Financial Aid

ATTENTION ALL FINANCIAL AID STUDENTS

Notifications to students regarding their financial aid processes (missing documents, award information, status, updates, etc.) will be posted in a student’s online services account. Students need to open their online services account as soon as they receive notification that their account is available (usually a communication from the admissions office) and then monitor that account on a regular basis.

The Financial Aid Office will communicate via WCJC Student Email addresses once the student has enrolled for courses. It is the student’s responsibility to activate their WCJC student email account as soon as possible after their initial course registration. It is also a student’s responsibility to monitor their student email account.

• Eligibility for Federal Student Financial Aid
• Simple Steps for Applying For Financial Aid At WCJC
• Maintain My Eligibility
• Frequently Asked Questions

1.  Eligibility for Federal Student Financial Aid

In order to be considered for financial aid you must meet the following criteria:

1. Be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen enrolled or accepted for enrollment in a degree-seeking or qualified certificate program.



2. Make satisfactory academic progress (SAP) –See the WCJC website at http://www.wcjc.edu/admin_offices_n/financial_aid/satisfactory.asp. It is a student’s responsibility to know the SAP policy!.



3. Not be in default on a federal student loan—Financial Aid can’t be award in a retroactive manner to any student in default status. Aid can only be awarded on the date the default was cleared by the Department of Education.



4. Not owe a refund on any federal financial aid.



5. Have a high school diploma or GED—These documents must contain a graduation or completion date.



6. Have a valid Social Security Number.



7. Be registered with the Selective Service (if required)—This requirement will be monitored by the Department of Education.

2.  Simple Steps for Applying For Financial Aid At WCJC

1. Apply for Admission at Wharton County junior College (WCJC) online at https://www.applytexas.org/adappc/gen/c_start.WBX
   • Submit an official high school transcript or GED certificate of completion to the Admissions Office for applicants with no previous college work
   • Submit official academic transcripts from all colleges previously attended to the Admissions office for evaluation if no financial aid was received
   
   
2. Apply for a Personal Identification Number (PIN) at www.pin.ed.gov before trying to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)



3. Log on to www.fafsa.gov  to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). For the 2012-13 academic year you will provide income information from the 2011 federal income tax returns for you and your parents if you are a dependent student. Independent students only provide information on themselves.
   • WCJC’s  school code is 003668


4. If your application for Federal Aid is selected for verification by the Department of Education you must provide the Financial Aid Office at WCJC with additional documents
   • If you did not use the Data Retrieval Tool Option to complete your income information when you completed your FAFSA, then you must provide an income tax transcript from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). We can no longer accept photocopies of actual income tax returns.
   • Student Verification worksheet  on the college web site at  http://www.wcjc.edu/admin_offices_n/financial_aid/forms.asp on the WCJC website)
   • ALL OTHER SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS AS REQUESTED BY THE FINANCIAL AID OFFICE


5. All students must complete the  WCJC STUDENT DATA FORM on the college web site at http://www.wcjc.edu/admin_offices_n/financial_aid/forms.asp and submit it to the Financial Aid Office



6. Submit all required documents by the established priority financial aid deadlines:
   • Fall Semester June 1^st
   • Spring Semester November 1^st
   • Summer Session May 1^st (please note that effective summer of 2012, Pell Grants for summer sessions are limited to only students who attended one other semester during the award year. Check with the Financial Aid Office for details.)

NOTE:  IF YOU DO NOT COMPLETE ALL YOUR FINANCIAL AID DOCUMENTATION BY THE PRIORITY DEADLINE YOU MAY HAVE TO PAY YOUR TUITION/ FEES AND BOOKS ON AN OUT-OF-POCKET BASIS AND GET REIMBURSED WHEN YOUR FINANCIAL AID DOCUMENTATION IS COMPLETE. THE COLLEGE HAS AN INSTALLMENT PLAN FOR STUDENTS WHO WISH TO HOLD THEIR CLASSES WHILE THEY COMPLETE THEIR FINANCIAL AID DOCUMENTATION.

3. Maintain My Eligibility

To maintain your eligibility for financial aid, you must meet certain general eligibility requirements.  Also your individual awards may have specific requirements.  For example, the value of some grants is dependent on the number of hours for which you are enrolled by a certain date. 

You must also meet the Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirements.  Failure to do so will result-according to federal regulations-in your no longer being eligible for financial aid.  So, be sure you know and meet the SAP requirements.  To review the SAP requirements go to http://www.wcjc.edu/admin_offices_n/Financial_Aid/satisfactory.asp

4. Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What are my chances of receiving financial aid?
A: The only way to determine your eligibility for financial aid is to submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).  The likelihood of receiving some form of financial assistance is probably better than most students and their families anticipate.

Q: What is the deadline to apply for financial aid?
A: To receive maximum consideration for aid, the FAFSA must be processed by the Department of Education and received by Wharton County Junior College along with all other documents that might be needed by June 1^stt for the following academic year.

Q: Is there a maximum income level that will disqualify me from receiving financial aid?
A: Most people have the misconception that income is the only factor in determining need for financial aid assistance.  However, other variables are considered such as: family size, number of family members in college, age of older parent, savings, investments, and various other allowances to the family’s income and assets.

Q:In order to receive financial aid do I have to apply every year?
A: Yes.  In order to receive consideration for eligible programs you must file Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) each year.  File the FAFSA as close to January as possible.  For speedy processing you can apply over the Internet at:  http://www.fafsa.ed.gov instead of using the paper form.

Q:If my parents are divorced, which parent do I put on the FAFSA?
A:You should provide information from the parent that provided you with the most support in the past year.  If the parent who provided you with the most support has remarried, your step-parent’s information must also be provided on the FAFSA.

Q: Will the financial aid transfer from one school to another?
A: No. Financial aid does not transfer from school to school.  Students planning to transfer to another school should contact the Financial Aid Office at both schools to find out what is required.

Q: What is verification?  And why was I chosen?
A: Verification is a process by which the college reviews the student and parental information reported on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).  Students are selected for verification randomly by the federal processor.  Selection for verification does not imply that you have made an error or made false statements.  If you are selected for verification you will be notified.

Q: For financial aid purposes, how do I determine whether I am an independent or dependent student?
A:To be considered an independent student for financial aid purposes, you must be able to answer “yes?to one of the following questions.  If you cannot answer “yes?to one of the following questions, you are considered a dependent student.

• As of today, are you married?
• At the beginning of the 2012-2013 school year, will you be working on a master’s or doctorate program (such as an MA, MBA, MD, JD, Ph.D., EdD, graduate certificate, etc?
• Are you currently serving on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces for purposes other than training?
• Are you a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces?
• Do you have children who receive more than half of their support from you between July 1, 2012 and June 30, 2013?
• Do you have dependents (other than your children or spouse) who live with you and who receive more than half of their support from you, now and through June 30, 2013?
• At any time since you turned age 13, were both your parents deceased, were you in foster care, or were you a dependent or ward of the court?
• Are you or were you an emancipated minor as determined by a court in your state of legal residence?
• Are you or were you in legal guardianship as determined by a court in your state of legal residence?
• At any time on or after July 1, 2011, did your high school or school district homeless liaison determine that you were an unaccompanied youth who was homeless?
• At any time on or after July 1, 2011, did the director of an emergency shelter or transitional housing program funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development determine that you were an unaccompanied youth who was homeless?
• At any time on or after July 1, 2011, did the director of a runaway or homeless youth basic center or transitional living program determine that you were an unaccompanied youth who was homeless or was self-supporting and at risk of being homeless?