Financial Aid for the Gordon College RN to BSN
Completion Program – Division of Nursing and
Financial Aid Application Procedures
Overview
• All students interested in applying for financial aid must complete the entire Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) process after January 1 of each year in order to receive consideration for federal and/or state aid for the upcoming academic year.
• The only exception to this requirement is for students applying ONLY for the HOPE
Scholarship. HOPE applicants should refer to the HOPE Scholarship section of this Web site for the specific instructions on completing the GSFAPPS electronic application
(http://www.gacollege411.org) in lieu of the FAFSA.
• The FAFSA application process is used to determine your eligibility for aid such as:
• Federal Pell Grant
• Federal Stafford Student Loans
• Federal Parent Plus Loan for Undergraduate Students (PLUS)
• HOPE Scholarship
• Limited funded federal/state campus-based aid such as:
• Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)
• Federal Work-Study (FWS)
Priority Consideration Deadline
Priority Consideration Deadline Defined
• Students can apply for the Federal Pell Grant by completing the FAFSA process any time during the award year. Federal Campus-Based funds (such as the FSEOG, FWS, and LEAP are limited.
• Students who complete the entire application process which consists of submitting the FAFSA, completing the verification process (if selected),
furnishing us any other requested documentation (citizenship, Selective Service registration, etc.) no later than April 1st each year, will comprise the initial group of students who receive priority consideration when we award these funds.
• If funds still remain after we have considered and awarded the eligible students in this initial group, we then consider and award eligible students who completed the application process by April 2, 3, 4, etc. until these funds are exhausted. The aid application process can take four or more weeks during peak processing times. See the Application Deadlines at
When Aid Pays School Charges
• If you do not receive your electronic Financial Aid Award by the semester
deadlines, you should plan to pay all educational costs. You will be reimbursed when you complete the process.
• Also, if you are awarded student loans, those funds are not available until you have signed your Master Promissory note and completed any required loan entrance counseling.
Free Application for Federal Student Aid
• You may submit the FAFSA or your Renewal FAFSA which is available January 1 of each year. Visit FAFSA on the web at http://www.fafsa.ed.govfor more information. Students and parents who electronically file make fewer errors and the process is much faster than filing the paper FAFSA. We encourage electronic filers to print and complete the Application Worksheet prior to completing the web based FAFSA. You can print the Pre-Application Worksheet from Section 1 of the FAFSA on the Internet. The Gordon College Title IV federal school code is 001575. Be sure to list Gordon College's federal school code in the appropriate section to ensure that Gordon College receives your application. You may contact us for a paper FAFSA if you do not have computer access or choose not to file
electronically.
• Use your name exactly as it appears on your Social Security card. Do not use nicknames, abbreviations, or middle names as first names. The U. S. Dept. of Ed. requires your name on the FAFSA to identically match your name on Social Security Administration records. You will be required to submit additional information if there is a name conflict.
• Students applying ONLY for the HOPE Scholarship do not need to complete a FAFSA
application. HOPE applicants should refer to the HOPE Scholarship section of this Web site for the specific instructions on completing the GSFAPPS electronic application
Federal PIN
Those students who submitted a FAFSA for a previous Academic Year should have received a Personal Identification Number (PIN) from the U. S. Department of Education (U.S. Dept. of Ed.). The PIN serves as your personal identifier and permits you to access your personal
Student Aid Report
If you provide your e-mail address on your FAFSA, the U.S. Dept. of Ed. Central Processing System (CPS) will send you a PIN e-mail containing a direct link to your PIN (if you don't already have a PIN); and a Student Aid Report (SAR) e-mail notification containing a direct link to your data on "SAR on the Web". You will receive this notification approximately one to two weeks after submitting your completed FAFSA to the CPS. If you do not provide your e-mail address on your FAFSA, the CPS will send you a paper SAR and if you do not have a PIN, they will also send you a paper PIN mailer. You will receive this document
approximately three to four weeks after you submit your complete FAFSA.
Application Status at Gordon College
Students who have applied for aid but have not received the electronic notice of their Financial Aid Award can electronically review their
Verification Process
• The U.S. Dept. of Ed. created the Verification Process to confirm the accuracy of information submitted on the FAFSA. Your Student Aid Report (SAR) may indicate your application was selected for Verification. However, Gordon College participates in the U.S. Dept. of Ed.'s Quality Assurance Program (QAP) so only students who receive Verification Worksheets from us are required to complete the process at Gordon College. Even if your SAR does not state you have been selected by the U.S. Dept. of Ed., you may be required to complete a Verification Worksheet and provide us tax forms. You should only provide tax documents
if we request them.
Verification Process, Cont.
• Under certain circumstances it may become necessary for you to submit
additional information as part of the verification process. If you are required to submit additional documentation you should promptly submit the requested
information to us. Complete and sign the appropriate Verification Worksheet and submit signed copies of all requested documentation as requested. The U.S. Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) granting of an extension to file a tax return does not eliminate the requirement to submit the tax return to us. The Verification process cannot be completed until all requested documents have been received. If discrepancies are noted between the information submitted on your FAFSA and the Verification documents, we will electronically transmit the corrected information to the U.S. Dept. of Ed. Central Processing System (CPS).
• We will contact you if we need additional information to process your application for student financial aid. Please respond promptly to prevent delays in
processing your application for aid. We cannot determine your aid eligibility until the Verification Process is complete.
Electronic Financial Aid Awards
• Electronic Financial Aid Awards may be viewed on the student's
Banner Web account. All Gordon College students are required to have a valid Gordon College e-mail address. We use your Gordon e-mail address as the preferred mechanism to electronically notify you of the availability of your Financial Aid award. It is critical that you regularly check your e-mail account and delete old e-mails in order to avoid reaching your disk space capacity; otherwise your electronic Award notification may be rejected by your account.
Summary of Overview
• Complete the FAFSA as soon as possible after January 1st of each
year (you should complete your tax return before completing the FAFSA).
• Submit all requested signed documentation to the Gordon College Financial Aid Office in a timely manner.
• If requesting a student loan, please complete the Gordon College
Student loan request at the following link: www.gdn.edu/FinancialAid/. Select the appropriate Stafford Loan Request (by aid year) located in the tan box on the right side of the screen.
• Once the loan is processed, sign the Master Promissory Note (online) as soon as possible.
Student Loans
• Stafford Loans are low interest loans made to students.
• The Federal Stafford Loan, as part of the Federal Family Education
Loan Program (FFELP), is the most widely used loan in the student education loan program. There are two types of Stafford Loans,
Subsidized Stafford Loan
For the student with financial need, the federal government pays the interest on the
subsidized loan while the
student is enrolled in college at least half-time and for six
months after the student is no longer enrolled. At the end of the six-month period, the
student becomes responsible for the loan interest and
Unsubsidized Stafford Loan
Eligibility for Student Loans
• You first complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and have your results sent to the financial aid offices of the schools to which you are applying for admission and financial assistance. Each financial aid office then determines if you are eligible for a subsidized or unsubsidized Stafford loan and, if so, includes this recommendation and loan amount in your financial aid award package. Other eligibility requirements follow:
• Citizenship - You must be a U.S. citizen or an eligible non-citizen.
• Enrollment - You must be enrolled or accepted for enrollment at least half-time at a
participating school in an eligible program leading to a degree or certificate; or leading to a professional credential or certification from a state, that is required for employment as an elementary or secondary school teacher in that state; or be enrolled for not longer than a 12-month period in a course of study which has been determined as necessary for enrollment in a degree or certificate program.
• Academic - You must be maintaining satisfactory academic progress in your course of
study according to your school's standards and statutory requirements.
• Non-Default - You must not be in default on an educational loan or owe a refund on an
educational grant.
• High School - You must have a high school diploma or GED or pass an independently
administered test, determined by your school, that demonstrates your ability to benefit from the program of study.
• Law - You must meet all of the other Federal Stafford Loan program eligibility requirements
Loan Amounts
• The amount students may borrow depends on their grade level in school, program length, amount of other financial aid received, and — in the case of the subsidized Stafford Loan — the amount of financial need. The annual maximums by grade level are shown below:
• $3,500 - first year of undergraduate school
• $4,500 - second year of undergraduate school
• $5,500 - third year and beyond of undergraduate school
• $8,500 - graduate/professional students
• Depending on the grade level and the program length, independent students may borrow additional amounts (above these maximums) as unsubsidized Stafford Loans. Total (subsidized plus unsubsidized) lifetime maximums are listed below:
• $23,000 - undergraduate students (Subsidized)
• $23,000 – undergraduate students (Unsubsidized)
• $57,500– Total Loan Indebtedness – undergraduate students
Applying For A Student Loan
• Complete the FAFSA for the upcoming Academic year:
www.fafsa.ed.gov
• If requesting a student loan, please complete the Gordon College
Student loan request at the following link: www.gdn.edu/FinancialAid/. Select the appropriate Stafford Loan Request (by aid year) located in the tan box on the right side of the screen.
• Sign the Master Promissory Note (if necessary) when notified it is ready
Important Financial Aid Links
Go to www.gdn.edu/FinancialAid/
Financial Aid Links, Cont.
Scholarship Opportunities
Contact your specialty nursing organization(s) for educational scholarships
Examples:
• American Association of Heart Failure Nurses (www.aahfn.org) • Oncology Nursing Society (www.ons.org)
• American Nephrology Nurses Association (www.annanurse.org) • National Association of Orthopedic Nurses (www.orthonurse.org) • American Association of Critical Care Nurses (www.aacn.org) • Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses (www.amsn.org )
HHS Announces $13.4 Million in Financial
Assistance to Support Nurses
HHS Deputy Secretary Bill Corr today announced the release of
$13.4 million for loan repayments to nurses who agree to
practice in facilities with critical shortages and for schools of
nursing to provide loans to students who will become nurse
faculty. The funds were made available by the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), signed Feb. 17, 2009,
by President Obama.
The awards come from two programs administered by HHS'
Nurse Education Loan Repayment
Program (NELRP)
Funding announced today under the Nurse Education Loan
Repayment Program (NELRP) totals $8.1 million.
Those funds, awarded competitively, will help 100 registered
nurses pay their nursing education debts.
The program repays 60 percent of the loan balance of
registered nurses in exchange for two years of service at
facilities with a critical shortage of nurses.
Participants may be eligible to work a third year and receive
Nurse Faculty Loan Program
(NFLP)
Funds announced today under the Nurse Faculty Loan Program
(NFLP) total $5.3 million.
Those funds go to schools of nursing to support the training of
500 masters and doctoral nursing students who plan to become
nurse faculty after completing their education.
