Financial aid is monetary awards intended to assist students in paying for their education. Awards are made available from grants, scholarships, loans, and South Carolina Lottery Tuition Assistance from federal, state, institutional, and private sources. Almost all financial aid is awarded in the form of an "award package" to meet the cost of education. Aid can assist students in pursuing their goals while studying at Greenville Technical College (GTC). Financial need, available funds, student classification, academic performance, and sometimes the timeliness of the financial aid application determine the types and amounts of aid awarded.
As you review the process below, also be aware of the submission request dates related to financial aid.
Financial Aid counselors are online daily to assist you with your Financial Aid process.
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the federal application that must be completed to receive all federal aid, South Carolina Lottery, and most scholarships. The FAFSA is completed once per academic year (academic year includes Fall, Spring and Summer terms). Individuals enrolled in or accepted at the college and who demonstrate a financial need or desire scholarship consideration must apply for an FSA ID then submit a FAFSA.
Prior to starting the FAFSA, you will first create your FSA ID at www.fafsa.ed.gov. Once you have your FSA ID you will complete your FAFSA. You will have your FAFSA results sent to GTC by entering our college code (#003991) when prompted online. After submitting your completed FAFSA you will receive a Student Aid Report (SAR) from the Department of Education. This is for your records only; do not bring in this form unless there is a problem. (The college receives the same data.)
Please note: Completing the FAFSA does not mean all steps in the financial aid process have been completed.
(Note: This step may not apply to everyone.)
Occasionally the U.S. Department of Education requires a student submit more information directly to the college. This is called the verification process. If more information is required from you, this email will tell you exactly what is required and what to do. (You can also see what documents are needed by checking GTC4me > Student Self Service > Required Documents.) Follow the instructions carefully and respond within the time period specified. Your aid cannot be processed until you do so.
Contact the Financial Aid office if you do not receive an email from us or if you have questions about the information requested in your Self Service checklist.
(Applies to those submitting information in the previous step.)
Once you have turned in all required information, any necessary changes will be submitted to the U.S. Department of Education. This step can take an additional 3 to 10 days for all of the information to be verified. All documents requested by the U.S. Department of Education are required to be verified before your file can be completed and awards determined. To check on the status of your application once you have submitted documents, please access GTC4me > Student Self-Service > FA Checklist.
(Occasionally, when a college submits the information provided by the student, the changes may result in the U.S. Department of Education requesting even more information from the student. If this is the case, the Financial Aid office will be notified and will then notify you of the items being requested. Once these changes are processed, this may change the financial aid estimate initially given on your SAR.)
Once the above steps are completed and your financial aid has processed, you will receive a Notification Email from the Financial Aid office. This is most commonly referred to as your "Financial Aid Offer."
You can view your offer in Financial Aid Self-Service, by selecting the ‘My Awards’ option.
To add student loans to your Financial Aid Offer, log in to studentaid.gov with your FSA ID and password and complete both Entrance Counseling -AND- MPN (Master Promissory Note) for the Subsidized/Unsubsidized loans.
If you are offered Federal Direct Student Loans, please note that you must actively accept these awards on the ‘My Awards’ screen within Financial Aid Self-Service. If you do not accept your loan, they will never be disbursed to you. You can also change and/or cancel the amounts of a student loan you were offered.
Please be aware your Financial Aid Offer lists aid amounts assuming full-time enrollment. Amounts will adjust based on the number of hours in which you are enrolled.
If you are enrolled in courses, compare your award(s) to your “total amount currently due” on your account summary.
If you have not yet enrolled, view the college's tuition and fees for the semester in which you are seeking enrollment. This will give you an estimate of the amount.
Before your financial aid is applied to your student account, you may receive a bill for tuition informing you of your current charges. If your status with financial aid is complete and you are in good standing, your schedule will not be deleted for non-payment or “purged.” If you are unsure of your status, check GTC4me > Self Service - you'll see a notice on your home page.
Financial Aid begins applying funds electronically to eligible student courses approximately 4 weeks from the start of full-term courses. (Award dates may vary depending on when your courses start and when your financial aid file was completed.) The award amount will be subtracted from the amount you owe. Grants and scholarships will apply to your balance before loans.
Within 10 business days from funds applying to your account, the Business Office will begin sending out refunds. You can contact them for exact dates at: AcctStatement@gvltec.edu. Please keep eye on your Student Finance. Once you see that there is a circle that says ‘refund,’ your refund will go out via paper check or direct deposit within the next 10 days.
Sign up for Direct deposit: Sign in to GTC4me, go to Self Service, then Financial Information, then FA Refund Direct Deposit.
If you still owe money after all awards have been applied to your account, you are responsible for paying the balance. It is your responsibility to ensure all tuition and fees are paid.
After tuition and fees have been deducted, remaining financial aid may be used to purchase books and supplies at the GTC Bookstore during specified dates at the beginning of each semester. This is referred to as a "book voucher." A book voucher is not a separate award, but is simply early access to your financial aid credit balance prior to aid disbursing. Book voucher funds are made available from the awards shown on your award letter. A student can access his/her book voucher approximately one week prior to the semester start date by accessing Financial Aid Self Service in GTC4me and selecting the 'Bookstore Financial Aid' option under the Helpful Links in the right-hand column. (Please note: Lottery Tuition Assistance cannot be used for books.)
Excess funds, the amount of your aid that is left after tuition, fees, books and supplies have been deducted, are refunded to students. Learn more about the procedure to refund excess financial aid.
Please note: You must authorize financial aid to pay certain charges such as library fines, parking fines, NSF fees on returned checks, fees for GTC Do Not Purge Promissory Notes & Payment Plans and other miscellaneous charges. We must obtain your authorization to apply your financial aid funds to these non-allowable charges appearing on your student account. You can authorize this by going to GTC4me > Self Service > Financial Aid > Non-Allowable Charges.
The best way to remain in good standing with financial aid is to attend and succeed in your classes! Review this additional information for continued success.