Three Hot Tips To Make The Financial Aid Process Go More Smoothly

1. Fill out a South Suburban College application for admission (Adobe Reader Required).
2. Bring in an official copy of your High School transcripts or GED scores.
3. Fill out a free Application for Federal Student Aid online, or pick up a copy, fill it out, and return it to our Financial Aid Office along with copies of your and your parents 2005 taxes.

Student Designations:

• Full-time student - Anyone enrolled in 12 or more credit hours or their equivalent.
• Half-time student - Anyone enrolled in 6 to 11 credit hours or their equivalent.
• Part-time student - Anyone enrolled in less than 6 credit hours or their equivalent.

Financial Aid

The College provides a comprehensive program of student financial assistance consisting of scholarships, grants and employment. These programs may be offered singly or in various combinations to assist qualified full-time or half-time students (taking at least six credit hours) in meeting their financial needs. Information about these programs and services may be obtained from the Office of Financial Aid.

All students applying for financial assistance are asked to complete the Federal Application for Student Aid and indicate on the application that information is to be sent to the state agency. Students are encouraged to make early application for financial assistance.

Note: Students who want to be considered for the Pell Grant, Illinois State Monetary Award Program, College Work Study and Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG) must be a high school graduate or have passed a high school equivalency (GED) test.

Defaulted Student Loans
Students who have been declared in default of their Federal or State student loan are not eligible for Federal or State financial aid. These students must pay their own tuition in order to attend the College.

Private Scholarships and Grants

Scholarships are an additional source of financial assistance that many students can take advantage of. FastWeb's free scholarship search includes more than 500,000 scholarships worth more than $1 billion. FastWeb is provided completely free and South Suburban College is a proud FastWeb member school. Click here to search for scholarships on FastWeb!

Here's another site (supercollege.com) providing ideas and sources of funding to college students. Click on the "Find Scholarships" tab at the top of their page.

Listed below are some of the scholarships and grants made possible by area businesses, individuals and government agencies. The list may change due to availability of funding.

• South Suburban College Foundation Returning Adult Scholarships
• Aramark CTS / John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital Scholarship Program
• Carol Manning Student Assistance Fund
• Chicago Southland Chamber of Commerce Ron Milnes Scholarship
• Citizens Financial Services Scholarship
• Dean Sayre/Vanguard Tour Service Scholarship
• Francis Meyer - Bank Calumet Scholarship
• GELATINE USA – Chicago Gelatine Scholarships
• George Dammer Scholarship for G.E.D. Graduates
• Grace Lefebvre Scholarship
• Illinois Health Improvement Association (IHIA) Scholarships
• J. Albert Kindig Memorial Scholarship
• John Slager Sr. Memorial Scholarship
• McKendree College/Illinois Community College System Foundation Scholarship Partnership
• Norma Rooney Scholarship
• Riverdale Chamber of Commerce Scholarship
• River Oaks Lincoln Mercury Scholarship
• Terrence Wright Memorial Scholarship
• Theda Hambright Scholarships
• Visual Arts Scholarships — Sponsored by UPS Scholarship

SSC's Scholarship Opportunities

Board of Trustees Scholarships

The South Suburban College Board of Trustees awards two-year tuition scholarship to outstanding high school seniors who are in the top 15 percent of their high school graduating class or have a grade point average of at least 3.5 on a 4.0 grading scale. Recipients must attend high school within District 510 or reside in the district while attending another high school. Recipients are subject to renewal at the end of each semester and must maintain at least a 3.0 (B) grade point average.

Additional web sites that students will find helpful:

• US Department of Education - Financial Aid
• Access America for Students
• College Zone (Illinois Student Assistance Commission)

The UPS Earn and Learn Program is a student financial assistance package offered to students who work part-time at UPS. What's that really mean to you? If you attend or plan on attending South Suburban College, the program will most likely cover the entire cost of your education. And what's more, UPS has partnered with South Suburban to help keep the financial paperwork simple. To find out more about the Earn and Learn Program, contact the UPS representative for South Suburban College at 708-225-5827 or visit us at www.upsearnandlearn.com.

Grants

Pell Grant - For students who demonstrate financial need.

Illinois Student Assistance Commission (Monetary Award) - For full-time and half-time students AR SSC. Tuition grants are based on family financial need to cover the costs of in-district tuition.

Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG) - For students with exceptional financial need. Priority is given to Pell Grant recipients.

Federal Work/Study Program (On-Campus Employment)

Students must complete the financial aid form to be eligible for Federal on-campus employment.

Work/study students are limited in earnings and hours that they may work at College jobs and must maintain six or more credit hours of study at South Suburban College to remain employed.

Students interested in campus jobs should contact the Office of Financial Aid to confirm eligibility and apply for openings as they become available.

SGA/Cofer Emergency Book Loan Program

Limited funds are available under this program. Short-term loans are provided to eligible students for the purchase of books and supplies.

Students must have a minimum GPA of 2.0 or above and have earned at least 12 credit hours to be considered for this book loan.

Veterans Benefits

According to Federal and State guidelines, a veteran must maintain satisfactory academic progress in order to be eligible to receive assistance.

Illinois Veterans Scholarship-An honorably discharged veteran may qualify for a State Military Scholarship, which pays in-district tuition for veterans who entered service while residing in Illinois, returned to Illinois within six months after separation or served a minimum of one year active duty.

G.I. Bill
Veterans may receive special assistance in applying for GI Bill benefits. It is the veteran's responsibility to notify the office regarding periods of enrollment, number of credit hours enrolled for and any charges that would affect the benefits.

Student Employment

Anyone interested in obtaining work study employment should register with the Office of Financial Aid by filling out a brief personal inventory form. Students who want to work on campus in work-study jobs must file the financial aid form.

Federal and State Financial Aid Academic Satisfactory Progress

According to federal and state guidelines, a student must maintain satisfactory academic progress in order to be eligible to receive financial assistance. South Suburban College has established the following standards in order for a student to receive federal and/or state financial aid.

A student who becomes enrolled in less than 12 credit hours per semester because of either withdrawal from class(es), officially or unofficially, may receive a reduction in financial aid dependent upon the particular eligibility requirements for the program. In addition, students who withdraw from classes during the 100 percent refund period will only receive aid for the total number of hours registered for after that period.

Note: Hours attempted is defined as the total credit hours a student is enrolled in on the final day of the 100 percent refund period during a given semester.

Policy

I. Completion Rate Requirement-To receive and maintain eligibility for financial aid, a student must complete at least 66-2/3 percent of hours attempted.

II. Grade Point Average Requirement-To be eligible for financial assistance a student must maintain a 2.0 cumulative grade point average. This grade point average standard is an academic measure of a student's progress toward completion of a particular program. Federal regulations require the College to take into account a student's academic performance throughout their course of study, regardless of whether the student received financial aid.

III. Maximum Time Frame Requirement-Students may receive financial aid until they have attempted 90 semester hours of credit from the College. The exception will be those degree programs that require at least 70 credit hours to graduate. In these cases, financial aid will be granted up to 105 credit hours attempted.

IV. Academic Forgiveness-All attempted hours are included in the satisfactory progress calculation.

Ramifications

Financial aid recipients' satisfactory progress is evaluated after the completion of each academic semester. Evaluations will be based on courses completed at SSC. Should the evaluations indicate the terms of the policy have not been met, the student will be placed on Financial Aid Probation for one semester, during which time aid will continue to be disbursed. Students failing to comply with the Satisfactory Progress Standards at the conclusion of their financial aid probation will be denied future financial aid. Grades earned of A, B, C, D, or P is considered completed grades. Incompletes and withdrawals are not considered complete grades. Audits, proficiency tests and noncredit courses are not included in the total number of credit hours attempted and therefore are not considered toward credit hour completion. Remedial courses, up to 30 hours are not counted toward credit hour completion.

Evaluation and Appeal Procedures

To ensure the quality and integrity of the financial aid program at South Suburban College, satisfactory progress will be evaluated at the completion of each academic semester. Summer coursework, if applicable, will also be considered. Policy guidelines will begin once a student has attempted a minimum of six credit hours.

A strict appeal process will be enforced for evaluating students who cannot reach the minimum qualifications needed to remain in good standing with the College's academic guidelines along with federal regulations. Student financial aid appeals shall be considered on a case by case basis, with mitigating circumstances adequately documented. Mitigating circumstances, such as illness or a family catastrophe that may have caused noncompliance can be reviewed by the Financial Aid Appeals Committee for a possible one semester extension, if fully documented. This appeal must be made in writing and must include documentation such as medical bills, insurance claims, etc. The semester extension will not be granted without the written approval of the majority of the committee. All decisions of the Committee are final.

The appeals committee shall have five (5) voting members including: a student, two administrators, a counselor and a representative from the administrative services area. A Financial Aid staff person shall serve as a nonvoting resource person at all meetings.

Reinstatement

The policy does not preclude a student from enrolling in subsequent semesters and reestablishing satisfactory progress. Financial aid may be reinstated by the Office of Financial Aid when a student satisfies the minimum qualitative and quantitative policy requirements.

More questions? Visit us in room 2355, or call (708) 596-2000, ext. 2321, 2322, 2319 or email the Financial Aid Office.