Federal
Financial Aid Eligibility
 Listed
below are 13 eligibility requirements a student
must meet to qualify for federal financial aid.
Also available in the Federal
Student Guide.
1) High school diploma
or equivalency: A student must have a high
school diploma, GED, completed an approved home-school
program, or completed a two-year college program
that is fully acceptable toward a bachelor's degree.
Otherwise, a student must score on the Accuplacer
testing exams the following scores: 55 for Reading
Comprehension, 60 for Sentence Skills, and 34
for Arithmetic. Testing
Center click here for more information on
the Testing Centers hours and information.
2) Enrolled in an eligible
academic program: A student must be admitted
in an undergraduate program and be pursing a degree
or certificate.
3) Enrollment status:
Generally, financial aid is awarded assuming full-time
enrollment status. At Ocean County College, full-time
is defined as 12 credit hours per term. If a student
enrolls for less than 12 credits per term, the
financial aid awards may change. A student will
be notified of any adjustment after the beginning
of the term. A student who changes his/her enrollment
status within a term may owe a refund(s) to a
financial aid program(s), if financial aid has
already been disbursed.
See the Pell
Grant and Tuition Aid Grant (TAG) payment schedules.
4) Citizenship:
A recipient of federal and state student aid must
be a U.S. citizen, permanent resident, or other
eligible non-citizen. For any student applicant
who fails the Social Security match for citizenship
or the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) match
for permanent resident or otherwise eligible status,
the Financial Aid Office requires documentation
of status, before awarding financial aid, as specified
in the Federal
Student Guide.
5) National Student Loan
Data System (NSLDS) Financial Aid History: A
student's federal student loan and Pell Grant
history are kept in the NSLDS database. If a student
is in default on a federal student loan, has exceeded
the annual or aggregate federal student loan limits,
or has a federal grant overpayment, the student
is ineligible for federal and state aid.
6) Social Security Administration:
If a student's application fails the Social Security
match for the student, his/her father and/or mother,
the Financial Aid Office resolves the discrepancy
before awarding financial aid. The student's and/or
father's and/or mother's social security card
and birth certificate may be required.
7) Selective Service Administration:
Most males from age 18 through 25--including permanent
residents and other eligible non-citizens--are
required to register with Selective Service. Anyone
required to register must have done so in order
to receive aid through the federal and state financial
aid programs. If a student's application fails
the Selective Service match, the Financial Aid
Office resolves the discrepancy before awarding
financial aid.
8) Drug conviction:
A student's response to the FAFSA drug conviction
question may result in ineligibility for federal
financial aid. When a student is ineligible at
the beginning of his/her enrollment but expects
to become eligible during the year, the Financial
Aid Office will have the student complete and
sign a Worksheet for Question 35 on the FAFSA
that determines the date the student will become
eligible.
9) Satisfactory Academic
Progress (SAP): In order to continue to
receive financial aid from year to year, the student
must meet OCC's satisfactory academic progress
standard requirements. The SAP policy for receiving
aid is defined and enforced according to federal
and state regulations governing the awarding of
federal and state financial aid. For a more complete
description of the SAP
policy, click here.
10) Verification:
Any student receiving financial aid must comply
with all reasonable requests for documents to
verify the information reported on his/her application
for aid, e.g., family's income, assets, household
size, number in college and/or the dependent/independent
status of the student, that may be needed by OCC,
the Department of Education, and/or any state
financial aid agency. No financial aid shall be
credited to a student's account until the verification
process is complete.
11) Financial Aid From
Other Sources: It is the student's responsibility
to inform the Financial Aid Office of all additional
monetary aid that he/she will receive for an academic
year that does not appear on his/her Financial
Aid Award letter. Aid received from private sources
outside Ocean County College is required by federal
and state regulations to be incorporated into
the total financial aid package.
12) Veterans' Benefits:
Benefits received through the Veterans Administration
during the academic year must be reported to the
Financial Aid Office. Some VA educational benefits
must be treated as additional financial resources
of the student and will reduce the financial aid
eligibility of the student.
13) Change of Address
or Social Security Number: It is the student's
responsibility to inform the Financial Aid Office
of any change in his/her permanent address or
social security number. A student who borrows
through one of the federal student loan programs
- Stafford Loan (subsidized and unsubsidized)
or PLUS -- is required to notify the lender of
any change in his/her name, address, or social
security number.
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