Frequently Asked Questions - Financial Aid
Questions
- What applications are required to receive
financial aid?
- What happens after the FAFSA and ETA are
sent?
- Are there deadlines for the financial
aid applications?
- How often do I have to complete the financial
aid applications?
- When will the Financial Aid Office send
me a financial aid award letter to notify me of my awards?
- Do I have to take out a student loan?
- If I applied to another college, or am
transferring from another college, will I get the same awards
that I was given at that other college?
- I applied to another college but have
decided to attend SUNY Ulster. How do I change the information
on my applications?
- How does a student become an independent
student for financial aid?
- If my parents are divorced, which parent
completes my financial aid applications?
- My mother has remarried. Does my stepfather
have to list his income and asset information on the FAFSA
and ETA?
- What do I do if my stepfather does not want to provide any income or asset information?
Answers
What applications are required to receive financial aid?
There are five possible applications that a student must complete to receive both NYS and Federal financial aid:
- 1. Free Application
for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA): this
application is needed to be considered for all federal financial
aid including PELL Grant, Supplemental Education
Opportunity Grant, Perkins Loan, Federal Work
Study and Stafford/Unsubsidized Stafford Loan.
SUNY Ulster code is 002880.
To use this application:- Student/parent needs a pin number to use as their signature. To get your pin, go to www.pin.ed.gov at least 24 hours before sending the online FAFSA
- Go to www.fafsa.ed.gov to complete the online FAFSA
- Go to www.studentaid.ed.gov for information about federal financial aid programs
- OR, complete the paper FAFSA and mail it to the address listed on the application.
- 2. Express TAP Application (ETA): this application is available only after the FAFSA is completed (access to the form will appear as a link upon completion of the FAFSA), and is for determining the TAP grant for full-time students who are NYS residents taking at least 12 credits.
- 3. Aid for Part-Time Study: this NYS application is for students who are New York state residents enrolled in at least 3 but fewer than 12 credits. Return application to the Financial Aid Office.
- 4. SUNY Ulster Financial Aid Application: this application is required from all students applying for financial aid and student aide employment. Income documentation for the year previous to the date of your FASFA application should be enclosed with this application for the student/spouse, and/or student's parents. Return application to the Financial Aid Office.
- 5. Master Promissory Note: this application is for the Federal Stafford/Unsubsidized Stafford Loan. The loan application is available in the Financial Aid Office, and should be returned to the Financial Aid Office.
What happens after the FAFSA and ETA are sent?
The FAFSA is processed electronically and both the student and the Financial Aid Office receives the results. If the student included an e-mail address on the FAFSA, the student will receive the results via e-mail. Others will receive their results in the mail.
A complete online FAFSA takes 3-5 days for processing, while a paper FAFSA takes 21-25 days. A student can call 1-800-4 FED AID for assistance.
The Express TAP Application (ETA) is processed after the FAFSA is completed and sent. Students can check their TAP awards, request a duplicate application, change school code, and find out additional information about NYS TAP at www.hesc.com.
Are there deadlines for the financial aid applications?
A student who applies for Federal financial aid by May 1
(for Fall), and November 1 (for Spring), receives priority
consideration for all financial aid awards (excluding APTS).
Students must be registered for classes
for financial aid to be determined. Since some funds are limited
(Federal SEOG, Federal Perkins Loan, Federal Work/Study and
NYS Educational Opportunity Program), it is advisable to meet
the May 1 deadline.
Additionally, students who delay applying for financial aid, or registering for classes, may not have their aid processed by the tuition/fee deadline or the beginning of Fall semester classes.
The official deadline for processing the FAFSA for PELL is June 30, or the student's last day of enrollment. The student must have a valid Student Aid Report in the Financial Aid Office by the required date. The student would be responsible for paying the tuition/fee bill by the deadline date.
The official deadline for the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) is May 1, 2009 (postmarked). The student would be responsible for paying the tuition/fee bill by the deadline date.
The Federal Stafford/Unsubsidized Stafford loan application must be able to be processed at least 30 days prior to the end of a semester. This loan processing can occur only after the student has a verified Student Aid Report in the Financial Aid Office.
REMEMBER, a student can apply for financial aid before applying for Admissions.
How often do I have to complete the financial aid applications?
A student must complete the FAFSA, ETA, APTS,
Master Promissory Note and the SUNY Ulster Financial
Aid Application each academic
year.
The FAFSA can be
completed and sent beginning every January 1.
When will the Financial Aid Office send me a financial aid award letter to notify me of my 2008-09 awards?
The Financial Aid Office begins sending out financial aid
awards in April. Students must have applied on the FAFSA,
handed in their income documentation for the year previous
to the date of their FASFA application, other documentation
that may be required, and be registered for classes.
If enrollment changes, the student receives actual TAP
awards, or requests a Stafford Loan, revised award letters
are also mailed. Students will accept or decline the financial
aid awards on the award letter, and hand/send the letter to
the Financial Aid Office.
The financial aid award letter will identify:
- the name and amount of award in each program listed
- the conditions of the awards
- additional information to maintain eligibility for financial aid awards.
Do I have to take out a student loan?
Students will decide if they need a Federal Stafford/Unsubsidized Stafford
Loan to help pay their tuition/fees, books or other educational
expenses.
The loan amount and source (subsidized and/or unsubsidized)
is determined based on enrollment status, financial need,
and dependent/independent status.
If I applied to another college, or am transferring from another college, will I get the same awards that I was given at that other college?
Since each college has their own unique cost of attendance, may have different deadline dates, receive different amounts of Federal financial aid funds, and have a different tuition charge, it is very likely that the awards at SUNY Ulster will be different.
I applied to another college but have decided to attend SUNY Ulster. How do I change the information on my applications?
The student would:
- Add SUNY Ulster on the FAFSA (online or paper) and send, or call 1-800-4 FED AID and give them information from the Student Aid Report to process the application for SUNY Ulster.
- Go to www.hesc.org and change the school code to 2230 for SUNY Ulster for each semester.
- Complete the SUNY Ulster Financial Aid Application and bring/send to the Financial Aid Office with all income information for the year previous to the date of their FASFA application.
- Complete the Master Promissory Note for the Stafford/Unsubsidized Stafford Loan and complete the Entrance Interview at www.mapping-your-future.org.
- Complete the NYS Aid for Part-Time Students application if the student is registered for part-time study.
How does a student become an independent student for financial aid?
For Federal financial aid a student must be able to answer YES to at least one question in STEP three to be considered an independent student.
For NYS TAP, a student must be 35 years
of age, or 22 as
of July 1 of the academic year they are applying for,
and be able to answer
NO to the independent questions on the Express
TAP Application.
If a student is under
22 and wants to apply as an independent student, the student
must:
- Be able to answer NO to all the independent questions on the ETA;
- Must complete the Financial Independent Statement which will be sent after the ETA is received at TAP processing;
- Be able to document that the student's parents are deceased, disabled, or been declared incompetent; or be able to document that the student is a ward of the court, ward of the state; or has been rendered independent due to the involuntary breakdown of the family, which was above and beyond the student's control.
Documentation for NYS TAP financial independence may be able to be used to determine Federal independence. All requests must be documented before a decision can be made at the institution or the State level.
If my parents are divorced, which parent completes my financial aid applications?
Usually the parent with whom the student resides completes
the financial aid applications.
If the student resides with
each parent equally, it would usually be the
parent that claims the student on their tax returns.
If the student does not reside with either parent, it would usually be the parent who claims the student on tax returns, or is more willing to complete the application.
My mother has remarried. Does my stepfather have to list his income and asset information on the FAFSA and ETA?
Yes. A parent who is married/remarried must provide the income and assets of both mother and stepfather. If there are additional family members, they can be listed in the household size (if the parent provides more than half their support).
What do I do if my stepfather does not want to provide any income or asset information?
If a parent/stepparent does not want to provide
the information for the financial aid applications, the student
can apply for aid available outside of the college/financial
aid, such as alternative loans from lenders.
However, most
loans will require a co-signer. The student may want to ask
the father to complete the financial aid applications and
notify the financial aid office of the reason for the decision
in writing.
Financial Aid Office
Vanderlyn Hall Room 105
SUNY Ulster County Community College
Stone Ridge, New York 12484
(845) 687-5058 FAX
(845) 687-5172
financialaid@sunyulster.edu
