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?
- Free Application
for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA): this
application is needed to be considered for all federal financial
aid including the PELL Grant, Supplemental Education
Opportunity Grant, Perkins Loan, Federal Work
Study and Subsidized and Unsubsidized Direct Loans.
The school code for SUNY Ulster is 002880.
To complete 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.
- Express TAP Application
(ETA): this application is available on the confirmation page of the FAFSA. TAP applications can also be accessed at www.hesc.org. The school code for SUNY Ulster is 2230.
- 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 this paper application
to the Financial Aid Office.
- Verification Form: The
SUNY Ulster Financial Aid Application/Verification Form for 2010-2011 Independent Student or the Financial Aid Application/Verification Form for 2010-2011 Dependent Student needs to be completed and turned in to the financial aid office, with requested documentation only for students selected for the verification process.
- Student Loan Application: Click here for the Direct Loan Cover Sheet. Students also need to complete Entrance Counseling and an electronic Master Promissory Note at www.StudentLoans.gov
What happens after the FAFSA and ETA are sent?
The FAFSA is processed electronically and both students and the Financial Aid Office receive the results. If students include an e-mail address on the FAFSA, they will receive the results via e-mail. Others will receive their results in the mail.
An online FAFSA takes 3-5 days for processing.
The Express TAP Application (ETA) is processed after the FAFSA is completed and sent. Students can check their TAP awards, request duplicate applications, change the school code, and find out additional information about NYS TAP at www.hesc.com.
Are there deadlines for the financial aid applications?
Students who apply for Federal financial aid by May 15th
for Fall, and November 15th for Spring, receive priority
consideration for all financial aid awards (excluding APTS).
Students must be registered for classes
for financial aid to be determined. Some funds are limited
(Federal SEOG, Federal Perkins Loan, Federal Work/Study and
NYS Educational Opportunity Program), so it is advisable to meet
the May 15th 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 semester.
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 is responsible for paying the tuition/fee bill by the deadline date.
The official deadline for the Tuition Assistance Program is May 1 (postmarked).
Direct Loan applications must be processed at least 30 days prior to the end of a semester. Loan processing can occur only after the student has a verified Student Aid Report in the
REMEMBER, a student can apply for financial aid before applying for Admissions.
How often do I have to complete the financial aid applications?
Apply for financial aid each year. The FAFSA can be completed beginning January 1 of each year.
When will the Financial Aid Office notify me of my awards?
The Financial Aid Office begins processing financial aid
awards in May. Students must have applied on the FAFSA,
handed in requested documentation and be registered for classes.
Students can view financial aid awards by logging into their SUNY Ulster account.
Do I have to take out a student loan?
Students are encouraged not to borrow money. However, if there are no other resources (grants or scholarships) to help pay their tuition and educational expenses, student loans become a reasonable option.
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?
Colleges has unique costs of attendance, varied tuition charges and receive different amounts of Federal and State financial aid funds. 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?
Add SUNY Ulster on the FAFSA website. Go to www.fafsa.gov and add school code 002880 for SUNY Ulster. Change the TAP award by going to www.hesc.org. Log in to your account and change the school code to 2230 for SUNY Ulster for each semester.
How does a student become an independent student for financial aid?
For Federal financial aid students must be able to
answer YES to at least
one of the following questions to be considered independent:
- Were you born before January 1, 1987?
- As of today, are you married?
- At the beginning of the 2010-11 school year, will you be working on a master’s or doctorate program?
- Are you currently serving on active duty in the US Armed Forces for purposes other than training?
- Are you a veteran of the US Armed Forces?
- Do you have children who will receive more than half of their support from you between July 1, 2010 and June 30, 2011?
- Do you have dependents (other than children or spouse) who live with you and receive more than half of their support from you, now through June 30, 2011?
- At anytime since you turned age 13, were both your parents deceased, were you in foster care or were you a ward of the court?
- Are you or were you an emancipated minor as determined by a court in your state of legal residence? (Not applicable in New York State)
- 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, 2009, 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, 2009, did the director of an emergency shelter or transitional housing program funded by the US Dept. of Housing and Urban Development determine that you were an unaccompanied youth who was homeless?
- At any time on or after July 1, 2009, 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 were self-supporting and at risk of being homeless?
To determine financial independence for New York State TAP grants, applicants fall into one of the following categories:
- Students that are 35 years old or older as of June 30 preceding the academic year for which assistance is being sought (June 30, 2010, for 2010-11 academic year) are considered financially independent regardless of any other conditions.
- Students between 22 and 35 years old as of June 30 are considered independent if they meet all of the basic conditions (see basic conditions).
- Students who were married on or before December 31 of the preceding calendar year (December 31, 2009, for 2010-11 academic year) are considered independent if they meet all of the basic conditions.
- Students who were previously approved as independent students are considered independent if they meet all of the basic conditions.
- Single undergraduates younger than 22 years old as of June 30 who are not in one of the above categories are considered independent if they meet both the basic and the special conditions.
Basic conditions:
- During the preceding year and during both calendar years of the current academic year (for example, 2009, 2010, and 2011 for the 2010-11 academic year), the student has not and will not reside with parents (or in a building or apartment owned or leased by the parents) for more than six weeks, even if applicants have paid rent to the parents.
Students who have served on active duty with the U.S. Armed Forces or other National Volunteer Service will satisfy this requirement if they lived with parents for no more than six months immediately after being discharged.
- During the preceding tax year on which an award is based and the following year (for example, 2009 and 2010 for awards made for 2010-11 academic year) neither parent has nor will claim the student as a dependent for federal or state income tax purposes.
- During the preceding year and during both calendar years of the current academic year, the student has not received and will not receive financial assistance or support from parents in excess of $750, including gifts and loans.
For students who are veterans and have been honorably discharged from the United States Armed Forces, only the basic condition relating to tax dependency is relevant. The basic conditions regarding residency with the parents and receiving financial assistance from the parents are, by law, not applicable.
Special Conditions: To be considered financially independent, students younger than 22 years old must satisfy at least one of the following conditions:
- Each parent is either deceased, totally or permanently disabled or has been declared incompetent by judicial action.
- Student currently receives public assistance. Public assistance does not include food stamps, unemployment insurance, or aid as a dependent child under the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program.
- Student is a ward of the court. (Ward of the court does not include status as an inmate in a correctional facility.)
- There has been an involuntary dissolution of the student's family, resulting in relinquishment of parental responsibility and control.
- Student is a veteran and has been honorably discharged from the armed forces.
The following conditions do not in and of themselves satisfy the special conditions for financial independence:
- Student is a veteran
- Student's spouse older than 22 years
- Student is incarcerated
- Student is self supporting
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 does not reside with either parent, the parent who provides 51% of support completes the financial aid applications.
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 only apply for unsubsidized loans.
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
