Ohio Mid-Western College | a higher eduaction with a higher calling

Financial Aid - How to apply for financial aid

What is Needed?

There are many different forms of information you will need when filing for financial aid. To properly be prepared to fill out the FAFSA you will need to have on hand:

Your driver's license number and state
Your Social Security Number
Parents'/guardians' Social Security Numbers (if necessary)
Social Security Numbers for any and all dependents you may have
Your previous year's tax return (e.g., for 2011-2012 financial aid you will need your 2010 tax forms)
The total number of individuals who live in your or your parents'/guardians' home
The total of the previous number who will be attending college for the current award year
The total amount of cash, checking, and savings (bank statements if necessary, but this number can be estimated) you and your parents/guardians have at the time you are applying (parent/guardian information is only required if the you are flagged as a dependent student)
Your W-2s
Your parents'/guardians' W-2s
Any foreign tax return or tax return from Puerto Rico
Any untaxed income for the previous year
Your alien registration number (if you are not a U.S. Citizen)

The First Step: Apply for a PIN

The first step in applying for any financial aid is applying for and obtaining a Federal Student Aid PIN. The PIN is an electronic access code that serves as your personal identifier. Your PIN allows you to:

"Sign" your FAFSA electronically and complete the student aid process completely online—no paper is involved.
If you're a dependent student and one of your parents has a Federal Student Aid PIN, he or she can sign your FAFSA electronically online as well.
Correct your FAFSA online.
Access your Student Aid Report (SAR)
Access your federal student aid records online, including your student loan history information on NSLDS (National Student Loan Database System).

To apply for a PIN you will need to visit www.pin.ed.gov and click on the blue APPLY NOW button on the lower right side of the screen. You must enter all of the required information into the application. At the bottom of the application you can choose your own four-digit PIN so that it will be personal and easier to remember.

Your Federal Student Aid PIN is personal information and should be kept PRIVATE AT ALL TIMES. The federal government stipulates the severity of this in the Federal Student Aid Handbook, "You should not share your PIN with anyone."

The First Step: Retrieve Your PIN

Once you have the necessary documents and you are ready to fill out your FAFSA for the new school year, you will need to obtain your PIN again in case you have forgotten it. To do this you will want to first go to the PIN website www.pin.ed.gov. On the left hand side of the screen is a menu of different functions. The third link down says "REQUEST A DUPLICATE PIN." You will want to click on this link. Then, you will enter your Social Security Number, the first letters of your last name, and your Date of Birth, and then click on "Submit Request" at the bottom right of the page. You will be taken to a page where you will be asked for your Challenge Question. You will want to enter your challenge question answer exactly how you first established it. If you enter it correctly, you will be taken to a page where your name and address is displayed. This page will also ask you if you wish to "Display Now." If you need to know the PIN immediately it is best to have it displayed then. Once you make this choice you will be taken to a page where your PIN is displayed for you. You can print this page if you so choose. PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT YOU RETURN TO THE PIN HOME PAGE AND CLOSE OUT THIS BROWSER SESSION ENTIRELY SO NO ONE CAN COME BEHIND YOU AND OBTAIN YOUR PIN.

The Second Step: FAFSA

Once you have your PIN it is time to fill out your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This is accomplished by visiting www.fafsa.ed.gov. From the main page it will be necessary to click on the START HERE button on the home page. The next page will ask you for your First Name, Last Name, Social Security Number, and Date of Birth. Please enter this data and click next. The next page is your FAFSA account where you can do one of several options, including: apply for the FAFSA for the first time, Renew your FAFSA for the new school year (you can do this only if you had a FAFSA last school year), view your FAFSA application once it is submitted, and make any necessary corrections to your FAFSA (such as adding/changing school codes). Once you chose the option that is right for your situation (see previous options) then you will proceed with entering all of the data necessary to finalize your FAFSA application.

Once all of the data has been entered, you will be given the option to sign your FAFSA electronically with your PIN. PLEASE SIGN ELECTRONICALLY; THIS WILL EXPEDITE THE PROCESS FOR YOU! You must also check the box that you agree to the terms of federal financial aid. If you are a dependant student you will need to have a parent sign with their PIN as well. After you submit this page you will receive a confirmation page that will have a Confirmation Number, a Data Release Number (DRN), an Estimated Expected Family Contribution (EFC), and other information. You can print this page to keep in your records. You have now successfully submitted your FAFSA application.

The Ohio-Midwestern College FAO will receive a copy of this report within 3-7 business days as long as nothing is pending or incomplete (this time frame may be impacted by federal holidays or unforeseen system problems).

The Second Step: FAFSA

Students who have filled out their FAFSA in previous years may now do what is termed a "FAFSA RENEWAL." You will want to first go to the FAFSA website, www.fafsa.ed.gov. From here you will want to sign in to your financial aid account by clicking "START HERE," entering your information, and clicking the next button a the bottom of the page.

Once you are signed into your account you can either click on FAFSA RENEWAL or START A NEW FAFSA. We recommend that you click on the FAFSA renewal. This will pull your information from the previous year's FAFSA to automatically populate your information into the new school year's FAFSA application. You will next want to confirm that the information is correct and proceed with filling out the remainder of your FAFSA. Once all of the data has been entered, you will be given the option to sign your FAFSA electronically with your PIN. PLEASE SIGN ELECTRONICALLY; THIS WILL EXPEDITE THE PROCESS FOR YOU! You must also check the box that you agree to the terms of federal financial aid. If you are a dependant student you will need to have a parent sign with their PIN as well. After you submit this page you will receive a confirmation page that will have a Confirmation Number, a Data Release Number (DRN), an Estimated Expected Family Contribution (EFC), and other information. You can print this page to keep in your records. You have now successfully submitted your FAFSA application.

The Third Step: Entrance Counseling and Master Promissory Note

After your PIN and FAFSA application have been completed and submitted to OMW, you will receive a Financial Aid Offer Letter that details the maximum amounts that you as the student are eligible to receive. This letter will be designed from the position of a full-time student (the minimum for full-time is four classes or twelve quarter credit hours) and will contain information regarding student loans.

All student loans are now known as Direct Stafford Student Loans. In order for to apply to receive student loans you must complete an Entrance Counseling session and sign a Master Promissory Note, which you can do through one website: www.studentloans.gov. Once you connect to this site please click the green SIGN IN button of the left hand side. You will be asked to enter your Social Security Number, The First 2 letters of your Last Name, your Date of Birth, and your federal PIN. Hit the submit button and you will enter your direct loan account.

From here you will want to click on the words "COMPLETE ENTRANCE COUNSELING." There are many pages to go through to complete this process. You will need approximately 45 to 60 minutes to complete this step. You will be given information to read and asked a series of questions afterward on 14 of the 16 pages of your entrance counseling session. Once you finish this information, you will be able to access your borrower rights and responsibilities. You will also be given an Entrance Counseling Certificate, which you can print this for your records.

From the final page you will see at the right a link that says "COMPLETE MPN." You will want to click this link to process your Master Promissory Note. You will then click on the SUBSIDIZED/UNSUBSIDIZED MASTER PROMISSORY NOTE. The website will ask you for your Driver's License (this is optional) and State of Driver's License (this is also optional). Then you must enter your name, permanent address, daytime and evening phone numbers, and other data that is asked for on this page. You will submit this information and the next page will ask you for 2 references. YOU MUST ENTER ALL INFORMATION THAT IS ASKED FOR ON THIS PAGE. Once you have this page submitted you will have the option to view the data you have entered to verify that it is all correct. You will next submit this information.

On the next page you must open all four categories of information that is provided. At the bottom of this page you must acknowledge that you have seen and agree to all of this information. Once you check that you agree, you will be given an opportunity to enter your name as an electronic signature. PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU ENTER YOUR NAME EXACTLY HOW IT IS ON YOUR FAFSA AND ENTRANCE COUSNELING FORMS. You will next be taken to a page where you must open your MPN. This will open in another Web page. Please go back to the original Web page and make sure you have submitted everything. You will be taken to a final congratulation page and allowed to VIEW PDF of your MPN. Please click on the link and either save or print the pdf file that will open. You are now finished. The school will have confirmation of these both within 24 to 48 hours of completion.

The Third Step: Entrance Counseling

All student loans are now known as Direct Stafford Student Loans. In order for current or returning students to apply to receive student loans they must complete an Entrance Counseling session at www.studentloans.gov. Once you connect to this site please click the green SIGN IN button of the left hand side. You will be asked to enter your Social Security Number, The First 2 letters of your Last Name, your Date of Birth, and your federal PIN. Hit the submit button and your will enter your direct loan account.

YOU DO NOT HAVE TO SIGN A NEW MASTER PROMISSORY NOTE. MPNs are good for ten years at the same institution.

Deadline Dates

There are no established deadline dates for Federal Student Aid

The State of Ohio has a deadline date of October 1st of each academic year. This date is related to students with financial need receiving any state grant funds that may be available to students who: have lived in Ohio for more than five years and qualify for any portion of the PELL Grant.

Ohio Mid-Western College has a priority deadline date of August 15th for all new students and September 1st for all returning students for the 2011-2012 academic year.