Students must be enrolled in an approved degree and certificate program to be eligible for financial aid. Students who are Courses Only (degree status) are not eligible for financial aid.

Ivy Tech does not require high school/GED transcripts for most students. In most cases, students receiving financial aid will not have to submit high school transcripts. However, there are limited circumstances (such as in the case of Academic Competitiveness Grants or Veterans Affairs Benefits Programs) where we may need to collect transcripts.

No, students are not required to attend full time, but most financial aid is prorated for students enrolled in fewer than 12 credit hours per semester. Some financial aid requires the student to be enrolled at least 6 credit hours—such as loans, some scholarships, work study, etc.

Students with bachelor's degrees may still apply for the Federal Work-Study Program, Federal Stafford Loan and Federal Unsubsidized Stafford Loan. These students will not be eligible for the Pell, Academic Competiveness and FSEOG grants.

Completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the first step in the financial aid process. The purpose of the FAFSA is to help the U.S. Department of Education and financial aid administrators determine your eligibility for federal and state aid. The State Student Assistance Commission of Indiana (SSACI) and Ivy Tech Community College also use the information received from the FAFSA to determine eligibility for other forms of financial aid.

The quickest way to apply is online at fafsa.ed.gov. To request a paper application or complete the FAFSA over the phone, call 800-4-FED-AID. Once you've completed your FAFSA, a Student Aid Report (SAR) will be generated and you should receive a copy by email or mail. The colleges you list on your FAFSA receive your information after the application has been processed.

There are many different kinds of financial aid. Some – such as loans – have to be repaid, while others – such as grants and scholarships – do not. For more information, visit www.ivytech.edu/financialaid.

A PIN is an electronic access code number that serves as your identifier. A PIN lets you access your personal federal student aid information online in various U.S. Department of Education systems.

If you apply using FAFSA on the Web, having a PIN allows you (and your parents, if they have a PIN and you're a dependent student) to "sign" your FAFSA electronically, which means the student aid process can be completed totally online. FAFSA on the Web filers who are new applicants (and their parents, if applicable) can request a PIN at www.pin.ed.gov.

It is a good idea to have completed the federal tax return before completing the FAFSA since exact tax information can make processing faster and simpler. If this cannot be done use estimated figures when completing the application. If the estimated figures differ from the actual figures make corrections on your Student Aid Report or contact your local financial aid office.

You can obtain a tax return transcript (summary of tax information) from an Internal Revenue Service Office or by calling 1-800-829-1040

The federal school code for the campus you are interested in attending can be located on the regional offices/title IV school codes webpage.

The Office of Financial Aid can take into account special circumstances, which may affect your need. These may include loss of income due to layoff, disability, divorce, separation or loss of untaxed benefits. You can obtain a Special Circumstance Request Form from the Office of Financial Aid and submit it with supporting documentation. Please note that not all requests for special conditions are approved.

You may go directly to fafsa.ed.gov for details on the receipt and processing of your form.

Please log into your Campus Connect account (Student Self Service) to check your status or you may visit your local Financial Aid office.

You may check your Campus Connect account (Student Self Service) to check your status or you may contact your local Financial Aid office.

Financial aid may be available through external sources.

Please contact Vocational Rehabilitation with your personal situation

The Department of Education selects approximately 30% of all FAFSA applicants for a process called verification. If you are selected, you will be asked to complete a verification worksheet and provide copies of your tax returns to the Office of Financial Aid. Spouse or parents' information and other documents may also be requested. Verification must be completed before aid eligibility can be confirmed.

Forms can be obtained from the statewide Ivy Tech website.

All first time student loan borrowers are required to complete loan counseling before their loan can be disbursed. This is done on-line and takes less than thirty minutes. It is a process designed to inform you of the rights and responsibilities associated with your student loan.

Yes, exit interview sessions are mandatory for all student loan borrowers leaving Ivy Tech.

Not necessarily. In order to be considered as an independent student for purposes of financial aid, you must be able to answer YES to at least one of the following questions. If you answer NO to all of these questions, parent information is required to be reported on the FAFSA.

2009-2010 Academic Year:

• Were you born before January 1, 1986?
• As of today, are you married?
• At the beginning of the 2009-2010 school year, will you be working on a master's or doctorate program (such as an MA, MBA, MD, JD, PhD, EdD, graduate certificate, etc)?
• Are you currently serving on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces for the purposes other than training?
• Are you a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces?
• Do you have children who will receive more than half of their support from you between July 1, 2009 and June 30, 2010?
• 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, 2010?
• 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 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, 2008, 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, 2008, 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, 2008, 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?

Students will need to go to Campus Connect electronically sign their Financial Aid Authorization (Book sheet). This will allow for their aid to be released to Follett Bookstore to charge their books (as long as the aid has been authorized).

1. Log into Campus Connect
2. Click the Self-Service Banner link on the Home tab
3. Select Financial Aid Tab
4. Select option #3: Complete Your Requirements & Financial Aid Forms
5. Select Requirements, Verification and Documents
6. Select aid year
7. Select Authorize FA to Pay Charges other than Tuition and Fees
8. Read form and choose whether to accept or deny the authorization. Acceptance on the first option will allow books to be charged at the bookstore as long as there is available aid after tuition and fees are covered. Acceptance of the second option will allow previous balances from the previous aid year only up to $200 to be covered by current semester financial aid.
9. Click submit button at bottom of authorization after choosing an option on both authorizations.
10. Exit the system.
11. Account at bookstore will be available the next day.

You do not have to authorize your financial aid each semester. If you previously authorized your aid, you do not have to repeat the authorization steps. If you are a new student or first time financial aid student, you will need to authorize your aid.

There are many different kinds of financial aid. Some – such as loans – have to be repaid, while others – such as grants and scholarships – do not. For more information, visit www.ivytech.edu/financialaid.

This is generally 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. 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, 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 approximately seven weeks into the semester. If your financial aid does not cover all of your fees, then you are expected to make payment arrangements with the bursar's office before classes start. Contact the bursar's office for more information.

A subsidized loan is awarded on the basis of financial need. You won't be charged any interest before you begin repayment or during authorized periods of deferment). The federal government "subsidizes" the interest during these periods.

An unsubsidized loan is not awarded on the basis of need. You'll be charged interest from the time the loan is disbursed until it is paid in full. If you allow the interest to accrue (accumulate) while you are in school or during other periods of nonpayment, it will be capitalized—that is, the interest will be added to the principal amount of your loan, and additional interest will be based on that higher amount. If your interest is capitalized, it will increase the amount you have to repay. You can choose to pay the interest as it accumulates; if so, you'll repay less in the long run.

You may check your Campus Connect account for your loan status or you may contact your local Financial Aid office. You may also track your loan process through Open Net.

Yes, if your financial aid award is more than calculated tuition and fees. Please refer to the section that deals with authorizing my financial aid.

First time borrower
If you are considered a “first time borrower”, per federal regulations, you have to wait until 30 days in to the semester before receiving loan funds or refunds.

Returning borrower
If you are a returning borrower, once the funds are sent to the college from the lender and post to your account, the college will release the funds within a week. The college will deduct any tuition or fees owed and send the refund to the student.

You can check on your financial aid by logging into Campus Connect, Ivy Tech's portal, and go to the Financial Aid tab in the Student Self Service. The Financial Aid Status link allows you to view overall status, holds, academic progress, cost of attendance, financial aid awards and messages. The other links in the Financial Aid tab can offer more information.

Your eligibility for federal financial aid is based on the enrollment status at the end of the 100% refund period. If a student adds a class after the end of the 100% refund period, their federal and state aid will not increase and they may owe money for the added class(es).

Attendance: Students must not only be "enrolled" but must actually be attending class. Students that never attend class or stop attending class without formally withdrawing will have their aid adjusted as required by the federal refund policy.

If you receive financial aid, you must maintain 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. Failing to meet the standards could have you terminated from receiving financial aid.

Detailed information about the Ivy Tech's SAP policy can be found at www.ivytech.edu/financialaid.

• Students receiving federal and state financial aid (grants and/or loans) must maintain satisfactory academic progress (SAP) toward a degree objective.
• SAP is checked at the end of each semester.
• Students who are on Financial aid probation will remain eligible for federal financial aid but will not be allowed to purchase books in the bookstore until final coursework is evaluated and SAP is recalculated.
• Students who do not meet SAP at the end of the probationary period are placed on Financial Aid termination and are not eligible for any form (including loans) of financial aid from the Financial Aid office.

Be careful when searching for information on student financial assistance. Make sure information and offers are legitimate. The College Scholarship Fraud Prevention Act enhances protection against fraud in student financial assistance. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) cautions students to look for these telltale lines:

• The scholarship is guaranteed or your money back.
• You can't get this information anywhere else.
• I just need your credit card or bank account number to hold this scholarship.
• You've been selected by a "national foundation" to receive a scholarship or you're a finalist in a contest you never entered.

To file a complaint, or for free information, call 1.877.FTC.HELP (1.877.382.4357) or visit the Federal Trade Commission online.

Please visit the U.S. Department of Education Office of Inspector General website for more information.