Financial Aid / Scholarships

Location:

College Center

Telephone:

970.339.6548

Director: Teri Dorchuck

Scholarship Coordinator: Karen Brighton

Location:

Financial Aid Office, College Center

Telephone:

970.339.6399

Email:

financial.aid@aims.edu

Purpose of Financial Aid

The purpose of financial aid is to provide assistance to students in meeting their educational costs as they pursue their current academic program. Financial aid awards may come from one or any combination of grants, scholarships, work-study or loans. Financial aid awarded to students may be funded from federal, state, institutional and/or private funds.

To be considered for most types of financial aid, students must apply for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The application is available online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. The Federal School Code for Aims Community College is: 007582.

Most scholarships require an application separate from the FAFSA. Please contact the organization granting the scholarship or the Financial Aid Office for more information.

Financial Aid Deadlines

A FAFSA must be completed for each academic year (Fall through Summer). The FAFSA is available in January of each year for the following Fall semester.

Priority Deadline Dates

To be considered for certain types of grants and/or work-study funds that are very limited, you need to have your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) processed by March 15, 2010.

To have your financial aid processed in order for your registration fees to be paid by financial aid by the fee payment deadline, you must complete ALL STEPS in the application instructions by the Financial Aid Priority Deadline Date:

Late Applicants

If you miss the Financial Aid Priority Deadline for the term in which you wish to enroll, you are still strongly encouraged to apply. Your application will be accepted and processed; but, it may not be processed in time for you to use your financial aid to meet the tuition payment deadlines and/or to pay for your tuition, fees and books. If this is the case, you will need to make other arrangements to pay your tuition, fees and to purchase your books. If you qualify for financial aid, a refund check, if eligible, will be issued to you later in the term.

Payment plans are available through the Cashier’s Office, for more information see Tuition and Fees .

Financial Aid Application Instructions

You must apply for financial aid each academic year (Fall through Summer).

1. Apply for admissions to the College
   • Go to www.aims.edu
   • Click on ‘Considering Aims’
2. Be a current degree-seeking student at Aims Community College or a student seeking an eligible certificate program and take courses that are required for that degree or certificate.
3. Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and submit it to the Central Processing System (CPS). Aims Community College’s Federal School Code is 007582. This school code must be on your FAFSA for Aims to process your financial aid. You may submit the FAFSA using one of the following methods:
   • Online at www.fafsa.ed.gov – this is the quickest and most efficient way
   • Regular mail – you can download a paper FAFSA by going to www.federalstudentaid.ed.gov this method may add additional time to the processing of your application.
4. Research and apply for scholarships. Check the financial aid link on Aim’s web site: www.aims.edu or search for FREE scholarship searches on the Internet.
5. Summit additional documentation as requested.

Other important application information:

Verification – The federal government requires that some applications be reviewed for accuracy through a process called ‘verification’. In addition, if the Financial Aid Office has conflicting information you may be selected for verification by the school. If your application is selected for this process, you will be required to complete a Verification Worksheet and provide copies of the signed federal tax returns for individuals whose income is required to be on your FAFSA. You will be notified, by letter, if you have been selected for verification.

Federal database matches – When your FAFSA is processed through the CPS, your name, social security number and date of birth are matched with a variety of federal agencies. Agency matches are performed against the files of the Social Security Administration, Department of Homeland Security, Selective Service, Veterans Administration (if applicable) and the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS). If there are any differences or questions about your information, you will be asked to provide additional documentation or to take additional actions to confirm your eligibility for federal/state and/or institutional financial aid. You will be notified by the CPS and our office, by letter, should additional documentation be required.

Transfer Students Who Have Applied for Financial Aid at Another School

If you previously applied for federal financial aid at another school and are now looking to apply for financial aid at Aims, you must add Aims’ federal school code (007582) to your FAFSA for the current academic year. This can be done by submitting a correction to your FAFSA online at www.fafsa.ed.gov.

In addition, if the other school has awarded you financial aid for the term in which you are transferring to Aims, you will need to request those awards be canceled. Once canceled, it can take up to 60-days for those cancellations to be reported to NSLDS. It is our recommendation that you submit, to our office, a signed statement from the other school’s financial aid office indicating your financial aid awards for the said term have been canceled. This will allow us to move forward in determining your financial aid eligibility.

You cannot receive financial aid from two schools for the same semester of enrollment.

General Eligibility Requirements

Your eligibility for financial aid is dependent upon the availability of federal, state, institutional and private resources. To be eligible for financial aid, you must:

1. Be accepted to Aims Community College as an eligible degree (A.A., A.S., A.A.S., A.G.S.) or certificate seeking student; and
2. Be making satisfactory academic progress in accordance with the financial aid satisfactory academic progress guideline; and
3. Be a U.S. citizen, a national, or an eligible non-citizen; and
4. Enroll at least half-time (6 credits) for most financial aid programs. Enrollment must be for courses required for your degree or certificate; and
5. Not be in default on a prior student loan; and
6. Not owe a repayment or overpayment of a federal grant or loan; and
7. Be registered with the Selective Service, if required; and
8. Have a high school diploma or GED or passed a U.S. Department of Education approved ability to benefit (ATB) test, or completed secondary school education in a home school that state law treats as a home or private school; and
9. Not have been convicted for sale or possession of illegal drugs while receiving federal (Title IV) funds.

Penalties may be imposed for abuse or fraudulently reported information and for misuse of financial aid funds.

Payment of Financial Aid

Payment of your financial aid will occur just prior to the scheduled start date of each semester provided your financial aid awards have been made and you have completed all additional requirements, if applicable.

• There is a 30-calendar day delay, from the first day of the semester, for all first-time loan borrowers who are an undergraduate student. Provided you have completed all of the additional steps, the first disbursement of your loan will occur AFTER the 30th calendar day past the start of the semester.
• Work-study funds are NOT paid to your student tuition account. Once you are hired for a work-study eligible job, you will be paid monthly for hours worked within each pay period.

Your financial aid payment will be based on the number of credits in which you are enrolled that apply toward you degree or certificate. If you are enrolled for less than 12 credit hours, the amount of financial aid that pays to your student tuition account may be different than the amount stated on your award letter. Many programs, particularly grants, require the amount paid to be adjusted according to your enrollment status, where enrollment status and adjustments are defined as:

Outstanding tuition and fees charges will be paid from the financial aid credited to your student tuition account. If there is a credit balance remaining, a refund check will be mailed to your address currently on record with the Admissions and Records Office. Once the semester begins, refund checks are usually available within 3-5 business day of the funds being paid to your student tuition account. It is important to keep your address up to date to ensure the timely receipt of your financial aid refund.

Please note: Not attending your classes can impact the amount of financial aid you are eligible to receive and possibly cause you to owe a repayment of financial aid funds already received.

College Preparatory Courses

College-preparatory (Basic Education) course work can be counted in a student’s enrollment for financial aid purposes. However, financial aid will fund a maximum of 30 semester credits of college-preparatory course work.

Satisfactory Academic Progress for Financial Aid Purposes

All students who have received any form of financial aid and/or filed a FAFSA must meet the standards of progress as outlined below. Satisfactory Academic Progress will be evaluated at the end of each semester.

The three satisfactory academic progress requirements are:

1. Maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least a 2.0. Some scholarships require a high cumulative GPA: Aims Scholars requires a 3.0
2. Successfully complete the minimum number of required credits for your enrollment status each term
   • If you attempted 12 or more credits, you must successfully complete 12 of those credits
   • If you attempted between 9 and 11.99 credits, you must successfully complete 9 of those credits
   • If you attempted between 6 and 8.99 credits, you must successfully complete 6 of those credits
   • If you attempted between .5 and 5.99 credits, you must successfully complete all credits attempted
3. You may attempt no more than 150% of the credits required for your degree or certificate program
   • Example A: A 60 credit hour degree program must be completed within 90 attempted credit hours
   • Example B: A 24 credit hour certificate program must be completed within 36 attempted credit hours

If courses from other schools were transferred in, these courses will be considered in the evaluation of your overall attempted credit hours.

For financial aid purposes, being enrolled in a course for credit beyond the official add/drop deadline counts in your attempted hours. All attempted courses are counted, including those taken as part of a different degree or certificate program.

For financial aid purposes, successful completion of a course means an earned grade of A, B, C, S; a grade of D is ‘passing below average’ and will negatively impact your grade point average. Grades of F, I, W, U, AW, NR, and WR are considered unsuccessful completions and will negatively impact your satisfactory academic progress review.

If you do not meet the Standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress due to your grade point average or number of successfully completed credits, you will be placed on financial aid probation. The exception to this is if you do not successfully complete any course work attempted, you will be placed on financial aid suspension.

While on probation you will remain eligible for the payment of your financial aid. While on probation, if you again do not meet either of these requirements you will be placed on financial aid suspension and will not be eligible for further financial aid until you meet the minimum requirements for reinstatement. You will need to pay the tuition, fees and books for the courses you take while on financial aid suspension.

If you have attempted 150% of the credits required for your academic program, you will be considered to have used your maximum credits and are no longer eligible for financial aid.

Once you have completed all the required coursework for your current academic program, you will be placed on an ‘end of program’ status and be suspended from receiving additional financial aid. You do have the right to appeal a Financial Aid Suspension Maximum Credit status if you have extenuating circumstances. End of program appeal can be submitted if your are pursuing a subsequent financial aid eligible academic program. Appeal forms are available from the Financial Aid Office. Documentation of your extenuating circumstances will be required. Appeal forms must be submitted to the Financial Aid Office by the deadlines posted online at www.aims.edu/student/finaid.

Repayment of Unearned Federal Financial Aid

If you received federal student aid (Title IV) and you completely withdraw (officially or unofficially) from all of your courses within 60% of the semester and/or you stop attending all courses, a pro-rated portion of your federal financial aid may need to be repaid. In this case, you will be billed for the amount of aid that must be repaid, and holds will be placed on your record until the balance owed is paid in full. A detailed handout that explains the required calculation is available upon request from the Financial Aid Office.

Grants

Grants may be awarded if you show financial need based on the results of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Federal Pell Grant: This is a need-based federal grant program for students who are seeking their first undergraduate degree. Students who establish eligibility will be funded.

Federal Supplemental Opportunity Grant (SEOG): A federal need-based grant awarded to students seeking a first undergraduate degree in an eligible program who have exceptional financial need. Priority is given to Pell eligible students who file their FAFSA early. Limited funding is available.

Federal Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG): A federal grant program for undergraduate students who recently completed a rigorous high school program, are receiving Pell Grants and are enrolled in their first or second academic year of study.

Colorado State Grant (CSG): These state funds are available to Colorado resident undergraduate students with a documented EFC that is within 150% of Pell eligibility. Awards are made after Pell Grant eligibility is determined. These funds are made available through the Colorado General Assembly. Awarding is dependent upon state funds.

Colorado Leveraging Educational Assistance Program (CSIG): This program is a combination of state and federal dollars. Funds are limited and available to Colorado resident undergraduate students with exceptional documented financial need. Priority is given to Pell eligible students who file their FAFSA early. Limited funding is available. The state funds provided for this program are made available through the Colorado General Assembly.

Aims College Grant: This need-based program assists students attending summer school with a documented EFC that is within 150% of Pell eligibility. Awards are made after Pell Grant eligibility is determined. Annual award amount is dependent upon available institutional funding. All awards are subject to the availability of institutional funding.

Scholarships

Aims Scholars Scholarship: This is a merit-based program designed to assist students who have excelled academically. A separate application, available online or from the Financial Aid Office, is required. A FAFSA is not required. All awards are subject to the availability of institutional funding.

Aims Foundation Scholarships: Through the generous donations of many individuals and organizations, scholarship funds are available through the Aims Foundation to assist students while attending Aims. A separate application is required. The online application is available at www.aims.edu/student/finaid/scholarships/

Other Scholarships: There is a wide variety of scholarships available to students. The key is to search for them often and then take the time to apply! Scholarship funds can be found and awarded on the basis of one’s merit (grade point average), interests, life experiences, future plans, specific characteristic (left-handed), etc.

You should NEVER have to pay to find out about the availability of scholarships. Our recommendation is that you do a search on the Internet for ‘Free Scholarship Searches’. This will bring up a number of free searches for you to look into. These searches work by asking a series of questions to determine your interests, accomplishments, etc.

General eligibility criteria for all Aims Foundation Scholarships may be found on the Aims website, www.aims.edu/student/finaid, or through the Financial Aid office.

Scholarships are available to students on all campuses. Aims Foundation scholarships, amounts, and deadlines are subject to change and are contingent upon availability of funds. Before completing the online application or if you have questions, please contact the Financial Aid Office at 970.339.6548 or financial.aid@aims.edu. Financial Aid is located in the College Center.

The Aims Foundation Thanks Generous Donors for Providing the Following Scholarships:

Loans

A FAFSA is required to determine a student’s eligibility for all federal loan types.

Federal Direct Subsidized Stafford Loan (DIRECT): A fixed interest rate (6.0) loan that is based on documented financial need. The U.S. Department of Education is the lender. A fee of up to 0.5% of the loan amount is deducted proportionately from each loan disbursement. Interest is paid on the loan by the U.S. Government so long as you are enrolled at least half-time, during the 6-month grace period and during eligible periods of deferment. You become responsible for the payment of interest at the time the loan goes into repayment until it is paid in full.

Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan (DLUNSB): A fixed interest rate (6.8) loan that is not based on documented financial need. The U.S. Department of Education is the lender. A fee of up to 0.5% of the loan amount is deducted proportionately from each loan disbursement. You are responsible for the payment of interest that begins to accrue from the time the loan is disbursed until it is paid in full.

Federal Direct Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students (DPLUS): This is a loan where the parent of a dependent undergraduate student can borrow to help pay for their student’s educational costs less other aid being offered. This is a credit-based loan and a separate application is required. The U.S. Department of Education is the lender. This loan has a fixed 7.9% interest rate and the repayment of the loan will begin within 60 days of being fully disbursed. Interest will begin to accrue once the first disbursement of the loan has been made. A fee of up to 4% of the loan amount is deducted proportionately from each loan disbursement.

Alternative Educational Loans: Aims Community College is approved with a number of lenders for our students to apply for loan funding to assist them in meeting their educational costs. These loan products are not backed by the U.S. Department of Education. A list of these lenders and their loan products is available from the Financial Aid Office.

Workstudy

A FAFSA is required to determine a student’s eligibility for all work-study programs.

Federal Work-Study: A Federal funded work program with a portion of the funds contributed by the college. Awards are made only to students who have documented financial need. On and off-campus jobs, with non-profit agencies, are available.

Colorado Work-Study: Funding by the Colorado General Assembly for an employment program awarded to Colorado residents with documented financial need. On and off-campus jobs, with non-profit agencies, are available.

Colorado No-Need Work-Study: Funding by the Colorado General Assembly for an employment program awarded to a limited number of Colorado residents without documented financial need. On and off-campus jobs, with non-profit agencies, are available.

Veterans Benefits

Veteran education benefits:

• Chapter 30
• Chapter 33
• Chapter 1606
• Chapter 1607
• Post -9/11 GI Bill
• Montgomery GI Bill:
  • Chapter 31
  • Chapter 32
  • Chapter 35
• Section 901
• Section 903

are administered through the Financial Aid Office. The VA Certifying Official is available to address the needs of the veteran students and eligible dependents. VA benefit programs change frequently, so we hope you will seek the advice of our VA Certifying Official when applying for your benefits.

Visit the Department of Veterans Affairs website at www.gibill.va.gov for more information about specific programs and their eligibility requirements.

If you believe you may be eligible for benefits, you should contact Financial Aid at least 12 weeks before enrolling to allow for adequate application processing time by Aims and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Complete an Enrollment Certification Request Form for each semester of enrollment. Failure to do so will result in no payment of benefits. Forms are available from the Financial Aid Office in Greeley, and at Loveland and Fort Lupton campuses. They should be returned to the Financial Aid Office after you register and have met with your academic advisor.

Your VA benefits will vary based on the type of benefit, your contract, and the number of credit hours you are enrolled for each semester. Visit the GIBILL website at www.gibill.va.gov for current rates.

To keep your VA benefits current, it is important you report any change in program or enrollment status to the Financial Aid Office as soon as it happens. Failure to do so may result in you being overpaid. Funds you are not eligible for must be repaid to the Department of Veterans Affairs. The Department aggressively pursues collection of overpayments.

You are responsible for having an official academic transcript from each college, university, trade or vocational school you previously attended sent to the Admissions Office. Transcripts are evaluated to determine if any transfer credits can be accepted toward your Aims program of study.