Financial Aid

Grant awards are based on your financial need as calculated by a federally-mandated formula. This is money you do not need to pay back.

Grants

College Foundation scholarships, national and local awards; resources for searching and tips for successful application.

Scholarships

Includes federal, state and private loans

Loans

Work Study is federal or state funds that are paid as a wage.

The Financial Aid Office has a Priority Deadline of April 1 proceeding the academic year for which you are applying. This means if a student turns in all documents needed to complete their file by the priority deadline, they will be given first consideration for all grants, student employment and loan programs for the following school year. Files completed after the priority deadline will be reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis with funds still available. If you want to have your financial aid in place for the Fall term, you need to have your file completed with us by August 1. 

At any time after the Pine Technical & College Financial Aid office has received the FAFSA Application for Financial Aid, you may check the status of you financial aid application by following these steps:

• eServices
• Enter your STAR ID and Password
• Choose Financial Aid

Financial aid will disburse to Pine Technical & Community College beginning the second Friday of the term. If the amount of financial aid received exceeds institutional charges, the credit balance overage will apply via direct deposit. If your financial aid award is not complete by the initial disbursement, the financial aid office disburses funds every Tuesday and Thursday. If the institutional charges exceed your financial aid, the funds will be credited to your account and you must pay the remaining balance. 

To have any excess financial aid funds direct deposited to your checking or savings account, complete the Overage/Refund Selection through eServices. 

With direct deposit, all student payroll checks, refunds and financial aid overage amounts are automatically deposited to your specified bank account using electronic funds transfer.

You will need your bank routing number and account number. You can find this information on the bottom of your check or your savings deposit slip. 

• Login to eServices by entering your ID and password 
• Select “Financial Aid” from the left hand menu 
• Select “Overage/Refund Selection” 
• Select ” Visit the External Provider’s Website ” to go onto Bank Mobile, who services our direct deposides 
• You will have received an email in your school email with a personal code to enter and create a login for Bank Mobile. Then, you can create a bank account with Bank Mobile or link an existing bank account at any bank. 

Book Charging is a process of adding the cost of books and required supplies to your account (in addition to tuition and fees).  

Who is Eligible? 

You may be able to charge your books starting the week prior to course start up until the last day to add/drop a course if: 

• You are registered for the term for which you are purchasing books AND 
• The total financial aid you will be receiving at your registered credit level exceeds your tuition and fees. If your Direct Loans are needed to exceed your tuition & fees, they must be accepted in order to have the ability to charge books to your student account. You can view your awards and loan status by logging into eServices with your Star ID, password, then clicking on Financial Aid on the left-hand side of the screen. 

NOTE: Your approved amount could change depending on your registered credit level or your financial aid eligibility. Changes in your registered credit levels could result in your approved amount being reduced or you could become ineligible for book charging. You may also become ineligible for book charging if you are placed on Financial Aid Suspension due to not meeting the Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements. You are still required to pay book and/or required supply charges even if your financial aid eligibility changes. 

Your Responsibilities 

You will be held responsible for full payment of your books if you become ineligible for financial aid or your aid is not enough to cover tuition/fees and your books. 

Failure to pay all charges on your account will prevent you from registering for future courses and a hold will be placed on your academic records at Pine Technical & Community College. Your debt will also be referred to the Minnesota Department of Revenue for collection, if unpaid. 

Other Important Information 

Some academic and/or financial aid holds will prevent you from being eligible to charge books to your student account. Contact the Financial Aid Office with questions about your eligibility. 

• If you decide to add a course after the 5th day of the term start, your Pell Grant CANNOT be adjusted for the increase in credits. 
• If you drop a course and add another course that is the same number of credits after the 5th day of the term start, your Pell Grant will be negatively affected, as your added course will not be recognized. 

• If you drop any courses after the 5th day of the term start, you may be required to repay part or all of your summer aid. 
• Cancelled courses can also affect your financial aid eligibility. 

Your class schedule must be firm, and you should not make any changes after the 5th day of the term, or risk aid reductions. 

You are required to be enrolled in at least six (6) credits (not including W’s) at the time of any loan disbursement. If you are not enrolled in at least six (6) eligible credits, loans cannot be disbursed. 

If you are transferring to Pine Technical & Community College in the summer and you have already completed the FAFSA for another school, you will need to go online to StudentAid.gov to add PTCC’s school code 005535. Your summer financial aid will be determined based on the financial aid used fall and spring semester up to annual and/or aggregate loan limits. 

PTCC degree-seeking students who will enroll in courses through another institution during the summer may be eligible for financial aid through PTCC. The only courses PTCC will be able to fund are those courses which will transfer back to PTCC to apply toward a degree at PTCC. Students must complete a Consortium Agreement. 

For those students who have a completed FAFSA, PTCC supports a summer book charge process: 

• Bring your student ID and your class schedule to the bookstore to charge books to your student account. 
• Bookstore charges are added as a charge on your student account. If the books you charge are not fully covered by financial aid awards, you are responsible for all of the charges.
• Review your summer award letter to confirm what financial aid you have available based on your registered credits. 

• Complete the FAFSA form and provide all requested documents to the Financial Aid Office. 
• Register for summer courses (course registration triggers Financial Aid to review students for summer financial aid). 
• Last day to accept summer loan requests is the second to last week of the term. Exceptions do apply; please contact the Financial Aid Office. 
• You will receive an email to your school email address alerting you when your summer award letter is completed. Check eServices to view your Financial Aid Status online. 

Your class schedule must be firm and you should not make any changes after the 5th day of the semester or you risk aid reductions. It is expected that you will attend your registered courses. If you decide to add a late start course after the 5th day of the semester your Pell Grant cannot be adjusted to increase in credits. If you drop a class and add another class that same the same number of credits after the 5th day of the semester, your aid will be negatively affected. 

For students receiving state financial funding, the Minnesota Office of Higher Education refund policies will apply. If the student who totally withdrew (officially or unofficially) from classes received State financial aid funding (including State Grant, Child Care Grant, SELF Loan, Safety Officer’s Survivor’s Grant, Indian Scholarship, ACHIEVE Scholarship, and Learn and Earn), a portion of the unearned funds must be returned if the total withdrawal took place within the first 20 business days of the semester (full semester classes).

Any student who receives Federal Financial Aid (Title IV aid) and withdraws from all classes may be required to return Federal Financial Aid. Students who completed greater than 60% of the term are considered to have fully earned their financial aid. However, students who did not attend classes until the 60% point of the term, have unearned financial aid that will need to be returned to the Department of Education. The percent of the semester completed and correspondingly the percentage of aid earned, is calculated by taking the calendar days attended by the student, divided by the total number of calendar days in the term. For students who have unearned financial aid, that financial aid will be returned in the following order:  

• Unsubsidized Direct Loan  
• Subsidized Direct Loan  
• Federal PLUS Loans  
• Federal Pell Grants  
• Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (FSEOG)  
• Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grants 

When the student officially withdraws from all courses after the semester begins, the Financial Aid Office will use the withdrawal date to determine the portion of the Federal Title IV aid earned (or could have been earned) to be used to pay institutional charges (such as tuition and fees). Depending on the time of the semester, students who totally withdraw from all classes may be eligible for a refund of tuition and fees, per the college’s tuition refund policy.  

A student is said to be unofficially withdrawn if they stop attending and receive failing grades in all credits. For a student who has been determined to have unofficially withdrawn, the date of withdrawal for purposes of the Return of Title IV refund calculation is deemed to be the last date of attendance recorded by the faculty at grading. 

Federal regulation requires the college to calculate the Return to Title IV refunds within 45 days of determining an official or unofficial withdrawal date. 

In some cases, a student may withdraw from all courses before aid has been disbursed. A post withdrawal disbursement is done when a student shows they have withdrawn from all of their classes prior to financial aid disbursement but began attendance in all courses and are qualified for some (earned) aid.  

For Title IV grant eligibility only, the earned portion of the grant is disbursed to the student account and a letter is sent to student to notify them of their eligibility and right to return funds within 45 days of the date the school determined the student withdrew.  

For loan eligibility, a notice is sent to the students before any funding will be processed. The student must tell the college if they want it disbursed to them directly or to their student account. Loan funds accepted by the student will be disbursed within 180 days of the date the school determined the student withdrew. 

Pine Technical & Community College will verify ALL student applications selected by the FAFSA processor. Verification documents will be requested pf the student upon receipt of the FAFSA. Documents must be received and verification performed before any disbursement of financial aid will be made. If there are errors, we will update your application, recalculate your aid eligibility and send a current award letter to you. Any documents received 180 days after the last date of enrollment (or date published by the Department of Education, whichever one is earlier) will not be processed. 

Pine Technical & Community College requires all students maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) to enroll in courses and maintain eligibility for financial aid.   

• Students can receive federal financial aid for developmental work (below 1000 level) up to a maximum of 30 credits. 
• Students must declare an eligible major and degree intent at PTCC to receive financial aid. 
• Students may receive financial aid from no more than one college during each term or period of enrollment. 
• Loan Proration:  The loan proration requirement applies to students who plan to complete a degree program or certificate program in an enrollment period that is shorter than an academic year at PTCC. 
• Financial aid is awarded to eligible students who have completed the financial aid application process and who are seeking a valid degree, diploma or certificate at PTCC. Applicants are awarded on the basis of financial need using data from the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which must be completed annually. 
• Students must be accepted into a program of study (major) that leads to a degree, diploma, or certificate. Students who have not declared a major or have not been accepted into a program of study are not eligible for financial aid. In addition, ineligible majors or courses include, but are not limited to, customized training courses and any programs that are less than 16 credits. 
• Applications are evaluated on a first-come, first-served basis beginning in spring of the calendar year prior to the fall semester start and on a rolling basis thereafter. Summer session is considered a trailer or the third semester of the academic year. Financial aid is awarded after the student registers for summer courses. 
• PTCC reserves the right to change awards based on availability of funds, changes in enrollment, academic progress, and/or changes in student eligibility. 
• In compliance with federal regulations, our office is annually audited by an independent third-party auditor. Our office also completes self-auditing of our programs to ensure accuracy in our processing. 
• Due to federal regulations our policy states that students can only repeat a passed course once and still be covered by financial aid. 
• If a student or parents’ (for dependent students) financial situation changes after the completion of the FAFSA, the Financial Aid Office may be able to help. Please contact the Financial Aid Office for additional information. It is our policy to select all students applying for a consideration of special circumstances for verification. You will be notified after a decision has been made. 

• A student who does not meet the federal criteria for independent status as listed in the FAFSA may have his/her status changed under extreme circumstances. If the student feels that the parent information is not relevant or the parents are unable to be located, the student may apply for a dependency override with proper documentation. Minimum documentation includes: 

• • A detailed letter explaining the situation, including why the student feels s/he is unable to obtain parental information. The letter should contain any other information that may be relevant such as when the student last lived with the parent and/or received any financial support from the parent. 
  • A written statement from two individuals who have first hand knowledge of the situation, such as clergy, school administrator, social worker, or counselor. Letters from family members may be accepted but only if accompanied by a second letter from a non family member. 
  • None of the following conditions, either singly or in combination, will qualify a student for a dependency override: 

• • • Parents refuse to contribute to child’s education. 
    • Parents are unwilling to provide information on the financial aid application or for verification purposes. 
    • Student demonstrates self-sufficiency. 

• • You will be notified after a decision has been made. 

Federal financial aid regulations limit the number of times an undergraduate student may repeat a course and receive financial aid for that course (34 CFR 668.2(b)). This is strictly a financial aid regulation and is different than the College academic policy on repeating courses. 

• A student may receive financial aid when repeating a course that was previously failed/not completed (0.00 GPA or grade of F, NC, W), regardless of the number of times the course was attempted and failed/not completed (See Example A below). 
• If a student passed/completed a class once, repeats it and does not complete it the second time, it counts as their one repeat, and they may not receive financial aid for repeating the class a second time.  For this purpose, passed/completed means any grade higher than a “F”. (See Example B below). 
• A student may receive financial aid for repeating a previously passed course one additional time (See Example C below). 
• If a student is repeating a course that is not eligible for financial aid, the Financial Aid Office will review and recalculate the student’s financial aid eligibility (if necessary) to exclude the credits for the repeated course. The Financial Aid Office will notify the student of any changes to their financial aid eligibility. 
• All federal and state financial aid programs, and some designated institutional scholarships are impacted by this policy. 
• Information on the impact of repeated courses on a student’s Satisfactory Academic Progress 

You Have the Right:

• to know your financial aid award is based on calculated financial need. As defined by the U.S. Department of Education, financial need is the difference between PTCC’s cost of attendance (COA) and your ability to contribute towards your education (Estimated Family Contribution, EFC). 
• to know the cost of attending the college, use this net price calculator. 
• to know the deadlines for submitting applications. 
• to know the college’s refund and repayment policy. 
• to know the college’s satisfactory academic progress policy 
• to receive your financial aid award as long as you are eligible and meet your responsibilities. 
• to be informed of details of each aid program that you are offered. 
• to be informed of the terms of any loan program that you are offered. 
• to be informed of the terms of any work program that you are offered. 
• to accept, reject or seek adjustments to your financial aid award without prejudice. 
• to know how much financial aid you will receive each term and when financial aid payments will be disbursed. 
• to privacy of information regarding your financial aid files. Information from your file will not be released to anyone without your permission. 
• to seek financial aid counseling. 

You Have the Responsibility:

• to complete an application for financial assistance annually to demonstrate continued need. 

• to provide accurate and factual information on all financial aid forms. You must notify the Financial Aid Office of any change in information submitted including your withdrawal from school, your reduction in number of credits, your change in address, name or marital status and your change of financial information provided on application form. 
• to accept responsibility for all agreements that you sign. 
• to read and understand all financial aid forms and keep copies of them. 
• to repay all loans according to the terms outlined in your truth-in-lending and promissory note forms. 
• to use your financial aid award for educational purposes and to carefully manage the funds that you receive. 
• to refund a portion or all of your financial aid upon full withdrawal from school. 
• to maintain a satisfactory level of academic progress. 
• to submit forms by the deadlines and to keep your financial aid appointments. 
• to work during the summer to supplement your financial aid awards and meet total educational costs.