Financial Aid
FINANCIAL AID FAQS
When and how do I apply for financial aid?
To maximize financial aid eligibility, SJR State encourages all students to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Federal financial aid is meant to supplement, not replace, the payment responsibilities of students and families. Completing the FAFSA does not commit you to accepting Title IV Federal Student Aid. It does, however, increase your opportunities for all financial aid assistance. Go to studentaid.gov to complete your FAFSA application now.
Why should I register for all my classes at the beginning of the semester?
Be sure to register for ALL planned courses in a given semester UP FRONT. Financial aid eligibility is based on enrollment as measured at the end of the initial drop/add period each semester. For example, if the total registration is for 12 semester hours, and 3 of the semester hours begin later in the semester, the 3 semester hours can only be included in financial aid eligibility if the registration is up front and counted at the end of the initial drop/add period.
How does class start date affect my financial aid disbursement?
In order to maximize your available aid for any given term, you will need to register for all classes you want to take for the entire semester at the beginning. Financial aid will then disburse (or “pay” to your SJR student account) based on the starting date(s) of your classes. For LOANS, this means the class starting date at which your enrollment meets the half-time (6 credits or more) requirement. Adding a class or classes after the end of the initial drop/add period will NOT increase the amount of federal aid such as the federal Pell grant and/or federal student loans.
When can I use financial aid to buy books?
Book authorizations will be available near the beginning of each semester. As with registration, all books for which you want to use financial aid should be purchased at the beginning.
How does transfer credit impact my financial aid?
Transfer students whose previous academic transcripts have not yet been evaluated will have ALL of their previous coursework included in their SAP calculation. If their previous academic performance meets the SAP definitions , the student will be noted as meeting SAP and aid will be offered. If the student has reached maximum hours or fails either the GPA or completion ratio based on all of their courses attempted previous to their enrollment at SJR State, the student will be noted as NOT meeting SAP and no aid will be offered to the student. Once transfer credit evaluation has been completed, only those courses which are accepted by SJR State as applicable to the degree will be included.
It is the student's responsibility to provide official transcripts to the Records Department for all previously attended institutions before evaluation can take place and aid can be offered. Please see the online catalog for more information.
What is transfer monitoring, and how does it affect my financial aid?
Before disbursing Title IV funds to a student, the school must obtain the students financial aid history. To pay the student, the college will need to have an accurate output document with a Student Aid Index (SAI). A valid ISIR must be received before the Transfer Monitoring process can begin. The students will be placed on a 7 day hold where no aid can be offered until the Transfer Monitoring process has been completed. Students who are in their 7-day monitoring hold will not have aid in place during this time and must pay for their classes by other means until the hold is taken off. If no alerts are generated by this process, the aid will be offered to the student. If an alert is generated, the college will reach out to the student with next steps to clear the alert. Please contact the Financial Aid Office with any questions related to this Department of Education requirement.