Financial Aid FAQs

Apply online at FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). First request a PIN for yourself (and your parents, if dependent) before applying. Florida State College at Jacksonville’s school code is 001484.

Many non-U.S. citizens qualify for federal student aid. Please review your qualifying status here. Note: Students on an F-1 visa are considered non-immigrants and thus do not qualify for federal financial aid. However, there are scholarships available for students on F-1 visas. We recommend visiting an advisor for more information.

Log in to myFSCJ to view your personal FSCJ webpage and financial aid status. First click My Academics, then Student Center. On the right hand side you will find a To Do List with Financial Aid Checklist items.

Log in to myFSCJ to view your personal FSCJ webpage and financial aid status. First click My Academics, then Student Center. On the right hand side you will find a To Do List with Financial Aid Checklist items. Click the item and print.

The choice is yours. Submit your financial aid forms at any FSCJ campus Student Success office.

NOTE: If you are chosen for verification and asked to create an account with Inceptia, the documents requested through Inceptia must be submitted through verification gateway (Inceptia Portal).

Inceptia is a nonprofit organization that FSCJ has partnered with to complete the verification process

Only one condition is required to claim “independent” status: Students 24 years of age OR married OR with dependent children OR other dependents OR U.S. veteran OR both parents deceased OR a ward of the court. All other students need their parent’s financial information to complete their financial aid form.

Seek help. There are certain questions a campus financial aid advisor needs to ask you to determine your next step.

No, if you are a dependent student, you are required to provide your parent(s) tax information to complete the financial aid application.

You will need your tax return and W-2s from the previous year to complete the financial aid application.

Yes, if you or your parents are not required to file a tax return by IRS guidelines, you may still complete the financial aid application.

Once you have completed the financial aid application, your information will be downloaded from FAFSA by Florida State College at Jacksonville. If your file is selected for verification, you will be required to submit additional documents/forms to complete your file.

Verification requires you to submit supporting tax returns, W-2s, and other requested documentation used to complete your financial aid application. Once all requested documents are submitted to the financial aid office, the documents are reviewed for accuracy and compared against information reported on the financial aid application to insure accuracy of information reported. Thirty percent of students that apply for financial aid are randomly chosen for verification.

A Letter of Non-filing is a document you obtain from the IRS that verifies you did not and were not required to file a tax return. You may obtain a Letter of Non-filing (4506-T) request form from the IRS website or call the IRS at 1 (800) 829-1040.

The Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid will notify the Student Financial Services Office of your financial aid award. The aid will automatically be applied against your bill. For Stafford Loan recipients, loan funds will not be available for coverage to pay for your tuition and fees until FSCJ has a record of your signed promissory note and completion of the entrance loan counseling requirement.

If the combined aid (Pell Grant, SEOG, FSAG, Star Opportunity Grant (formerly Institutional Needs Fund), Stafford Student Loan, PSAV Grant and other scholarships) is not enough to cover your tuition and fees, you must pay the difference from your own resources by the final payment deadline date. Your classes will be cancelled if the bill is not paid in full.

A student must have either a standard high school diploma or high school equivalency degree in order to be eligible for financial aid. A student will not be eligible for financial aid until the transcript reflects their graduation date.

It is required that all previous accredited college transcripts be evaluated. GPA’s from those transcripts will be transferred as well as successful and unsuccessful courses.

The program of study that you choose is important because not all programs are eligible for financial aid. Any of the A.S. degrees or A.A. degree are eligible programs for financial aid. If you are choosing a technical certificate or a vocational program requiring less than 600 clock hours/24 credits, you should check with your financial aid office. The financial aid office will be able to inform you if the program you have chosen is an eligible program.

If you already have a four-year degree or higher and all your credits transfer then you may exceed the 150 percent standard of academic progress (SAP). This will make you ineligible for financial aid.

If you are attempting to receive two degrees at Florida State College then it is possible to complete two programs. For example, you may be getting an A.A. degree and an A.S. degree that require all the same general education requirements (math, English, humanities etc). You have used some of your elective hours toward classes needed for an A.S. degree then you may actually receive both degrees without exceeding the 150 percent standard of progress therefore eligible to receive financial aid throughout both degrees. In order to accomplish this goal you must make sure not to take any unnecessary classes. It is advised that you see your academic advisor at least every other semester to be assured that all classes are within one of your programs of study.

No, for general purposes financial aid requires that a student be degree/certificate seeking. A student can be in a vocational program, teaching certificate or in a technical certificate that is an eligible program and still receive financial aid.

A.A., A.S. and A.A.S. degrees are eligible for Title IV financial aid. Technical certificates with a minimum of 24 credit hours and vocational programs with 600 or more hours are also eligible for Title IV financial aid.

Students meet with academic advisors if they are on academic warning or probation. If the student is allowed to register then he/she will be eligible to receive financial aid. The only exception is if the student is not meeting satisfactory academic progress.

A Financial Aid Administrator can review a loss in income and/or benefits that occurred after submitting your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Any changes in income or benefits must be validated with proper documentation which will be utilized to adjust your financial aid eligibility.

If there are unusual circumstances that are impacting your status as a dependent student, your file can also be reviewed. This will require a Dependency Override and proper documentation to support these unusual circumstances that will change your status from dependent to independent.

Each situation will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Please contact a Financial Aid Advisor for assistance.

Verified attendance takes place after the initial add drop period. Students have the opportunity to attend each class one time before the drop period. Some scholarships such as child care verify attendance.

Financial aid is not transferable, however, students may go online with their federal pin number and add the school code of the new institution they are transferring to. The student may also call 1.880.4.FED.AID if they have the DRN# from their student aid report. Students transferring during spring or summer sessions that have Stafford loans will want to contact their lender to cancel the second disbursement of their loan so they can reapply at the new school.

You must officially withdraw from school. The College is required to return a portion of your financial aid to Federal Student Aid Programs. FSCJ will calculate the appropriate amount to be returned based on a federally mandated formula. As a result, you may be responsible for a portion of your bill and/or repayment of some financial aid funds that were already disbursed to you, unless you complete more than 60 percent of the semester. If you unofficially withdraw (stop attending) or your academic transcript reflects unsuccessful completion of all courses, FSCJ will have your aid calculated based on completing 50 percent of the term. As a result, you will be required to return a portion of the aid you received, and you will be responsible for your unpaid educational expenses. Documentation of an academic related activity may be used to calculate the last date of attendance. A detailed statement on the refund policy is on file in the campus enrollment services/financial aid office.

Cost of education, minus (EFC) Expected Family Contribution, minus other aid/benefits, equals financial need. Once eligibility is established, aid may be adjusted based on enrollment.

Financial need is the difference from cost of education, minus EFC and other aid.

Cost of Education: Educational budget used to calculate the cost of education. This budget includes items such as tuition, fees, books, transportation, room/board and personal/miscellaneous items.
Information provided on your FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is used to calculate your EFC. EFC is the amount you/your family are expected to contribute to the cost of your education.

Other aid/resources: Include such benefits as veterans benefits, scholarships, work-study, loans and sources other than awarded by FSCJ.

Aid will be adjusted based on number of enrolled credit hours.

Students will receive their award letter by email. Students will also be able to see their awards under the financial aid tab in myFSCJ by selecting View Financial Aid under the Finances section on the Student Center tab.

To decline, accept or modify your student loan, sign in to your myFSCJ account. In the Student Center, scroll down to the Finances area. Under Financial Aid, click Accept/Decline Awards. Select award loan award type.

For scholarships, please follow the directions provided with your scholarship award letter/packet. For third-party, please follow the directions provided by your third-party provider.

All sources of aid and/or assistance offered to the student to assist with their educational needs.