You must first complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. You will need your and/or your parents’ tax returns and other income information for the tax year indicated on the FAFSA. Listing Morris College and its Title IV code (003439) on the FAFSA ensures that we receive your FAFSA information.
You must re-apply each year. Remember, the Office of Financial Aid must have your report in order to make a financial aid award for you.
Do not wait for an acceptance letter to the college before submitting your FAFSA. Apply for financial aid as soon as possible after October 1.
You must also complete the Morris College Application for Financial Aid located on the website.
A financial aid package may include scholarships, grants, loans, and employment. They may be offered separately or in combination. In the financial aid office, our goal is to provide the best package for each student, one that minimizes loans and maximizes aid that doesn't have to be repaid.
Grants are awards that you do not have to repay. Scholarships are generally awarded on the basis of academic achievement or exceptional ability in specific areas. Like grants, you do not have to repay scholarships.
Loans are borrowed funds from a bank or the government that MUST be repaid with interest.
Work-Study gives you an opportunity to work and earn money to help pay your educational expenses.
The Morris College Application for Financial Aid may be found on the Morris College website in the Financial Aid section under Financial Aid Forms. The Application for Financial Aid cannot be submitted electronically. It may be completed online but will need to be printed and brought/submitted to the Financial Aid Office.
The Application for Financial Aid is also available in the Financial Aid Office.
To qualify for federal financial aid you must:
To receive the maximum financial aid package according to your eligibility and availability of funds, you must apply before these priority deadlines below.
If you are a transfer student, you must first be fully admitted to Morris College as a transfer student. If you did not list Morris College initially on your FAFSA as one of your college choices, you will need to correct your FAFSA online to add Morris to your list of schools.
You must not have defaulted on any previous student loans. Morris College uses the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) for acquiring information regarding grants and loans received at another institution. If you’ve received a loan at another school, you must also complete an in-school deferment as soon as you complete registration at Morris College. You may contact the Morris College Loan Default Coordinator for assistance in submitting the in-school deferment to your lender.
Freshmen (up to 24 credit hours) may borrow up to $5,500 in both Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans if they are enrolled in a program of study that is a full academic year. Sophomores (25-55 hours) may borrow up to $6,500 if the remainder of their program is a full academic year. Juniors (56-89 hours) and seniors (90 plus hours) may borrow up to $7,500 if the remainder of their program is one academic year. Higher loan limits in the form of an additional unsubsidized loan are available for dependent students whose parents are unable to obtain Federal PLUS Loans and for independent students.
The Office of Student Financial Aid will mail financial aid award notifications on a rolling basis beginning in April each year. However, the SAR/ISIR information and all requested documents must be on file.
Approximately one week after you’ve filed your FAFSA with all requested information, you will receive an acknowledgment that your FAFSA has been processed, and Morris College will receive your FAFSA data. This data will include an Expected Family Contribution (EFC) the calculation which will be used to determine your eligibility for federal student aid, as well as the South Carolina Tuition Grant (South Carolina residents only). If the FAFSA is selected for verification Morris College will request additional documents (Verification Worksheet, tax returns, etc.). You will not receive a financial aid award until all verification documents have been received.
After we have received all requested documents, the Office of Financial Aid will send an award notification to you by mail. The notification will indicate how much aid has been awarded to you. If you decline any part of our award offered, or wish to reduce an award, you should notify the Office of Financial Aid within 14 days. If you decline all or part of the award, you and/or your parents will be responsible for any remaining balance due to your account.
You will need to complete and/or sign any required forms included with your award notification.
If your FAFSA does not have an Expected Family Contribution calculated, you will need to provide additional information to complete processing.
Your package may be a combination of different types of assistance. Your financial aid award may include one or more of the following: scholarships, grants, loans and work-study employment.
Your package will be developed based on several factors including but not limited to financial need, academic merit, athletic participation and date of completion.
Morris College offers summer school session. Year-round Pell Grants, Loans and federal work-study, if funding allows, are the major types of financial assistance available for summer school. Institutional scholarships and state grants/scholarships are not available for the summer school enrollment.
In order to continue receiving financial aid, you must maintain satisfactory academic progress as described in the Morris College Standards of Academic Progress. Your academic records will be monitored each semester and reviewed at the end of each academic year. If it is determined that you are not making satisfactory academic progress, you will be notified by the Office of Financial Aid in writing. If your financial aid is suspended for lack of progress, you’ll have the right to appeal and may do so in writing to the Chairperson of the Appeals Committee.
The Appeals Committee will review your appeal. If you’re able to prove extenuating circumstances that resulted in your inability to progress, your financial aid eligibility will be reinstated on a probationary status. If you lose your financial aid because you’ve failed to maintain satisfactory progress, you may continue to take courses but at your own expense.
The detailed description of the SAP policy may be obtained from the Office of Financial Aid, and is also printed in the college catalog.
Funds are paid during each enrollment period (fall, spring, summer). Federal Pell Grants, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (SEOG), the South Carolina Tuition Grant, LIFE Scholarships, Federal Stafford Loans, and Federal College Work-Study are credited directly to your Morris College account.
Federal financial aid funds are awarded with the expectation that students will complete the entire period of enrollment. With each day of attendance, students “earn” a percentage of the funds disbursed to their account. If a student withdraws or is expelled from Morris College, the school or the student may be required to return some of the federal funds. The student may be eligible for a refund of a portion of tuition, fees, room and board paid to Morris College for the semester. If the student received federal financial aid, then a portion of the refund will be returned to the federal grant, or loan source from which the aid was received.
When a student who has received federal financial aid funds (Title IV Funds) leaves a school before the end of the semester or enrollment period, federal law requires Morris College to calculate the percentage and amount of “unearned” financial aid funds that must be returned to the federal government. Once a student has completed more than 60 percent of enrollment, students are considered to have earned all funds received. The federal formula requires a return of Title IV aid if the student received federal financial aid in the form of Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, Federal Stafford Loans or Federal Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students and withdrawal on or before completing 60 percent of the semester. The percentage of Title IV aid to be returned is equal to the number of calendar days remaining in the semester divided by the number of calendar days in the semester. Scheduled breaks are not included.
If there are remaining funds after the return of Title IV aid, they will be used to repay state funds, institutional funds, other private funding sources, and the student, as long as there is no unpaid balance at the time of withdrawal. If there is an unpaid balance, then all aid sources will be repaid before any funds are returned to the student.
The calculation for the Return of Title IV Funds may have the effect of requiring a student to repay the federal government, in cash, funds (grants) that have been disbursed to the student. Students are encouraged to meet with their financial aid counselor, and Academic Dean and his or her advisor before making the decision to withdraw.
Students who leave the college and do not complete the official withdrawal process may be eligible for a refund of charges and return of Title IV financial aid if the last date of attendance can be verified by other means such as class attendance records or other documents that will indicate the student’s last day of class attendance.
The following procedure will determine the amount of funds to be returned: