Financial Aid College financial aid includes gift aid (grants and scholarships), low-interest loans and part-time employment. The majority of financial aid programs are based on "need." Financial need is the difference between your college expense and the amount of money you and, in some cases, your family are expected to contribute. Quite often you will be offered financial aid from more than one source. It may be a combination of gift dollars, a loan and a part-time job. When you register at Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana in Sellersburg, financial aid may pay for all or a portion of your class fees, books and supplies. If there are dollars left over from the total amount of your financial aid, you will receive the money during the course of the semester.

Ivy Tech Southern Indiana is a member of FastWeb a service that will help students access their free scholarship search, college success tools, financial aid how-tos, and more.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION TO REMEMBER:1. When considering financial aid, apply as early as possible. 2. Also, you must apply each year you go to college.

Financial aid sources and regulations are changing. There are many kinds of financial aid. For some of them, you must be a full-time student. For others, you must take at least 6 hours of college credit. There may be aid available for students taking only one course. Regardless of your situation, you may be eligible for financial aid.

Financial aid terms: FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) An application that can be used when applying for a Pell Grant or a Stafford Student Loan.

FAFSA forms are available on-line at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov or by contacting the Financial Aid Office.

Please be aware that a PIN number is required to submit a FAFSA form electronically. If you are a dependent student and required to submit your parent(s) federal income tax information, your parent(s) will also need a PIN number. PIN numbers may be obtained by request at www.pin.ed.gov. Questions concerning the PIN process should be directed to the pell Processing Center at 1.800.433.3243.

SSACI (State Student Assistance Commission of Indiana) The SSACI awards tuition scholarships and grants to eligible students who attend Indiana colleges.

If you receive financial aid, you must maintain what we call Standards of Progress. That means that you must demonstrate satisfactory progress toward completion of your program within a specific time period, based on the number of hours you take each semester.

HOW TO APPLY: Complete a Free Application for Federal Financial Aid Form and mail it after January 10 of each year. If you think you're going to be a full-time student, be sure to mail it before March 10. This is the deadline for the Indiana Higher Education Grants. If you apply for financial aid after March 10, you will be considered for all kinds of student assistance except Indiana Higher Education Grants.

You must be admitted to Ivy Tech Community College before you can receive financial aid. There is a separate application form used by the Office of Student Affairs.

If you are asked to provide information and documents, do so as quickly as possible.

If you receive an Ivy Tech Community College Financial Aid Notification Letter, be sure to review it and keep it for your records.

If you are interested in veterans benefit opportunities please visit the web site Veterans Benefits.