Financial Aid Frequently Asked Questions

• Complete the 2023-2024 FAFSA or CA Dream Act, if you will be attending during the Summer 2023, Fall 2023, and/or Spring 2024.
• Complete the 2024-2025 FAFSA or CA Dream Act if you will be attending during the Summer 2024, Fall 2024, and/or Spring 2025. 

*Please note: Priority deadline for 2024-2025 FAFSA and CA Dream Act is March 2, 2024.

How do I apply for Financial Aid?   
The FAFSA application is located at https://studentaid.gov/ and the federal school code is 001246.

The Dream Act application for undocumented students is located at https://dream.csac.ca.gov/landing and the MSJC school code is 00124600.

You MUST meet at least one of the following conditions to be considered independent:

• Turn 24 years old within the academic year 
• You will be enrolled in a master's or doctorate program at the beginning of the school year
• You are married as of the day you apply
• You have children who receive more than half their support from you
• You have dependents (other than your children or spouse) who live with you and who receive more than half their support from you 
• At any time since the age of 13, both of your parents were deceased, you were in foster care, or you were a dependent or ward of the court
• You are currently serving on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces for purposes other than training
• You are a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces
• You are or were an emancipated minor as determined by a court in your state of legal residence
• You are or were in legal guardianship as determined by a court in your state of legal residence
• You were determined to be an unaccompanied youth who was homeless by your high school or school district liaison
• You were determined to be an unaccompanied youth who was homeless by the director of an emergency shelter or transitional housing program funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
• You were determined to be an unaccompanied youth who was homeless or were self-supporting and at risk of being homeless by the director of a runaway or homeless youth basic center or transitional living program

Yes, we encourage all students to apply for financial aid! Whether you believe you qualify or not, there are several aid resources available to assist students with educational expenses. Plus, it’s FREE to apply! Apply now at StudentAid.Gov or CA Dream Act.

Yes, undocumented students may be considered for state, institutional, and scholarship aid opportunities. Visit State Financial Aid for a list of eligible aid programs.

What is the California DREAM Act Application?

The passage of AB131 authorized state funded financial aid to AB540 eligible students.  If you are an undocumented AB540 student, you may complete the CA Dream Act application to be considered for financial aid.  

The Expected Family Contribution (EFC) is a number used by your school to calculate how much financial aid you are eligible to receive.  This index number is a result of the financial information provided on your financial aid application.  Your EFC is not the amount of money your family will have to pay for college, nor is it the amount of federal student aid you will receive.

Your FSA ID confirms your identity when you access financial aid information and is used to electronically sign Federal Student Aid documents.  If you do not already have an FSA ID, create an FSA ID.

I previously created an FSA ID and password, but I forgot my information. Can I create a new account to renew my FAFSA or make corrections to current FAFSA?

If you previously created an account, you will not be able to create a new account,  but will be able to reset any password or username by clicking “forgot my password”. If you no longer have access to the email or phone number previously used, please contact FAFSA at 1- (800)- 433-3243. 

Students may also elect to sign the application manually by printing out the signature page and mailing it to the central processor. If you are experiencing technical difficulties, you may contact 1 (800) 433-3243.  

*Note that manual signatures have extended processing times.

No, you don’t need to be accepted for admissions to apply for financial aid, however, students must be admitted and enrolled in order to receive any financial aid for which they are eligible for.  The FAFSA and CA DREAM Act applications open every year on October 1st for the upcoming academic year. We encourage students to apply early to ensure their applications are received and active before their registration appointment. For important enrollment dates and deadlines visit the Enrollment Services webpage.

Verification is a secondary review process in which files are selected at random to check certain data elements on the FAFSA or CADAA.  If your file is selected for verification, the school is required to verify the information reported. Your SAR will tell you if you are selected for verification and your school will notify you via student email or Self-Service.

Students may complete and submit any outstanding tasks online using our secure document upload, StudentForms.  

Within StudentForms, all MSJC students have access to:   

• Complete financial aid forms on any phone, tablet, or computer 
• Securely upload documents from any device 
• E-sign documents—both student and/or parent(s)  
• Manage financial aid tasks online 
• Request SAP, Dependency Override, or Income Reduction Appeals 
• Receive automated reminders about outstanding tasks and next steps 

Visit StudentForms to register your account and get started! 

Mt. San Jacinto College Financial Aid Office considers 12 or more units as full-time for the Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters. Please see the Disbursement Schedule for a detailed breakdown of enrollment statuses below 12 units.

The Federal School code for the FAFSA is 001246.  The Federal School Code for CADAA is 00124600. Please note: Only schools listed on your FAFSA or CA DREAM Act will receive your application.

Federal and State regulations require that students seeking financial aid must demonstrate Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) toward a published degree objective and ensure progress toward the degree for all periods of enrollment whether or not the student has received financial aid. MSJC SAP Standards requires students to: Maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0, complete a cumulative 67% of attempted units, and complete their education program within 150% of the minimum required units.

The FAFSA gives specific criteria for determining when a student may file for federal aid without using parental income information. Please see “What makes me an independent student?” for more information. However, if there are other extenuating circumstances, you may be eligible for a Dependency Appeal.  Please feel free to contact the Financial Aid Office for further assistance.

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) is a federal privacy law that protects your educational records, and prohibits the Office of Financial Aid from disclosing your financial aid information without your authorization. If you wish to authorize release of information to someone else, you may do so by submitting a Consent to Release form.

Your Financial Aid Checklist in Self-Service will display the documents being requested to complete your financial aid file.

Students may check their Financial Aid status on Self-Service. In Self-Service, students may view their FA Checklist for outstanding documents, Offer Letter, and SAP (Satisfactory Academic Progress) status.

It takes roughly 3-5 business days to appear on a student's file after submission for the current academic year.

How do I view my Financial Aid Status? 

Students may check their Financial Aid status on Self-Service. In Self-Service, students may view their FA Checklist for outstanding documents, Offer Letter, and SAP (Satisfactory Academic Progress) status.

Some eligible programs of study for financial are AA, AS, and Certificate programs. Please see the MSJC Course Catalog for a list of eligible programs.   

You will not receive a 1098-T form if your tuition fees were waived by the California College Promise Grant or a K-12 fee waiver.   If you are eligible to receive the 1098T form, you will be able to access this via Self-Service beginning January 31^st, if you have one available to you.  

Once you submit your FAFSA, please allow 3-5 business days for your application to be processed and sent to us.  If you log into your Self-Service and your Financial Aid Checklist does not reflect "Submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)” as complete, it may be due to one of the following reasons:

1. MSJC's school code was not included on your financial aid application
2. You may have completed the wrong application for the current school year or are under the wrong academic year on Self Service
3. Your social security number does not match what is on your FAFSA and the MSJC Enrollment Application
4. You did not put your social security number on your admissions application

If you do not see a CA College Promise Grant awarded on your Self-Service Financial Aid Offer Letter, it may be due to one of the following reasons:

1.  Your FAFSA or CA Dream Act application has not been received
2. You are not considered a CA resident or AB540/ exempt group
3. Based on your FAFSA, you do not demonstrate a financial "need"
4. You have been placed on Academic Dismissal

If you paid for your courses out of pocket and have been awarded the CA College Promise Grant, you should automatically be rebilled.  The refund takes 3-4 weeks to be processed and issued back to the original method of payment.  If a debit or credit card were used, the funds will be returned to the same card.  If cash or money order were used, a check will be mailed to the address on file.

Students need to select a refund preference with BankMobile Disbursements, a technology solution, powered by BMTX, Inc.

Students will receive instructions on how to select their refund preference from BankMobile Disbursements, a technology solution, powered by BMTX, Inc. Visit this link for more information: https://bankmobiledisbursements.com/refundchoices/.