Student Services

What is financial aid?

Assistance given to students to help meet the difference between the student’s costs and the amount they are able to pay. Financial aid can be one of four types:

Grants (Federal and State)
Federal Loans (Subsidized/Unsubsidized/PLUS)
Federal Work Study (Money earned while working on campus)
Scholarships (Foundation, Institutional, External, State)

How do I apply for financial aid?

Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at www.fafsa.ed.gov. List Sinclair as the school to receive your information (School Code: 003119).

What is a FAFSA?

This is the application the federal government, the state agency and the school uses to determine your eligibility for financial aid.

What if I need help completing the FAFSA?

The financial aid staff provides workshops to help students complete the application online. The workshop dates and locations are available in the financial aid office and at www.sinclair.edu/services/finaid/calendar/.

What is the next step?

The results from the FAFSA will be received electronically. Students will be sent an e-mail to their Sinclair e-mail address if additional documentation is needed to complete the file.

How will I know when my file is complete and I have been awarded?

Students will be sent an e-mail to their Sinclair e-mail address when their file is complete and their financial aid awards are available to review on Web Advisor at my.sinclair.edu. They will need to accept the awards before the funds will be available to pay their tuition.

How will my tuition be paid?

Once you are registered for the quarter, scholarships and/or state grants will be applied toward tuition. Ten (10) days before the term begins, your accepted federal financial aid will be applied toward any remaining tuition and fees. If students have accepted the awards but the balance has not been paid, they need to contact the Financial Aid office. If you are only registered for B term classes, federal aid will not pay until ten (10) days before the start of your B term classes.

Can I use my financial aid to buy books?

After tuition and fees are paid, students may use remaining federal financial aid or scholarships up to a maximum of $600 per quarter to purchase books in the Sinclair Bookstore. Students must show their Tartan Card for identification. Book charge dates can be found at www.sinclair.edu/services/finaid/calendar/index.cfm.

Can I put financial aid funds on my Tartan Card?

Students who have remaining federal financial aid available after the tuition and fees are paid and their book charges are complete, may put up to $100 per quarter on their Tartan Card in the Sinclair Bookstore.

Can I use financial aid for all four quarters?

It is possible to use financial aid for all four quarters. State grants and federal loans can be used for all four quarters. The Federal Pell Grant will be awarded over three quarters with a possible option for the fourth quarter if student meets eligibility requirements for a second scheduled Pell Grant award. The number of quarters in which scholarships are awarded will vary based on the criteria of each scholarship.

Do I have to be enrolled full time to receive financial aid?

Students are not required to attend full time, but most financial aid is prorated for students enrolled in fewer than 12 credit hours per quarter. Some financial aid requires the students to be enrolled at least 6 credit hours--such as loans, some scholarships, work study, etc. Contact a financial aid representative for more information.

How often do I apply for financial aid?

Apply once each academic year. The academic year at Sinclair Community College starts with summer quarter and ends with spring quarter. The FAFSA is available after January 1 for the next year at www.fafsa.ed.gov .

What are the important dates for financial aid?

The guarantee date is the date that all required documents must be received by the Financial Aid office in order for the financial aid process to be complete by the payment due date. The following are the dates for each quarter:

Summer - May 1
Fall - August 2
Winter - November 15
Spring - February 15

What happens if I miss the guarantee date?

The financial aid will still be processed as quickly as possible. However, students may have to pay tuition charges by the payment deadline date or enroll in the Payment Plan at facts.sinclair.edu. Check the Facts Payment Plan web site for the enrollment deadline dates. Once the financial aid process is complete, students may be reimbursed up to the amount of the accepted awards, if any.

How do I apply for a student loan?

When students complete the FAFSA, their eligibility for federal loans will be determined. Students do not need to complete a separate application (except for the PLUS loan). When they go into Web Advisor to review their Financial Aid Awards, they will be able to accept or reject the student loans offered. The amount of loan will be limited to $5,500 for a 1st year student and $6,500 for a 2nd year student. Independent students may qualify for more, but must attend a loan counseling session. Dates and times will be posted on the calendar of events.

If students accept the loans, they will receive an e-mail outlining the steps needed to complete the loan process. This could include completing Promissory Notes. Students new to Sinclair and new to the loan program will be required to complete the Loan Entrance Counseling Session available online at www.studentloans.gov.

Note: If students do not have an offered loan on Web Advisor, they may not be eligible for a loan. Contact a financial aid representative for more information.

What is a subsidized, unsubsidized and PLUS loan?

Subsidized: The federal government pays interest while borrower is in school or under a deferment status.

Unsubsidized: Borrower is responsible for interest during life of the loan.

PLUS+: Loan available to parents of dependent students.

The parent must complete the Parent Loan form to apply for the PLUS loan. These forms are available in the Financial Aid & Scholarships office or on the web site. The parent will also be required to complete promissory notes.

How do I apply for a scholarship?

Scholarship applications are available on the web site. Scholarships may also be included in your financial aid package.

What if one of my classes is cancelled?

Since the class is no longer on the students’ schedule, financial aid may need to be adjusted. Depending on the time of the quarter, you may be able to add a class to avoid any changes with your financial aid. Students will be responsible for updating their schedule or paying any balance caused by a reduction in financial aid.

Will my financial aid be affected if I drop classes?

There are several points to consider before dropping classes. These are reviewed on the “Dropping a Class” flyer at www.sinclair.edu/services/finaid/pub/dropclass.pdf. Please contact a financial aid representative before dropping a class.

Are there academic requirements for maintaining my financial aid?

Note: Due to changes in federal regulations, a new Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy will be in effect beginning with the 2011-2012 school year. All students must abide by this new policy which will be used to determine all students' Satisfactory Academic Progress status effective Summer 2011 term.

Sinclair Community College students receiving federal financial aid are required to maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) according to federal law. Academic records are reviewed for all students receiving federal financial aid or being considered for federal financial aid from the following sources:

Federal Pell Grant
Federal Work Study Program
Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant
Federal Direct Stafford Loan Program (subsidized and unsubsidized)
Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loan
Other programs as determined by the Financial Aid and Scholarships office

The review of a student's SAP status is based on the entire academic record. The SAP status is monitored after each term's grades are posted. Being eligible to enroll in classes does not mean the student is maintaining SAP for federal financial aid.

Sinclair's SAP policy is explained below. The SAP policy is applied to all federal financial aid recipients regardless of whether they have received federal financial aid previously. Also, Sinclair's Fresh Start Policy has no bearing on the SAP Policy.

Students will be considered to be maintaining SAP if they; maintain the required cumulative grade point average, satisfactorily complete the necessary number of credit hours and will graduate within 150% of the credit hours required to complete the program of study.

Grade Point Average Requirement:

Students must maintain a cumulative 2.0 grade point average.

Credit Hour Requirement:

Students must successfully complete 67% or more of the credit hours attempted since the first term of enrollment at Sinclair Community College.
Grades of A, B, C, D, Y, P and S will be considered successfully completed. Grades of N, W, F, U, I, IP and Z will be considered credit hours not successfully completed.

Maximum Timeframe to Complete the Program:

Students must complete their program of study within 150% of the published length of the program as measured by credit hours attempted.

Additional Certificates/Degrees:

Students can pursue an additional certificate and/or degree. No more than two degrees will be considered for federal aid purposes. Students must have their Academic Advisor complete a Graduate Appeal Form so the Financial Aid office can determine how many credit hours are needed to complete the second program.

Change of Major/Program:

Students may change their program of study. However, all credit hours attempted and grades earned will count toward the new program and be included in SAP determination.

Transfer Credits:

Transfer hours accepted by Sinclair Community College must be evaluated by an Academic Advisor to determine how many transfer hours count toward a student's program of study. These transfer hours will be used in calculating federal aid eligibility.

ESL Courses:

English as a Second Language course work will count towards the student's timeframe and completion rate components of the SAP policy.

Remedial Courses:

A student is limited to 45 credit hours of developmental course work while receiving federal financial aid. Federal financial aid programs will not cover any developmental courses taken after reaching the maximum 45 credit hour limit. Remedial course work will count towards the determination of the SAP policy.

Repeated Courses:

Students may receive federal financial aid funding for one (1) repetition of a course successfully completed.
If a student has passed a class more than once and wants to take it a third time, they can repeat it, but the credit hours will not be used in determining the amount of federal aid they can receive. Students in this situation can learn more by contacting the Financial Aid & Scholarships office. Click here for complete policy.

What happens if I don't meet the academic standards?

After grades are posted for each term, a student's SAP status will be calculated. Students who fail to meet the SAP requirements will be placed on warning for one term. Students will receive written notification informing them of not meeting one or more of the minimum requirements.

A student who has not completed at least 67% of the total attempted hours, or is below the minimum 2.0 GPA for credit hours attempted, will be placed on warning. The student has one term to correct the deficiencies. The student may continue to be eligible for federal financial aid during this term.

If these requirements are not met, federal financial aid will be suspended.

Students who fail to maintain satisfactory academic progress may appeal the suspension of federal financial aid if they feel they have extenuating circumstances. These circumstances must be documented and submitted with the appeal which will be reviewed along with the academic transcripts by the Financial Aid Appeals committee. We will also consider appeals for students pursuing additional degrees or certificates.

Appeals will not be reviewed until after the beginning of the term; therefore, if you plan to attend the term, you must be prepared to pay your tuition, fees and books by the payment deadline date. The FACTS Payment Plan is an option for paying your tuition and fees.

If your appeal is approved, it will be effective for the current term if you are registered. Students may be reimbursed up to the amount of the accepted awards, if any. Otherwise, the appeal will be effective for the following term. Once the appeal term is determined, it will not be changed.

How can I regain my eligibility for federal financial aid?

Students may regain their eligibility and have their federal financial aid reinstated after one of the following:

Approval of an appeal, or
Successfully completing the requirements originally requested under the warning status. Students must notify the Financial Aid & Scholarships office when they believe they have met the requirements necessary for reinstatement of aid.

Can I work on campus?

Sinclair offers students part-time employment opportunities on campus. Students can look for job postings and apply for positions in Career Services, Room 10312.

Positions are categorized as Regular or Work Study. Any student can apply for regular positions. Students must have a Federal Work Study award on Web Advisor to apply for Work Study Only positions. Students who do not have a Federal Work Study award may contact a financial aid representative to see if you qualify.