Please note that the Financial Aid Office will close December 16 at noon for the Christmas Break. The office will not reopen until January 2. During this break there will be no staff available to monitor your questions via Blog/Facebook/Email/Phone. If you find that you have questions please let us know when we return in January.

Book vouchers will begin January 3rd through 27th.
You may not need to stand in line for a Book Voucher!

• Check GTC4me
• Go to WebAdvisor-Financial Aid
• Click on Bookstore Financial Aid
• Click Submit
• This is your voucher

*If funds are available beginning January 3rd you do not have to wait in line at Financial Aid. You can print and use that voucher at the Book Store that day!

Spring Semester 2012 Book Vouchers

Book Vouchers for Spring 2012

Vouchers will be available
January 3rd thru January 27th

• Check GTC4me
• Go to WebAdvisor-Financial Aid
• Click on Bookstore Financial Aid
• Click Submit
• This is your voucher

*If funds are available you do not have to wait in line you can print and use that voucher at the Book Store BEGINNING JANUARY 3rd!

Another great Scholarship Opportunity!

Win $1000 to help you pay for rent, food, and all of the other living expenses to get your through the school year with DegreeDirectory.org's Starving Student Scholarship. Find out how to enter!

Starving Students Speak
Here at DegreeDirectory.org, we get a lot of our scholarship ideas from surveying our readers, and our latest, the Starving Student Scholarship, is no exception. We asked students to share their 'biggest barrier to getting an education.' An overwhelming majority answered, 'money!'

Students like you know that tuition and books are just the beginning of the expenses associated with college: you've got rent, gas and food to think about, too! We'd like to help you solve that problem in a very simple way: by giving $1000 to one of our student readers.

Entering is simple:
1. Like DegreeDirectory.org on Facebook.

2. Fill out our quick entry form and share your most creative solution to saving money as a student to be entered to win the $1000 scholarship.

That's it! Your suggestion can be anything related to cost of living while in school: from carpooling to save on gas to stealing your roommate's laundry detergent to wash your clothes (though you might not want to admit to that on Facebook). You can do this anytime between November 30, 2011 and January 1, 2012. If you submit our favorite tip, you'll win the $1000 scholarship!

Official Rules, Terms and Conditions
The Starving Student Scholarship is open to anyone over the age of 16 who is currently enrolled in or applying to a degree, diploma or certificate program. Any responses left on the DegreeDirectory.org Facebook page may be used on DegreeDirectory.org
http://degreedirectory.org/articles/Starving_Student_Scholarship.html

Hands on Banking

This link will take you to Hands on Banking, which is an amazing resource to answer credit, budget, checking,and basic money management questions: http://www.handsonbanking.org/htdocs/en/y/

Extremely Important Information for your 12-13 FAFSA!

GTC FINANCIAL AID: 2012-13 FINANCIAL AID CHANGES COMING!
Please read the information on the links below as they contain important notification about the 2012-13 FAFSA available January 1, 2012, and acceptable documentation. If you and/or your parents are required to file a federal tax return, we advise you to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (DRT -available Feb 1, 2012) when completing the FAFSA after filing your 2011 federal tax return. This allows you to transfer your federal tax data directly to your FAFSA. The benefit of utilizing the IRS Data Retrieval Tool is that it will simplify and expedite the verification process.
File your tax return first, then:
• Electronically filed tax return data will be available online from the IRS site in 1-2 weeks
• Data from paper tax returns will be available in 6-8 weeks.
We can only accept official IRS tax return transcripts if you are selected for verification after the FAFSA is processed and you did not use the DRT, or if you change your answers to the income questions on the FAFSA after using the DRT.

http://www.gvltec.edu/FA12-13changes/

New Scholarship Opportunities!

SMART Scholarship $25,000 Deadline: December 15, 2011
Apply at: http://www.studentscholarships.org/awards.php

Union Plus Scholarship $4,000 Deadline: January 31, 2012
Apply at: http://www.studentscholarships.org/awards.php

National FFA Scholarships $1,000 Deadline: February 22, 2012
Apply at: http://www.studentscholarships.org/awards.php

Peace Scholarships $1,000 Deadline: March 1, 2012
Apply at: http://www.studentscholarships.org/awards.php

Odenza Marketing Scholarship $500 Deadline: March 30, 2012
Apply at: http://www.studentscholarships.org/awards.php

Vancouver Restaurant Scholarship $500 Deadline: May 30, 2012
Apply at: http://www.studentscholarships.org/awards.php

Healthy Lifestyles Scholarship $5,000 Deadline: May 30, 2012
Apply at: http://www.studentscholarships.org/awards.php

Big Dig Scholarship $3,000 Deadline: June 1, 2012
Apply at: http://www.studentscholarships.org/awards.php

Man Mac Automatic Scholarship $500 Deadline: June 15, 2012
Apply at: http://www.studentscholarships.org/awards.php

BBG Communications Scholarship $1,000 Deadline: June 30, 2012
Apply at: http://www.studentscholarships.org/awards.php

Education-Portal.com's Textbook for a Year Scholarship, is a chance for students to win $1000 to pay for textbooks.

Education-Portal.com is offering this scholarship a second time because so many of previous student applicants wrote about the major barrier the rising cost of textbooks has been to their education and they want to help.

"At Education-Portal.com, we're committed to increasing access to education for every student. We know that many students struggle to cover the growing price of pursuing a higher education and want to help students manage costs by providing regular scholarship opportunities and high quality information about how to manage and save money while in college.

Students have until December 9 to enter to win Free Textbooks for a Year. Please share this link with your students; it contains all necessary information about the scholarship, including how to apply: http://education-portal.com/articles/Textbook_Scholarship.html."

 Start by completing your FAFSA each year at http://www.fafsa.gov/.

The FAFSA for the upcoming year becomes available January 1st each year for the upcoming academic year. (Example, the 2012-2013 FAFSA will become available January 1, 2012 and is your application for Federal Student Aid for the Fall of 2012, Spring of 2013 and Summer of 2013.)

 Great site to initiate your search is www.fastweb.com
• Create Account
• Create Profile
• Enter Student Activities/Parent Activities
• Search Results are automatically generated
• Categorize results by type, requirements, due dates, and award amounts.

 Other sites to try:
African American Scholarships http://www.free-4u.com/african.htm
Broke Scholar www.brokescholar.com
College Board www.collegeboard.com
College Net www.collegenet.com
College Planning Network www.collegeplan.org
Fast Aid www.fastaid.com
Gates Millennium Scholars www.gmsp.org
Go College www.gocollege.com
Military Scholarships www.military.com
National Hispanic Scholarship Fund www.hsf.com
Next Student www.nextstudent.com
Petersons www.petersons.com
Princeton Review www.princetonreview.com
Sallie Mae’s College Answer www.collegeanswer.com

 Tips for your scholarship search
• Start Early!!! Almost every scholarship has a deadline and many give priority to applications submitted early.
• Compile a list of accomplishments, awards, professional experience, education credentials, and volunteer organizations. Having this list handy can save you hours during the application process as most will ask for this information
• Be aggressive. Scholarships are designed to reward deserving and persistent students who are willing to “do what it takes” to further their education. A scholarship committee is not impressed by a “less than your best” effort. Plan accordingly!
• Identify and contact at least three people who would be willing to write an impressive recommendation letter on your behalf.
• Apply for every scholarship for which you are eligible. You never know what somebody else may see in you. Remember scholarships are available for almost every facet of student life and education.
• Follow Up! Don’t let your scholarship application slip through the cracks. Scholarship committees will also appreciate the dedication you show in your future endeavors.
• Be organized! This is a great time to hone your organizational skills. Keep track of all deadlines, signatures, recommendation letters, and any necessary follow-up questions from a scholarship organization.
• Don’t underestimate the importance of applying for scholarships. After all, a successful scholarship search could land you with a free ride and money to spare! How’s that for motivation!!

Update to previous Campus Explorer blog post.

Name: Campus Explorer Exclusive Scholarship

Contact: Debra Eckerling
Company: Campus Explorer
Address: 2850 Ocean Park Blvd. #310, Santa Monica, CA 90405
Email Address: scholarships@campusexplorer.com
Website: https://www.campusexplorer.com/campus-explorer-scholarships/

Scholarship Description:
The Campus Explorer Exclusive Scholarship (https://www.campusexplorer.com/campus-explorer-scholarships/) is a monthly $1,000 giveaway, designed to help students pay for their higher-education expenses. Every month, Campus Explorer will announce a new scholarship – and a new way to win. A winner will be randomly selected from the entrants.

The contest is open to legal residents of the United States and the District of Columbia who are at least 16 years old at the time of entry.

At Campus Explorer, we believe everyone deserves a fulfilling education. Visit CampusExplorer.com for free college planning tools, tips and advice on paying for college and career information.

Check the website (http://CampusExplorer.com), blog (http://Blog.CampusExplorer.com) and social-media sites - including Facebook (http://Facebook.com/CampusExplorer) and Twitter (http://Twitter.com/CampusExplorer) - regularly to see the newest scholarship and meet the lucky winners.

Foundation, Inc. has notified us of a new scholarship opportunity

The AWS Foundation is dedicated to meeting the needs for education and research in the field of welding and related joining technologies.  Please see the District Scholarship Program Opportunity at http://www.aws.org/foundation/

New Scholarship Opportunity!

We have just been notified of another scholarship opportunity.  Students remember that we encourage you to seek outside scholarship opportunities but suggest that you never pay for a search or give out private information such as your scholarship or banking information.  Please notify our office if you have other financial aid questions 864-250-8128

Name: Campus Explorer Exclusive Scholarship

Contact: Debra Eckerling
Company: Campus Explorer
Address: 2850 Ocean Park Blvd. #310, Santa Monica, CA 90405
Email Address: scholarships@campusexplorer.com
Website: https://www.campusexplorer.com/campus-explorer-scholarships/

Scholarship Description:
The Campus Explorer Exclusive Scholarship (https://www.campusexplorer.com/campus-explorer-scholarships/) is a monthly $1,000 giveaway, designed to help students pay for their higher-education expenses. Every month, Campus Explorer will announce a new scholarship and a new way to win. A winner will be randomly selected from the entrants.

The contest is open to legal residents of the United States and the District of Columbia who are at least 16 years old at the time of entry. Students must be enrolled in college for the current or following term, and are required to provide proof of enrollment.

At Campus Explorer, we believe everyone deserves a fulfilling education. Visit CampusExplorer.com for free college planning tools, tips and advice on paying for college and career information.

Check the website (http://CampusExplorer.com), blog (http://Blog.CampusExplorer.com) and social-media sites - including Facebook (http://Facebook.com/CampusExplorer) and Twitter (http://Twitter.com/CampusExplorer) - regularly to see the newest scholarship and meet the lucky winners.

MLK Dream Weekend Scholarships

Another great scholarship opportunity.  Please note that the deadline for this scholarship is December 10th!

The Martin Luther King Jr Dream Weekend is held every year in Greenville. They are offering 11 scholarships this year totaling $44,000. The scholarships are as follows:


MLK Young Dreamer Scholarship-2000.00
Coretta Scott King Dream Keeper Scholarship-2000.00
Greenville Technical College Dreamer Scholarship- 3000.00
USC Upstate Dreamer Scholarship- 3000.00
State Farm Dreamer Scholarship- 2000.00
Furman Dreamer Scholarship- 15,000
Clemson Dreamer Scholarship- 4,000
2 Michelin North America Dreamer Scholarship- 5,000 each

The criteria is on the packet attached to this email. Students can apply for multiple scholarships as long as they fit the criteria.

Instructions are listed on the application packet. Go to this website and then open the 2012 packet to review the packet for eligibility criteria.

http://www.mlkdreamweekend.com/scholarships/

Financial Aid "Priority Dates"

What are financial aid "priority dates"?
These are the dates by which you need to have your FAFSA completed for each semester:

• Fall - May 1

• Spring - October 1

• Summer - February 1

What is verification?
The Department of Education requires us to verify the accuracy of FAFSA data. We will send you a missing information letter (MIL) asking you to submit required documents, such as a federal income tax return, to our office before you get aid. If you don't, it may mean cancellation of financial aid. Aid will be delayed until documents have been received and processed. To avoid delays in obtaining financial aid before the fee-payment deadline, we ask that you submit a completed requested documents by the following dates:

• Fall - June 1

• Spring - November 1

• Summer - March 1

Two new outside scholarship opportunities

We have just been notified of two seperate outside scholarship opportunities and wanted to make you aware of each.  If you are eligible ensure that you submit an application by the deadlines listed on each application.

1) Women's Opportunity Award Program

http://www.soroptimist.org/awards/apply.html 
Local contact information is as follows:
SI of Greenville
Ms. Donna Eskridge
226 Eagles Landing Ln.
Seneca, SC 29672
864-888-8838

2) Bill Zito Scholarship

 

The Bill Zito Scholarship was established by Enercon and it is administered by the PMMI Education & Training Foundation. This one-time $2,100 scholarship will be awarded to a student enrolled in a two- or four-year program at any of PMMI’s Partner schools.

When applying for the Bill Zito scholarship, students must:

• Have a GPA of 3.0 or higher
• Be majoring in packaging engineering or a related area
• Demonstrate a commitment to excellence in the packaging industry
• Be currently enrolled in the program
• Have a financial need
• Demonstrate extra-curricular involvement, such as athletics
• Have a recommendation from faculty

 

Students wishing to apply for this scholarship should submit an essay describing their interest in the packaging field, and their career goals to danny@pmmi.org The essay should clearly state the name of the applicant, address, phone number, email address, and school.

The deadline to apply for this scholarship is November 18, 2011. Any students planning to enroll in the 2012 spring semester are encouraged to apply.

For additional information, please contact Danny Martinez, PMMI Education Coordinator by Phone: 571-612-3204, Fax: 703-243-8556 or by e-mail at danny@pmmi.org.

 

Some Important Dates Coming up

If you have not yet completed a FAFSA for the 2011-2012 year, you can do so at www.fafsa.gov, the 2012-2013 FAFSA for next Fall will be avaliable January 1.

You should have the academic calendar bookmarked, but remember that your important dates can be found at http://www.gvltec.edu/academic_calendar.aspx

• October 17-Spring Semester 2012 online registration begins for returning students through GTC4me & WebAdvisor
• October 24-Spring Semester 2012 registration begins for new students who have completed orientation, and all non-degree students
• October 26-LAST DAY to withdraw from full-term Fall courses
• November 21 & 22-the ARC will close at 5pm
• November 23-25-College is closed for Thanksgiving holiday
• December 1-Enrollment Purge for non-payment for Spring
• December 6-12-Final Exams begin for Fall 2011 courses
• December 19-31-College is closed for Christmas holiday



Please note that the last day to Withdraw from a full semester Fall 2011 course with a "W" is October 26th.

Loans are currently being certified for current fall 2011 term. Please ensure that you have completed the Stafford Master Promissory Note at http://www.studentloans.gov/.  If your loan has already been processed, and you are making changes to your loan, please allow time for this to occur. There are others whose loan needs to be processed for the first time before changes can be made to already processed loans.
Also, if you are making changes to your loan, please do so on an award letter only. No exceptions.

If you have left a post previously and did not receive an answer please let us know what your question is.  You may also call 864-250-8128 or come by our office at McAlister Square.

Remember GTC4me has all Financial Aid Information. Under My Financial Aid Forms you can see if additional information is needed by our office, if your FAFSA is in and complete, if your award letter has been completed and if aid is posted. Additionally you can find out more information about Student Loans including how to apply for loans. Please check your GTC4me often http://gvltec.edu/about_college.aspx?id=7073

 

Student Loans:
If Fall Semester 2011 will be your first time getting loans, and you have not already done so, please complete the Stafford Entrance Counseling and Stafford Master Promissory Note at www.studentloans.gov also ensure that you submit an additional loan request form to our office.  The federal direct loan request form can be found under forms on our website http://www.gvltec.edu/forms/

LIFE Scholarship:
New Students:
Have you received your award letter but LIFE scholarship is not showing and you know that you are eligible? 

• Your high school transcript must be received and official with Admissions
• You must be registered for 12 credit hours of non-remedial (101 level or above) courses

Returning Students:

• Transcripts are currently being reviewed and processed, refer to GTC4me for updates

 

 

 

 

 

Financial Aid has begun the awarding process for 11-12 aid. Fall 2011 award letters will begin going out via mail over the next few weeks.

Please remember that your award letter will post to GTC4me http://gvltec.edu/about_college.aspx?id=7073&terms=gtc4me as well, so be sure to check there first!

If you are interested in obtaining a student loan for the Fall semester and have not already done so, please complete the Stafford Master Promissory Note and the Stafford Entrance Counseling at http://www.studentloans.gov/.

IF YOU COMPLETED THE MPN AND COUNSELING LAST YEAR YOU ARE NOT REQUIRED TO DO SO AGAIN.

If your award letter has already posted and no loans are listed, ensure that you complete the above steps and also submit a Federal Direct Loan Request form http://www.gvltec.edu/students.aspx?id=2825#FA to our office as soon as possible.

If you are a first time student and have received an award letter listing only SC Lottery Tuition but feel you are eligible for additional federal aid, please check with Admissions http://gvltec.edu/admissions_process.aspx?id=5920 to ensure that your OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT is on file and posted.

Summer 2011 Disbursements and Refunds

As we approach the 2011 summer term many of you will have questions about when your refund checks will be going out and what the amounts of these refunds will be. I will give you the best general knowledge that we have, but please bear in mind that every student is different, and your account may not be the same as another student. The tentative disbursement date is June 6, 2011. **Only students who have a file complete date on their 2010/2011 FAFSA will have funds transferred to their accounts.If you do not have a file complete date on your 2010/2011 FAFSA, contact the Financial Aid office to find out if there are any documents needed from you to complete processing. ** If you are receiving student loans please verify that you have completed entrance loan counseling and signed a Master Promissory Note with Direct Loans. You can complete both of these at http://studentloans.gov

Once financial aid funds have been applied to a students account in the Business Office, they will begin processing refunds. If you have Direct Deposit, these funds will be sent directly to your bank when refund checks go out, if you do not have Direct Deposit, they will be mailed to your address on file.









I hope this answers your questions regarding the disbursement date and refunds, if not, please leave a comment and I will answer asap.









Thanks for reading!

Impotant Dates To Remember For Summer 2011 Term

May 11, 2011    Maymester begins
May 12, 2011    Drop "ONLY" for Maymester (no add)
May 16, 2011    Summer classes begin
May 18, 2011    Last Day to ADD/DROP for full-term
                        [10-week] summer session
May 24, 2011    Last Day to Withdraw for Maymester
May 31, 2011    Last Day of class - Maymester
June 6, 2011     Summer Loan Disbursement Date
June 13, 2011    Pre-Registration begins for Fall 2011 term
June 24, 2011    Registration begins for Fall 2011 term
July 11, 2011     Last Day to submit SAP appeals for Summer 2011
June 30, 2011    Last Day to file 10/11 FAFSA for the 2010/2011
                        academic year
July 25, 2011     Last day to process Summer term  Loans
August 1, 2011  Last Day of class for full-term

Book Vouchers for Summer 2011 Term

Book vouchers for the Summer 2011 term will began on Tuesday, May 10, 2011 and end May 27, 2011. There should be a broadcast e-mail on the GTC4ME communucation portal with instructions for printing the voucher yourself, which we strongly suggest that you try to do first before coming to the Financial Aid office to have a book voucher issued. If when you print your book voucher it shows zeroes,  then we suggest that you come to the financial aid office to have a book voucher issued manually. I further advise you that if there is any question regarding the amount on your book voucher, I suggest that you contact the Financial Aid office before going to the bookstore.

Alexander Graham Bell Scholarship

AG Bell College Scholarship Awards Program

The Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (AG Bell) offers several scholarships for full-time students who are deaf and hard of hearing and who are pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree at an accredited mainstream college or university.

This is a merit-based scholarship program with award selection being extremely competitive. While the number and value of awards varies from year to year. In 2010, 144 eligible applications were received and 18 awards were granted, which ranged from $1,000 to $10,000.


2011 College Scholarship Program Eligibility Criteria

In order to be eligible for this program, applicants must meet all of the following criteria:

• Spoken communication must be the applicant's primary mode of communication.
• Hearing loss must have been diagnosed before the applicant’s fourth birthday.
• Hearing loss must be bilateral and in the moderate to profound range. Applicants must have an unaided Pure-Tone Average (PTA) of 60dB or greater in the better-hearing ear in the speech frequencies of 500, 1000 and 2000 Hz. Applicants with cochlear implants meet this eligibility requirement. Unilateral (one-sided) hearing loss does not qualify.

Formula for calculating the PTA
On the unaided audiogram, look at the results for the better hearing ear at 500, 1000 and 2000 Hz and add those three numbers together, then divide that total by three. The result is the Pure Tone Average. To be eligible for this award, the applicant’s PTA must be 60 or greater.

• Applicant must be enrolled in or have applied to a mainstream and accredited college/university as a full-time student.
• Applicants in the United States must have a minimum cumulative un-weighted GPA of 3.25 on a 4.0 scale (equivalent minimums: 4.06 on a 5.0 scale or 81.25 on a scale of 100). For high school seniors, this is a cumulative GPA for grades 9-11 and the first semester of grade 12. For college freshman, this is cumulative GPA for grades 9-12 and the first semester of college. For college sophomores or higher, it is the cumulative GPA on your college transcript for all semesters completed.

Students applying from countries other than the United States
Applicants must have a minimum 80% cumulative on their high school or secondary school transcripts.  For college outside of the United States, applicants must have a ranking equivalent to a minimum 3.25 GPA; for example, in the UK, Australia and India, a minimum of an Upper Second Class ranking is required.

PLEASE NOTE: We are very strict with the eligibility criteria. Without exception, applications that do not meet all of the criteria are screened out of the process and are not considered for an award.


Application

Click here for an application packet.


Application Deadline

The deadline for applications is March 15, 2011. All materials must arrive together in one package at AG Bell by 5 p.m. Eastern Time on March 15, 2011. Only transcripts sent directly from the educational institution will be accepted separately from the application.

Application package should be mailed/delivered to:
         2011 College Scholarship Program
         AG Bell
         3417 Volta Place, NW
         Washington, DC  20007

Please Note:

• AG Bell does not confirm receipt of applications. If you would like to know whether or not your application was received, you may choose to send your application using a service that can confirm delivery; please do not require a signature upon delivery. AG Bell does not accept any responsibility nor make exceptions for any delays that may occur due to delivery confirmation or a signature requirement.
• Late and incomplete applications will not be considered under any circumstances.
• Faxed applications will not be accepted under any circumstances.
• Applicants are encouraged to keep a photocopy of their application.
• Applications will not be returned for any reason.
• Please do not contact AG Bell seeking an exception.

Administrative Processes

In the weeks after the application deadline, all applications are screened for eligibility. Eligible applications are then forwarded to the award selection committee for review. Ineligible applications will be discarded.

Once the screening process is complete, applicants will be notified via email of the status of their applications – either the application is not eligible, or the application is being reviewed by the award selection committee. Applicants will also receive information about when they can expect to receive information about the award decisions.

Applicants not selected to receive an award will be notified by email only. Applicants selected to receive an award will be notified by email and will receive the award check in August 2011.