Financial Aid & Scholarships

If your parent or guardian died as a result of military service in Iraq or Afghanistan, you may be eligible for an Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant if

• you are not eligible for a Federal Pell Grant on the basis of your Expected Family Contribution but
• meet the remaining Federal Pell Grant eligibility requirements, and
• your parent or guardian was a member of the U.S. armed forces and died as a result of military service performed in Iraq or Afghanistan after the events of 9/11, and
• you were under 24 years old or enrolled in college at least part-time at the time of your parent’s or guardian’s death.

How do I apply?

You apply by completing a FAFSA.

How much money can I get?

The grant award is equal to the amount of a maximum Federal Pell Grant for the award year but cannot exceed your cost of attendance for that award year. View the amount of the maximum Federal Pell Grant award for the current award year.

What should I do to maintain the grant?

You will have to fill out the FAFSA form every year that you’re in school. After you have done that, your school, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Education, will determine your eligibility for an Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant.

Once you have earned a baccalaureate degree or your first professional degree, or have used up all 12 semesters of your eligibility, you are no longer eligible to receive an Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant.

SCC Scholarships

The SCC Educational Foundation established the scholarship program to make college affordable for SCC students and to recognize outstanding academic achievement.

SCC Institutional scholarships are considered gift aid and do not require repayment.

All of the eligibility requirements for federal financial aid also apply to SCC Scholarships.

Online applications are accepted during the following application periods:

• High School Seniors apply during their senior year for awarding the next academic year.
  • December 1–March 1
• Current and new SCC Students apply during the following periods for awarding in the next semester.
  • May 1–May 31 (Fall semester awards)
  • October 1–October 31 (Spring semester awards)

Last year, more than 2,000 students received scholarship awards at a value of more than $2 million.

External Scholarships

External scholarships are awarded by organizations outside of Southeast Community College. SCC is not informed about scholarships that external organizations have provided to you.

Once you are notified by the organization of your award, it is your responsibility to:

• notify the SCC Financial Aid office of the scholarship amount
• provide information about the external scholarship to the SCC Business Office (Student Accounts) to ensure proper handling of the funds, as outlined by the awarding organization.

Once processing is complete the funds will be credited to your account.

Transfer Scholarships

SCC has established agreements with a number of area universities, including Concordia University and Nebraska Wesleyan. Please visit our Transfer Information page for additional details listed with each institution.

If you plan to enroll in summer classes in 2022 and need financial aid, you must complete the 2021-22 FAFSA. Please keep in mind the following

1. If you were full-time during the fall and spring semesters and used full-time Pell Grant funds, you need to register at least half-time (six or more credits) to be eligible for a summer Pell Grant. Contact the SCC Financial Aid Office if you did not receive full-time Pell Grant funds for the fall and spring semesters to discuss your summer eligibility.
2. You must be registered at least half-time (six or more credits) for student loan eligibility.
3. You must be enrolled in a degree or diploma at SCC to receive summer financial aid. If you are taking summer courses to transfer to another institution, you are not eligible for funds.

Federal Work-Study (FWS) enables students who demonstrate financial need to earn a portion of their educational expenses. (Students must complete the FAFSA® to be considered for FWS funds.) In this program, students earn at least the current hourly minimum wage by working at the school or for nonprofit or private for-profit agencies. Southeast Community College helps eligible students locate jobs; certain restrictions apply.

How to Apply

The first step in qualifying for financial assistance is completing and filing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®), which serves as an application for all federal – and most state – student aid programs.

The FAFSA® can be filed electronically at studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa; be sure to include the SCC school code (007591). The FAFSA® becomes available every October 1. The FAFSA® should be filed as soon as possible and must be renewed each year. Prompt submission assures consideration for maximum available financial aid. For Federal and State aid specific deadlines, visit studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa. 信息报告联邦助学金免费申请表® used to determine the expected family contribution (EFC). Financial aid eligibility is determined by subtracting the EFC from the total estimated educational expenses.

After the FAFSA® has been processed, the student will receive a Student Aid Report (SAR). The student and/or family must review the SAR for accuracy and notify the financial aid office of any necessary 修正.

Assistance packages are developed using information from the FAFSA® and any supplemental documents. The foundation for all assistance packages is contributions from student and family income and assets. SCC provides students with an electronic award letter via their Student Self-Service account indicating the amount of financial aid for which they may be eligible and sources from which the aid may be received.

Reinstated/readmitted students may be considered for financial aid if they meet all eligibility requirements.

Available Federal Work Study positions can be found via SCC’s JobConnect at College Central Network®. Read about SCC’s Federal Work Study Application Process (PDF).

Southeast Community College complies with all applicable state and federal equal credit opportunity laws; however, SCC cannot guarantee financial assistance or credit to any student.

FAFSA® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Education.

This federal program provides low-interest loans for students enrolled and attending SCC at least half-time (a minimum of six (6) semester credit hours). Federal Student Loan applications are certified by the SCC Financial Aid Office and funded through the U.S. Department of Education. You are required to pay back the amount of the loan plus interest. The types of direct loans available are:

• Subsidized Federal Direct Loans – These loans are based on need and the federal government pays interest on the loans while you are attending college at least half-time. This subsidy continues for six months from the date a student graduates, drops below half-time enrollment status or withdraws from school.
• Unsubsidized Federal Direct Loans – These loans are not based on need and you are responsible for paying the interest from the date of the first disbursement.

As a borrower, you will be classified into one of these groups:

• Dependent Student – you will report both your parents’ and your own information.
• 独立的学生 – you will report your own information (and, if you’re married, your spouse’s information).

Depending on your status, you are eligible to borrow up to the following amounts:

• Dependent students in the first year of a program: $5,500
• Dependent students in the second year of a program: $6,500
• Independent student in the first year of a program: $9,500
• Independent student in the second year of a program: $10,500

You will be classified as a first-year for student loan purposes until you have earned 30 credit hours toward an eligible program of study. The maximum amount you may borrow as an undergraduate during your college program is $31,000 for dependent students and $57,500 for independent students.

Before you receive your loan funds, you will be required to complete the following on the U.S. Department of Education website using your FAFSA login:

• Entrance Counseling to ensure you understand your obligation to repay the loan
• Sign a Master Promissory Note, your agreement to the terms of the loan

Our Financial Aid Office will inform you of the type of loan you are eligible for (subsidized, unsubsidized or a combination of both). We follow guidelines and regulations from the U.S. Department of Education when certifying loans and/or determining amounts. You can request the reasons for our decision in writing. Federal Student Loan borrower interest rates vary depending on the loan type and the first disbursement date of the loan. Please see the interest rates for Direct Subsidized and Direct Unsubsidized Loans.

Loan Exit Counseling

If you have borrowed a federal loan from SCC and you will be graduating, withdrawing, or dropped below half-time (6 or more credit hours), you must complete exit counseling. The exit counseling is designed to make you aware of your repayment responsibilities, familiarize you with your lender(s), give you examples of repayment schedules, and to answer any questions you may have regarding your loans.

Before you begin repaying your federal loan(s), the federal government requires that you understand the basics of repayment. On-line exit counseling takes just a few minutes and will cover:

• The necessity of repaying your student loan
• Subsidized, Unsubsidized Stafford, PLUS, and Perkins Loans
• Your repayment options
• Estimating your payments
• Deferment and forbearance
• Reasons for loan cancellation
• Your rights and responsibilities
• Keeping in touch with your lender/servicer

Complete the Loan Exit Counseling
You will need your Social Security Number, Date of Birth, your FSA ID, and names, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses for 4 references. This will take approximately 15 to 30 minutes to complete.

SCC is required to provide the additional loan information listed below. The links below are provided for your reference and access only. (FYI)

You can view your federal loan history (Direct, Stafford, Perkins, PLUS, Grad PLUS) at Manage Loans|Federal Student Aid.  This website will show all your prior loans, as well as, the lenders and servicing agencies attached to those loans. You will need your FSA ID to access this web site.

Additional Resources:

Great Advise for Grads 2021

Money Management Tips

Direct Loan Exit Counseling Guide

If you experience problems with your loans, you should first attempt to resolve complaints by contacting your lender or loan servicing agency. If you, have made a reasonable effort to resolve the problem through normal processes and have not been successful, you should contact the FSA Ombudsman.

Loan Repayments

Repayment Options

Deferment and Forbearance

A deferment or forbearance allows you to temporarily postpone making your federal student loan payments or to temporarily reduce the amount you pay.

The Department of Education has a website dedicated to deferment and forbearance.

All in-school deferment request should be submitted to registration@zumbamonaco.com for processing.

Public Service Loan Forgiveness

Public Service Loan Forgiveness Information

This federal program loans eligible parents of a dependent student a Direct PLUS loan to help pay for college expenses. Loan applications are certified by the SCC Financial Aid Office and are funded through the U.S. Department of Education. The yearly limit for this loan is SCC’s cost of attendance minus any other financial aid you receive.

Your parents are responsible for repayment of this loan with options of when repayment starts after the origination date. The PLUS loan is subject to a fixed interest rate for the life of the loan. Please see the interest rates for the Federal Direct PLUS Loan.