Financial Aid Reminders

There are many steps in the financial aid process. To help you navigate and understand this process, the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships offers the following reminders. Be sure to read them carefully and review them often to stay informed on issues that may affect your financial aid.

Financial Aid Communication

• Message Center: Important messages regarding your financial aid will be available in your Message Center in MySeminoleState. Check your Message Center regularly to stay informed.
• To-do List Items: Check your To-Do List in MySeminoleState to ensure that you are not missing any documents. Any items you need to submit will be listed there. Please note that even after you submit documents, other items may be added to your To-Do List, so check it regularly for updates. Processing can begin only when your To-Do List is complete.

Courses, Registration and Withdrawals

• Courses: Financial aid can be used to pay for only developmental courses (up to 30 credit hours), courses in select English Language Studies (ELS) programs and courses that apply to your current program of study. For an Associate in Arts (A.A.) degree, financial aid typically covers a maximum of 60 credit hours (excluding ELS and developmental courses).
• Registration: To receive the maximum financial aid award for which you qualify, you are encouraged to register as early as possible for all courses and sessions (Full, A, 12W and B) you plan to attend. Your financial aid award will be calculated only once per term, at the end of the add/drop deadline for the first session in which you plan to take classes. Courses for which you register after your first add/drop deadline will not be included in your award calculation, and it may be necessary for you to pay for those courses out of pocket.
• Withdrawals: Withdrawing from a class may affect your financial aid, and repayment may be required. The estimated financial aid awards that you initially accept are based on full-time enrollment. If your enrollment differs after the add/drop period, your awards will be adjusted to reflect your correct enrollment status.

Processing and Refunds

• Weekly Processing: After the first refund dates, financial aid processing continues weekly throughout the term.
• Refunds and Verification: Refunds likely will take longer for students who submitted their application after the priority deadline or who are required to submit federal verification or have other circumstances.
• Split-Term Courses: If you're taking classes in sessions with different start dates (i.e. a class in A Session and a class in B Session, or classes in Full and 12W sessions, etc.) refunds will be made incrementally so that you may receive only a portion of your aid first and additional amounts later. This occurs because the College must verify that you are still enrolled in the number of credits on which the estimated award was based.
• Personal Expenses: The timing of students' financial aid refunds is not guaranteed. It is the students' responsibility to cover personal expenses that require payment prior to receipt of any financial aid.