Renewal Free Application for Federal Student Aid if they are a continuing student. Students are encouraged to apply online at www.fafsa.ed.gov.
The Central Processor will determine a student's eligibility based on the information provided on the FAFSA, and in about four weeks, the student will receive a Student Aid Report (SAR). The Student Aid Report will reflect the information from the student's application. If there are no processing problems or additional questions that need to be answered, it will provide an EFC (expected family contribution) number. The EFC helps determine how much you and/or your family can be expected to contribute toward your education and how much aid you may need from other sources. The Central Processor will automatically transmit the result of the FAFSA to Malcolm X College and to the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (MAP and IIA) for all students who indicate Malcolm X College (school code: 001650) as their first school choice when completing the FAFSA.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE
To receive financial assistance for most federal and state financial aid programs, students must:

Be a U.S. Citizen or eligible non-citizen.
Demonstrate financial need.
Be a high school graduate or General Education Development (GED) completer or pass an independently administered test approved by the U.S. Department of Education offered at the Campus.
Be enrolled as a regular student working toward a degree or certificate in an eligible program.
Have a valid Social Security Number.
Make satisfactory academic progress as defined in the City Colleges of Chicago Student Policy Manual.
Sign a statement of educational purpose/certification statement on refunds and default (found on the FAFSA and SAR).
Sign a statement of updated information; if required (found on the FAFSA and SAR).
Have met Selective Service registration requirements.
Not be in default of a student loan or owe the U.S. Department of Education a refund on a Federal PELL Grant or other federally sponsored financial aid program.
Not have a recent conviction for the sale or possession of illegal drugs. (Ask your financial aid advisor or call 1-800 4-FED-AID for more detail.)
Not have earned a baccalaureate degree (most federal and state financial aid programs)

REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION
Students must submit their Student Aid Report (SAR) or provide access to the Institutional Student Information Record (ISIR) with a valid EFC to the Financial Aid Office at Malcolm X College. Students should review their Student Aid Report (SAR) to verify its accuracy. Students may also be required to submit the following documents:

Verification of citizenship or Permanent Residency Status
Proof of family income
Students who were or are currently in default of a student loan must present a recent letter from the Department of Education or the agency that guaranteed the loan, indicating that the loan satisfactory repayment status is current or not considered in default.
Students not registered with the Selective Service but required to do so must provide a letter from that agency indicating their registration or exemption status.
Other documentation as requested.

It is very important that the information you report on the FAFSA be as accurate as possible. We recommended that students begin gathering all necessary documents as soon as possible. Copies of misplaced documents can be obtained from the appropriate state or federal agency's local office, but the process may take several weeks. The Department of Education has authorization to electronically match the information you provide on your FAFSA with the appropriate governmental agencies, for example: Your social security number, date of birth and age will be matched with the information on file at the Social Security Administration; your citizenship status will be matched with the INS; the income tax information you provide will be matched with IRS records. Any conflicting information must be resolved and corrected before processing for financial aid payment can be completed. The Department of Education has delegated to each college's Financial Aid Office the responsibility for verifying the student's entitlement to funds. Malcolm X College retains the right to require additional information from an applicant before approving any disbursement of funds.
DEPENDENCY STATUS
When students apply for federal student aid, their answers to certain questions will determine whether they are considered dependent on their parent(s) or independent of their parent(s). If it is determined that the student is considered dependent, the parent's, as well as the student's, income and assets must be reported. If it is determined that the student is considered independent, only the student's, and his/her spouse's (if applicable) income and assets have to be reported. Students are classified as dependent or independent because federal student aid programs are based on the idea that students (and their parents or spouse, if applicable) have the primary responsibility of paying for their postsecondary education. Students who have access to parental support or spousal support should not receive need-based federal funds at the expense of students who do not have such access.
A student is considered independent if at least one of the following applies:

Age 24 before January 1 of the award year
Married
Have received a baccalaureate or professional degree
Have dependents for which at least 50% of the financial support was provided
An orphan or ward of the court (or were a ward of the court until age 18)
A veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces
Are currently serving on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces for purposes other than training

If a student claims to be an independent student, the financial aid office may require proof before any federal student aid is received. Students who do not meet the above-mentioned definition of an independent student, but who think they have unusual circumstances that would make them independent, should talk to a financial aid administrator. The financial aid administrator can exercise professional judgment to change a student's status if he/ she thinks, using established guidelines, the student's circumstances warrant it based on the documentation provided. But remember the financial aid administrator won't automatically do this. That decision is based upon a review of the documentation submitted and the judgment of the aid administrator and it's final at that point--students can not appeal the decision to the U.S. Department of Education.
CITIZEN/ELIGIBLE NONCITIZEN STATUS
Students must be one of the following to receive federal student aid:

U.S. citizen
U.S. national (includes natives of American Samoa or Swain's Island)
U.S. permanent resident who has an I-151, I-551, or I-551C (Alien Registration Receipt Card)

If a student is not in one of these categories, then he/she must have an Arrival-Departure Record (I-94) from the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) showing one of the following designations:

"Refugee"
"Asylum Granted"
"Indefinite Parole" and/or "Humanitarian Parole"
"Cuban-Haitian Entrant, Status Pending"
"Conditional Entrant" (valid only if issued before April 1, 1980)
Other eligible non-citizen with a Temporary Resident Card (I-688)

Or a student can be eligible based on the Family Unity Status category with an approved I-797 (Voluntary Departure and Immigrant Petition). If the student has only a Notice of Approval to Apply for Permanent Residence (I-171 or I-464), he/she is not eligible for federal student aid.
If a student is in the U.S. on an F1 or F2 student visa only, or on a J1 or J2 exchange visitor visa only, he/she can't get federal student aid. Also, persons with G series visas (pertaining to international organizations) are not eligible for federal student aid.
NOTE: Only citizens and non-citizen nationals can receive federal aid for an approved study-aboard program.
Permanent residents of the Republic of Palau may be eligible for all the student aid programs mentioned.

Citizens of the Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic of the Marshall Islands are eligible for Federal Pell Grants, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (FSEOG), or Federal Work-Study (FWS) only. These applicants should check with the Financial Aid Office for more information.
COST OF ATTENDANCE (COA)
The Cost of Attendance is the total amount it will cost a student to go to school. It is determined by each institution using rules established by the U.S. Congress. The COA includes tuition and fees; a housing allowance; an allowance for books, supplies, transportation, dependent care, costs related to a disability and other miscellaneous expenses. An institution can not exceed the cost of attendance when determining a student's financial aid package (the total amount of financial aid a student will receive). The cost of attendance may vary from student to student, depending on the length of attendance, dependency status, enrollment status and other factors. Please contact the Financial Aid Office for the cost of attendance for the current academic year.

HOW TO REGISTER USING FINANCIAL AID
Malcolm X College offers Tuition Payment Extensions to students who
potentially qualify for and present the appropriate documentation to determine eligibility for: Pell Grant, IVG, National Guard, Vocational Rehabilitation Programs, United Center-Joint Venture Scholarship and some other tuition based grants and scholarships recognized by the Malcolm X College Business Office.
The Financial Aid Office provides PELL Grant Registration Payment
Extensions to students who:

Have an eligible SAR/ISIR and all required documentation on file
Present an eligible SAR and all required support documentation at the time of registration

Support documentation includes but is not limited to: Federal Income Tax Returns and appropriate schedules for the student and /or parents’ household; verification of child support payments, social security, public aid, unemployment compensation or any other means of support claimed. Students may also be required to verify household size and number in college and other items as required by the application process.

BOOK VOUCHERS
The College offers Book Voucher advances for the fall and spring semesters during open and late registration to students who received a Tuition Payment Extension based upon the FAFSA application or a completed Financial Aid file. Instructions for obtaining a book voucher will be available from the Financial Aid Office prior to the Open Registration period.

FEDERAL POLICY CONCERNING RETURN OF TITLE IV FINANCIAL AID FUNDS
Students who receive federal financial aid (Title IV) funds and who officially withdraw (WTH), are administratively withdrawn (ADW), and/or no-show (NSW or NS1) from all classes prior to completing more than 60% of the eligible period of enrollment, will be required to return to the Department of Education or other designated funding agency a portion or all of the Title IV funds received. Title IV funds include the Federal Pell Grant, the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) and Federal Family Educational Loan Program. The City Colleges of Chicago will apply a federally regulated calculation, "Return of Title IV Funds", to determine the amount of unearned tuition, fees, room and board and other charges that must be repaid. All required refunds and/or repayments of financial aid funds will be charged to the student's tuition account and become the student's payment obligation. Students who do not repay these funds will be placed on a hold which will prohibit future registrations, requests for academic transcripts and future Title IV eligibility at any City College of Chicago. Delinquent tuition accounts may also be reported to credit agencies. No Shows (NSW or NS1), Cancellations, Deletes and Audit courses are not eligible for federal financial aid payments. Students who may have received payment based on enrollment in courses they failed to attend, or were later canceled or deleted, or registered as audit only, will have all applicable funds returned to the appropriate funding agency and charged back to their tuition account. Contact the Office of Business and Operational Services, room 1418, (312) 850-7010 for more details concerning refund policies.

SATISFACTORY PROGRESS
Students must maintain both qualitative and quantitative satisfactory academic progress as defined in the City Colleges of Chicago Student Policy Manual to be eligible for student financial aid funds (state and federal financial aid programs and veterans educational benefits). Qualitative academic progress requires both full-time and part-time students to have at least a 2.00 cumulative grade point average by the end of their second academic year (46 credit hours) of attendance. Quantitative academic progress requires a student to enroll in an approved academic program, and expects students to complete their program in a timely manner, based upon cumulative registered hours. For additional information on how to maintain satisfactory progress, obtain a copy of the City Colleges of Chicago Student Policy Manual from the Malcolm X College Office of Admissions/One Stop Center, room 1209 or go on line at www.ccc.edu. Veterans should consult with the veteran’s coordinator (1325) regarding satisfactory progress standards for the veterans benefit programs.

FEDERAL TAX CREDITS AND OTHER INITIATIVES

HOPE SCHOLARSHIP AND THE LIFETIME LEARNING CREDIT
The HOPE Scholarship and the Lifetime Learning Credit can be claimed on your income tax return and are direct, dollar-for-dollar reductions in your tax liability. The HOPE Scholarship, a tax credit worth up to $1500 per student, is available to first and second year students enrolled at least half time. The Lifetime Learning Credit is a tax credit equal to 20% of a family's tuition expenses, up to $5000 for undergraduate, graduate or professional study. Students can be enrolled for less-than-half time and benefit from the Lifetime Learning Credit. For more information on these and other tax benefits for postsecondary education, see the Internal Revenue Service's Publication 970 or download the publication from www.irs.ustreas.gov.

AMERICORPS
AmeriCorps provides full-time educational awards in return for work in community service. Students can work before, during, or after your postsecondary education and use the funds either to pay current educational expenses or to repay federal student loans. For more information call 1-800-942-2677 or log on www.americorps.org.

THINGS TO REMEMBER
Each year, financial aid from various sources is available to eligible students. The college administers a variety of federal, state and local programs, as well as, providing computerized search programs and application materials for an assortment of private scholarship and grant sources. The Malcolm X College Financial Aid Office staff is eager to answer students' questions and provide assistance to students in determining their eligibility for financial assistance. All information students provide will be held in confidence as required by the Family Rights and Privacy Act of 1974. We try to prevent any duplication of effort and work as quickly as possible.

FOLLOW THESE GUIDELINES TO MAKE THE APPLICATION PROCESS EASIER:

Apply early! Gather the requested documents and submit your application well before the published deadlines so there is time to resolve any problems.
You and/or your parents must maintain copies of IRS tax forms, Social Security or Pension Benefit Letters or other official documents needed to complete the application and verify family income.
Read all instructions carefully before completing your application.
Ask for help if necessary.
Make certain your mailing address is reported accurately, and report any change or address.
Don't leave items blank in the sections you complete. If the answer is zero, enter (0).
When you receive mail from the College, the Department of Education, the State Scholarship Commission or other similar agencies, open immediately, read carefully and respond promptly.
Even if you are awarded financial assistance, it will rarely cover all of your expenses while attending college. You will be expected to contribute some portion of the total cost.

RESOURCES & IMPORTANT FORMS

(FAFSA Informational Video)

Dependent 2008-2009 Verification Worksheet in PDF Format, 250KB, 2 pages
(2008 - 2009 Dependent Student Verification Worksheet)

Independent 2008-2009 Verification Worksheet in PDF Format, 265KB, 2 pages
(2008 - 2009 independent student verification worksheet)