Financial Aid
Watch the video and complete the steps listed to successfully apply for financial aid
Changes for 2024-2025 - FAFSA Simplification
Due to the passing of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Simplification Act on December 27, 2020, as a part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, the FAFSA is changing starting for the 2024-2025 aid year moving forward.
You can expect the following changes:
- The 2024-2025 FAFSA determines your financial aid eligibility for the fall 2024, spring 2025, and summer 2025 terms.
- The FAFSA application process will be streamlined and easier for students to complete.
- New terminology will be added to the FAFSA.
- Eligibility for federal financial aid will be expanded.
Changes beginning in the 2024-2025 aid year will be noted in green text in the steps below.
The following timeline provides an overview of upcoming changes due to the FAFSA Simplification Act. Additional dates will be added as we learn more information.
|
Date |
Item description |
|
October 1, 2024 |
The Department will release the 2025-26 FAFSA form and ISIR processing for testing with a limited set of students and institutions. During the testing period, the Department will make the form available to an increasing number of participants, starting with hundreds and expanding to tens of thousands of applicants. |
|
November – December 2024 |
The Department will make the 2025-26 FAFSA form available to all students on or before December 1, 2024. |
|
December 2024 – January 2025 |
Estimated Financial Aid Notices begin going out to students. Please give at least 10 Business days from FAFSA Completion for award or additional documentation requests as required.
|
- Create an FSA ID on the Federal Student Aid website and assist contributors, such as your parent(s) or spouse, in creating an FSA ID. ( tutorial )
- An FSA ID is an account and password that gives you access to the Federal Student Aid’s online system and serves as your electronic signature.
- With the FSA ID, you can fill out the FAFSA when it’s available, sign your Master Promissory Note (MPN), apply for repayment plans, complete loan counseling, and use the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Help Tool.
- Complete the FAFSA as soon as it opens.
2025-2026 FAFSA: Complete these steps to apply for financial aid
FIRST STEP: Apply for Admission to Yavapai College
Students new to Yavapai College must apply for admission before Yavapai College can begin to process your FAFSA application. Admission to YC is fast, open, and immediate.
Students must be admitted to a degree-seeking program to be offered federal financial aid.
NEXT STEPS
Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid/ FAFSA
Learn more about the difference between grants, loans, and scholarships
Step 1: Am I eligible for financial aid?
There is no set income limit and standards vary among programs. A student may be eligible for some programs and ineligible for others so don’t assume that your income is too high to qualify for some type of aid. In general, to be eligible for federal and state aid you must:
- be a U. S. citizen or legal permanent resident able to present proper documentation.
- have a high school diploma/ GED.
- not be in default on a loan or grant overpayment to ED
- meet satisfactory academic progress standards regarding grades and completed hours.
Changes that began in 2024- 2025:
- The FAFSA will feature fewer questions, fewer requirements, and retrieve tax information using a direct data exchange from the IRS instead of the previous IRS Data Retrieval Tool.
- The need analysis formula to determine financial aid, formerly known as the Expected Family Contribution (EFC), will now be referred to as the Student Aid Index (SAI). Unlike the EFC, the SAI may be a negative number.
- Small businesses and family farms are now considered assets*.
- *The Department of Education will provide more details in the coming months.
- The number of family members in college will still be asked on the FAFSA, but it will be excluded from the federal, state, and institutional financial aid calculation.
Step 2: What documentation do I need?
To create your FSA ID and complete the FAFSA application, you will need several pieces of information:
When completing the FAFSA, you may need:
- Your Social Security Number
- Your Alien Registration Number, if not a citizen
- YC’s school code – 001079
- An FSA ID and password to use as an electronic signature. If you don’t have one, see the steps below to create one
Changes that began in for 2024-2025:
- The FAFSA is introducing the new term contributor, which refers to anyone who is required to provide information on a student’s FAFSA form, including the student, the student’s spouse, a biological or adopted parent, or the parent’s spouse. Being a contributor does not imply responsibility for the student's college costs.
- Students will need the contributor’s name, date of birth, Social Security Number (SSN), and email address to invite them to complete the required portion of the FAFSA.
- Contributors will need to provide personal and financial information on their section of the FAFSA.
- All Contributors–student, student's spouse (if married), and student's parents(s) (if a dependent student)–must provide consent to have tax data transferred directly from the IRS to the FAFSA. If consent is not provided by all parties, the student will not be eligible for federal financial aid. In previous years, transferring IRS data was optional. It is now required.
YC accepts applications year round, but processing time could take several weeks and additional paperwork may be required. If you cannot use the IRS link on the FAFSA, you may need to request a tax transcript from the IRS. We cannot accept copies of the 1040 tax return.
Step 3: How do I know if I am a dependent?
Parent/Guardian income information and a parent/guardian FSA ID and password to use as a signature are needed for the FAFSA unless the student meets one of the following criteria:
- over the age of 24
- married by the application date
- has dependents who receive more than half their support from the student
- currently serving on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces for purposes other than training
- a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces
- a graduate or professional student
- since the age of 13 both parents were deceased, was in foster care, or was a ward of the court
- an emancipated minor by a court in the state of legal residence
- in legal guardianship as determined by a court in the state of legal residence
- on or after July 1, 2011, a high school or school district homeless liaison determined that the student was an unaccompanied youth who was homeless
- on or after July 1, 2011, a director of an emergency shelter or transitional housing program funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development determined that the student was an unaccompanied youth who was homeless
The parent or guardian will need to set up their own FSA ID to sign and review documents. They may not use your FSA ID to login.
Changes that began in for 2024-2025:
- The FAFSA is introducing the new term contributor, which refers to anyone who is required to provide information on a student’s FAFSA form, including the student, the student’s spouse, a biological or adopted parent, or the parent’s spouse. Being a contributor does not imply responsibility for the student's college costs.
- Students will need the contributor’s name, date of birth, Social Security Number (SSN), and email address to invite them to complete the required portion of the FAFSA.
- Contributors will need to provide personal and financial information on their section of the FAFSA.
- If your parents are divorced or separated, the contributing parent(s) is the parent (and their spouse, if remarried) who provided the greater portion of your financial support during the 12 months immediately prior to filing the FAFSA. It is not automatically the parent you primarily lived with during the past 12 months.
- All Contributors–student, student's spouse (if married), and student's parents(s) (if a dependent student)–must provide consent to have tax data transferred directly from the IRS to the FAFSA. If consent is not provided by all parties, the student will not be eligible for federal financial aid. In previous years, transferring IRS data was optional. It is now required.
Step 4: Set up your FSA ID
Your FSA is your unique ID and login to complete the FAFSA Application. It's important that you keep this secure:
- Allows you to electronically apply and sign your FAFSA application each year
- Lets you check the status of your FAFSA application
- It's unique to you -- if you are dependent, your parents will set up their own FSA ID to sign documents
When creating the FSA ID , you may need:
- Your Social Security Number or Your Alien Registration Number, if not a citizen
- A valid email and mobile phone number.
Step 5: Complete the FAFSA Application
To complete the FAFSA application, you will need several pieces of information:
When you do the FAFSA application, make sure you have:
- The necessary documents listed in the section above.
- YC’s school code – 001079
- The FSA ID and password you created to use as an electronic signature. (see step above)
With the FSA ID, you can fill out the FAFSA when it’s available, sign your Master Promissory Note (MPN), apply for repayment plans, complete loan counseling, and use the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Help Tool.
You can also use your FSA ID to check on the submission status of your FAFSA application.
Step 6: Apply for Scholarships and/or grant money
In addition to loans, you may be eligible to recieve funds such as scholarships or grant money may not need to be repaid. Find more information at Yavapai College scholarship resources
Checking the status of your Financial Aid application
Step 1: Review your Student Aid Report (SAR)/ FAFSA Submission Summary (FSS)
Once you receive your FAFSA, you will receive your FAFSA Submission Summary (FSS), previously known as a Student Aid Report (SAR). The FSS summarizes your FAFSA information, identifies unresolved issues, and lists the Student Aid Index (SAI) that determines your eligibility. This can be viewed directly within your FSA portal at Studentaid.gov or will be received via USPS mail if you did not provide an email address.
Starting in the 2024-2025 aid year:
Starting in the 2024-2025 financial aid year, this report will be called the FAFSA Submission Summary
If you need help understanding your FSS, schedule an appointment with us by using the Your Advisor link in your myYC portal and clicking on the Calendly link under your assigned Financial Aid advisor's name.
Step 2: Checking for unsatisfied requirements
Once your FAFSA has been submitted, we may ask you to provide additional documentation. You will be notified at the email address you provided in your FAFSA application when we receive your FAFSA results. You will be instructed to check your eligibility requirements.
When we receive your FAFSA, if supporting documentation is needed to verify the content on your FAFSA, you will see those requirements listed in the 'Unsatisfied' requirements in My Financial Aid. Your financial aid is not awarded until all requested paperwork has been turned in to YC Financial Aid. For more information on verification, please see How to use Verify My FAFSA
In the MyYC portal: Click on My Account → My Financial Aid → Home tab. Be sure to select the correct award year (year in which you will use the funding):
As you complete the unsatisfied requirements, they will move down to the Satisfied Requirements sections and be marked in green.
If there are no unsatisfied requirements, check the Award Offer tab to see if you have been awarded funds.
Viewing your Award and Award Schedule
When all of your requirements are satisfied, check the Award Offers tab to see if you are eligible for a financial aid award.
In the MyYC portal: Click on My Account → My Financial Aid → Award Offer. Be sure to select the correct award year (year in which you will use the funding):
- Select the right academic year in the upper right corner
- Check under the Grants & Scholarship, Loans, and Work Study categories to see what your estimated award amount will be.
NOTE: the amounts listed here can change so check back here regularly to view the current status. Factors that may trigger modification to the amount include, but are not limited to:
- The number of credits required to be eligible for different types
- Satisfactory Academic Progress
- Lifetime Eligibility Units
- Maximum Time Frame
- Appeals
- as well as other factors.
It's important that you understand what is needed to keep your financial aid intact. We have several tools to help you. See the Maintaining Eligibility section below for more details or see the FAQ's and Policies pages
See the "View Your Award Payment Schedule" on the Award Offers tab of the My Financial Aid link to view when funding will be disbursed.
- Expected date is the date that the funds have released to your account. This is NOT when you will receive the funds via check or direct deposit if you set up eRefund. It is generally 7-10 days after the expected date, review the academic calendar for more information.
- Expected amount is NOT the amount you are receiving as a check or direct deposit. This is the amount of each award, per term, without tuition, fees, or books removed from it.
Aid in excess of direct costs will be reimbursed according to the Academic Calendar deadlines. Review the refund amount by going to My Account → Payment Center in the myYC portal once the appropriate deadine has happened.
Award Payment Schedule below - SAMPLE ONLY -(your actual schedule will vary from this.)
Why is the financial aid award not covering all of my classes?
There are a few reasons why your classes may not be covered
- You are taking classes that are not part of your program of study (e.g. the degree or certificate you chose)
- Your program of study is not eligible for financial aid
Other situations may apply. Contact your academic advisor using the Your Advisor link in the myYC portal to discuss your program of study and award amounts.
More information on Course Program of Study
Financial Aid Freeze Date/Recalculation of Aid
A student’s financial aid award is prepared based on anticipated full-time enrollment. In accordance with federal regulations, Yavapai College will recalculate federal, state and institutional aid awards based on the enrollment status in degree applicable courses as of the published Freeze Date. Your aid may be prorated based on the recalculated enrollment status.
Generally, the initial Freeze Date occurs approximately ten calendar days after the start of the semester. The published Freeze Date for each semester can be found on the academic calendar. Student enrollment levels are locked on this date for disbursement purposes.
Any classes that are added or dropped after this Freeze Date will not impact (either increase or decrease) the student’s financial aid for the semester. However, students who never attend class will have a reduction of Pell eligibility and students who withdraw from all classes will be subject to a Return to Title IV eligibility calculation that may result in financial aid funds having to be repaid.
Additional information regarding adding/dropping classes, and late start only classes are discussed in the Financial Aid Freeze Date Policy
Prior to financial aid disbursement, students must meet all eligibility requirements for their disbursement fund type.
Per US Department of Education regulations, financial aid will be disbursed to students based on Course Program of Study (CPOS) attending hours. The types of federal aid you are awarded, the number of CPOS credits you are enrolled in, and the start date of the class will dictate how much you will receive in a disbursement.
- Taking ONLY full-semester length courses: If ALL of your eligible CPOS classes begin on the first day of the semester then ALL of your financial aid (after YC charges are paid) will be disbursed on the first disbursement date of the semester (see academic calendar).
- Taking ONLY late start classes: If you are ONLY enrolled in late start CPOS classes, meaning those that start during the second eight week module of the semester, your financial aid disbursement will occur approximately 3 weeks after your classes begin.
- Taking both full-semester and late start classes: If your enrollment includes a combination of CPOS classes (classes beginning the first day of the semester and late start classes), your disbursements will depend on your enrollment status at the time of the scheduled disbursement dates. You may only receive a partial disbursement of financial aid on the first disbursement date of the semester and the remainder will disburse approximately 3 weeks after your late start classes begin.
- Direct Loans may disburse on different schedules based on loan type and borrower status. Please contact the financial aid department for more information.
More information may be found at studentaid.gov
If you have financial aid funds that exceed the charges on your student account at the time of disbursement, you will receive a refund, which may be used to pay other educationally related expenses.
Your refund may be issued in the form of a check mailed to your current address or electronically (ACH) through E-Refund (log into your Student Portal and select Payment Center).
If you have any questions regarding your funding, use the Your Advisor link in the myYC portal to schedule a meeting with your Financial Aid advisor
Using your Financial Aid award
Once you have registered for classes for the semester, your bill will be visible in My Account → Payment Center.
The amount you owe will be offset by your award amount. Check the Award Payment Schedule on the Award Offer tab of the My Financial Aid link to see when the award will be posted to your balance due.
All aid will posted to your Financial Aid page and can be used defer any direct YC costs (tuition and fees, books, on campus room and board) if eligible. Any aid in excess of direct costs will be reimbursed according to the academic calendar deadlines. Grants are disbursed each semester based on your enrollment status and will be prorated if you are not enrolled full-time.
Enroll in eRefund by logging into the myYC portal and clicking on the Payment Center icon. Your refund can be deposited into your bank account instead of mailed. Please review the current Academic Calendar and the policy on Attending Hours to help you determine your refund date.
Buy Books with your Financial Aid
Students are eligible to charge books at the YC bookstore directly to their account if they have been awarded aid and have a credit balance after all tuition, fees, and room and board charges have been paid. If you have questions about textbook or bookstore purchases or opt-outs, please contact your Financial Aid advisor using the Your Advisor link in the myYC portal.
See the academic calendar for dates when students are eligible to use their financial aid to purchase textbooks and supplies if eligible.
Maintaining your Financial Aid
As a financial aid recipient, you are required to maintain satisfactory academic progress (SAP) as well as adhere to other financial aid policies. Your status is evaluated at the end of each semester and is based on your entire history at YC. See the Policies and FAQ's pages for futher information.
- Important deadlines
- Policies/SAP
- FAQs
- SAP calculators - self help tool to determine how many hours you need to earn in future semesters to comply with the Satisfactory Academic Progress policy
- Payment plan options
- Student's Right to Know
- Resources
- Glossary of terms
Our Mission and Purpose
Financial Aid at Yavapai College is here to educate students and their families regarding the many financial aid opportunities available, and to help them make the best choices to fund their education and achieve their academic goals.
We are committed to providing consistent and equitable services to the diverse population of students throughout the district, and promoting sound financial decisions that help lead to student success.