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FAQs

What is financial aid?

Financial aid is the money used to pay for your education. Financial aid is generally in the form of grants, scholarships, and/or work-study programs which do not have to be repaid. Another form of financial aid is federal direct loans which do have to be repaid.

What type of financial aid is offered at GNTC?

Georgia Northwestern Technical College offers a variety of financial aid programs that include grants, scholarships, federal work-study, and federal direct loans. Pleases view Types of Aid in our links section at the bottom of this page for more information.

I probably don't qualify for aid. Should I apply for aid anyway?

Yes. Many families mistakenly believe they don't qualify for financial aid, and therefore, prevent themselves from receiving any aid for which they may qualify. It never hurts to apply, and the application process is free and easy.

What is the preferred method of applying for financial aid?

To apply students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at the Federal Student Aid site. Our Federal School Code is 004024.

Students must complete & submit the FAFSA, as well as any other required documents, by the deadlines in order to be considered for aid.

Students wishing to apply *only for state aid (ex: HOPE Grant) may complete the Georgia Student Financial Aid Application (GSFAPP) instead of at GaFutures.

Please view our links section at the bottom of this page for accessing the Federal Student Aid, GaFutures, and our Financial Aid Deadlines sites.

Do I need to be admitted before I can apply for financial aid?

No. Students may submit the FAFSA prior to being admitted. However, if it comes in requesting documents, the student will need to have the admissions process started to be issued a student e-mail and get access to the student MyGNTC account so documents may be completed & submitted. Also, in order to actually receive any funds for which they qualify, the student must be admitted and enrolled at the college.

When should I apply/reapply?

As early as possible. FAFSAs are made available as early as the proceeding October of each award year. Our award year starts with the fall term; therefore, students looking to start classes in August of 2022, are able to complete the 22-23 FAFSA as early as October 2021.
 
Students coming in for the Spring and Summer terms will need to complete both the current aid year’s application (21-22) and the next aid year’s application (22-23).

Do I have to reapply for financial aid every year?

Yes. If your financial circumstances change, you may get more or less aid. After your first year, you will receive an email notification (from FAFSA) reminding you to renew your FAFSA for the new aid year.

Do I need to apply every semester?

No. The financial aid year extends from the fall semester through the summer sessions of the next calendar year (ex: classes occurring beginning in August 2022 and extending through July 2023 are all part of the 22-23 aid year). All financial aid expires (June 30th) after summer sessions have started; therefore, students must reapply at least 6-8 weeks prior to the next financial aid year. This allows additional time to complete the file in the event the processed application loads in requesting documents.

When will I get my refund?

Students who qualify for a refund(s) will receive them later in the term after classes have started. The first group of funds starts to disburse (that is released from the government) about the 28th day of the term. From that point, it can take up to 14 business days for funds to arrive into the system and any refund due from that portion to be processed out to Bank Mobile.

Please note: This is for students whose classes start on the first day of the term as a whole. Students with B-term classes or stacked classes (classes with different start dates spread throughout the term) who are due a refund will have different disbursement and refund dates. If you have B-term classes or stacked classes, you would want to consult the Financial Aid Office for more information on when you might expect any refund due.

You may view our links section at the bottom of this page for accessing our Disbursements Date and Refunds section for more information on refunds being processed through Bank Mobile.

Will I receive Pell/FSEOG for my certificate program?

Some certificate and diploma programs are not eligible for federal aid such as Pell, FSEOG, and Loans. You may contact the Financial Aid Office to find out if the major you are planning on coming in for is eligible for federal aid.

How do I know if I have been awarded financial aid?

You will be able to view your award through your MyGNTC account. Please see our links section at the bottom of this page to access both MyGNTC and the instructions Utilizing MyGNTC. If you have a question, you may contact the Financial Aid Office.

Will I receive all the financial aid listed on the website or on my financial aid offer notification?

Not every student qualifies for all types of financial aid offered at GNTC. The aid listed on your financial aid offer notification is the maximum budget amount that you could possibly be awarded up to.

Offered aid amounts for state aid such as HOPE are listed based on 15 credit hours of enrollment, and 12 credit hours of enrollment for federal Pell.

When you register for classes, then the system will apply aid based on your enrollment hours. For instance, if you enroll half-time in 6 credit hours, then the system will only be able to apply the half-time amount of aid according to your enrollment hours and eligibility.

What will happen if I drop a class?

  • If you drop a class/some classes before the first day of classes or within the first three days of classes, then the tuition & fee charges, as well as the aid, will adjust according to your remaining enrollment hours for the term. You will need to make sure to cover any resulting balance. Dropping during this drop/add period does not impact your GPA or Completion Rate.
     
  • If you drop all classes before the first day of classes or within the first three days of classes, then the tuition & fee charges, as well as the aid, will come off. Dropping during this drop/add period does not impact your GPA or Completion Rate. If you have already used aid in the bookstore, then you will owe those funds back.
     
  • If you withdraw from all classes following the 3rd day, a Return of Title IV Funds calculation will be run (usually within 1-2 weeks) to determine any necessary adjustments. Depending upon how far into the term we are, you may end up owing a balance.

    Note: Dropping classes at this point (after the 3-day drop/add period for the term) will affect your Completion Rate, which could result in being placed on Warning or Suspension. You may view our Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy and our Return of Title IV Funds Policy for more information through the links section at the bottom of this page.
     
  • Note: If you choose to drop a class or some of your classes, be sure to complete the Drop/Add form and submit it to the Registrar’s Office. If you choose to withdraw from all classes, be sure to complete the Withdrawal Form instead.

    The Drop/Add and Withdrawal forms may be accessed through the Forms page, the link for which is included in our links section at the end of this page. You may also drop/add or withdraw from classes through your MyGNTC account.

What if I register for a class(es) but do not show up, or do not sign in and start completing assignments?

If you register, but do not show up (or for online classes—sign in and start completing assignments) for a class(es), then the instructor for that class or each respective class will report you as a “No show.” This is typically within 7 instructional days of the full term.

Being reported as a no-show for a class(es) will result in the tuition & fee charges, as well as the aid, coming off for the respective class(es). Being reported as a no-show does not impact your GPA or Completion Rate. However, if you had aid awarded prior to being reported as a no-show, it could result in a balance due depending upon the number of classes in which you are reported as a no-show versus any remaining classes in which you remain. Also, if you have already used aid in the bookstore, then you will owe those funds back as well.

Do I have to pay my financial aid back?

Maybe. If you withdraw or fail all of the classes you take within a term, you will be subject to the Return of Title IV Funds Policy, which may result in owing back federal funds.

Do you have to be a HOPE Scholar to receive HOPE funds?

There are two (2) forms of HOPE: HOPE Scholarship for degree-seeking students who qualify, and HOPE Grant for diploma or certificate-seeking students who qualify. Therefore, a student does not have to be a HOPE Scholar in order to qualify for HOPE Grant funds. However, if you are going for a degree major, you will want to be sure to be evaluated for the HOPE Scholarship if think you meet the eligibility requirements.

You may view our Grants & Scholarships page for additional information on eligibility requirements through the links section at the bottom of this page as well as access our Forms page for the HOPE Scholarship Evaluation Form.

My verification portal requested that I submit tax transcripts, but I didn’t file an income tax return. What do I do?

If your processed FAFSA loads in requesting verification and if it is a type of verification in which tax & income information is requested, you need to be aware that the portal will populate the request for tax & income information based on how you fill out the Independent/Dependent Verification Form.
If you did not file an income tax return (and were not required to file one), but the portal requests the taxes be uploaded, that means you need to correct the Independent/Dependent Verification Form to reflect that you did not and were not required to file taxes for that tax period.
 
Depending upon your status, it may then request a verification of non-filing from the IRS and/or copies of W2/Wage & Income Transcripts. If you have any questions, you may contact the Financial Aid Office.

Will HOPE Grant pay my $105 Technology Fee?

No. HOPE only pays a portion of the tuition. It does not pay anything toward fees.

Will Pell pay my $105 Technology Fee?

If you qualify for Pell, yes. This is only if your financial aid file is complete (without missing documents), processed, awarded prior to the Tuition & Fees Deadline, and providing you are eligible for enough aid to cover the remaining expenses.

If I start out as a diploma or certificate student and later change to an associate degree, can I still receive HOPE funds?

Possibly. Please see our Grants & Scholarships page for more information.

Why do I have to include my parents’ income if I no longer live with them or they do not support me?

Federal Regulations may require it for federal aid purposes depending upon your answers to the dependency status questions on the FAFSA. Refer to “Am I Dependent or Independent?” in the links section at the bottom of this page. If you still have questions you may contact our Financial Aid Office.

What happens if I change my major?

Switching your major may affect the type of aid you are eligible for and could possibly affect your ability to meet the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy. Please check with our Financial Aid Office to see if/how your aid will be affected prior to switching your major.

Will my financial aid pay for my books and tuition?

Possibly. The HOPE funds pay 76% of the tuition rate only (based on the tuition rate for the 21-22 year). HOPE does not cover books or fees.

If you receive Pell, the remainder of the tuition as well as the remaining fees can be deducted providing you receive enough Pell funds to cover the balance. After all tuition & fees are covered, you may use a portion of any remaining Pell Grant funds (but no more than $800.00) in the GNTC bookstore system prior to the respective term’s tuition & fee deadline. You may view the GNTC Events Calendar (link provided at end of this page) for updates on when Pell credits will be available for use in the bookstore system.

Is there a HOPE cap on the number of hours that HOPE will pay?

Yes. A cap of 63 semester hours for certificate and diploma programs and 127 combined hours (grant & scholarship attempted hours) for degree programs. You may also track your eligibility online through GaFutures. To do so, view the GaFutures HOPE Academic Eligibility link provided in the links section at the bottom of this page.

Will Financial Aid pay for an elective?

Financial aid will pay for approved electives; however, you must not exceed your required number of elective hours. Please remember any transfer credits you have may count as electives.

I’m on Financial Aid Warning. Do I have to pay?

No. A warning means that you have transitioned from meeting the minimum GPA and Completion Rate standards (“Good” academic standing) to falling below the standards after a term. Think of Warning as a “grace period” in which you can still receive aid for your next term of attendance, but by the end of that term you must be meeting the standards in order to be returned to “Good” standing. 

I’m on Financial Aid Suspension. Do I have to pay?

Yes. The suspension means that you have fallen below the minimum GPA and Completion Rate standards for the second (2nd) consecutive term. Federal and State guidelines dictate that students must be making Satisfactory Academic Progress in order to qualify for any form of financial aid (including loan funds). You may view our Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy through the link at the bottom of this page.

I am in a degree program and receive HOPE Scholarship: How often is my GPA checked?

Students receiving the HOPE Scholarship will have their GPA checked at the 30th, 60th, and 90th semester hours as well as the end of each spring term. If a student is less than full-time for the first 30 semester hours, he/she will be checked at the end of the third term. 

Do I have to be a full-time student to get my Financial Aid?

Not in all cases. If you are eligible, HOPE will cover up to 76% of tuition (based on the tuition rate for the 2021-2022 fiscal year) regardless of how many credit hours you are enrolled for.

Pell funds on the other hand are prorated/adjusted according to your enrollment hours. This means, for example, that if you are enrolled half-time (6-8 credit hours) then you will be awarded 50% of the terms Pell budget for which you qualify.

You will be responsible for making sure as to whether or not your applied aid is enough to cover charges as well as cover any difference by the Tuition & Fee Deadline. You may do this by checking Account Detail by Term on your MyGNTC account (see Utilizing MyGNTC in the links section at the end of this page).

What happens if I have to quit GNTC (withdraw from all classes) because of personal or other reasons? Will I be eligible for aid the following semester? Will I have to pay my financial aid back?

You will be checked for Satisfactory Academic Progress. With the exception of developmental classes, all courses taken at GNTC will be considered in the GPA and Completion Rate when computing your eligibility for financial aid. If you are suspended from financial aid, you will need to return to GNTC at your own expense until you have met the required standards.

You have the right to appeal your Suspension provided you complete the proper forms with the proper documentation. If your appeal is ruled in your favor, you may have aid reinstated as federal and state guidelines allow. See our Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy for more details.

In most cases, when a student quits GNTC due to personal or other reasons, they may not have to repay financial aid. However, this may be dependent upon factors such as the last date of attendance/date of withdrawal, etc. The college is required to follow federal regulations on federal funds received, and this may cause you to have to repay some federal funds. Check with the Financial Aid Office anytime you withdraw or drop a class.

Will financial aid pay for audit or exempt classes?

No.

Links

Still Have Questions?

Email Financial Aid or call 1-866-983-4682. You may also check out Financial Aid TV.