Apply for Financial Aid
How to Apply for Aid at MCC
There are a variety of Financial Aid options available at MCC.
In order to be considered for financial assistance students must do the following:
Application for Admission
Be accepted for admission to the College as a regular student. New students must complete and submit an “Application for Admission” to the Admissions Office.
Complete the “Free Application for Federal Student Aid” (FAFSA).
Remember to release your information to Muskegon Community College, college code #002297. After submission, we will receive an electronic Student Aid Report (SAR). A valid SAR is a requirement for all aid programs based on financial need.
- File online at www.fafsa.gov. Filing electronically on the Web is easier, faster, more accurate, and completely secure. Warning: Scam artists sometimes approach students and offer to complete FAFSA forms for payment. Do not fall for this fraudulent activity.
- Watch this video about how to complete the FAFSA
- Watch this video for the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (DRT) process! We recommend you use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool that is part of FAFSA on the Web.
- We recommend that you (and parent if dependent) sign your application electronically with a FSA ID number. To register for an ID, go to FAFSA signature page setup.
Financial Aid Self-Serve
Check your Financial Aid Self-Serve account on the MyMCC web portal. Immediately respond to any requests. Additional documentation, including copies of federal tax return transcripts, may be needed to complete your financial aid file.
Results
An Award Letter notification will be emailed when your Award Letter is available to view on MyMCC Self-Service Financial Aid.
Admission and financial aid paper applications may be obtained or linked to from our website. In order to receive full consideration for financial assistance, completed applications must be on file at the College by the following dates:
| Semester | Date |
|---|---|
| Fall Semester | May 1 |
| Winter Semester | October 1 |
| Summer Sessions | March 1 |
Applications received after these dates will be considered on a first-come, first-served basis, if funds are available.
Most financial aid is awarded for only one academic year at a time. Students must submit new applications in order to receive consideration in a subsequent year.
Who is eligible to receive federal student aid?
To be eligible to receive federal student aid, the student must meet certain requirements. The student must be:
- A U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen
- Attending a participating college
- Working toward a degree or certificate
- Making satisfactory academic progress
- The student must not owe a refund on a federal grant or be in default on a federal education loan
- The student must have financial need (except for unsubsidized Stafford Loans)
Is my application information safe on the Internet?
Yes. The student’s application is safe on the Internet. FAFSA on the Web, in conjunction with your supported browser, uses Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol to establish a secure session between your browser and the FAFSA on the Web server. All information passed by you to the FAFSA on the Web server will be scrambled through a process called encryption. WARNING: Scam artists sometimes approach students and offer to complete FAFSA forms for payment. Do not fall for this fraudulent activity.
What is a FSA ID?
The FSA ID is a code that students and parents can use to:
- Sign the FAFSA, the Renewal FAFSA or FAFSA Corrections on the Web electronically (no paper signature page required).
- View the status and/or results of the student’s FAFSA, Renewal FAFSA, or FAFSA Corrections on the Web over the Internet.
- Access the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) Web site (www.nslds.ed.gov) and view information about loans and other federal student aid the student may have received.
The FSA ID is similar to the PIN used to access a bank account. To protect the privacy of the information the student is submitting, the student (and parent) must keep his or her FSA ID a secret.
If the student is a dependent student, one of the student’s parents should also have his or her own FSA ID to electronically sign the student’s FAFSA and make any corrections the student might need to make to it. If the student’s parents have more than one child in college, they only need one ID for all of the students.
Is electronic filing really faster?
Electronic filing is faster than filing a paper FAFSA. The process may be as much as 7-14 days faster if the student uses a PIN to electronically sign the application as soon as he or she completes it. Submitting the FAFSA using the Web eliminates delays that can occur from mailing. Also, FAFSA on the Web edits the application before transmitting it to the U.S. Department of Education, ensuring that the application is ready to be processed.
How does the student answer the tax questions if the student (or the student’s parents) don’t file a tax return?
If the student will not file a tax return, the student should answer “Will Not File”. The student will then be taken to income earned from work, where he or she should enter any monies earned from a job that is listed as taxed on a W-2 form. The student should then answer only those income questions that apply to him or her from that point on.
If the student’s parents will not file a tax return, respond to “Have your parents filed a tax return?” the same way.
How does the student answer the tax questions if the student is (or the student’s parents are) separated, divorced, or widowed?
If the student is separated, divorced, or widowed, he or she may have filed a joint tax return. However, for the tax questions on the FAFSA, even if the student filed a joint return, the student should separate his or her tax information from the student’s spouse’s tax information, as if the student filed a single return.
If the student is providing information about a parent, answer his or her tax questions in the same manner.
What can the student do if the student and the student’s family have unusual circumstances?
The student must fill out the FAFSA accurately and completely to the best of his or her knowledge as of the date the student is completing it.
If the student and his or her family have unusual circumstances that the student believes are not adequately reflected on the FAFSA (for example, medical bills or unemployment), the student should contact the financial aid office at the school he or she will be attending.
The student doesn’t talk to his or her parents. What should the student do?
If the student cannot answer Yes to at least one question in the Student Status Step of the FAFSA, the student will not be able to complete the online FAFSA without providing his or her parents’ financial information. If the student does not have contact with his or her parents, the student needs to speak to the school’s financial aid office. They will be able to provide the student with options. We recommend that the student speak to the school before filling out the FAFSA.
It’s so easy to apply – no extra forms needed to request summer financial aid!
If you are planning to enroll for summer classes and you wish to be considered for the maximum amount of financial assistance, you should..
Complete FAFSA
Complete the 2024-2025 year FAFSA.
Review MyMCC account
Review your MyMCC account for updates.
Go to “WebAdvisor for Students” – “Financial Aid” – “Financial Aid Checklist” to look for any outstanding items requested by the Financial Aid Office or to review your award letter. Make sure you are reviewing the Fall 2024 – Summer 2025 award year.
Complete Application
Complete a separate Loan Request or Student Employment application if needed.
Enrollment
Enroll in your summer classes before the semester census date of June 1.
Year-Round Pell Grant
Great news! You can now receive an extra payment of your annual Pell Grant award, making you eligible for a third full-time payment. Or you can enroll half-time (6 – 11 credits) in the summer and be eligible for a prorated award. You may receive Pell grant payments for as many as 18 semesters. All Year-Round Pell Grant awards received will count toward your aggregate lifetime limit.
Eligibility for summer financial aid is determined from the 2024-2025 FAFSA application. Additionally, you must be in good standing of the Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) policies.
You will be considered for the following aid:
Pell Grant
You may receive up to three full-time Pell Grant payments in a year if you have lifetime eligibility remaining.
College Work Study
You must be enrolled in a minimum of 6 credits. Priority is given to students who are already working in the CWS program.
Michigan TIP Program
You must be enrolled in a minimum of 6 credits.
Direct Stafford loans
You must be enrolled in a minimum of 6 credits. Requires a separate loan request application completed from MCC’s financial aid website.
Promise Scholarship
No worries…if you have any remaining eligibility, we will update your summer award.
To be eligible, you must be enrolled as a “regular student” in an eligible program of study. A regular student is someone who is enrolled or accepted for enrollment for the purpose of obtaining a degree or certificate offered by MCC. Guest students are not eligible for all federal and some state financial aid programs.
Finally, you must register for ALL of your summer classes prior to the census date.
Summer 2025 Semester Important Dates:
- Begin Priority Web Advisor Registration – March 10, 2025
- Begin Open Web Advisor Registration – March 14, 2025
- First Tuition Payment Due Date – April 16, 2025
- Financial Aid Available for Bookstore Purchases (Eligible Students Only) – May 12-30, 2025
- Last day for SAP Financial Aid Appeals – May 15, 2025 by 12:00 p.m. Noon
- Semester Start Date – May 19, 2025
- Last Day to Sign up for the Tuition Payment Plan – June 3, 2025
- Census Date – June 3, 2025
Requesting Special Consideration at MCC
If you (and/or your family) believe to have unusual circumstances that might affect your need for financial aid, you must first complete and submit the *FAFSA to the federal processor. Then complete and submit a “Special Consideration Request Form” to the financial aid office. In some cases, we may decide to take these unusual circumstances into account and adjust your cost of attendance or the information used to calculate your Expected Family Contribution (EFC). You must provide adequate proof to support any special circumstances.
Possible examples of unusual circumstances include:
- Separation/divorce after you have completed the FAFSA
- A family member who recently became unemployed
- A one time cash payment
- Changes in income or assets that may affect the student’s eligibility for financial aid
To request a re-evaluation: print, complete and submit the appropriate “Special Consideration Request Form” explaining your situation along with all supporting documentation.
Fall 2024 – Summer 2025
*FAFSA-Free Application for Federal Student Aid. We will not be able to process a request for Special Consideration until after you have a verified, completed financial aid file on record with the Financial Aid Office.
Helpful Websites
College.GOV
Federal School Codes
Free Application for Student Aid (FAFSA on the Web)
Michigan Student Financial Aid Association (MSFAA) – Student Resources
Register for a FSA ID (electronic signature)
Studentaid.gov
Tax Information for Students
U.S. Department of Education
YouTube – Advice from current college students
Online Dynamic Forms – Access from your MyMCC Web Portal
