The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
The College participates in student financial aid programs offered through the U.S. Department of Education, which include:
- Federal Pell Grants
- Federal Work-Study (FWS)
- Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (FSEOG)
- Direct Loans (DL)
- Parent Plus Loans
Apply for FAFSA Online at fafsa.ed.gov.
School code for Three Rivers College is 004713.
| 2020-21 | 2021-22 | |
| Tax Records Needed | 2018 tax year | 2019 tax year |
| Semesters student plans to attend | Fall 2020 Spring 2021 Summer 2021 |
Fall 2021 Spring 2022 Summer 2022 |
Items needed to submit FAFSA:
- Social Security number for yourself and parents (if dependent).
- Your driver's license (if applicable).
- Your federal and state income tax returns (and your spouse's, if you are married) or W-2 Forms and other records of money earned.
- Your parents' federal and state income tax return (if you are a dependent student).
- Any untaxed income.
- Your current bank statements.
- Your current business and investment mortgage information, business and farm records, stock, bond, and other investment records.
- Your alien registration or permanent resident card (if you are not a U.S. citizen).
- Apply for a FSA ID.
- Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online. Remember that no fee is charged to apply.
- Make sure to select the correct FAFSA year (see table above). Summer semester at Three Rivers College is treated as a trailer semester to the academic year. Students starting in Summer will need to submit a FAFSA for the current year, as well as the next year if planning to attend in the fall.
- Be sure to add the Three Rivers College school code 004713.
- Link your taxes using the FAFSA’s IRS Data Retrieval Tool (dependent students will also need to link parent tax information). Instructions for linking taxes are available on the IRS website and can be found here.
- For more information on how to complete the FAFSA, please contact the Office of Financial Aid, external locations, or refer to the Federal Student Aid Website.
Pell Grants
Federal Pell Grants are normally awarded if you have demonstrated financial need and have not earned a bachelor’s or professional degree. The U.S. Department of Education determines eligibility by reviewing the FAFSA information, which produces an Expected Family Contribution (EFC) as indicated on the Student Aid Report (SAR).
The Pell Grant amount you receive is based on your financial need, whether you are attending full time or part time, and whether you are attending for a full academic year or less. You may not receive Pell Grant funds from more than one school at the same time. Your Lifetime Pell Limit is restricted to 600 percent (for example 12 semesters of full-time attendance) at all colleges. For more information on Pell Grants, visit the Federal Student Aid website.
To be eligible for a Pell Grant, a student must complete a FAFSA and meet all of the following criteria:
- Have a high school diploma or a GED/HiSET Certificate.
- Be enrolled as a degree-seeking student in an approved Title IV program.
- Be a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen.
- Meet satisfactory academic progress standards set by the institution.
- Not be in default on a federal student loan.
- Not owe money on a federal student grant made under Title IV, at any institution.
- Beginning with the 2017-2018 academic year you may now receive a full Federal Pell Grant for summer even if you received a full Federal Pell Grant during the Fall and Spring semesters. Year-round Pell allows you to receive up to 150 percent of a regular grant award over the course of the academic year so that you may continue taking classes in the summer and finish your degree faster.
To be eligible for additional Pell Grant funds:
- You must be enrolled at least half time (6 credit hours) during the summer.
- You must be otherwise eligible to receive Pell Grant funds.
- You must be maintaining satisfactory academic progress.
Initial payments can be expected by approximately the fifth to sixth week of the semester. Payments will be made weekly throughout the semester (excluding weeks of breaks and holidays). Late applicants can expect payment in accordance with receipt and processing of their files. Payments are made to the student's account in order to pay institutional expenses incurred. If the disbursed amount exceeds the student's account balance, the student will receive a disbursement for the credit balance.
Pell Grant awards on the Financial Aid Offer Letter are based on full time enrollment. Students who are enrolled in less than 12 credit hours will have their awards prorated as shown below:
- 1-5 credit hours — less-than-half-time
- 6-8 credit hours — half-time
- 9-11 credit hours — three-quarter-time
- 12 or more credit hours — full-time
The dates for determining a student’s financial aid enrollment level for each term in the semester is the Financial Aid Freeze dates. Enrollment will be frozen on the freeze/census dates for the Full and A session. For students who are taking B session courses, enrollment will be recalculated. This freeze date occurs approximately one week following the no show process. Students may expect Pell payments to begin approximately the fifth to sixth week of the semester for Fall and Spring with B session courses being paid after attendance verification is completed.
The summer semester at Three Rivers College is treated as a trailer to the academic year. Therefore, Pell and loan payments for the summer semester will only be for those students who are enrolled in Summer classes and have remaining eligibility from the current academic year. Students receiving Summer Pell and/or loan payments may expect payment to begin towards the end of June for Full and A sessions and towards the end of July for B session courses.
Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants
FSEOG grants are awarded to students with the lowest Expected Family Contribution. Due to limited funding, not every eligible student will receive FSEOG. The annual award typically ranges from $200-$600 at Three Rivers. For more information on FSEOG grants, visit the Federal Student Aid website. The FAFSA is necessary to determine a student’s eligibility for FSEOG.
