Official Award Letter

"Official Award" letters are available online through your E-Services account.  2013-14 award letters won't be available til mid to late June.

1. What does my "Official Award" letter mean?

* When you have received your Official Award letter that means your financial aid file is complete. Any required financial aid documents have been received and verified and any necessary corrections have been made.

* The award letter may not be available until mid June for the upcoming fall.

* Your Official Award letter contains important information. You have access to your award letter at any time using your E-Services access on the CLC website.

* Your award letter will explain your grant, loan and work eligibility.

* Your awards have been packaged for fall and/or spring semester. If you are going to be enrolled for summer there will be a separate award letter packaged towards the end of spring semester.

         

2. How was my award letter created and what is it telling me?

* The award letter is created based on the yearly (Fall and Spring semesters) cost of attendance (COA) and the different types of aid you are eligible for are based on the FAFSA you completed. 

*  Use this "Net Price Calculator" to get an estimate of grant aid that may be available.

*  The COA is a combination of different college related expenses and living expenses.  Below are examples of the COA at CLC.

                 School year                       2012-13

                      Tuition/Fess                  $5393
                      Books/Supplies             $1000
                      Room/Board                  $5670
                      Transportation              $4400
                      Personal/Misc.              $2337

                 Total                                $18,800              

* The award letter is your reference guide to determine your eligibility according to the number of your enrolled credits for any given semester.

* The Minnesota State Grant (MSG) chart on the bottom of the first page needs to be used to determine MSG eligibility at a certain credit level.  A MSG may vary greatly from three to 15 credits.

* If you have or will receive scholarships or third party funding from any outside agency this may affect your awards.  At the time the CLC Financial Aid Office becomes aware of your other funding any required changes to your award letter package will be made to keep your aid within the COA.  Please notify the Financial Aid Office if you have or will be receiving a scholarship.

 

3. What do you do now?

* Federal Pell, Federal SEOG and/or Minnesota State Grant (MSG) will apply to your account without anything else to be done. These are entitlements and do not have to be paid back.

* Work study will require some additional paperwork before you can begin working.

* Loans will require a Direct Loan Master Promissory Note (MPN) to be completed with the Department of Education along with Loan Entrance counseling. The MPN is good for 10 years.  The Entrance Counseling only needs to be done once for CLC.  Students are not obligated to apply for any loan. Loans have to be repaid.

     -The Official Award letter lets you know that you have eligibility.

     -Determine your loan eligibility by using your credit level and adding fall and spring semester together.

     -Click on the Student Loans page to the left to begin the loan application process.

          ∞ Sub and/or Unsub Federal Direct Stafford Loan

          ∞ Federal Direct PLUS (Parent Loan for Undergraduate Student)

 * Bookstore charging is allowed. Check at the Bookstore in regards to charging your books.

* Students who have a complete financial aid application on file by June 1 receive priority consideration for campus based aid such as FSEOG and work study. Then files are reviewed on a first-come, first serve basis.

* Students must be accepted for admission into an aid eligible program and be enrolled at Central Lakes College to be eligible to receive financial aid.

* If there has been a change to family income and/or situation, large medical and/or dental expenses paid or other special circumstances since the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) was completed please stop in the office to talk to someone about your situation. You may also complete the Special Circumstances form on the Forms page and bring it with when you come in for a discussion about your situation.

 

4. How do you get your aid?

* Once your financial aid(grants, scholarships and/or loans) has been applied to any amount your may owe the college, the remaining aid is disbursed to you.  Aid Disbursement to you will take place on the 12th day or later of fall and spring semester or the 10th day or later of summer semester.

* For each term there are specific disbursement dates.  Check your award letter for those dates or the Important Dates page on the left hand menu.