Financial Aid section Topics
- Applying for financial aid
- Information about the FAFSA regarding parents
- Verification
- Determining financial aid awards
- Loans
- Tuition and money matters
- Paying for classes, books and supplies
- Withdrawing from classes
Financial aid specific questions and concerns
What is Financial Aid?
Financial aid is money available to assist students with the costs of attending college. Financial aid comes from the federal government, state government, the College and from private sources in the form of scholarships. Grants and scholarships are assistance you don't have to pay back. Federal Work-Study allows you to work and earn money to help pay for school. Loans are borrowed money that you must repay with interest.
Who can receive financial aid?
In general, all U.S. citizens and eligible non-citizens who are enrolled in an approved degree or certificate program are eligible for financial aid. Refer to the student eligibility criteria listed on the main Financial Aid page.
APPLYING FOR FINANCIAL AID
How do I apply for financial aid at OPE电子竞技官网?
Apply using your personal FSA ID username and password by logging onto FAFSA as soon as possible. When in doubt, call or visit the Financial Aid office.
When should I apply for financial aid?
Apply for financial aid as soon as possible.
FAFSA applications for 2024-25 academic year, fall 2024 through 2025 summer are currently being accepted until June 30, 2025.
FAFSA applications for 2025-26 academic year, fall 2025 through 2026 summer will be available October 2024.
How can I get the best financial aid award package?
Apply early for the best financial aid award packet; some grants are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. Note: Grant funds are need-based and are awarded to students with the most need first.
What happens if I apply for financial aid after OPE电子竞技官网's first priority deadline?
You may apply for financial aid at any time throughout the academic year. If your file is completed after April 1 of the award year, the funding in some programs may already be depleted.
How will I know that OPE电子竞技官网 has received my application?
You will receive a Student Aid Report (SAR). An electronic version of your SAR will also be sent to OPE电子竞技官网. Review the information listed for accuracy and be sure that OPE电子竞技官网 is listed in the college choice section (OPE电子竞技官网's school code is 004432). If you do not receive a SAR within four weeks of filing, you must follow up with the processor by calling 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243).
If you provide a valid e-mail address on your FAFSA application, you will receive an e-mail that contains a secure link so you can access your SAR on the web. You'll get this link in one to five days. Be sure to print a copy for your records.
If your application has been selected for a process called verification, OPE电子竞技官网 will notify you and request the additional documentation that is needed to complete your processing. OPE电子竞技官网 does not require that you submit your SAR to our office if you have listed OPE电子竞技官网 on your FAFSA. If you did not originally list OPE电子竞技官网 on your FAFSA, you can add OPE电子竞技官网's school code, 004432.
How will I know what types of aid I will be receiving?
You will receive a Financial Aid Offer Letter from the Financial Aid office detailing all aid for which you are eligible for the entire school year. You may not receive aid in excess of your cost of attendance.
How do I accept an award?
When the Financial Aid office sends you an offer letter, you are asked to indicate the financial aid you would like to accept. Look carefully at your options and make sure you accept only what you need. A good approach is to:
- First, accept free money (scholarships and grants), which you don’t have to pay back.
- Then, accept earned money (work-study), which are funds you will earn through a job.
- Finally, accept borrowed money (student loans), i.e., money you have to pay back with interest.
Once you have decided the award options that best suit your needs, log onto your Student Self-Service portal in Student Links and accept or deny your awarded aid. If you do not want to accept the full amount of an award, you can reduce the amount in your Self-Service portal, before you accept the award. You do not have to return the Financial Aid Award Letter to the Financial Aid office.
What kinds of aid can I expect to see on my OFFER Letter?
The kind of financial aid you receive is based upon your level of need and your application's completion date. You will receive an aid package that may be a combination of Federal and state grants and/or Federal Work-Study. Grant dollars are limited, so apply early. Federal Work-Study employment opportunities are available beginning July 1 of each academic year. Federal Work-Study jobs are posted on the financial aid website Work Study page.
How is my expected family contribution (EFC) determined?
Your (and your spouse's, if married) income, assets, number in household, number in college and your state of legal residence are used in determining the Expected Family Contribution. The formula applied to your information is determined by the federal government.
What if my financial situation has changed since I filed my FAFSA?
You may request a form from the Financial Aid office that will allow our office to reevaluate your financial aid eligibility due to unemployment, loss of benefits, divorce or other special circumstances.
Since financial aid may not cover my entire living and educational costs, what else can I do?
Seek non-work study employment. Use savings. Ask clubs, organizations, churches to which you belong if they have any scholarship funds. Apply for scholarships. You may look for scholarship source books in the library or check at the Financial Aid office. Consider living at home or with relatives to save on rent and utility costs.
Why can't you tell my spouse, parents, or outside agencies what kind of aid I have been awarded?
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99) is a federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. The law applies to all schools that receive funds under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education. Schools are not required to provide copies of records unless, for reasons such as great distance, it is impossible for parents or eligible students to review the records. Schools may charge a fee for copies. For more information on your rights under FERPA, go to the Department of Education website.
Do I have to reapply for financial aid each year?
Yes, you will need to reapply for financial aid each year. However, once you have filed a FAFSA, you may be able to file a Renewal FAFSA the next year. It won't be nearly as complicated the second, third or fourth time around. The Renewal FAFSA contains about 75 percent of the information on the form pre-filled and the same as the information you filed the year before. Be sure to correct any information that has changed since the previous year, especially new financial data.
Information About The FAFSA regarding parents
Am I required to use my parent(s) information on the FAFSA?
The instructions in the FAFSA application will explain whether or not you must include parent information. If you have been declared independent by a financial aid administrator in the past, or if you think your special situation merits a review, request to meet with a Financial Aid specialist to see if you qualify to complete a Request for Dependency Override Form.
My parents refuse to give me the information I need to fill out my financial aid forms.
Contact the Financial Aid office at the College if your parent refuses to provide financial information. A staff member can review your circumstances and explain your options.
My parents are separated/divorced. Whose information should be given on the FAFSA?
On the application, information should be given for the parent you lived with the most in the last 12 months. If you don't live with either parent, or lived with both parents for an equal number of days, information should be given for the parent who provided the greater amount of support to you during the last calendar year. FAFSA instructions have information that will be helpful if you have questions about providing information from separated or divorced parents.
I'm moving out of my parents' house and will support myself from now on. Do my parents still have to fill out the financial aid application?
Students under 24 years of age are considered dependent on their parents by federal law, no matter where they live (there are limited exceptions—please note them in the FAFSA instructions). If your parents do not provide their information on your application, you probably cannot be considered for aid. If you have special circumstances which make it impossible for your parents to complete the application, contact the Financial Aid office and discuss it with them.
What if my family's situation changes after we apply for aid?
Give the new information to the Financial Aid office. That office can determine if the change will affect your eligibility for assistance.
Verification
What is Verification?
Verification is a process, initiated by the U.S. Department of Education or by the Financial Aid office, requiring you to verify the information that you provided on the FAFSA. About 30 percent of all financial aid applicants at OPE电子竞技官网 are selected at random each year for verification when their application is processed. If you are selected for verification, you will be notified by U.S. mail.
To avoid unnecessary delays, please submit all required documents promptly. Also, be sure you have filled out the Verification Worksheet completely and that all documents are signed by the appropriate parties. Documents with blanks and missing signatures will be returned.
After I've returned all my paperwork, what happens next?
When the Financial Aid office receives your documents, we compare the information on these documents to the information you provided on your original FAFSA. If information from documents you submit conflicts with your FAFSA, we may require additional information to clear up the discrepancy. The Financial Aid office will contact you by mail to request additional information. Responding quickly to any requests for additional information will help avoid further delays.
In some cases, the changes made during verification require resubmission of data to the U.S. Department of Education. If these changes affect your eligibility for assistance, you will receive a revised Financial Aid Award Letter.
Note: After verification is completed, household size and number in college cannot be adjusted.
Determining Financial Aid Awards
What steps do you follow to determine my eligibility?
First, we assign you a Cost of Attendance budget based on your dependency status. This budget is based on the full-time cost of tuition, books and supplies and an estimated cost for living expenses. Second, we subtract the EFC that was reported on your Student Aid Report. The result is your Estimated Financial Need. You will receive funding, as available, up to this remaining need amount.
How are Financial Aid funds awarded?
The Federal Pell Grant is subtracted from the remaining financial need. If there is remaining need, funding may be awarded:
- NOG - Nebraska Opportunity Grant
- FSEOG - Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant
- BGTG - Board of Governors Tuition Grant
- FWS - Federal Work-Study
All of these funds are limited and are awarded until they are depleted. In addition, there is a maximum limit for each award. This means that it is possible for you to have remaining need even after all funds have been awarded.
What if i have already received aid at another institution?
Students are only eligible to receive Federal Financial Aid from one institution at a time. If you have already received federal funds from another institution during the current school year, you may be asked to submit an Overlapping Aid Clearance form to determine eligibility.
I have a bachelor's degree. Am I completely out of luck?
No, you are not out of luck for financial aid. Students with bachelor's degrees usually qualify for federal student loans.
Loans
What is a student loan?
A student loan is money borrowed for educational purposes and must be paid back with interest. The specific sum of money borrowed is called the principal. Interest is a percentage of the principal which is paid as a fee for borrowing. When it comes time to pay back the principal and interest, it is usually paid in monthly installments. If a borrower fails to repay (or default), the government may penalize the borrower. For additional information review the FSA Loan Programs Fact Sheet.
Are there any other costs associated with these loans?
All Federal Direct Loans are assessed a loan fee by the federal government. This fee helps reduce the cost of making these low-interest loans. The federal government will deduct the fee from the loan before the borrower receives any loan money; therefore, the loan funds received by the borrower may be less than the amount they will repay. For Subsidized and Unsubsidized loans originated on or after July 1, 2024 and before July 1, 2025 the loan origination fee is 1.057 percent; Direct Plus loans originated on of after July 1, 2024 and before July 1, 2025 the loan origination fee is 4.228 percent.
Tuition and Money Matters
What if my tuition payment is due, but I haven't received any information about my application or my award letter/notification from OPE电子竞技官网's Financial Aid Office?
As long as you have no balance owed to OPE电子竞技官网 from a prior quarter, you may register for classes. Your tuition and fees are deferred until the last day of the quarter. You are responsible for purchasing books and supplies. Once your Financial Aid has been awarded, it will be applied to the charges on your account for the current quarter.
Be aware that you may be prevented from registering for future quarters if you have an outstanding balance.
When will I receive my money?
Payment is based your enrollment as of the Census Date. Your financial aid will be disbursed to your student account electronically.
If your financial aid award exceeds your tuition, books and fees, a refund will be issued to you. If your award is less than tuition, fees and books, you must make up the difference. If necessary, you may consider applying for a Federal Direct Student Loan.
How will my financial aid refund be disbursed?
OPE电子竞技官网 delivers your refund with BankMobile Disbursements, a technology solution, powered by BMTX, Inc. Visit this link for more information: http://bankmobiledisbursements.com/refundchoices/.
Any questions pertaining to your account refund/or account balance, please contact Student Accounts at 531-OPE电子竞技官网-2405.
To view our third-party servicer contract for refund management, visit this link: http://www.vibeaccount.com/swc/doc/landing/f6i1tb6ory8uefwa00go .
Paying For Classes, Books, and Supplies
How do I pay for my classes?
Cash, check, credit card, company billing, student loan or financial aid all are acceptable forms of payment for classes.
How do I pay for my books?
Cash, check and credit card all are acceptable forms of payment for books. If you have enough in financial aid, an account will be set up at the bookstore so you can charge your books against your financial aid.
Withdrawing From Classes
What is an official withdrawal?
An official withdrawal is an instance in which you withdraw from a class by calling Central Registration at 531-OPE电子竞技官网-5231 and requesting that you be withdrawn from a class or all of your classes.
What affect does withdrawing from school have on my financial aid?
Depending on the time of the quarter when you withdraw, a withdrawal can seriously affect both your financial aid eligibility and your maintaining Satisfactory Progress.
Please contact the Financial Aid office before you withdraw to determine what effect your withdrawal may have on your financial aid.