The Free Application for Federal Student Aid or FAFSA is the federal application that must be completed to receive all federal aid, South Carolina Lottery, and some scholarships. The U.S. Department of Education uses the form to calculate your level of financial need. Greenville Technical College uses the FAFSA to determine whether you’re eligible for federal student aid, including Pell Grants, student loans, and work-study.

The application may be completed online at www.fafsa.gov. You will have your FAFSA results sent to GTC by entering our college code (#003991) when prompted online.

More about FAFSA »

Students fill out the form online at www.studentaid.gov.  The website walks you through a series of questions about your family and/or your parents’ finances. The FAFSA uses this information to calculate how much you and your family can contribute toward your college costs. This number is called the “Expected Family Contribution,” or EFC. College uses your EFC to determine how much financial aid you are eligible to receive.

Usually only undocumented immigrant students are not eligible for federal aid. Even if you think you may not get aid because you or your parents earn too much, you should file the FAFSA so you can access other financial aid (for example, SC Lottery tuition assistance, federal student loans).

Completing the FAFSA is the first step in the Financial Aid Process.

If you have completed your FAFSA but have not completed an application for admission to Greenville Technical College, you will not receive a letter until you have completed that process.

The FAFSA asks for marital status as of the day you fill it out, but it asks for income and tax return information from 2 years prior to the academic year. (For example, you would use your 2018 tax return and/or income if you are attending 2020 Fall, 2021 Spring, 2021 Summer.) Therefore, your marital status may be different than it was when you filed your tax return.

• If you filed a joint tax return 2 years prior to filing the FAFSA but you are no longer married when you fill out the FAFSA, you will need to subtract your former spouse's tax return information to correctly answer the FAFSA questions only about yourself. You may also be required to submit your W2s and a copy of the tax return to the Financial Aid Department if requested.
• If you did not file a joint tax return 2 years prior to filing the FAFSA but you are married when you fill out the FAFSA, you will need to add your current spouse’s tax return information for the year FAFSA asks to correctly answer the FAFSA questions about yourself and your current spouse.

In some cases, your financial aid information can be adjusted if you have extreme, unusual, or special circumstances in life that may result in the need to review your financial situation as it relates to Financial Aid. This is called a request for a “Special Circumstance” adjustment and requires a student to submit various forms of documentation to the financial aid office. Because the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is based on two year’s prior income, a Financial Aid Office has the capability to use “Professional Judgment” to make adjustments when a student, spouse or parent experiences unusual or special circumstances which affect their current financial situation.

Such appeals are considered based on federal regulations and professional judgment policies. Some of the most common reasons for an adjustment to be made are: loss of employment, receiving a one-time lump sum disbursement, loss of a parent or spouse due to death or divorce, drastic changes to income etc.
To determine if your situation meets the qualifications, please consult with the office of financial aid about the Special Circumstance Request form.

Students can make corrections after receiving the Student Aid Report (SAR):

• Go online to www.fafsa.gov, log in, make changes, and re-submit.
• Visit the Financial Aid office, and speak with a Financial Aid Advisor.

No. Your parents’ citizenship status doesn’t affect your eligibility for federal student aid. In fact, the FAFSA form doesn’t even ask about your parents’ status.

That’s okay, as long as you are in the U.S. legally. Your parents are protected because, by law, other federal agencies cannot see your FAFSA application.

No. Since your parents’ citizenship doesn’t affect your ability to complete the FAFSA form, they don’t need SSNs. If your parents don’t have SSNs, they must enter 000-00-0000 when the FAFSA form asks for your parents’ SSNs.

If your parents don’t have SSNs, they won’t be able to create FSA IDs and therefore won’t be able to sign your FAFSA form electronically. You’ll have to print out the signature page from the online FAFSA form so that your parents can sign it and mail it to the address indicated.

No. Your parents do not have to help you pay for college, no matter how much they earn. It is their choice. This may ease their minds if they are worried about giving you their income information for the FAFSA. Just let them know you must fill out this form to get financial aid.

If your legal parents (your biological and/or adoptive parents, or parents as determined by the state [e.g., a parent listed on your birth certificate]) are married to each other, answer the questions about both of them, regardless of whether your parents are of the same or opposite sex.

If your legal parents are not married to each other and live together, answer the questions about both of them, regardless of whether your parents are of the same or opposite sex.

If your legal parent is widowed or was never married, answer the questions about that parent.

You need to provide information about only one parent. Usually, this is the parent who has primary custody. If you split time between your parents, use the parent with whom you have spent the most time during the past year. If you lived the same amount of time with each divorced or separated parent, give answers about the parent who provided more financial support during the past 12 months or during the most recent 12 months that you actually received support from a parent.

Please be advised that for FAFSA purposes, your married parents are separated if they are considered legally separated by a state, or if they are legally married but have chosen to live separate lives, including living in separate households, as though they were not married.

When two married persons live as a married couple but are separated by physical distance (or have separate households), they are considered married for FAFSA purposes.

As long as they’re living together, you need to provide information about both of them. That’s also true if your parents are same-sex partners, whether they’re married to each other or not.

If your divorced parents live together, you’ll indicate their marital status as “Unmarried and both legal parents living together," and you will answer questions about both of them on the FAFSA form.

If your separated parents live together, you’ll indicate their marital status as “Married or remarried" (NOT “Divorced or separated"), and you will answer questions about both of them on the FAFSA form.

If you have a stepparent who is married to the legal parent whose information you’re reporting, you must provide information about that stepparent as well.

EXCEPTION: The FAFSA form asks about your parents’ education level. For these two questions, your parents are considered to be your birth parents or adoptive parents—your stepparent is not your parent in these questions.

If your stepparent was married to your parent but is now widowed, that stepparent doesn’t count as a parent on your FAFSA form unless he or she has legally adopted you.

It doesn’t matter if you don’t live with your parent or parents; you still must report information about them. The following people are not your parents unless they have legally adopted you: grandparents, foster parents, legal guardians, older brothers or sisters, uncles or aunts, and widowed stepparents. You will need to find this out before filling out the FAFSA form. The online form will ask a series of questions to help you. If you are confused for any reason, please visit the Financial Aid Office.

For each parent, you’ll report similar information that you report for yourself: basic information about your parents’ identity (e.g., name, date of birth, and Social Security number—if he or she has one); living situation (e.g., marital status, state of residence, household size); and financial circumstances (e.g., tax information, certain assets, certain untaxed income).

You still must answer the questions about them if you’re considered a dependent student.

In situations such as the ones below, you may be able to submit your FAFSA form without parent information despite being considered a dependent student:

• Your parents are incarcerated.
• You have left home due to an abusive family environment.
• You do not know where your parents are and are unable to contact them (and you have not been adopted).
• You are older than 21 but not yet 24, are unaccompanied, and are either homeless or self-supporting and at risk of being homeless.

If you are filling out the FAFSA form online or on the myStudentAid app, you will be asked whether you are able to provide information about your parents. If you are not, you will have the option to indicate that you have special circumstances that make you unable to get your parents’ information. You will then be able to submit your application without entering data about your parents.

However, it is important for you to understand the following:

Although your FAFSA form will be submitted, it will not be fully processed. You will not receive an Expected Family Contribution (EFC) and must immediately contact the Financial Aid Office.

The financial aid staff may ask for additional information to determine whether you can be considered independent and have an EFC calculated without parent data. Gather as much written evidence of your situation as you can. Written evidence may include court or law enforcement documents; letters from a clergy member, school counselor or social worker; and/or any other relevant data that explains your special circumstance.

The Financial Aid Office’s decision about your dependency status is final and cannot be appealed to the U.S. Department of Education.

You can’t be considered independent of your parents just because they refuse to help you with this process. If you do not provide their information on the FAFSA, the application will be considered “rejected,” and you will only be considered for an unsubsidized loan and/or the SC Lottery Tuition Assistance.

Even if you live with others, your “household” is the household of the parent or parents on whom you legally depend. For example, if you’re living with your grandmother who does not have legal guardianship, but your mother still has legal custody of you, the FAFSA form wants to know about your mother’s household.

If your financial aid is not yet complete and you want to protect your classes from being ‘purged’ or removed for non-payment, you may sign up for the ‘Do Not Purge’ or DNP plan and submit to the Bursar's Office at the Dreisbach/Anderson Student Success Center or to enrollment services at any of the campus locations.

Yes, you can still apply and be considered for aid. However, you will need to make payment to the Bursar's Office to keep your classes from being dropped. If you are eligible for aid, it will be processed once your file has been completed.

Although GTC does not have a strict FAFSA submission deadline, we do have a submission request date. This means that students who submit their FAFSA by the given date will have adequate time for their aid being calculated and award letter generated when compared to students who do not meet the submission request date. These are the dates by which you need to have received your financial aid award letter before the payment deadline.

The dates for each semester are:

• Fall - May 1
• Spring - October 1
• Summer - February 1

Per the Consolidated Appropriations Act and effective with the 2012-2013 award year, Pell LEU is a provision that limits the duration of a student’s eligibility to receive a Federal Pell Grant to the equivalent of 12-full-time (12 credit hours or more) semesters.

The amount of Federal Pell Grant funds you may receive over your lifetime is limited by federal law to be the equivalent of six years (or 12 full-time semesters) of Pell Grant funding. Since the maximum amount of Pell Grant funding you can receive each year is equal to 100%, the six-year equivalent is 600%.

The total cost to attend, which includes tuition and fees, room and board (if applicable), books, supplies, transportation, miscellaneous personal items, loan fees, study abroad costs, dependent care expenses, disability-related expenses and cooperative education program costs.

A formula established by the U. S. Congress calculates the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) or what the family can contribute to education. Greenville Technical College determines the student's financial aid eligibility based on the results of this formula. The formula takes into account the family's income, assets, number of family members, and number in the household attending college at least half-time. The EFC is based on income from the prior year of enrollment. For example, for the 2017-2018 academic year, the student's (and parents', if required) 2015 income is considered when calculating the contribution.

More about the Financial Aid Process »

Cost of Attendance (COA) - Expected Family Contribution (EFC) = Financial need

Students who fail to meet the Standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress as defined in the college catalog and student handbook have the option of submitting an appeal. 

A student may only submit two appeals during their time at Greenville Technical College. 

• SAP Appeal: For students who become ineligible due to GPA, completion rate, or maximum time frame:
  Students who become Ineligible for financial aid may have the option to submit a SAP Appeal. To qualify, students must be able to document extenuating circumstances for each semester where they did not meet Satisfactory Academic Progress. Documentation must be from a third party entity, and is submitted with the SAP appeal form. To determine whether a student qualifies to submit the SAP Appeal, they can visit the Office of Financial Aid.

A Student Aid Report (SAR) is a document the student receives after the FAFSA has been processed by the U.S. Department of Education. The SAR will list all of the answers provided on the FAFSA. The SAR will contain an individual's Expected Family Contribution (EFC), which is used to determine eligibility for federal student aid. The institution will use this number to determine eligibility for financial aid based on the school's cost of attendance.

More about the Financial Aid Process »

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) measures completion of coursework toward a certificate or degree. SAP is required by all federal aid programs to ensure that students who are receiving aid are making measurable progress toward completion of a degree, diploma or certificate program within a reasonable time frame. Federal regulations require us to monitor your progress. If you fall behind in completion of classes or fail to achieve GPA standards you may lose eligibility for federal and state aid.

Performance is measured in the following areas:

• Completion Rate: financial aid recipients are required to complete at least two-thirds of the credit hours attempted.
• Cumulative GPA: financial aid recipients must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0. (Students may receive SC Lottery Tuition Assistance if they maintain a term GPA of 2.0 on the first 23 hours attempted, but must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 for 24 or more hours attempted.)
• Length of eligibility (150% rule): financial aid recipients must complete their program of study without having attempted more that 150% of the credit hours required to complete curriculum. This limit includes transfer credit earned.

The U.S. Department of Education requires a college's financial aid office to verify the accuracy of FAFSA data. A student may be asked to submit documents, such as a federal income tax return transcript W-2's, or proof of identity to the financial aid office before student gets aid. If the requested documents are not provided, it may mean cancellation of financial aid. Aid will be delayed until documents have been received and processed. All requested documents MUST be turned in together! To avoid delays, we ask that you submit a all requested items by the following dates:

• Fall - June 1
• Spring - November 1
• Summer - March 1

More about verification »

Loans are borrowed money that must be repaid. Loan re-payment typically begins within 6 months after a student has graduated, is not enrolled in at least 6 credit hours, or is no longer enrolled. For detailed information on your loans, please contact your lender.

Entrance loan counseling provides the student with information to ensure that you understand the responsibilities and obligations you are assuming with student loans. It also includes information about how to manage your student loans, both during and after college. This is required for all first-time borrowers at Greenville Technical College and must be completed before loans are certified with the lender.

More about Loans »

The Master Promissory Note (MPN) is the legal, binding document that must be electronically signed by the student borrower prior to loan funds being disbursed from the lender to Greenville Technical College. The MPN states the terms and conditions of the loan, including repayment schedule, interest rate, deferment policies, and cancellation provisions.

Although there are many reasons why a loan has not processed, the most common reasons are:

• student is not enrolled at least half time (6 credit hours)
• no proof of high school or GED on file with the Office of Admissions
• student has not signed the Master Promissory Note
• student fails to provide all required verification documents to the financial aid office
• student has loans pending at another college

Most outside scholarships are processed through the Office of Financial Aid. Once the Financial Aid office receives the payment from the source, the award will show on your award letter within 10 business days.

Greenville Tech Foundation Scholarships are made available from individuals and businesses who have donated to the scholarship fund. Scholarships are available to those who have completed both the GTC Admissions process and have financial aid processed. The application is available January through May 1st and is quite competitive. Scholarships range from $200 per academic year to the full cost of attendance. Each scholarship has special criteria set up by the donor such as certain majors or career interests, county of residency, familial status, ethnicity, etc.

A grant is a monetary award based on financial need given to a student to help pay college expenses. Typically grants do not have to be repaid by the student.

South Carolina Lottery Tuition Assistance (SCLTA) is available for eligible students enrolled in a minimum of 6 credit hours per semester. Lottery will pay a specified amount per credit hour of tuition not covered by other grants such as Pell Grant, FSEOG grant etc. Lottery applies to tuition only and therefore cannot be used to purchase books or act as a refund to the student. Lottery also cannot be used to cover lab fees, pass-thru fees, or other miscellaneous non-tuition charges. The maximum award may change each term.

More about Lottery Tuition Assistance »

• You may repeat a course ONCE if you have previously passed the course or earned a grade of D or better.
• If you have not passed the course previously, you can take the course again and receive federal funds as long as you are making Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) and are in good standing with the Office of Financial Aid.

* Please note, transfer credits count as an attempt.

To be considered an independent student for financial aid purposes, a student must be able to answer yes to one of the dependency questions on the FAFSA (https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/fafsa/filling-out/dependency ) and provide documentation if requested. The FAFSA does not look at whether you were or were not claimed on your parents’ tax returns to determine dependency status.

If you encounter a registration flag on your account that prevents you from completing the online registration process, the information found at Registration Restrictions and Resolutions may help you understand the issues.

Please review the Disclosure Policy for complete information.

It is always best to contact the financial aid office PRIOR to withdrawing. Some examples of what withdrawing from a class may do

• If you receive any federal aid and withdraw from all classes, you may have to pay a prorated amount of federal funds back immediately. The amount you must return depends on when you withdrew.
• Withdrawing from a class can also affect your Satisfactory Academic Progress, which requires you complete 2/3 of your classes to remain in good standing.
• If you are supposed to receive loans and withdrawing from a class puts you below half-time enrollment, your loan disbursement may be affected.

If a student is a federal financial aid recipient, he/she must attend all classes for which they are enrolled. If the student stops attending all of the classes before completing 60% of the semester, money is owed back to the federal aid program. Greenville Technical College is required to return federal funds, so you must pay the money back to Greenville Technical College.

Excess funds/Refunds (amount of your aid that is left after tuition, fees, books, and supplies have been deducted) are mailed to the student address on file 35 to 45 business days after the first day of class.

You may also choose to have your financial aid refund deposited directly to your bank account. If so, you must sign up for direct deposit during the first 2 weeks of the full semester by accessing Self Service in GTC4me.

The Bursar's Office processes refunds weekly and will have all refunds processed within 15 calendar days of funds being credited to your account.

More about refunds »

• If you already earned a bachelors or higher degree, under the Student Financial Aid Interests section you will answer “Yes” to the question asking if you have or will earn a bachelor degree by a certain date determined by FAFSA.
• Since Greenville Tech does not offer a master’s degree program, you will answer “5th year/other undergrad” to the Student Grade Level question.
• In the Dependency Status section, you will answer “No” to the question asking if you are in a Masters/Doctorate program.
• If you cannot answer “Yes” to any of the other Dependency Status questions, you are considered a dependent student even if you have earned a Bachelor’s degree.