Financial Aid FAQs

• You must be enrolled in a Kishwaukee College degree or certificate program of 16 semester hours or more in length (A.A., A.S., A.A.S.).
• You must be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen.
• You must be registered with the Selective Service (if male and required to be).
• You may have eligibility suspended or terminated due to a drug-related conviction.
• You must have a valid Social Security number.
• You must not be in default on a federal student loan.
• You must not owe a repayment of a federal grant.
• You must be making satisfactory academic progress at the school you attend.
• Typically, you must attend at least on a half-time basis (six semester hours per term).

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the process that is used to determine federal eligibility as well as some Illinois grants. Complete the FAFSA at www.fafsa.gov

Financial aid is available during summer terms based on eligibility as determined by the EFC on the FAFSA. Beginning Summer 2018, students MAY be eligible for additional Pell even if they have already received 100% of their scheduled award for the year. To qualify for additional Pell, a student must be attending six or more credit hours and meet all other eligibility requirements.

In addition, students attending six credits or more could qualify for loans depending on their eligibility. Please contact the Financial Aid Office for more information.

Students that are determined to be Dependent will be required to include their parent’s information on the FAFSA.

Students that are determined to be Independent will be required to include information on their household only. Common criteria to be considered an Independent student are:

• You are 24 years of age prior to January 1 of the current award year.
• You are married as of the day you sign your FAFSA.
• You are an individual with dependents, other than a spouse, for whom you provide more than half of their financial support.
• You are a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces.
• You are currently serving on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces for purposes other than training.
• You are an orphan or a ward of the court.

For financial aid, you should use the information for the parent who paid the most for your support during the past year.

The Department of Education selects students for verification, mostly randomly. The College may also select you for "institutional" verification if you have conflicting information between the FAFSA and other paperwork.