Paying for college

Financial Aid is money provided by various agencies (federal, state and local governments, universities, community organizations, and private corporations or individuals) to assist students in meeting the cost of attending college. It includes gift aid (grants and scholarships) and self-help aid (loans and student employment).

When you file the FAFSA, you are considered for all federal, state and institutional aid administered by the Financial Aid Office. One or more types of aid are awarded to make up the financial aid package. You will receive your award notification by email when your file is complete. 

NO! The amount of financial aid awarded is determined by the number of credit hours that the student is enrolled, but you DO NOT have to be full time (12 credit hours) to receive financial aid. You must be enrolled in 6+ credit hours to receive a student loan. If you are eligible for grant funds, your award will be adjusted based on your level of enrollment. 

The Student Aid Index (SAI) is an eligibility index number that the Financial Aid Office uses to determine how much federal student aid you will receive. The number results from information provided on your FAFSA. It’s not a dollar amount of aid eligibility or what your family is expected to provide. 

Financial need is the difference in the cost of attendance (COA) and the Student Aid Index (SAI) number determined from FAFSA information). 

COA – SAI = Financial Need 

Each year you need to begin the financial aid filing process for the new year. 

Call the Financial Aid Office at 330-494-6170, ext. 4301. Student requirements, financial aid status, and awards can be viewed through mySSC by checking under My Financial Aid >> Financial Aid Home >> Your Financial Aid Dashboard. 

Not necessarily. For the 2024-25 school year, to be considered an independent student for purposes of financial aid, you must be able to answer yes to at least one of the following statements: 

1. For the 2024-25 school year, the student was born before January 1, 2001. 

2. The student is married. 

3. The student has a child or children who receive more than half their support from the student. 

4. The student has dependents (other than a child or spouse) who receive more than half their support from the student, and who also live with the student. 

5. The student is enrolled as a graduate or professional student (pursuing a master’s degree or doctoral degree). 

6. The student is a qualified veteran of the U.S. military or currently serving on active duty in the U.S. armed forces for purposes other than training. 

7. The student is an orphan (both parents deceased) or ward of the court or in foster care at any time after turning age 13 or was a ward of the court until age 18. 

8. The student is/was in legal guardianship. 

9. The student is/was an emancipated minor. 

10. The student was an unaccompanied youth who was homeless or at risk of being homeless on or after July 1, 2023. 

11. The student has special and unusual extenuating circumstances that can be documented for his or her college financial aid administrators, who may then request a “dependency override” on the FAFSA application. (Note: Exceptions are granted very rarely and only in extreme cases.) Students should contact the financial aid office at the school they will be attending for additional information. 

If you cannot answer “yes” to any of these statements and you feel there are circumstances that warrant you as an independent student, call or stop by the Financial Aid Office to set up an appointment so we can review your situation.

The Department of Education selects approximately 30% of all FAFSA applicants for a process called verification. If you are selected, you will be asked to complete a verification worksheet and provide copies of your tax returns to the Stark State College Financial Aid Office. Spouse or parents’ information and other documents may also be requested. Verification must be completed before financial aid eligibility can be determined. 

Students with bachelor’s degrees may still apply for the Federal Work-Study Program, Federal Stafford Loan and Federal Unsubsidized Stafford Loan by filing a FAFSA. These students are not eligible for the Pell or SEOG grants.

Students who are divorced or separated should not include their ex-spouse’s income on the FAFSA. For more information on detailed or complicated questions, please contact a Stark State College Financial Aid Representative. 

Yes. A student should include their spouse’s information on the FAFSA if they are married at the time the application is completed. If separate federal income tax returns were filed, combine the adjusted gross incomes from the tax returns and include them on the appropriate line of the FAFSA. Do the same for the amount of taxes paid and other amounts. 

We recognize that the FAFSA may not always accurately reflect your financial situation and/or dependency status. Although considerations for specific situations are limited, we may be able to give additional consideration for certain situations as described below. 

• Special circumstances refer to the financial situations that justify an aid administrator adjusting your FAFSA to accurately represent your family’s current financial situation. 

• Unusual circumstances refer to the conditions that justify an aid administrator making an adjustment to a student’s dependency status based on a unique situation, more commonly referred to as a dependency override. 

A student may have both a special circumstance and an unusual circumstance. Financial aid administrators may make adjustments that are appropriate to each student’s situation with appropriate documentation. 

Yes. You need to complete the appropriate FAFSA by March 1 to have your aid ready for the summer. After you have been awarded, you can log into mySSC and you will need to answer ‘YES’ to the pop-up asking if you plan to attend summer semester. Within 48 business hours, your award will be adjusted to add summer term. You can then accept any loans you wish to borrow; Pell will automatically be accepted.

Standards of Academic Progress is a Federal Policy that the school is required to enforce to ensure that you are making progress toward your degree. Please refer to the Standards of Progress Policy for Stark State College.

If your address has changed, you need to immediately update your address with the Academic Records/Registrar’s Office. This can be done via the mySSC portal or by filing a form in the Academic Records/Registrar’s Office. 

If you have excess money after tuition and fees are paid, you can be issued a refund. Please keep in mind that all students approved for Federal Direct Loans will have their loan funds paid out in two equal disbursements during each semester. If the first disbursement of your loan funds (combined with other applicable financial aid or out-of-pocket payments) is not enough to cover the full balance of your student account, you will not be issued a refund at that time. How your individual credit balance will be handled is based on the selections you make when filing your Title IV Authorization Form. If you are eligible for a refund, you will need to set up your refund preference online on mySSC. How do I set up my refund method? It’s easy. All you need is your bank account number and routing number or debit card number, then: 

1. Log in to mySSC. 

2. Click the myBill+payment link. 

3. Click on the Refunds tab. 

4. Follow the instructions on the screen to sign up for direct deposit to your bank account or a prepaid/debit card. 

Attendance and academic performance are important. Withdrawing or ceasing attendance before the 60% point of the term will cause you to owe the College and/or the Department of Education money. Also, you will jeopardize your future eligibility for financial aid. Please see Gateway Student Services before any withdrawal so that you may be made aware of the potential impact of your decision. 

The Financial Aid Office will contact you through your Stark State email and provide you with access to mySSC. It’s important you check your student email account daily for updates.