All sources of financial aid have some kind of eligibility requirement. Eligibility for most of the federal student aid programs is based on financial need rather than academic achievement. Financial aid is intended to supplement, not replace, family resources. Families should think of themselves as the primary source of educational funding.

In addition to the financial need requirement, federal student aid programs require that the student recipient:

• be a U.S. citizen or an eligible noncitizen,
• have a valid Social Security number (with the exception of students from the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, or the Republic of Palau),
• be registered with Selective Service if you are a male,
• have a high school diploma or a GED certificate,
• enroll in an eligible degree or certificate program,
• be enrolled at least half-time to be eligible for Direct Loan Program funds,
• make satisfactory academic progress, and
• sign the certification statement on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) stating that
  • you are not currently in default on any federal student loan or owe a repayment of any federal student grant and
  • you will use federal student aid only for educational purposes

If you are applying for state and federal aid programs, such as grants, student loans, or college work-study, you must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) which is available online at https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa. 

Apply early! The FAFSA for the upcoming academic year becomes available to complete on October 1st.
For priority processing, your financial aid file must be completed and an offer acknowledged by:

• Fall - June 1
• Spring - October 1
• Summer - April 1

Applications are processed on a first-come, first-served basis. Applicants are eligible for the funds available at the time their application files are completed and admission to the college is confirmed. Late applicants should make arrangements to pay their own registration expenses.

Yes, you will need to submit the FAFSA and apply for financial aid for each academic year that you plan to attend college. Eligible students who applied for financial aid in the prior academic year will have the option to use some of their pre-existing data when completing the FAFSA on the Web.

The following documents are helpful when completing the FAFSA:

• Copies of 2020 Federal Income Tax Return (Form 1040, 1040A, or 1040EZ)
• 2020 W2 statements for the student and, if applicable, the student's spouse or parents

Upon receiving your FAFSA, our office may require additional documents to verify your application information. If so, you will need the following:

• Verification worksheet found on the eForms Portal
• 2019 IRS Tax Return Transcript for student and, if applicable, spouse or parent if the IRS Data Retrieval Tool was not successfully used when completing the online FAFSA application
• If changes were made to the original FAFSA application or an amendment was made to the 2019 Federal Tax Return, a copy of the Record of Account Transcript and W2 statements for 2019 will be required for verification
• Divorce Decree, Petition for Divorce or Separation Agreement
• Citizenship documentation

The federal government considers it the parents' responsibility to educate their child(ren) until the age of 24. Unless a student can answer 'YES' to any one of the dependency questions (Step 3) on the FAFSA, that student is considered dependent upon his/her parents.

Further information about dependency status and providing parental information on the FAFSA can be found on the Federal Student Aid website.

Your best source of FAFSA information is the FAFSA website itself. For example, this FAFSA Resources page provides time-saving suggestions on what is needed before you apply and how to check the status of a submitted FAFSA. The information is there; just be sure to read it completely and carefully.

CTC's school code is 004003.

Our office may request additional documentation from the student and, if applicable, the student's spouse and parents in order to verify that information on the student's FAFSA is correct.  This verification process can be prompted by the student's FAFSA being randomly selected, the FAFSA being incomplete, or information on the FAFSA being inconsistent.

Students will be notified of requested documentation by e-mail as well as under "Required Documents" in the Financial Aid section of Eagle Self-Service.  Once you register for your first class, you will be assigned a CTC EagleMail student e-mail account through which our office will contact you.

The IRS provides multiple methods through which you are able to obtain your tax records: Transcript Types and Ways to Order Them.

The IRS can be contacted by phone at 1-800-908-9946 to request a Tax Return Transcript.

Most documents can now be submitted online through eForms.

Our office can also receive documents by e-mail, fax, mail, or in person during our office hours.  Please include the student's CTC student ID number in all correspondence.

Our office will provide students with a financial aid offer which can be reviewed and acknowledged through Eagle Self-Service.

Once your FAFSA is received by the college, processing can take up to 6-8 weeks if all information is complete and correct.  Any delay in our office receiving necessary information and documentation can cause a delay in processing.

Once you have accepted your financial aid offer through Eagle Self-Service, you may register for classes during any registration period. Pell Grant funds based on the number of credit hours for which you are enrolled are released to the Business Office ten days prior to the start date of each class. The Business Office will pay for all or part of your classes with the financial aid funds released. You are responsible for any balance if your financial aid funds do not cover the total cost of your tuition and fees.

Students who drop, withdraw, or are administratively withdrawn from courses during the financial aid year may be required to repay financial aid received and may be placed on financial aid probation or suspension. Repayment is based upon the student's last date of attendance (not the drop or withdrawal date).

Students who withdraw from all courses before completing more than 60 percent of the current term must return/repay a portion of their Title IV funds (PELL, SEOG, and loans) disbursed.

Students who do not complete 67 percent of their attempted hours will be placed on financial aid warning, suspension, or automatic suspension. This action could result in the loss of federal aid for the following semester.

Financial aid will not pay for students to take a course for a third time.

Central Texas College has a program in place to simplify the purchase of textbooks for all students (campus based and online students) receiving financial aid. Financial aid funds will deposit into a student's school account ten days prior to the start date of each class. Tuition and fees will be deducted first. If any funds remain, students may purchase books online or go to the Central Campus bookstore. Remember, the earliest funds may be available to charge books is ten (10) days before the class start date.

Online book charging: If a student wants to charge their books to their financial aid account, they will need to go to the CTC bookstore web page www.ctcbookstore.com. The student will have to choose the payment type of financial aid and supply their student ID number. When checking out a choice will have to be made as to pick up the books or have them shipped. If the student chooses to have them shipped the shipping charges will also be deducted from the available financial aid funds.

Central Campus book charging: Students will need to bring a picture ID and their schedule, pick up their books, then proceed to the checkout counter where they must identify themselves as a financial aid/scholarship student. The bookstore representative will enter the student's identification number and calculate the total charges for books and supplies. The charges will be deducted from the student's account.

Students have approximately 14 days after classes start to charge books. After that time the business office will begin to prepare students' balance checks. Students who choose not to use the CTC Bookstore must purchase books out of pocket and will receive their funds as a balance check once the Business Office starts mailing them. 

Financial aid balance checks are processed by the Business Office within two weeks of census date as federally mandated. Be advised, CTC offers courses with multiple start dates and a variety of lengths; therefore, not everyone will receive their funds at the same time.

For direct deposit, you must sign up through Eagle Self-Service under the Financial Information list.

No, financial aid does not pay for the following:

• Continuing Education courses
• Classes that are not on a student's official academic program
• Classes that do not start and end within the same semester

Depending on students' individual eligibility, financial aid funds may be available during the Summer semester. Review your financial aid award in Eagle Self-Service to determine eligibility amounts.

No, students may not receive a Federal Pell Grant for more than one school for the same period of time, as stated on the FAFSA.

Contact the Central Texas College Financial Aid Office so that we may cancel your future disbursement. If the school to which you are transferring is not on your Student Aid Report then you log back in to your FAFSA and add the other college, or call 1-800-4FED-AID and ask them to list the new school.

Financial aid only recognizes classes that are within 10 days of starting. If you have classes that begin on different dates, your financial aid will disburse 10 days before the start date of each class.

If applicable, you will receive a message on your account activity page stating that you are ineligible. The ineligibility reason will also be provided. For instance, "Student is not enrolled in at least 6 credit hours" as shown in the example below.

Please see important 1098-T tax benefit information from the IRS.

In addition to the Financial Aid office located on CTC's main campus, you can also check out these resources:

• https://studentaid.ed.gov
• The Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243). TTY users may call 1-800-730-8913.
• Your high school counselor
• Your local library's reference section

Be wary of organizations that charge a fee to submit your financial aid application or those that claim to find you money for school. Some are legitimate; some are scams. Generally, any help you pay for, you can get for free at your school or the U.S. Department of Education.

The FAFSA must be submitted in order to apply for and determine your eligibility for student loans.  Further information about student loans can be found on our Loans page.

No, you must contact the holder of your student loan and make arrangements to resolve the default. Generally, you must make at least six consecutive monthly payments before you will be eligible to borrow a new student loan.

You can find out who holds your loan by logging in to My Federal Student Aid or by calling the Student Loan Support Center at 1-800-557-7394.

The Master Promissory Note (MPN) is an agreement between the borrower and Department of Education to pay. The MPN gives you the terms and conditions of your Direct Loan. You can find a copy of your MPN by logging into studentloans.gov under My Documents. For more information, please visit Master Promissory Note.

An Entrance Counseling is a tutorial to help explain the direct loan process, the rights and responsibilities each borrower has, and borrowing wisely. For more information, please visit Entrance Counseling.

When students drop below half-time enrollment, withdraw from the college, or graduate, they are required to complete an exit counseling through studentaid.gov. The Exit Counseling gives vital information to prepare the student for repayment. For more information, please visit Exit Counseling Guide for Borrowers of Direct Loans & Federal Family Education Program Loans