Fall 2010 Disbursements and Refunds

It is that time again!

The Fall semester is already in full swing and we are busy working on verification processing, loan processing, and generally trying to play catch up from the rush of Fall Registration.

I know that 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 disbursement date was September 7th. This means that the financial aid funds were applied to student accounts yesterday. The process actually ran last night, and is continuing to run. It should be completed by this evening. **Only students who have a file complete date and have accepted awards on their award letter, will have funds transferred to their accounts.**

If your student loans have not been applied to your account, please verify that you have completed entrance loan counseling and a Master Promissory Note with Direct Loans. You can complete both of these at http://studentloans.gov

**If you have had loans in previous semesters and completed an MPN with a private lender, you will still need to complete a new MPN with Direct Loans.**

These funds have been applied to student account in the Business Office and they will now begin processing refunds. Once the funds reach a student's account, they have 10 business days to issue a refund. 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!

Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant

If you have a Estimated Family Contribution (EFC) between 0-200, you may be eligible for the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG). This grant is a federal need based grant, similar to the Pell Grant.

If you have received your 2010-2011 Award Letter and were not awarded FSEOG, please e-mail Tonya Davis to be added to the waiting list. Tonya can be reached at:

Tonya.Davis@Gvltec.edu

If you are eligible, this is an excellent grant opportunity that you should take advantage of!

Federal College Work - Study Program

The Federal Work-Study Program:

Comprised of both federal and college funds, this program is designed to help students who would be unable to pursue or continue their studies unless they earned part of their expenses.

— Students in this program work an average of 20-30 hours per week. While assignment of Federal Work-Study jobs related to the student’s field of study is desirable, this is not a requirement and often is not possible. Jobs vary and may include working in offices, laboratories and the library, or as peer counselors, teachers’ aides and reading tutors.

— Being eligible for work-study does not guarantee a spot in the program.

GTC Work-Study Application

The Requirements for Work-Study:

— Demonstrate need for gainful employment (under program's Federal guidelines).

— Maintain a 2.0 GPA minimum.

— Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress as required by college policy

— Must be enrolled in a minimum of 6 credit hours in a valid program consisting of at least 16 credit hours.

GTC Work-Study Application

Work-Study Facts:

· The Work-Study year begins July 1^st. Contracts run from July 1^st to June 30^th the next year.

· The Work-Study Coordinator begins renewing contracts in April of each year.

o Student’s financial aid file must be complete to have contract renewed.

· Student’s interested in work study must have a completed financial aid file when they apply as well.

o You must apply each academic year for Work-study. (if your name has been on the current list, you may contact the FWS coordinator and ask that your name be added to new list – financial aid file must be complete)

· If chosen for a job, you may NOT begin working until you have a signed contract. You will need an appointment with the work-study coordinator to complete the new hire process.

o The supervisor that chooses to hire you will complete a job placement form and send to the FWS coordinator. You will then be contacted by the FWS coordinator for an appointment time.

· Work-Study time is to be submitted by the last business day of each month. (except in June and December: you will receive emails regarding the deadline for these two months) It is extremely important that you have your time submitted on time if you want to be paid on time. Remember – it is your responsibility to submit your time!

**Currently: I am renewing contracts for 10-11 and reviewing applications. A FWS student may not work after June 30^th if they have not renewed their contract.

You can download a GTC Federal Work-Study Application here

SC American Water Works Association Scholarship

The SCAWWA has just informed us of a new scholarship opportunity!!

The deadline for Application is December 31st, so it is not too late to apply.

Here is a link to the application if you are interested: SC AWWA Scholarship

Please send all completed applications to DJ Wetzel, in the Financial Aid office.

Your applications will be sent on to SCAWWA for review.

Additional Scholarships Deadline October 1st!!

***The deadline for this scholarship opportunity has expired, but please continue to check back for more opportunities!!

Here is some great information on new scholarship opportunities:


We have seven available scholarships through my partners, each awarding $500. The scholarships are available to students who are working towards degrees in various fields. These are for the 2010-2011 school year, with the deadline on all scholarships being October 1, 2010.

I have listed the partners below that are offering scholarships:

1. Medical Billing and Coding $500 Healthcare Scholarship
http://www.medicalbillingandcoding.org/academic-scholarship/

2. Medical Assistant Schools $500 Healthcare Scholarship
http://www.medicalassistantschools.org/academic-scholarship/

3. Clara Barton $500 Nursing Scholarship
http://www.onlinenursingprograms.net/academic-scholarship/

4. Albert Einstein $500 Academic Scholarship – Masters and Doctoral Students
http://www.onlinephdprograms.com/academic-scholarship/

5. Online Education $500 Science Scholarship
http://www.onlineeducation.net/academic-scholarship/

6. Sir Isaac Newton $500 Honors Scholarship
http://www.onlineschools.org/academic-scholarship/

7. Online MBA $500 Business Scholarship
http://www.onlinemba.com/academic-scholarship/

Feel free to browse the sites, including our own at http://www.curledwire.com.

New Scholarships!!!

The Scholarship Deadline is April 1, 2011 for these upcoming scholarships. Start Early!!

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Nursing and Medical Assisting - Associate Degree Scholarship http://degreedirectory.org/pages/Nursing_and_Medical_Assisting_Associates_Degree_Scholarship.html

A $500 scholarship for students who are interested in pursuing associate level degrees and certificates related to Nursing, Medical Assisting, Medical Laboratory Technology, Physical Therapy, Veterinary Technology, Radiologic Technology and others.

Art and Design - Associate Degree Scholarship http://degreedirectory.org/pages/Art_and_Design_Associates_Degree_Scholarship.html

A $500 scholarship for students who are interested in pursuing associate level degrees related to Art, Computer Aided Design, Fashion Design, Visual Communications, Interior Design, Computer Graphics and others.

Computer Technology and Information Systems - Associate Degree Scholarship http://degreedirectory.org/pages/Computer_Technology_and_Information_Systems_Associates_Degree_Scholarship.html

A $500 scholarship for students who are interested in pursuing associate level degrees and certificates related to Computer Science, Information Technology, Computer Networking, Computer Software, Database Technology, Information Security and others.

Online Associate Degree Scholarship

http://degreedirectory.org/pages/Online_Associates_Degree_Scholarship.html

A $500 scholarship for full-time or part-time students who are interested in pursuing any online associate level degree.

Please let me know if you have any questions about our scholarships and I'd be happy to help. You can also learn more about our site DegreeDirectory.org by visiting our "About Us" page or by clicking on our Better Business Bureau Accreditation seal.

Summer 2010 Book Vouchers

As the Spring 2010 semester wraps up we are all looking ahead to the Summer 2010 semester! If you are taking classes this summer and you receive financial aid, then you are probably already aware of the many changes in financial aid this year surrounding the Summer semester.

For starters, if you are a Pell grant recipient and you came full time in Fall and Spring, you may be eligible to receive an additional Pell disbursement this summer.

The deadline to apply for a Summer only student loan is June 11. If you know that you are going to need a student loan for Summer 2010, make sure to get your request completed before this date.

Book vouchers for Summer 2010 start TODAY! If you have received additional awards after your tuition has been paid, you may be able to access these funds to purchase your textbooks. Simply login to your Campus Cruiser account, go to Web Advisor, and find the Book Voucher tab on the left hand column. Print this voucher out and bring it to any GTC Campus bookstore to purchase textbooks using your financial aid excess funds.

Also, remember to file your 2010-2011 FAFSA if you have not done so already! The priority deadline has already passed, but you are still encouraged to file your FAFSA if you plan on enrolling in Fall 2010.

As always, please leave a comment or a question regarding any financial aid information!