How to Apply

How to Apply

Applying for financial aid at MCC is easy! MCC offers a wide variety of need-based grants, scholarships, and work-study to eligible students.

Applying for financial aid starts with completing the FAFSA, or Free Application for Federal Student Aid.  The FAFSA collects income and asset information to help determine what financial aid can be offered. Be sure to include MCC’s School Code (011864) to have your application sent to us. The FAFSA helps determine your eligibility for grants, scholarships, work-study, and loans from the federal and state governments as well as from MCC.

If you don’t already have one, you’ll need to get an FSA ID. The FSA ID replaces the old FAFSA PIN. The FSA ID is a unique ID that you’ll use to sign the FAFSA. Your FSA ID is linked to your Social Security Number (SSN) and should not be shared. If you are required to provide parental information, your parent will also need an FSA ID.

The FAFSA uses prior-prior year income or income information from two years before the start of school in the fall. This allows you to apply for aid and know what help you can expect almost a full year before you plan to attend.

Academic Year Tax Year FAFSA Opens Semesters Academic Year Dates
2021-22 2019 October 1, 2020 Fall, Spring, Summer Aug 2021 – July 202
2022-23 2020 October 1, 2021 Fall, Spring, Summer Aug 2022 – July 2023
2023-24 2021 October 1, 2022 Fall, Spring, Summer Aug 2023 — July 2024
2024-25 2022 December 30, 2023 Fall, Spring, Summer Aug 2024 — July 2025
2025-26 2023 December 1, 2024 Fall, Spring, Summer Aug 2025 — July 2026

The FAFSA is completed online. It is now required that students and their contributors provide consent and approval for their federal tax return information to be obtained automatically from the IRS. This is known as the Direct Data Exchange (DDX). If consent and approval are not provided by the student and all contributors, the student will not be eligible for federal student aid. If you are not eligible for the DDX, you will still need to provide consent and approval. We recommend having a copy of your tax return from the applicable tax year handy so that you can manually provide information from it. You may also be asked to obtain a transcript of your taxes from the IRS.

Once completed, the FAFSA will be sent electronically to MCC. The Financial Aid team will determine if additional documentation is needed. You’ll receive an email to let you know what may be required. To view document requests, log into myMohave Self-Service to view your records. Self-Service is MCC’s online student portal. You can view document requests, messages, and your financial aid award here. You’ll need to complete the admission process and receive a student ID before you can access Self-Service.

FSA provides a help guide for filing your FAFSA. Check out the Completing The FAFSA page for more information. MCC hosts FAFSA Workshops to assist students and their contributors with FAFSA completion. Please call MCC Connect at 1-866-664-2832 for more information.

24-25 February FAFSA Workshops


Student Aid Index (SAI)

The information you provide on the FAFSA is used to calculate your SAI or Student Aid Index. This figure is used to determine your financial need. Some awards, like the Pell Grant, use the SAI to determine the amount you can receive each year. The SAI is a measure of your family’s ability to pay for college expenses.

FAFSA Tips and Common Errors to Avoid

  1. Read the instructions carefully. Additional guidance is provided for most lines. When in doubt, call MCC Connect at 1-866-664-2832 for assistance.
  2. Know your Social Security Number (SSN) – the FAFSA verifies your SSN, name, and date of birth. This number must be reported correctly.
  3. Report your legal name as it appears on your Social Security Card.
  4. Provide your gender as it was assigned at birth.
  5. Have a copy of your tax return and W-2 forms handy – if you are ineligible for the DDX, you’ll need to enter information from these manually.
  6. List tax filing status correctly.
  7. Avoid leaving fields blank, enter 0, or Not Applicable instead.
  8. If you are required to provide parental information, know the FAFSA definition of parent and whose information must be provided.
  9. Be prepared to provide backup documentation for any information on the FAFSA.
  10. Remember to provide your consent and approval, and sign the FAFSA!

Verification

Verification is a quality control process. If your FAFSA is selected for verification, you can expect to submit additional documentation before your financial aid award is finalized and any funding can be paid to your tuition bill.

Approximately 50% of all FAFSAs received at MCC are selected for Verification by the FAFSA processor. You’ll know if your FAFSA was selected by reading the Student Aid Report you receive after submitting your FAFSA. Your Student Aid Report, or SAR, is available online by logging into your FAFSA. You can access it using your FSA ID to sign in. MCC may also select your application for verification, or request documentation to clarify information on your FAFSA. If MCC selects your application for verification, the process and documentation are the same as if your application was selected by the FAFSA processor.

Students selected for Verification should expect to submit some or all of the items below to support the information provided on their FAFSA. Please review your myMohave Self-Service portal to determine which items you are required to submit.

  • Verification Worksheet
  • Income data is provided using the IRS Direct Data Exchange (DDX)
  • Tax Return Transcript – obtained from the IRS
  • Verification of Non-filing – obtained from the IRS
  • Wage and Income Transcript – obtained from the IRS
  • W-2 form(s) – obtained from employer(s)
  • Copy of photo ID
  • Statement of Educational Purpose
  • Signed copy of Form 1040X, if filed

If you do not wish to request tax information online, you can also request the information by mailing an IRS Form 4506-C to the appropriate IRS office. Victims of IRS Identity Theft who cannot obtain a tax transcript can call the IRS’s Identity Protection Specialized Unit at 1-800-908-4490 to request a Tax Return Database View (TRDBV). The TRDBV can be submitted along with a signed statement that the taxpayer was a victim of IRS Identity Theft and that the IRS is aware of it.

If your family or financial situation is not accurately represented by your documentation, call MCC Connect at 1-866-664-2832 or speak to your Advisor for guidance.



Printer friendly page