Steps to Apply for Financial Aid at MCCC
You may start applying for financial aid for each academic year as early as October 1st. Students who apply for financial aid should complete their financial aid files by MCCC’s Financial Aid Priority Date to ensure they receive a financial aid offer before payment for tuition is due.
MCCC Financial Aid Priority Dates
- Fall Semester: July 1st
- Winter Semester: November 1st
- Summer Semester: April 1st
Step 1: Fill out an Application for Admission to the college
- You may complete the Application for Admission online, or you may complete a paper application in the Admissions Office.
- Once you receive your acceptance letter and student ID number from MCCC, you should activate your MCCC student email account and MyWebPAL account to receive important information regarding your financial aid.
Step 2: Fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
Submit the FAFSA online at www.fafsa.gov.
- Make every effort to submit your FAFSA by the Financial Aid Priority Date.
- Create a Federal Student Aid ID (FSA ID). Students and parents of dependent students must have an FSA ID in order to electronically sign the FAFSA.
- Be sure to list the MCCC school code, 002294, on the FAFSA.
- Recommended: Upload your (or your parents’) income tax information onto the FAFSA using the IRS Data Retrieval tool.
Step 3: Submit additional documents, if required
Once MCCC receives your FAFSA, you may be notified that you were selected for a process called verification. A student’s FAFSA may be selected for the verification process by the U.S. Department of Education, and the purpose of financial aid verification is to confirm that certain information on the FAFSA is correct.
You will receive a letter and an email (sent to your MCCC student email account) informing you of the documents you need to submit to the Financial Aid Office to complete the verification process. You will also be able to view your outstanding document requirements for financial aid by logging into MyWebPAL.
Step 4: Financial Aid Offer Notification
Once your financial aid file has been reviewed and processed, the Financial Aid Office will mail a Financial Aid Offer notification to your address that is listed in our system. You will also receive an an email (sent to your MCCC student email account) notifying you that you may review your financial aid offer in MyWebPAL.
Step 5: Accept Financial Aid Offer
You can review and accept or reject your financial aid offer by viewing your Financial Aid Checklist in MyWebPAL.
To be eligible for federal and state assistance, a student must:
- Have financial need, except for some loans
- Have a high school diploma or a General Education Development (GED) certificate
- Be enrolled as a regular student in an eligible program
- Be a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen
- Have a Social Security Number
- Make satisfactory academic progress
What is Verification?
Verification is the process by which an educational institution confirms the accuracy of the information reported on a student's FAFSA. A student's FAFSA may be selected for the verification process by the U.S. Department of Education. The Financial Aid Office reserves the right to request income and asset documents to complete the verification process to confirm a student’s eligibility for need-based financial aid. Failure to provide the requested information will result in cancellation of the financial aid offer. Falsification of income information submitted for the purpose of receiving financial assistance will result in cancellation of all future assistance and repayment of all prior assistance received falsely. If federal and/or state funds are involved, notification of the false information will be provided to the proper agencies (U.S. Office of Education and/or Michigan Higher Education Assistance Authority) for their future disposition.
Required Documents
MCCC will mail one paper “Missing Information” letter to each student who is selected for verification. The “Missing Information” letter will provide a list of documents the student must return to the Financial Aid Office to complete the verification process. Students can also log into MyWebPAL to check the status of any verification documents required for financial aid.
How to Avoid Verification Processing Delays
- Submit all documents at the same time
- Submit all documents by the Financial Aid Priority Dates
- Fall Semester: July 1st
- Winter Semester: November 1st
- Summer Semester: April 1st
You may mail the documents required to complete your financial aid file to the following address:
Monroe County Community College
Financial Aid Office
1555 S. Raisinville Rd.
Monroe, MI 48161
You may also upload your documents through MyWebPAL, or you may bring in your documents directly to the Financial Aid Office. We will make copies of the information we need. Walk-ins are welcome!
Please allow up to 2 weeks for the Financial Aid Office to complete the verification review.
The Financial Aid Office will notify you of your financial aid offer by mailing one hard copy letter that will be sent to your address listed in our system. You will also receive an email (sent to your MCCC student email account) notifying you that you can login to MyWebPAL to accept or reject your financial aid offer.
How Aid is Paid to Students (Disbursements)
Financial aid is paid (disbursed) to students after classes have started at MCCC and the Financial Aid Office has verified your participation in your classes with faculty. When you receive your financial aid depends on the type of aid you receive.
- Grants and Scholarships are applied directly to your student account to pay for tuition, fees and MCCC bookstore charges. Grants and scholarships are typically paid out in full for the semester in one disbursement.
- Direct Loans are applied directly to your student account to pay for tuition, fees, and MCCC bookstore charges. Direct loans are typically paid in full for the semester in one disbursement, with two exceptions.
- First-Time Borrowers: If this is your first time borrowing a student loan at any college and your grade level is a first-year undergraduate at MCCC, your loan funds will not be disbursed any earlier than 30 days after the start of the semester.
- One-semester Loans: If you a borrowing a loan for only one semester, your loan will be split into two disbursements, with 50% of your loan funds being disbursed at the mid-point of the semester.
- Work Study funds are earned by students working at MCCC. Students are paid their work study earnings bi-weekly through MCCC’s payroll system.
If Your Financial Aid Exceeds Your Charges (Refunds)
If you receive financial aid that exceeds the cost of your direct charges (tuition, fees and purchases at the MCCC bookstore), you will receive a financial aid refund check. You may use your financial aid refund check to help pay the cost of other educationally related expenses you have during the semester. Your financial aid refund check will be mailed by the Business Office to the address that is on file for you in the Colleague System.
Note: Information about Federal Direct Student Loans and Pell Grants will be submitted to the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS), and will be accessible by guaranty agencies, lenders and schools determined to be authorized users of the data system.
You may also view your Federal Direct Student Loan and Pell Grant history on the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS). Sign in with your federal FSA ID to access your data.