·  How to apply

·  Eligibility

·  Cost of Attendance

·  Forms

·  Submitting Forms

·  Processing Timelines

· Federal Programs

· Grants

· Book Services

· CA Dream Act

· Fee Waivers

· Solano Promise Program

· Scholarships

Solano Community College has partnered with BankMobile to provide students with options for their financial aid refunds. You must choose a refund preference to receive your financial aid in a timely manner! For more information about BankMobile, visit this link: http://bankmobiledisbursements.com/refundchoices

Check-Run Calendar

· Satisfactory Academic Progress

· Appeals

· Financial Aid TV (FATV)

· CashCourse

· Selective Service

· Title IV Repayment

Contact Us

Office Hours

Staff

Other Resources

What is BankMobile and how do I activate my account?
BankMobile (BMTX) is a banking partner that Solano works with to get financial aid funds to students. All students who receive disbursements need to use BankMobile. While our office creates student BankMobile accounts, you will still need to “activate” your account before you can receive your money.

In order to activate your account, you will need to use a security code to link your BankMobile account with your identity. You will receive your security code in an envelope in the mail 1–2 weeks after you become eligible for a federal or state cash aid award. This means the earliest the security code letter would arrive is about 2–3 weeks after completing your FAFSA.

What if I lost my BankMobile activation security code?
Please contact the Financial Aid Office for help. We can generate a code for you in the event that you are unable to use the physical code.

What do I do after I activate my BankMobile account?
After you activate your BankMobile account, you must choose your “Refund Preference.” Selecting a refund preference is a required step to receive your financial aid disbursement. It only takes 15 minutes or so to complete, so don’t forget! There are 2 options for your refund preference: “Deposit to Existing Account” (direct deposit) and “Deposit to BankMobile Vibe Checking Account.” The majority of students choose the first option,
which deposits their financial aid disbursements directly into their bank account of choice. Some students choose to create a BankMobile Vibe checking account, which functions like any other bank account.

What are my options for financial aid programs?
There are many programs to help you pay for college! The three largest and most common are the Pell grant, the California College Promise Grant (CCPG—formerly known as the Board of Governors (BOG) fee waiver), and the Solano Promise Program.

The Pell grant is the US financial aid system’s flagship award — every year, Solano awards its students millions of dollars through the program. The Pell is the foundational grant around which all other awards build upon. In short, when you think of “financial aid,” you’re probably thinking of Pell!

The Pell is federal cash aid and can provide up to $3698 per term for eligible students.

All three are grants, meaning you do not have to pay them back. The CCPG and Solano Promise are fee waivers, which means they make college free.

“Free” college? So what’s the catch? Fee waivers reduce enrollment fees (tuition) to $0. For the typical full-time student, this results in approximately $550 in savings per term, or $1100 per year. While enrollment fees are the bulk of required costs to attend Solano, they are not the only costs. You should still keep in mind textbooks, housing, transportation costs, and other expenses. Additionally, there is a small difference between the CCPG and the Solano Promise fee waivers. The CCPG does NOT cover institutional fees, such as the Student Health Center fee or the Transportation fee. The Solano Promise does cover these small institutional fees. Typically, these fees amount to about $34 per term for full-time students.

What’s the difference between the CCPG and the Solano Promise fee waivers?
The CCPG is a need-based fee waiver. The Solano Promise is a program which has two parts: a fee waiver and a $200 textbook grant. They are both grants, meaning you do not need to pay anything back.

The CCPG and Solano Promise both reduce all enrollment fees (tuition) to $0. The Solano Promise also reduces small institutional fees, such as the Health Center fee, the Transportation fee, etc. to $0. The CCPG does not do this. As a result, you have to pay these small fees. They typically add up to about $30–40 for a full-time student.

You cannot have both the CCPG and Solano Promise at the same time. If you are awarded the CCPG, you will not receive the Solano Promise. The CCPG takes precedence over the Solano Promise.

Importantly, you must be full-time (12 units) and in your first two years of college (<60 attempted units) to receive the Solano Promise. There is no unit requirement to receive the CCPG.

Additionally, the Solano Promise is not available in the summer while the CCPG is.

What does “need-based” mean?
Need-based programs mean that your eligibility for the program is determined, at least in part, by your income. Many of the most common and impactful financial aid programs are need-based.

Your eligibility for need-based programs is calculated using your Student Aid Index (SAI), which is a number that the government calculates using your FAFSA data. It represents a student’s ability to pay for college. In general, the more money you and/or your contributors make, the higher your SAI will be.

If your SAI is above a certain threshold, you will no longer be eligible for need-based financial aid programs. The exact threshold changes from year to year and is based on the financial aid program in question, the student’s Cost Of Attendance (COA), and other factors.

What is the Student Aid Index (SAI)?
Your SAI is a number that the government calculates using your FAFSA data, including your tax information. It represents a student’s ability to pay for college. In general, the more money you and/or your contributors make, the higher your SAI will be. The SAI is the most important number for your financial aid, as need-based financial aid programs account for the majority of all financial aid.

You can view your preliminary SAI the moment you submit the FAFSA. The FAFSA will also give you an estimate of how much Pell you can expect to be awarded for the year. Keep in mind that these are only estimates and are subject to change. The amount awarded to you in your MySolano is your actual Pell award.

If your SAI is above a certain threshold, you will no longer be eligible for need-based financial aid programs. The exact threshold changes from year to year and is based on the financial aid program in question and the student’s Cost Of Attendance (COA).

What financial aid programs are need-based and which are not?
Need-based programs include, but are not limited to, the Pell grant, the CCPG, Direct Subsidized Loans, Cal grants, the Student Success Completion Grant (SSCG), Federal Work-Study (FWS), Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG), and some outside scholarships.

Programs that are not need-based include, but are not limited to, the Solano Promise, Federal Unsubsidized Loans, the Chafee grant, HireUp, and most outside scholarships.

Some of these programs have other requirements. For example, the Chafee grant is for current or former foster youth, but does not have a SAI ceiling.

What is enrollment intensity?
The amount that you are awarded can change based on your enrollment intensity (i.e., the number of units you’re taking, maxing out at 12) and your unmet need.

What is Enrollment Intensity for Pell Grant? Enrollment intensity refers to how many units you’re taking in a given term. It is used in the context of financial aid awards in which eligibility varies in proportion to the number of units you’re enrolled in—your enrollment intensity. For the fall and spring semesters, Pell Grant financial aid eligibility increases with each additional 0.5 units you take, capping out at 12 units (full-time).

Enrollment intensity does NOT work the same for Pell and Cal Grants. Pell is exactly proportional, meaning every additional 0.5 units will increase your Pell award. Conversely, Cal Grant uses 3 levels of enrollment intensity: half-time, three-quarters-time, and full-time, which correspond to 50%, 75%, and 100% of your semester award, respectively. Cal Grant is not awarded to less-than-half time students (students with 0.5–5.5 units), while Pell is.

Each additional unit you take up from 6 up to a maximum of 12 (full-time) gets you more Pell. Your semester award (maximum possible Pell you can receive in a semester, i.e., your annual award divided by 2) is multiplied the proportion of units you’re taking over 12. For example, if you’re taking 6 units, you would multiply your semester award by 1/2 or half (50%) of the total. If you’re taking 9 units, you would multiply your semester award by 3/4, or 75% of the total. If you’re taking 10 units, you would
multiply your semester award by 10/12, or 83.3% of the total.

How do I know when I will get paid?
There are many factors that affect when you will receive your financial aid funds. If you have any concerns about whether you will have access to your financial aid by a given date, the best way to be certain is to contact the Financial Aid Office.

For Pell disbursements, the most common and largest kind of cash aid disbursement, the Financial Aid Office disburses funds twice per term in the fall and spring. The first disbursement occurs 1 week before classes begin. The second disbursement occurs about 1 month into the term. Pell is disbursed 1 week before classes begin for the summer term and is disbursed only once. If you are in a later summer session, it will be disbursed 1 week before that session begins. Remember that disbursements
take about 1 week to reach your bank account, so the first disbursement of a semester will actually be in your bank account and usable starting at about the same time as classes begin.

What about other kinds of cash aid disbursements, like Cal Grant? While the most common schedule is for cash aid to be paid at the beginning of the term, there are some important exceptions:

• • The Cal Grant typically disburses about 1 month after the term begins. It is disbursed once per semester. (The Cal Grant is not awarded during summer.)
  • HireUp is paid monthly on the last Monday of the month. The HireUp payment schedule is available on the Financial Aid website.
  • Scholarships can vary, but it is most common for them to be paid out once at the beginning of the term
  • For other less common forms of aid, it’s best to contact the Financial Aid Office for up-to-date information

I turned in my FAFSA late. When will I get paid? First of all, don’t worry—you’ll still get paid as long as you turn in the FAFSA in the same aid year, i.e. you have until June 30th. Yes, that means you will get paid for classes you took from August to December if you complete your FAFSA in May. If you complete your FAFSA late, you will be paid the amount you are owed on the next
disbursement date for which you are eligible. Please contact the Financial Aid Office if this does not occur. Please note there are circumstances which would prevent retroactive payments even if you complete a FAFSA before June 30th. For example, you cannot be paid retroactively if you were SAP Ineligible and failed to complete a SAP appeal by the its deadline (the last day of the semester).

The Financial Aid office publishes an annual calendar with disbursement and refund dates on it. Please refer to this calendar for exact dates for a given year. Most Mondays (excluding holidays) are disbursement dates, while reimbursement dates are at the end of the term.

Disbursement dates refer to days in which the Financial Aid Office begins the process of sending you your financial aid funds. It takes about 1 week from the disbursement date for your money to be accessible in either your personal bank account or BankMobile Vibe checking account.

Refund dates refer to dates where the Cashier’s Office writes refund checks for students who have overpaid and are now due a refund. This is uncommon and only typically occurs when a student pays for enrollment fees (tuition) and is subsequently awarded a fee waiver.

What if my classes start late?
Late start classes can affect the timing and/or amount of your financial aid disbursements. This is because late start units are counted towards your financial aid eligibility until the late start class in question begins.

There are several awards that are dependent on meeting certain minimum unit requirements (e.g., Solano Promise requires students to be full-time) and other awards for which eligibility is proportional to enrollment intensity (e.g., Pell and Cal Grant).

For awards which have minimum unit requirements, students will only become eligible once their late start classes begin and their late start units begin to count towards their financial aid. For awards which are proportional to enrollment intensity—Pell and Cal Grant, primarily, but also HireUp—students may
or may not receive additional disbursements to account to late start units.

How will my Pell be affected by my late start units?

1. 1. If ALL your classes are late start, you will not be disbursed Pell at the regular two Pell disbursement dates, like most students. You will be disbursed the entirety of your Pell on the first disbursement date after your late start classes begin.
   2. If you have 0.5–11.5 units that are not late start and at least 0.5 late start units, you will be disbursed part of your Pell at the regular two Pell disbursement dates. You will then have the remainder of your Pell disbursed on the first disbursement date after your late start classes begin.
   3. If you have 12 or more units that are not late start and at least 0.5 late start units, you will be disbursed all of your Pell at the regular 2 Pell disbursement dates. You will not have any Pell disbursed after your late start classes begin.

How will my Cal Grant be affected by my late start units? Unlike the Pell Grant, the Cal Grant requires that students are attending at least 6 units. This changes the way in which late start can affect Cal Grants.

1. 1. If ALL of your classes are late start (and you are taking at least 6 units), you will not be disbursed Cal Grant at the regular disbursement date on the freeze date, like most students. You will be disbursed your Cal Grant on the first disbursement date after your late start classes start.
   2. If you are taking 0.5–5.5 units that are not late start and at least 0.5 late start units, you will not be disbursed Cal Grant at the regular disbursement date on the freeze date, like most students. You will be disbursed your Cal Grant on the first disbursement date after your late start classes start.
   3. If you are taking 6–11.5 units that are not late start and at least 0.5 late start units, you will be disbursed part of your Cal Grant on the regular disbursement date on the freeze date. You will then have the remainder of your Cal Grant disbursed on the first disbursement date after your late start classes begin.
   4. If you are taking 12 units that are not late start and at least 0.5 late start units, you will be disbursed the entirety of your Cal Grant on the regular disbursement date on the freeze date. You will not have any Cal Grant disbursed after your late start classes begin.

For more information, or if you have any questions, please contact the Financial Aid Office.

What does a negative account balance mean?
A negative account balance means Solano owes you money.

Negative account balances are usually temporary, with 1 exception. We disburse students their funds each week on Mondays (excluding holidays). An account only reflects a negative balance in between our disbursement—usually Monday afternoon—and when BankMobile (our 3rd party partner which
makes sure disbursements get to students) receives and approves the funds—usually on Wednesday, give or take a day. This means that you should only see a negative account balance between Monday afternoon and, at the latest, Thursday evening of a disbursement week.

If you see a negative balance which persists for more than a week or which is outside of this time range, then you probably have a reimbursement (not to be confused with a refund). This will be
automatically sent to you when the Cashier Office processes reimbursements, usually at the freeze date and at the end of a semester. If you wish to receive your reimbursement earlier, please contact the Cashier Office and request that they expedite the process of sending you these funds.

What does disbursement mean?

Disbursement can have a few meanings. A disbursement is both the action or process of disbursing as
well as “that which has been disbursed; money paid out; expenditure” (OED). In short, it’s word we use
to refer to cash aid payments and the act of paying out financial aid.

How do I make sure I don’t lose my financial aid eligibility?
Eligibility rules are complex and vary from program to program. The most common way to lose eligibility is to fail to meet our academic standards, which are referred to as Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Standards. SAP is a federal requirement that is additionally used by most forms of
state and local aid to determine eligibility. If you are concerned about non-SAP eligibility requirements, please see our eligibility tables.

While different financial aid programs vary in their eligibility requirements, almost all require students to be meeting some form of academic standards. At Solano, we refer to these academic standards as Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). Nearly all forms of financial aid require you to be meeting SAP
standards. The two exceptions are the CCPG, which has its own set of academic eligibility standards which are nearly identical to SAP standards, and EOPS.

Satisfactory Academic Progress Standards
You will generally be SAP eligible if you meet all of these conditions:

1. 1. You have a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or above
   2. You have passed 67% or more of the units you have attempted
   3. You haven’t attempted more than 150% of the units in your program length (for most associate’s degrees, that is 60 units x 1.5 = 90 units)

Federal rules are complex. There are many exceptions and variations depending on the details of your program, transfer status, and types of courses you’ve taken. All of those details can be found in the full SAP policy.

If you find yourself having trouble in class and you’re worried about whether you’ll continue to be eligible for financial aid, we have resources to help:

• Contact the Academic Success and Tutoring Center (ASTC) to get FREE tutoring
• Talk to a counselor about your options
• Contact your instructors about the challenges you’re facing
• Contact the Financial Aid Office to find out how your choices may affect your financial aid

If you do not meet the GPA or Pace of Progression criteria at the end of a term, you will be placed onto “Warning” status for the following term. If you are still not meeting SAP standards at the end of your Warning term, you will be placed into “Ineligible” status and will be barred from receiving financial aid.
If you do not meet the Maximum Timeframe criterion at the end of a semester, you will be placed directly into Ineligible status—you will not have one term as a warning period.

To become eligible for financial aid again after being deemed Ineligible, you must submit a SAP appeal. Alternatively, students may reestablish their eligibility by taking classes without receiving Title IV aid and meeting all qualitative and quantitative SAP standards listed above.

What does Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) mean?
Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) refers to the academic standards Solano uses to determine students’ eligibility for financial aid.

Nearly all forms of financial aid require you to be meeting SAP standards. The two exceptions are the CCPG, which has its own set of academic eligibility standards which are nearly identical to SAP standards, and EOPS.

You generally will be SAP eligible if you meet these three criteria:

1. GPA: You have a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or above
2. Pace of Progression: You have passed 67% or more of the units you have attempted
3. Maximum Timeframe: You haven’t attempted more than 150% of the units in your program length (for most associate’s degrees, that is 60 units x 1.5 = 90 units)

Federal rules are complex. There are many exceptions and variations depending on the details of your program, transfer status, and types of courses you’ve taken. All of those details can be found in the full SAP policy.

If you do not meet the GPA or Pace of Progression criteria at the end of a term, you will be placed onto “Warning” status for the following term. If you are still not meeting SAP standards at the end of your Warning term, you will be placed into “Ineligible” status and will be barred from receiving financial aid.

If you do not meet the Maximum Timeframe criterion at the end of a semester, you will be placed directly into Ineligible status—you will not have 1 term as a warning period.

To become eligible for financial aid again after being deemed Ineligible, you must submit a SAP appeal. (Alternatively, students may reestablish their eligibility by taking classes without receiving Title IV aid and meeting all qualitative and quantitative SAP standards listed above.)

If your SAP appeal is accepted, you will be placed on Probation status for the remaining number of semesters on your comprehensive SEP (i.e., you will be on Probation until you graduate). If you fail to meet SAP standards for a term while you are on Probation status, you will be placed into Ineligible status on the next term—you will not have 1 term of Warning status as you may have had previously.

If you find yourself having trouble in class and you’re worried about whether you’ll continue to be eligible for financial aid, we have resources to help:

• Go to the Academic Success and Tutoring Center (ASTC) for FREE tutoring
• Talk to a counselor about your options
• Reach out to your professors about the challenges you’re facing
• Contact the Financial Aid Office to find out how your financial aid may be affected

What is a SAP appeal and how do I submit one?
If you have placed on Ineligible financial aid status, you must submit a SAP appeal in order to become eligible again. For information on SAP standards, review the SAP standards FAQ question.

There are two parts to a SAP appeal: a written statement and a comprehensive Student Education Plan (SEP). The written statement is a typed, signed, and dated statement that includes:

• What extenuating circumstances caused the student to fall below the SAP standards
• What has changed that will allow the student to meet the standards and successfully complete their program of study
• Sufficient detail for a person unfamiliar with the student’s situation to make a decision based on
  the statement alone

To turn in a written statement, go to your MySolano financial aid tab. Under FA Requirements, click “Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal.” This will take you to a ProEd submission URL where you can then upload the written statement.

Alternatively, you can turn in your written statement via the FA Form Upload button as a Miscellaneous Form Upload. In general, this is not recommended, but is offered as another option in case you are having difficulties. In the event that you turn in any forms via the FA Form Upload button, it is recommended that you call or email the Financial Aid Office to let them know that they can find your document in the Miscellaneous Form Upload section to avoid possible delays.

The comprehensive SEP is a plan that you create with a counselor that includes every class you will take in each term until you graduate. You must make an appointment with a counselor to create a SEP. Make sure the counselor creates a comprehensive plan (as opposed to an “abbreviated” plan).

Please allow 2–3 weeks for SAP appeals to be processed. If your SAP appeal is accepted, the red flag under FA Requirements will change to a green flag. If your SAP appeal is marked incomplete, the red flag’s description will update to reflect this.
If your SAP appeal is rejected, the red flag’s description will update to reflect this. All rejections are final and cannot be appealed.

How do comprehensive Student Education Plans (SEPs) work? How do I check my status?
A comprehensive Student Education Plan (SEP) is a plan of which classes to take and during which terms that students make during a counseling appointment.

There are two types of SEPs: abbreviated and comprehensive. All SAP appeals require your SEP to be comprehensive. Assume all instances of “SEP” below are referring only to comprehensive SEPs and not abbreviated SEPs, as the latter are not valid for financial aid purposes.

We recommend reminding your counselor during your appointment that the purpose of your SEP is for a SAP appeal, and as such you will need it to be marked as comprehensive.

If you deviate from your SEP, you will need to make an appointment with your counselor to update your SEP and keep it valid. If you do not, your SEP will become invalid and you will become Ineligible for financial aid. Deviations from your SEP include, but are not limited to:

• Dropping a planned class
• Failing or withdrawing from a planned class
• Not enrolling in a planned class
• Taking a different class than planned, even if this class satisfies the same requirements for your course of study
• Excused withdrawals
• Not meeting your degree requirements at the end of your SEP

Deviations from your SEP do NOT include:

• Taking a planned class one or more terms early
• Taking an additional class
• Not passing a planned class which you attempted one or more terms early

Unfortunately, you can’t directly check the status of your SEP on MySolano. We recommending requesting the counselor to email you a PDF of your SEP and/or printing out a copy for your records. You can also contact the Financial Aid Office at any time if you would like to check the status of your SEP and/or if you would like a printed or PDF copy for your records.

What are red flags? How do I check my status regarding red flags?
The Financial Aid Office primarily uses the FA Requirements section of MySolano to communicate with students. Our partners, such as BankMobile, may email your more frequently—for example each time your are due to receive a disbursement.

To view your FA Requirements, follow these steps:

1. Log in to MySolano
2. On PC, click on the Financial Aid tab on the left-hand sidebar. On mobile, click on the hamburger button (3 horizontal lines) in the top left of the screen, then click the Financial Aid tab with a credit card icon.
3. On PC, FA Requirements will be located on the top left of the main pane. On mobile, FA Requirements will be the first section you see.

Any holds on your account will appear as red flags in the FA Requirements section. Red flags will prevent disbursements, with a few exceptions. One important exception is the The Terms and Conditions red flag, which will not prevent disbursements. All students receive the Terms and Conditions red flag when their FAFSA is first processed by Solano.

You can click on a red flag for more information, including how to resolve it. You can also click on the description button for more information.

Some common reasons you may have a red flag include:

• Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Appeal
• You have been selected for verification
• You were determined to be ineligible for most forms of aid due to how you answered a question on the FAFSA
  • For example, if you answered that you have a Bachelor’s degree or do not have a high school diploma (or equivalent)
• Your FAFSA was rejected
  • For example, if you need to provide additional documentation to provide evidence of your eligible noncitizen or independent status (i.e., complete your Dependency Override)
• You were flagged by our automatic fraud prevention system (e.g., a red flag called “Show ID.”)

How do I check my status in general?
There are a few aspects to your “status.” You’ll have to check each of them to have a clear picture of your financial aid standing.

FA Requirements (MySolano)
The first place to look is the Financial Aid tab of your MySolano. The first section, called “FA Requirements,” shows urgent tasks or notifications for a given aid year. We strongly recommend that students check their FA Requirements at least once a week so they will stay up-to-date with financial aid.

If a task is still outstanding, it will have an icon of a red flag next to it. If you have taken care of the task, it will have an icon of a green flag next to it. All red flags will prevent disbursement. This means you will NOT receive your money.

Exceptions (Terms and Conditions) There are a handful of exceptions to this rule, most importantly the Terms and Conditions red flag. All students receive the Terms and Conditions red flag and it does NOT prevent disbursement. You are not required to accept the Terms and Conditions. You can accept or decline and still receive financial aid. If you do neither, you will be opted-in. Please read the Terms and Conditions for more information about how they affect financial aid, primarily through allowing you account balance to be automatically paid using Pell funds.

Many red flags require you to upload additional documents or complete a form. This can be done by clicking the text of the red flag or the button below that says description. Some have links, for example to a URL from our verification servicer ProEd from which you can access a given form. It will ask you to enter your email and then you will receive the form to your email. Follow the instructions to upload your documentation or complete the form.

BankMobile
BankMobile is a banking partner Solano uses to get your funds to you. With a few small exceptions (such as the Solano Promise’s $200 textbook grant), all disbursements will go through BankMobile before they reach your bank account.

BankMobile will tell you if they have received the disbursement funds from Solano prior to your funds actually appearing in your bank account. Disbursements take place on Mondays and usually take about 1 week for the funds to actually be deposited and usable in your back account. If you’re included on a Monday disbursement, BankMobile will update to let you know that they have received your disbursement by Thursday or Friday of the same week. It may still take a few more days until the funds are deposited into your bank account.

Student Email
In general, the Financial Aid Office communicates with students through MySolano rather than email. We will use email in a few cases, such as when replying to student emails or when all other methods to contact a student have been unanswered.

We recommend the student check their Solano email (ends in “@students.solano.edu”) at least once a week to stay informed about any important communications.

studentaid.gov (FAFSA website)
Most students know the studentaid.gov website as the place where they submit the FAFSA. However, it is much more than that. It is also an extremely valuable resource to improve your financial aid literacy. Please go back to it periodically to stay informed about important topics in financial aid—for example,
loan repayment options.

What is a hold and why does it matter?
Holds prevent you from receiving your aid. At the Financial Aid Office, we often use “hold” and “red flag” interchangeably. We tend to prefer “red flag” because it conveys a sense of urgency, reduces confusion, and the fact that some red flags, while not technically preventing you from receiving your aid, will ultimately result in that outcome if they are not addressed in a timely manner.

What is my account balance? How do I check it?
Your account balance records your financial debits and credits with Solano.

Think of your account balance with Solano like a bank account in reverse: positive numbers mean that you owe Solano money while negative numbers mean that Solano owes you money. You can view your account balance on the homepage of your MySolano.

Some common reasons your account balance might increase include tuition, institutional fees, paying for a student ID, having your Pell reduced, or being subject to a form of overpayment.

Some common reasons your account balance might decrease include making an out-of-pocket payment, having your Pell or other cash aid begin the disbursement process, or having a fee waiver such as the CCPG applied to you account.

What does the Terms and Conditions red flag mean? Do I need to accept?
The Terms and Conditions red flag is primarily concerned with getting your consent to use Pell funds to pay off account balances. By default, students are opted-in and their Pell will automatically cover all balances from the current term and up to $200 in account balances from prior terms.

Sometimes, students are surprised when their Pell is less than anticipated or when a prior term’s account balance is not covered in full.

You are not required to accept the Terms and Conditions. If you decline, you will still receive financial aid.

What is verification? Why was I selected?
Verification is a process the federal government requires of both students and Financial Aid Offices to maintain the integrity of the financial aid process. There are several different kinds of verification “groups” that students can be put into. Some verification groups only require you to come to the Financial Aid Office in-person and sign a brief form. Other kinds require you and, if applicable, your contributors, to provide documentation to clarify your identity, finances, family status, and/or other
information.

Most students selected for verification are chosen at random. Sometimes, students are chosen due to conflicting or unusual information on their FAFSA.

If you’re selected for verification, follow the instructions on the red flag in your FA Requirements to complete it.

Please contact the Financial Aid Office if you have any questions.

How do I submit my documents?
Solano DOES NOT accept documentation over email except in rare circumstances. We work with a 3rd party called ProEducation Solutions (AKA ProEd and ProVerifier+) to intake documents, store them securely, and process verifications.

If you’re submitting documents for a common form, it will most likely be through ProEd. ProEd first asks for your name and email before emailing you the form you requested. When you turn in that form, it goes into our processing queue.

Feel Free to Reach Out! If you are concerned that your submitted document may not have made its way into our processing queue for any reason, don’t hesitate to reach out. We’d be happy to confirm with you so you know what step of the process you’re in.

FA Form Upload/Miscellaneous Form Upload If you’re submitting documents for an uncommon form, a form we don’t provide, or are submitting supplemental documents to a form you’ve already submitted, you may need to use the FA Form Upload button (also called Miscellaneous Form Upload). If you submit anything through FA Form Upload, we recommend you call or email our office to inform us of this. The FA Form Upload processing queue is separate from other queues and mistimed document uploads can result in delays. It is your responsibility to make sure we receive your documents into the correct location.

Sometimes, students stumble upon an old form that was saved somewhere on our website and turn it in through FA Form Upload. To avoid turning in old and invalid forms, always double check to make sure you are filling out the form for the correct academic year. Each form has the aid year at the top. The academic year runs from fall through spring and summer. As such, the “2024–2025″or “24–25” year refers to Fall 2024, Spring 2025, and Summer 2025. It does NOT refer to Spring 2024 or Summer 2024, as these are part of the 23–24 aid year.

What is ProEducation Solutions/ProVerifier/ProEd? How do I submit my documentation?
ProEducation Solutions (ProEd or ProVerifier+) is a third party servicer that the Financial Aid Office partners with for the verification process and the secure transmission, storage, and maintenance of documentation. ProVerifier+ is a part of the larger ProEd that specifically services verification for Solano and its students. While ProEd is more of a service which hosts and secures student documents, ProVerifier+ is a team of people who will work with students to make sure their verification gets
completed correctly.

When you upload any documentation to the Financial Aid Office, whether through the FA Form Upload section, a link on a red flag, or a form from the website, that documentation will be securely uploaded to ProEd. The Financial Aid Office will then view and process it via ProEd.

If the documentation is for verification, it will be sent to ProVerifier+. You will be able to log in and view your status and communications from the ProVerifier+ team at any time. The verification process from the student’s perspective will consist mostly of interactions with the ProVerifier+ team and NOT Solano staff. However, if necessary, the Financial Aid Office is able to assist students with verification, for example by viewing your profile, uploading additional documentation, and making notes on your behalf.

If you encounter issues uploading requested documentation for a red flag requirement, you can alternatively upload through the FA Form Upload section. If you choose to upload a form which would normally be uploaded via ProEd via FA Form Upload instead, make sure you call or email the Financial Aid Office to inform us of your upload so we can ensure it goes into the correct processing queue.

I have a HS verification red flag. What does this mean and how do I fix this?
HS “verification” is NOT the same as other types of verification. In this case, the HS verification flag appears when students answer on the FAFSA that they do not have a high school diploma or equivalent. As having a high school diploma or equivalent is a requirement of receiving federal financial
aid, most students who fill out the FAFSA are expected to have one. The HS verification flag is a student’s opportunity to change their answer to that question and receive aid if they were confused by the question, accidentally clicked the wrong choice, or experienced a technical issues which resulted in the FAFSA incorrectly assuming that they do not have a high school diploma or equivalent.

If it is accurate that you do not have a high school diploma or equivalent, you still have some options for receiving financial aid.

If you do have a high school diploma or equivalent, you need to follow these steps to fix the red flag:

• Click on the HS verification red flag and complete the form, including a picture of your high school
  diploma or equivalent.

IMPORTANT: HS transcripts MUST have the graduation year visible or they will not be accepted.

• Make a correction on your FAFSA and change your answer to the High School Completion Status question to an answer that is not “None of the above.”

IMPORTANT: The 24–25 FAFSA online form sometimes experiences technical issues which prevent the FAFSA from showing you the question for High School Completion Status at all. The best way to ensure you see the High School Completion Status question is to go all the way to the end of the FAFSA form and use the Previous button at the bottom of the screen rather than the Continue button. That is, you need to go backwards rather than forwards or else the High School Completion
Status question may not appear at all.

• Inform the Financial Aid Office.
• It will take 7–10 days for your correction to reflect on your MySolano.

What are the requirements for the tax documentation?
If you are required to turn in a tax transcript, it must be entire transcript with both federal and state taxes and include a wet signature, which means signed by hand. If you signed electronically when you submitted your taxes, you must print out the signature portion of the transcript, sign it by hand, and
scan it before uploading. Typically, a tax transcript is more than 50 pages.

Tax documentation is commonly requested for verification and special circumstance appeals.

What’s the difference between a grant and a loan? Do I ever have to repay grants?
A grant is a type of financial aid that you do not have to repay. You must repay loans.

Under certain circumstances, you may be required to pay back money you originally received from a grant. For example, if you drop a class 2 weeks into the fall term, you may be required to pay back the Pell funds received from those units. This is called an overpayment.

In most cases, students do not have to pay back grants as a result of overpayments as future grant disbursements are automatically reduced to pay for the balance created as a result of the payment.
However, overpayments resulting from dropping more than 2 classes (i.e., more than 6 units) can result in overpayments that are greater than future Pell payments.

Please review our Title IV Repayment page for more information about potential repayment situations and how to anticipate and avoid them.

How do I apply for a loan?
Solano Community College participates in the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program and offers Direct Subsidized Loans and Direct Unsubsidized Loans. We do not offer Direct PLUS Loans.

To be eligible, a student must be meeting SAP standards, be an undergraduate (i.e., not already have a bachelor’s degree) and be enrolled in 6 units or more. Additionally, for Direct Subsidized Loans, a student must have any amount of unmet need.

To apply for a loan, visit the Request a Loan in 4 Steps page. The link to the loan request form can be found under Step 4. Be aware that you must complete Steps 1–3 before Step 4 or your loan request will be marked incomplete or denied.

Student loans are serious, long-term financial commitments. Please review the Solano Loan FAQ and the studentaid.gov Loan FAQs in their entirety before requesting a loan.

What’s the difference between subsidized and unsubsidized loans?
The primary difference between the two programs involves the treatment of interest while the student is still in school:

• Direct Subsidized Loans do not begin to accrue interest until the student has graduated or is no longer enrolled in college at all.
• Direct Unsubsidized Loans will begin to accrue interest immediately. As interest accrues, the amount that a student will owe to the loan servicer will increase.

It is important to recognize that the beginning of repayment and the beginning of interest accrual are different. For both types of loans, repayment does not begin until 6 months after the student has ceased enrollment in higher education, whether through graduation or withdrawal, or has dropped below half-time enrollment. This is called the grace period.

Direct Subsidized Loans are only available to students with any amount of unmet need, while Direct Unsubsidized Loans are available to all other eligible students.

For more information on the Federal Direct Loan program, including annual and lifetime maximum amounts, repayment plans, and alternatives to lending, visit: https://studentaid.gov/understand-aid/types/loans

How do loans work? How do I check my eligibility?
Solano Community College participates in the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program and offers Direct Subsidized Loans and Direct Unsubsidized Loans. We do not offer Direct PLUS Loans.

To be eligible, a student must be meeting SAP standards, be an undergraduate (i.e., not already have a bachelor’s degree) and be enrolled in 6 units or more. Additionally, for Direct Subsidized Loans, a student must have any amount of unmet need. You can also refer to our eligibility tables.

To apply for a loan, visit the Request a Loan in 4 Steps page. The link to the loan request form can be
found under Step 4. Be aware that you must complete Steps 1–3 before Step 4 or your loan request will be marked incomplete or denied.

Once your loan request form is approved, your loans will be added to your awards summary. Please note that first-year, first-time borrowers will have to wait 30 days from the beginning of class before they can have their loans disbursed to them.

If you drop below 6 units, you will become ineligible for loans. This may or may not trigger an overpayment depending on the exact details and timing. Please contact the Financial Aid Office if you have loans and are considering dropping below 6 units to learn how you may be impacted.

Student loans are serious, long-term financial commitments. Please review the Solano Loan FAQ and the studentaid.gov Loan FAQs in their entirety before requesting a loan.

I’m thinking about dropping or withdrawing from a class. What will happen to my financial aid?
It depends.

If you are dropping a class but NOT dropping to 0 units, you may trigger an overpayment. If you have received your second disbursement of Pell funds, or if you have not yet received your first disbursement of Pell funds, you will not trigger an overpayment.

Dropping a class also affects your financial aid eligibility. One of the three criteria for SAP, along with maximum timeframe and GPA, is Pace of Progression. You need to pass 67% of all attempted classes to maintain eligibility for all financial aid except the CCPG. The CCPG has slightly different requirements. Instead of 2/3rds or 67% of all attempted classes, the CCPG requires students to pass 50% of all attempted classes. Most kinds of drops affect Pace of Progression, while Ws and EWs do
NOT affect your GPA.

SAP standards are complex and can have exceptions. For more detailed information on SAP, please see the FAQ question on SAP, our full SAP policy. For more information on the CCPG, see the FAQ question on SAP.

If you are dropping or withdrawing (excused or unofficial) your only class, i.e. dropping to 0 units, you may trigger a type of overpayment known as a Return to Title IV (R2T4). R2T4s sometimes require students to pay back significant amounts of cash aid; other times, students are actually paid additional
aid after they exit. It depends on the number of classes the student was paid cash aid for as well as the exact dates they withdrew from their last class.

As a precaution, we recommend obtaining documentation of the last day you were in class or interacted with an online class before you withdraw.

R2T4s are highly complex and have some exceptions. Visit our R2T4 policy page for more information.

What is a special circumstance appeal?
If you have experienced unusual and special circumstances that have caused your income to drastically decrease, you may submit a Request for Special Circumstance Income Review (“special
circumstance appeal”). If approved, a special circumstance appeal can change the base year for a student’s financial aid from the “prior-prior” year to the prior year.

What’s the difference between “prior-prior” and “prior”? If the current aid year is 24–25, the base year is two years prior to the beginning of the aid year, or 2022. i.e., the income you made primarily in 2022 and reported in April of 2023 is the amount that will determine your SAI and, consequently, your need-based financial aid awards, such as Pell. This is the normal way it works and is referred to as the “prior-prior” year.
If your special circumstance appeal is approved, you can change the base year for 24–25 to one year prior to the beginning of the aid year, or 2023. I.e., the income you made primarily in 2023 and reported in April of 2024 is the amount that will determine your SAI. This would just be the “prior” year.

Special circumstance appeals require you to provide additional documentation regarding the special circumstance. For example, a sudden and dramatic medical expense that affects your ability to pay for college might be supported by insurance documentation with the total amounts and what has been
paid be insurance listed.

You can find the special circumstance appeal form under Forms.

For more information, please contact the Financial Aid Office.

What is a dependency override? How do I submit one?
A dependency override occurs when a financial aid administrator exercises professional judgement and overrides the Department of Education’s criteria for determining a student’s dependency status. An override may only be granted on a case-by-case basis for students with unusual & exceptional circumstances. These circumstances must show compelling reason for a student to be considered independent rather than dependent.

Some conditions that could warrant a dependency override include, but are not limited to:

• Documented abandonment
• Parental drug abuse
• Legal refugee or asylum status
• Parental incarceration

Some conditions that could not warrant a dependency override include, but are not limited to:

• Parents/contributors refusing to provide information for the FAFSA or for verification
• Parents/contributors do not claim student as a dependent for tax purposes
• Student demonstrates self-sufficiency (e.g., living on your own or paying your own bills)
• Student does not wish to communicate with parents/contributors

In order to obtain a dependency override, there are a few steps that must be followed. Students who are below the age of 24 at the beginning of the calendar year and who are not eligible for an exception are required fill out the FAFSA as a dependent and include their parents/contributors information, including tax information. If a student who is otherwise required to fill out as a dependent does not provide their parents/contributors information on their FAFSA, or who chooses an answer to other
questions on the FAFSA which indicate they may need a dependency override, they will be categorized as “Provisionally Independent” and their FAFSA will be placed in reject. The student will be told they need to contact their school’s Financial Aid Office to obtain a dependency override and move their
FAFSA out of reject.

The student then needs to fill out the Dependency Status Change Request form, available on the Solano Financial Aid website under “How to Apply → Forms.” They will need to include typed
statements describing the student’s situation and the student’s relationship with their parents/contributors from both the student themself as well as a professional who knows the student’s situation. Within 1–2 weeks, the specialist will make a determination whether to approve the override request. It may take longer if the specialist reaches out to the student for clarification. All decisions on dependency overrides are final.

The student will be able to check the status of their dependency override by logging into MySolano. When the student submits a Dependency Status Change Request form, a red flag will be added to their FA Requirements. If the dependency override is approved, the flag will change to green. If is denied, it will state “denied” and stay red. If a dependency override is denied, the student must submit a correction to their FAFSA as a dependent, including all required information from their parents/contributors.

It is not required to submit a new dependency override for each aid year as long as there are no changes to the student’s situation. For the second aid year and beyond, the Financial Aid Office will
automatically change the student’s status from “Provisionally Independent” to independent. The student’s FAFSA will still be placed in reject, but it will be taken out of reject shortly after without the student having to submit a new dependency override.

If the beginning of the term is approaching quickly and you are concerned that your FAFSA is still in reject, please contact the Financial Aid Office for an update on the approval status of your dependency override and/or the status of your automatic override renewal (if you have previously been approved for a dependency override).

The rules regarding dependency are complex and have exceptions. For more information, visit the Dependency Status page of the studentaid.gov website.

What does “Provisionally Independent” mean on my FAFSA?
See the FAQ question on dependency overrides.

What are the differences between state and federal aid?
The main difference between state and federal aid, from the student’s perspective, is that the state of California provides aid irrespective of a student’s documentation status, while the federal government does not. Undocumented students can fill out the CADAA and receive state aid such as the CCPG and Cal Grant.

The Cal grant (and any other state grants) also uses a different website from federal student aid:

• WebGrants 4 Students.

For a summary of eligibility differences, see our eligibility tables.

Am I a dependent or an independent? What are the criteria and exceptions?
The short answer is: the vast majority of students under the age of 24 are dependent. Students 24 and older are independent.

Specifically, for the 24–25 FAFSA, students born after Jan 1, 2001 are considered dependent. For the 25–26 FAFSA, this date would be Jan 1, 2002. For 26–27, it would be Jan 1, 2003, and so on. If you were 23 on Jan 1, 2001, but turned 24 sometime during the 24–25 aid year, you would still be considered a dependent while you are 24.

There are exceptions. The most common reasons you could be under 24 years old and yet be considered independent are if you are:

• Married
• Active-duty or a veteran of the US armed forces
• Supporting dependents (i.e., have children)

Less commonly, you would be considered independent if you:

• Have been, at any any time since you turned 13, an orphan, ward of the court, or in foster care
• Have been, at any time, a legally emancipated minor or in a legal guardianship with someone other than your parent or stepparent
• Are unaccompanied and either homeless or self-supporting and at risk of being homeless and have received a homeless youth determination from one of the individuals at an eligible agency
• Have unusual circumstances

Demonstrating self-sufficiency or living on your own are not alone sufficient reasons to be considered independent. However, if you believe your circumstances are unusual and warrant a second look, consider requesting a dependency override.

What if my parents/contributors refuse to provide their information on my FAFSA/CADAA?

Dependent students must obtain their contributors’ information on their FAFSA/CADAA. You cannot submit your FAFSA/CADAA if you do not have your contributors’ information (except in unusual circumstances—note the process for FAFSAs and CADAAs is similar).

While limited, there are some forms of financial aid you can receive even if you do not submit a FAFSA/CADAA. You can still receive EOPS, some outside scholarships, and the CCPG. Please review our eligibility tables for more information.

I didn’t graduate high school or obtain a GED or equivalent. What are my options for financial aid?
EOPS, some outside scholarships, and the CCPG do not have a high school diploma or equivalent eligibility requirement. See our eligibility tables for more information.

If you went to school around 2010–11, you may qualify for an alternative eligibility route known as Ability-to-Benefit. If you think this may be the case, contact the Financial Aid Office.

What is an AB 540 affidavit?
The AB 540, officially the California Nonresident Tuition Exemption Application, is a form you can fill out to receive in-state tuition and be eligible for state aid such as the Cal Grant. The AB 540 is a requirement to submit the CADAA. While it is a common way to establish in-state tuition eligibility, it is not the only way.

Importantly, the AB 540 is concerned with residency and not citizenship or documentation status. Both undocumented and documented students can submit an AB 540.

The AB 540 can also benefit students who submitted a FAFSA and/or whose status is documented. For example, students who are recently moved from another state and are not yet California residents (i.e., they have not been a resident for a year and a day) but who had previously gone to school in California, may be able to submit an AB 540 in order to receive in-state tuition again.

To submit an AB 540, you must have completed high school or an equivalent in California and spent 3 or more years or equivalent at California schools. If you are undocumented, you must also state that you are in the process of adjusting your immigration status or will do so as soon as you are eligible.

For more information, see the CSAC AB 540 page.

How do I complete the CADAA?
The CADAA is intentionally designed similarly to the FAFSA so that information and familiarity with one can translate to the other. Most of the information it asks for is the same—namely, demographic, biographical, and financial information about yourself and, if applicable, your contributors.

You can fill out a CADAA application online. It is available in English and Spanish.

While the CADAA does not require documentation status, it DOES require an AB 540 affidavit to authorize you to receive in-state tuition. In order to submit an AB540 affidavit, you must have graduated from a Californian high school or have spent three years attending school in California.

California Residency and AB 540 Eligibility Are Not Equivalent Solano can authorize students to receive in-state tuition if they have lived in California for a year and a day. This alone is not sufficient for an AB 540 affidavit.
If you have spent a year and a day in California but do not meet the requirements for an AB540 affidavit, you unfortunately cannot submit the CADAA. You can still submit the CCPG.

If you need help completing a CADAA, feel free to reach out to the Financial Aid Office or come to any FAFSA workshop.

How do I know if my major is financial aid eligible?
Contact the Financial Aid Office in-person, over the phone at 707-864-7103, or through email at financialaid@solano.edu. In general, most associate’s degrees are financial aid eligible, while most certificates are not.

How do I see my award summary?
MySolano -> Financial Aid -> FA Awards -> Financial Aid Awards (Options are now Personal Information, Student, Employee, and Financial Aid). Select Aid Year Dropdown -> Fall2024, Spring2025, Summer2025 -> Award Overview

To see a breakdown of your award by payment period, click Award Payment Schedule

To check your account balance, select Account Summary by Term (you can also see this on the main MySolano page I think). To pay your balance, click the Pay by Credit Card link or follow the instructions for Check or Phone. You can also click the link all the way at the bottom of the screen.

I got a scholarship. What do I do now?
It depends.

Sponsoring organizations sometimes choose to give the student the scholarship check directly for them to turn into their Financial Aid Office. Other times, the sponsoring organization will mail us the check directly. If that’s the case, they may ask you for our address.

Scholarships can have different rules regarding maintaining eligibility as well as the number and frequency of payments. You’ll need to communicate with your scholarship’s sponsoring organization to learn how your scholarship works. Most scholarships are disbursed in a single payment and require
students to maintain federal SAP standards. Some disburse as two payments, one for each semester, or have other requirements.

What’s the difference between an “entitlement” and a “competitive” Cal grant?
First, it is important to stress that competitive Cal Grant awards are not awarded to community college students. As such, the below information pertains only to students who are considering attending or transferring to an eligible university or private college and not current or prospective SCC students.

Entitlement Cal Grants are awarded automatically to all eligible students while competitive Cal Grants are awarded to a specific amount of the most eligible students. While many eligibility criteria are shared (e.g., being a California resident), there are important differences. Namely, entitlement awards are awarded to students who exceed a certain threshold (varies by aid year; for reference, see 24–25 and 25–26) of financial need and meet minimum GPA requirements, while competitive awards do NOT
consider financial need and are awarded to a set amount (for 24–25, this was 13,000) of students per year who have the highest applicant scores.

In order to be eligible for the competitive Cal Grant awards, students must submit their FAFSA/CADAA by March 2 and their GPA verification by March 3 of a given aid year. If a student wants to receive the competitive Cal Grant in Fall and Spring 2027, they should submit by March 2/3, 2026.

Many more students receive the entitlement awards than the competitive awards annually. However, since eligibility for the competitive awards is not need-based, it is still an important source of financial aid for students that you should be aware of.

What’s the difference between a “semester” and a “term”? What’s different about the summer term?
These words have slightly different meanings for FAOs, but the difference is generally not relevant to students.

A term is any one of the periods of enrollment. At Solano, there are three terms: fall, spring, and summer. Breaks are not terms. A semester refers to one of two primary terms. At Solano, there are two semesters: fall and spring.

There are a few important differences between terms and semesters for financial aid purposes:

• Some financial aid programs, such as the Solano Promise and Cal Grant, are not available in summer
• Pell awards assume students are only enrolled for the primary terms (fall and spring semesters). If you enroll in summer, your award will increase if necessary. This is called year-round Pell

Enrollment Intensity Rules Do NOT Change For Summer Most students who enroll in summer classes do not enroll full-time (12 or more units). However, for Pell, the enrollment intensity thresholds do NOT change. You would still need 12 units to get the maximum Pell award for the summer term.

Additionally, students should be aware that other departments on campus may refer to summer as being part of the trailing year, rather than the leading year. That is, for financial aid purposes, an aid year begins in fall, goes through spring, and ends at the end of summer. To use a concrete example, AY 25–26 begin in Fall 2025, runs through Spring 2026, and ends at the end of Summer 2026 (June 30th, 2026). Other departments on campus may do the opposite: they may view the year as beginning in summer, running through fall, and ending at the end of spring.

For more information on award frequency and eligibility differences broken down by semester and term, review our eligibility tables.

I didn’t do the FAFSA. What are my other options?
It depends.

If you didn’t do the FAFSA for a given aid year and the submission deadline has already passed, you can no longer start a new FAFSA form. (For the current aid year, 24–25, the submission deadline is June 30th, 2025.) At that point, you can no longer get any additional aid for that year through the
FAFSA.

If you did do the FAFSA for a given aid year, but still need to make a correction, you have slightly longer to make that correction. Corrections are still open for at least 1 month after the June 30th submission deadline. If you’re considering making a post-deadline correction, we recommend contacting the Financial Aid Office first.

If you don’t think you will receive anything because your SAI would be too high, we still recommend doing the FAFSA. This is because the FAFSA is quite easy to complete, it helps our office with recordkeeping, and it automatically applies you for many types of financial aid, even some you may not be aware you’re eligible for. For example, some students are not aware that the Solano Promise is not a need-based financial aid program and therefore can be awarded to eligible students regardless of how
high their SAI is. If they had submitted a FAFSA, they would have been automatically awarded the Solano Promise and had their tuition and fees waived.

However, if you still do not want to do the FAFSA, we do have a separate application for the CCPG that you can fill out. You can also fill out this application while your FAFSA is processing. We also recommend that you carefully review our eligibility tables to ensure that you aren’t passing up on the opportunity to get a financial aid award you may not have been aware of.

If you are not eligible to fill out a FAFSA because you are not a citizen or eligible noncitizen, you may still be eligible to fill out the CADAA.

I’m having technical trouble. Who can I talk to for help?
It depends on what kind of technical trouble you’re experiencing.

• If the problem is with MySolano, solano.edu, your student email, and so on, you can try HelpDesk
• If the problem is with the FAFSA, the Financial Aid Office may be able to help. If not, try calling the FAFSA helpline. They are open until 6 p.m. PT.

Tip for Getting Live Help via Phone Be persistent and patient in requesting phone assistance. If you are having a difficult time getting an agent on the phone, try using the text-based live chat to request assistance on phones; they may be able to send an additional agent to cover phones and answer your call.

• If you need help with digital literacy skills, (e.g., using Google Docs to create a presentation or getting the most out of email), check out Google Applied Digital Skills
• Librarians are excellent generalist troubleshooters. If they can’t help you solve a problem directly,
  they will almost certainly be able to recommend a resource or a place to begin your search
  • The SCC library is open until 7 p.m. on most days. They also have a 24/7 helpline where, if a
    Solano librarian is not available, you will be helped by a librarian from another institution.
  • Libraries in major cities have free, live helplines you can ask for help. For example, the SFPL Ask a Librarian service can be reached by email, phone, live chat, in-person, and via text. SFPL also offers free assistance with homework to those with a library card.
    • You do not need to be a San Francisco resident to get an SFPL library card. You only need
      to be a California resident.
• If you’re having non-technical help or just want to know what resources could be beneficial, check out the Basic Needs Linktree.

It’s difficult for me to make the trip to the Fairfield campus. Are there any satellite offices of the Financial Aid Office?
Yes! We maintain satellite offices in the Vallejo and Vacaville campuses.

As of March 2025, the Vallejo campus satellite office is open on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and the Vacaville satellite office is open on Wednesdays. Satellite office hours are subject to change due to staff availability. If your business is urgent, we recommend you call ahead to make sure the satellite
office will be open.

Where is the Financial Aid Office? What is its address?
The Financial Aid Office is located on the second floor of the 400 building at the Fairfield campus.

If you need to address something to the Financial Aid Office, use this address:

Financial Aid Office Room 425, Building 400 Solano Community College 4000 Suisun Valley Road, Fairfield, CA 94534

Can I get financial aid if I’m in the dual enrollment program/am currently in high school?
Unfortunately, dual enrollment students who are currently in high school are not eligible for financial aid, including the CCPG.

BankMobile (BMTX) is a banking partner that Solano works with to get financial aid funds to students. All students who receive disbursements need to use BankMobile. While our office creates student BankMobile accounts, you will still need to “activate” your account before you can receive your money.

BankMobile Vibe Checking Account is the checking account offered by BankMobile to our students. It is one of the two options for students for how they would prefer to receive their financial aid disbursements, with the other being direct deposit. (BankMobile calls direct deposit “Deposit to Existing Bank Account” to differentiate it from depositing directly to a Vibe account, which is also considers technically direct deposit.) The primary advantage of the Vibe account is that it allows students to receive their disbursements up to 2 days earlier than via direct deposit.

Direct deposit is the name for when paychecks are electronically deposited into someone’s account, in contrast to the old standard where writing and cashing a physical check was required. It is the most common way that students receive financial aid refunds. It is also common for paychecks of all kinds, including tax refunds, stock dividends, and employment paychecks. All Solano students who receive Pell funds or most other forms of cash aid must choose a BankMobile refund preference. Most students choose direct deposit (BankMobile calls it “Deposit to Existing Account”) as their refund preference.

Disbursement can have a few meanings. A disbursement is both the action or process of disbursing as well as “that which has been disbursed; money paid out; expenditure” (OED). In short, it’s word we use to refer to cash aid payments and the act of paying out financial aid.

Grants are a type of financial aid that does not need to be repaid (except in cases of overpayment) and usually is based on need. They can be in the form of cash aid or fee waivers.

Fee waivers are a type of financial aid that reduces your enrollment fees (tuition) to $0. If you had previously paid your enrollment fees out-of-pocket, having a fee waiver applied will result in you being reimbursed for the amount paid.

Loans are a type of cash aid that must be repaid. Solano offers direct subsidized loans to students with need and direct unsubsidized loans regardless of need. We do not offer Parent PLUS loans. Importantly, student loans are difficult to discharge in cases of bankruptcy.

Direct subsidized loans are a type of loan offered to eligible students with financial need, in contrast with unsubsidized loans. They are subsidized because the government pays the loan servicer the interest on the loan while you are in school and during the grace period. This is a form of a subsidy: money the government uses to keep prices low or competitive. In this case, it lowers the price of your education. The other type of loan offered by Solano is the unsubsidized loan, which the government
does not pay interest on. The amount of money you save by the government paying for your loan interest is significant. However, subsidized loans have lower limits on how large they can be compared with unsubsidized loans.

Direct unsubsidized loans are a type of loan offered to eligible students regardless of their financial need. They begin accruing interest immediately once they taken out, in contrast with subsidized loans. The amount of interest students will accrue during college and the grace period is often highly significant. The Financial Aid Office strongly recommends that students educate themselves thoroughly on loan financing and carefully consider all options before taking out unsubsidized loans.

Entrance counseling is a short informational course on loan responsibilities and obligations provided for free on studentaid.gov. Along with exit counseling, it a federal requirement for all first-time borrowers. View the entrance counseling guide PDF for more information.

The Cost of Attendance (COA) is an estimate of the average student’s expenses during a year. It plays a role in determining how much aid a student receives, as it is used in the unmet need
calculation. There are a few different COAs that Solano uses. One is for students living off-campus, another for students living at-home, and a third for students attending less-than-half time.

Eligibility refers to the status of being qualified or deserving of being awarded a given form of financial aid. All forms of financial aid have certain conditions which must be fulfilled or else you will not be eligible and will not receive the aid. The most eligibility requirements are academic and financial, called
SAP and need, respectively.

Red flags or red flag requirements refer to items found in the FA Requirements section of the Financial Aid Tab of your MySolano account. They will have an icon of either a red flag or a green flag next to them and can be clicked to provide more information or take to to a form or submission link. Red flags will prevent you from receiving financial aid in most cases. As such, it’s important to regularly check your FA Requirements so that you can attend to red flags immediately, should they be added to
your account.

SAI is an acronym for Student Aid Index. It represents the amount the government estimates that you and/or your family can provide to pay for your college education. Your SAI is calculated with formula that uses the information you provided on the FAFSA. It is one of the most important results obtained from your FAFSA because it is used to determine your unmet need, and therefore the amount of need-based aid you are eligible for. In short, a higher SAI likely means you will be eligible for less aid.

The Pell grant is the largest federal cash aid grant. It is the official name for what most people think of as “financial aid.” For 24–25, Pell awards were up to $7,395 for fall and spring (for summer, see year-round Pell). This means you can receive up to ~$3,698 in your bank account from the Pell per term.

You can receive the Pell whether you’re taking 0.5 units or 12+ units. However, it’s important to remember the Pell is significantly reduced if you take below 6 units. You must be meeting SAP standards to receive the Pell. Most students who receive the Pell at Solano also receive the CCPG fee waiver. This means that your Pell funds may be used for whatever expenses you consider important to your educational success, whether that’s rent, medical expenses, food, school
supplies, or anything else.

The CCPG (California College Promise Grant) is a fee waiver that the state of California awards to students whose unmeet need exceeds a certain value. It reduces all enrollment fees (tuition) to $0. Importantly, it has no unit-based requirement. You can take 0.5 units or 20+ units and still have the entirety of your enrollment fees reduced to $0. If you are eligible for both the Solano Promise and the CCPG, the CCPG will take precedence and you will not receive the Solano Promise.

MySolano is the primary website where Solano Community College students interact with the college. This is in contrast to solano.edu, which is primarily an informational website. On MySolano, admitted students can add or drop classes, access their school email, view and manage their financial aid, and
more. You can access the Financial Aid Tab on desktop by clicking on the “Financial Aid” button on the sidebar or, on mobile, by clicking the hamburger button (three horizontal lines) in the top left and selecting the icon of a credit card. The Financial Aid Tab is where you can view FA Requirements and
therefore any potential red flags you may have on your account; it is the most important place to view communications from the Financial Aid Office.

Studentaid.gov is a government website where you can fill out and submit the FAFSA, view your federal financial aid history, complete entrance counseling and sign the Master Promissory Note (MPN) for student loans, and learn about all aspects of financial aid. You may think of it as “the FAFSA website,” as it was previously found at the URL fafsa.org. It is designed to be a one-stop-shop for all things federal financial aid, and you may use studentaid.gov even after you graduate, e.g. for information about student loan repayment plans.

The FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is an application for numerous forms of financial aid that all students who are citizens or eligible noncitizens should complete. (Undocumented students can apply for state aid through the California Dream Act Application or CADAA.) At Solano, we use the FAFSA as an application for all financial aid except scholarships. Filling out and submitting a FAFSA is the first step on your financial aid journey, so don’t wait!

The CADAA (California Dream Act Application), like the FAFSA, is an application for numerous forms of financial aid that all undocumented students should complete. The main differences between the CADAA and FAFSA is that the CADAA is available to undocumented students while the FAFSA is not, and that filling out the CADAA does not make you eligible for federal financial aid. At Solano, we use the CADAA as an application for all financial aid except federal financial aid and scholarships. Filling out and submitting a CADAA is the first step on your financial aid journey, so don’t wait!

Your award summary is a view that shows your all the financial aid you’re currently awarded at a glance. You can find your award summary on the Financial Aid Tab of MySolano.

Need-based financial aid means that your unmet need is a factor that counts towards their eligibility. In other words, students with higher unmet need will be eligible for the program while students with less or zero unmet need will not be eligible.

Aid year refers to the period of time which is considered part of the same year for financial aid purposes. The aid year begins on July 1 and ends on June 30 of each year. Thus, the aid year includes fall of the first year, spring of the second year, and summer of the second, in that order. At the time of writing, the aid year is 2024–25, commonly abbreviated to 24–25 or 2425. It began on July 1st, 2024, and will end on June 30, 2025. It includes the three terms Fall 2024, Spring 2025, and Summer 2025, in that order.

Annual award is a term used in financial aid to refer to the entirety of an award—usually Pell—before factoring in enrollment intensity or attendance. Unlike the scheduled award, the annual award cannot change unless the FAFSA information changes. It is important to remember that your annual award always reflects the maximum you could receive, and it does not show the amount you will receive. Your scheduled award shows how much you will receive and can change if you add or drop units.

Scheduled award is a term used in financial aid to refer to an award which has been calculated using enrollment intensity and/or attendance. For example, if a student is only taking 9 units for a semester, their scheduled award for that semester will be 75% of the annual award, because 9 is 3/4ths of 12. (12
units is considered full-time.) Sometimes, students mistake the annual award, which always reflects the maximum possible they could receive, and the scheduled award, which may be much lower. It is important to remember that your Pell award changes depending on how many units you’re taking between 0.5 units, the minimum you can take, and 12 units, where you are considered full-time and your award is capped.

FA Requirements is a section of the Financial Aid Tab in MySolano where you can find red flag requirements. It is important to check your FA Requirements regularly as this is where most important and time-sensitive communications will be found.

The Financial Aid Tab refers to a section of the MySolano website where you can learn about financial aid, view your awards, and attend to red flag requirements. From the MySolano homepage, you can access the Financial Aid Tab on desktop by clicking on the “Financial Aid” button on the sidebar or, on
mobile, by clicking the hamburger button (three horizontal lines) in the top left and selecting the icon of a credit card.

The Financial Aid Office refers to the Solano Community College Financial Aid Department and its employees. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you need assistance with anything financial aid!

A FAFSA or CADAA’s base year refers to the year whose tax returns are used to calculate a student’s SAI. For the FAFSA and CADAA, the “prior-prior” year is used, meaning two years before. At the time of writing, the current cycle is 2024–25. The base year is 2022. That means the income you earned during 2022 and reported in April of 2023 is what will be used for your FAFSA or CADAA.

Enrollment fees or tuition refers to the fees Solano charges per unit to attend the college. For California residents, the current (24–25) fees are $46 per unit. For the average full-time student (12 units), that comes out to $552. Enrollment fees are significantly higher for out-of-state students. Enrollment fees do not cap out at 12 units; if you are enrolled in 16 units, you would pay $736, not $552. There are several smaller fees that Solano charges students (“institutional” fees) in addition to enrollment fee. Institutional fees amount to $30–40 per semester for a full-time student. If you are awarded a fee waiver such as the CCPG or Solano Promise, your enrollment fees will be reduced to $0.
The Solano Promise waives institutional fees while the CCPG does not.

Institutional fees are a collection of small fees that Solano charges to all students. They include the Health fee, Student Center fee, Transportation fee, and Student Representation fee. Their amounts vary based on enrollment intensity, but typically add up to around $34 for full-time students. Institutional fees are covered by the Solano Promise but not the CCPG.

A hold is a block applied to your account that prevents something from happening—usually preventing you from getting your money. At Solano, we usually refer to holds as “red flags” instead. This is because we have different terminology internally for different types of holds, because “hold” can be misunderstood, and because “red flag” conveys a sense of urgency.

FYSI (Foster Youth Success Initiative) is a state program that focuses on improving access and outcomes for former foster youth. There are significant amounts of aid available for former foster youth. If you think you may qualify, ask about the Chafee grant and apply for EOPS.

The Chafee grant is a state grant for current and former foster youth who were in the foster care system (or equivalent) for any length of time between the ages of 16 and 18. Unlike most forms of financial aid, the Chafee DOES have a separate application beyond the FAFSA/CADAA.

SOAR (Students Overcoming Adversity and Recidivism) is a targeted program at Solano originally designed to support formerly incarcerated people but which has since expanded to support foster youth, homeless students or students at-risk of homelessness, and other vulnerable populations. It provides counseling, support, community, and can provide access to additional financial aid funds through the HireUp program.

EOPS (Extended Opportunity Programs and Services) is a large federally-supported program to promote the enrollment, retention, and success of students disadvantaged by language barriers and/or social, economic, or educational circumstances. EOPS provides many benefits to students accepted into the program, including but not limited to counseling, access to the EOPS lab & library, assistance with academic supplies, academic & career planning, and financial assistance. Note that EOPS
includes CARE and NextUp for single parents and foster youth, respectively.

CARE (Cooperative Agencies Resources for Education) is a program under the umbrella of EOPS which benefits single parent students who also receive CalWORKs/TANF. There is an additional grant and specialized support for CARE students.

CalWORKs (California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids) is California’s implementation of the federal TANF program (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families). It gives cash aid and other services to eligible families. Receiving CalWORKs and being a single parent filing as head-of-household makes you eligible for the CARE program.

Dependent students are those who are assumed by the federal government to be being supported by someone else. The majority of Solano students are dependent, as students under 24 years old are categorized as dependent. They are required to submit their parents’/contributors’ information on their FAFSA, unlike independent students who only report their own and, if applicable, their spouse’s income. Because there are more people contributing to the student’s educational budget, dependent
students tend to have higher SAIs than independent students and consequently tend to receive less financial aid. To be clear, dependent students with need will receive the same amount of financial aid as independent students; they only receive less on average.

Independent students are those who are assumed by the federal government to not be being supported by someone else. They are only required to submit their own and, if applicable, their spouse’s information on their FAFSA, unlike dependent students who must report their parents’/contributors’ information. Independent students tend to have lower SAIs than dependent students and consequently receive more financial aid.

Provisionally Independent is a temporary classification of a student’s dependency status that the FAFSA assigns when a student answers a question on the FAFSA in such a way that it requires their school’s Financial Aid Office to make the final dependency status determination. In other words, there are unusual circumstances where a Financial Aid Officer must meet with the student (usually in-person) to determine their dependency status.

An eligible noncitizen is someone who has been authorized to receive federal financial aid despite not being a citizen of the US. Most commonly, eligible noncitizens are Lawful Permanent Residents and holders of a green card. Being authorized to work in the US or possessing a Social Security Card are NOT sufficient to authorize you to receive federal financial aid. The rules for determining eligible noncitizen status are complex and there are exceptions. If you want to know if your documentation qualifies you as an eligible noncitizen, we recommend you refer to the Federal Student Aid Handbook’s section on US Citizenship and Eligible Noncitizens. This is the same rulebook that Financial Aid
Officers use to process your documents.

The $200 Textbook Grant is one of the components of the Solano Promise. Students are awarded $200 via check each semester to pay for textbooks. If you are concerned about your $200 check, please verify that your address is correct in your MySolano and reach out to the Cashier’s Office.

“First Two Years of College Are Free”: It’s true! This is the heart of our Solano Promise. Even students who are not eligible for any other financial aid can still go to Solano without paying any tuition or fees as part of our Solano Promise program. In fact, because most degrees at Solano are intended to be completed in two years, you could argue that Solano itself is free! However, it’s critical that you remember that you must be a full-time student to receive the Solano Promise program and the program does not cover the summer term. You also must be a California resident (or have an approved AB540 affidavit) and be meeting SAP standards.

The $500 Emergency Grant, also known as the Emergency Assistance Program, is provided by the Basic Needs Center. If you are in need of urgent help, whether for rent, groceries, or other essential expenses, this grant can help you regain stability. This aid is not a loan and students are not expected to pay the funds back. The Emergency Grant application is open as long as funds last and is awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Pace of Progression is one of the three criteria for Satisfactory Academic Progress. It means that you must complete 67% or 2/3rds of the units you attempt for your pace of progression to be considered satisfactory. However, for the CCPG, you only need to complete 50% or 1/2 the units you attempt to remain eligible. Full SAP policy.

Maximum Timeframe is one of the three criteria for Satisfactory Academic Progress. It means that you must complete your academic program (i.e. degree or certificate) within 1.5 times the intended number of units. Most Associate’s degrees from Solano are intended to take two years, or 60 units. This means that, for most students, they cannot go above 90 attempted units. Unlike for the other two SAP criteria, there is no warning semester for maximum timeframe. You will become Ineligible immediately after passing 1.5 times the intended number of units for your program without completing it. Full SAP policy.

GPA (Grade Point Average) is the average of your grades and one of the three criteria for Satisfactory Academic Progress. This is done by assigning a number value to each letter grade and then dividing the total number of grade points earned by the total units attempted (excluding credit/no-credit courses and those in which W or I grades are earned. For example, if you have 36 grade points and are taking 12.0 units, your GPA would be 3.0. This is equivalent to a B average in letter grade terms. For SAP, you must maintain a 2.0 GPA or better for your GPA to be considered satisfactory. Full SAP policy.

Lifetime Eligibility Usage (LEU) refers to the amount of total Pell that a person can receive over their educational career. It is equivalent to 600% (6 years) of Pell for one year. If you decline Pell or do not receive the entirety of your annual award (i.e., your scheduled award is less because you were not full-
time/took fewer than 12 units, see enrollment intensity), the remaining percent will be “refunded” to your LEU. Funds you were awarded but did not actually use will not count against your LEU. Between 400% and 500% of your LEU, you will be warned by a red flag on your MySolano. Once you reach 600%, we cannot award you additional Pell funds and there is no appeal process. To view your LEU, you must log into your studentaid.gov account.

In financial aid contexts, “budget” usually refers to the Cost of Attendance (COA). There is also a Budget Increase form.

Cal Grants are a set of state-funded cash aid grants available to both FAFSA and CADAA eligible students. The Cal grant is the main source of cash aid available to undocumented students. The
deadline for the Cal grant is much earlier than the deadline for the FAFSA and CADAA. As such, it is one of the primary reasons you may want to complete your FAFSA/CADAA many months in advance. You can view your Cal grant awards and status on the website WebGrants 4 Students. Cal grants have several types with different requirements. For more information on eligibility, look at the How Do I Qualify For a Cal Grant? FAQ page.

FERPA stands for Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. It protects students’ privacy by requiring their educational records from being disclosed to third parties without their or their parents’ consent. If a student is below the age of 18, their legal parents have the privilege of making FERPA decisions regarding the student’s privacy. Once a student turns 18, all rights and privileges transfer to the student and the parents are now considered a third party. This means that most Solano students must give their written permission for their parents to be able to interact with their financial aid records. For more information, visit ED’s Guide on FERPA.

UEH (Unusual Enrollment History) is a red flag which occurs when students receive financial aid at multiple institutions within a few years. If you have a UEH red flag, contact the Financial Aid Office.

Federal Work-Study (FWS) is a program where the federal government agrees to pay 50% of the wages of eligible student workers. This allows more students to get part-time work experience while in college. It’s one of the few programs at Solano available to students who already have degrees. Work-study jobs can be on- or off-campus.

Verification is a process the federal government requires of both students and colleges’ Financial Aid Offices to maintain the integrity of the financial aid process. Verification has different forms and may require you to fill out forms and/or submit documentation to verify the accuracy of the financial information reported on the FAFSA. Most students selected for verification are chosen at random. However, students are sometimes chosen due to conflicting or unusual information on their FAFSA. If
you’re selected for verification, follow the instructions on the red flag in your FA Requirements. Please contact the Financial Aid Office if you have any questions.

Solano is fortunate to be included in the HireUp pilot program. HireUp provides a significant amounts of money to students who need the most support in achieving their educational goals. Specifically, HireUp awards a stipend equivalent to working a full-time minimum wage job in California. For Fall 2024, this is $2,304 per month. Current and former foster youth and SOAR students who have been released from incarceration within the last 3 years recipients may be eligible to receive HireUp.

The Student Success Completion Grant (SSCG) is a grant designed to support the persistence and success of hardworking students. It is a state grant offered to Cal grant B or C recipients who are also enrolled at least full-time (12 or more units). The grant offers significantly more money if you enroll in 15 or more units per semester ($4,000/semester vs. $1,298/semester). Unfortunately, funds are limited and so the SSCG cannot be guaranteed to all full-time Cal grant B or C recipients.

NextUp is a program administered by EOPS targeted towards current and former foster youth. Being accepted into the NextUp program makes you eligible for the NextUp and HireUp grants, as well as specialized services. Students must be enrolled in 9 units (or have an SEP in place with the goal of enrolling in 9 units) and below the age of 26 to apply for the NextUp program.

The FAFSA uses the term contributor to refer to people whose information needs to go on your FAFSA. For most students, this means one or more of their parents. The FAFSA uses “contributor” because spouses can also be required, and so “parent” is not sufficient; also, “parent” can cause confusion because, in this case, it would refer to anyone legally determined to be your parent(s), including both biological and adoptive parents. Contributors have a slightly different FAFSA form which
they fill out to supplement the student’s. It is important to make sure your contributors fill out the correct form, as sometimes contributors mistakenly fill out their own FAFSA and not a supplemental contributor FAFSA.

Origination refers to the act of beginning a loan or grant by formally requesting that money from ED. It is the first step in disbursement.

Lifetime Eligibility/Lifetime Eligibility Used (LEU): “The maximum amount of Federal Pell Grant funds you can receive over your lifetime is limited by federal law to be the equivalent of about 12 school terms (roughly six years). Since the amount of a scheduled Pell Grant award you can receive each award year is typically equal to 100%, the six-year equivalent is 600%. The U.S. Department of Education tracks your Lifetime Eligibility Used (LEU) by adding together the percentages of your Pell Grant scheduled awards that you received for each award year. You’ll receive a notice if you’re getting close to your limit. You can also check your LEU by logging in to StudentAid.gov and navigating to ‘My Aid.'”

Scholarships refer to financial aid grants usually awarded on the basis of merit or achievement. This is different from most forms of federal and state financial aid, which are awarded on the basis on need (e.g., Pell) or other circumstance (e.g., being the dependent of a veteran).

Unusual circumstances refer to situations in which a dependency override may be granted. In general, situations in which the student cannot contact their parent(s) are considered unusual circumstances, while situations in which the student will not contact their parent(s) are not.

While Pell is awarded at Solano under the assumption of a standard two-semester academic year, Pell can cover the summer term. This is called year-round Pell and is simply an extension of Pell. It multiplies the annual award by 3/2 or 150%; in other words, you can receive the same amount for summer that you would for spring or fall. In practice, however, Pell in the summer term is often less than fall and spring. This is because you still need to take 12 units or more to receive max Pell in summer. Full-time in the summer term is considered differently by different departments. For Admissions & Records, 6 units is full-time. For Counseling, 9 units is considered full-time. To receive max Pell in the summer, the requirements are the same as fall and spring: 12 units. The grace period is the length of time in which students who have graduated do not have to pay back their loans. It also applies for students who have left school or become ineligible for loans due to <6 units of enrollment. It is typically six months. For subsidized loans, interest is paid by the government during the grace period, while for unsubsidized loans, interest accrues while enrolled in school and during the grace period. Both types of loans need to start being paid back at the end of the grace period. The full details of your grace period will be found in your MPN.

MPN stands for Master Promissory Note and it is the contract you sign with the exact details of your student loan. It is important to read carefully to understand the terms of the loan. Signing an MPN is one of the requirements to request a loan.

Family size is the amount of people you report as being in your family on the FAFSA. It is a factor in determining your SAI and consequently your financial aid.

Exit Counseling is a short guidance course on loans which must be completed when you graduate, leave school, or drop below half-time enrollment. It is designed to prepare you for paying back your student loans.

The Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) is a smaller grant program targeted towards students with exceptional need. FSEOG funds are limited, so it’s important that you submit your FAFSA early. There is no guarantee you will receive a FSEOG in one aid year if you
previously received it in the prior aid year.

There are several kinds of enrollment status, such as full-time, half-time, three-quarters time, graduated, have withdrawn and so on. This is used for Cal Grant primarily, as the Pell uses enrollment intensity instead.

Three-quarters time is a enrollment status classification for students between 9 and 11.5 units.

Half-time is an enrollment status classification for students between 6 and 8.5 units. Many financial aid programs, such as loans and FWS, require students to be enrolled half-time or more. If you are a half-time student and considering dropping below 6 units, we strongly advise that you contact the
Financial Aid Office first, as you may be at risk for significant overpayment.

Less-than-half time is an enrollment status classification for students between 0.5 and 6 units. Less-than-half time students are ineligible for many forms of financial aid, such as loans and FWS. While less-than-half time students are eligible for Pell, the rules for Pell change when awarded to a less-than-half time student resulting in a significant reduction in the award. This applies when students drop from 6 or more units to below 6 units during a term. If you are considering dropping below 6 units, we
strongly advise that you contact the Financial Aid Office first.

Merit-based, as opposed to need-based, are forms of financial aid based on achievement. Most competitive scholarships are merit-based.

Out-of-state students pay more tuition than California residents. Occasionally, in-state students are reported as out-of-state because they do not realize they need to confirm their CA residency with Admissions. It is important to check your MySolano periodically so you are able to fix this early on, if it
occurs.

Overpayments occur when a student is paid more financial aid than appropriate. In most cases, this results in the student having to pay the money back. The most common causes of overpayments are reducing your units after being paid Pell (or Cal grant) and dropping or withdrawing from all your classes (i.e., an R2T4). We strongly recommend you contact the Financial Aid Office if you are considering dropping or withdrawing from any number of classes to learn how it may or may not affect your financial aid.

Reimbursements (not to be confused with refunds) occur when students are owed money. This is uncommon and usually only occurs when students pay enrollment fees out-of-pocket and are subsequently awarded a fee waiver. The fee waiver reduces the enrollment fees to $0 and so the student is owed back the money which they had paid out-of-pocket.

Refunds (not to be confused with reimbursements) refer to disbursements, i.e., money that you are paid as part of a financial aid program. This term can be easily confused with other common financial aid terms, such as “reimbursement,” and so the Financial Aid Office will often try to use less ambiguous terms such as “disbursement” or “payment.”

Refund preference: See “What do I do after I activate my BankMobile account?”

SAP (Satisfactory Academic Progress) refers to the academic eligibility standards at Solano. It affects almost all forms of financial aid with the important exception of the CCPG, which has very slightly different requirements. You must maintain a 2.0 GPA, pass 67% of the classes you attempt, and complete your degree in a maximum of 1.5 times the intended duration (i.e., 3 years for a 2 year Associate’s degree).

The AB 540, officially the California Nonresident Tuition Exemption Application, is a form you can fill out to receive in-state tuition and be eligible for state aid such as the Cal grant. It does not have any requirements regarding documentation status and is a requirement to submit the CADAA. However, the
AB 540 can also benefit students who submitted a FAFSA. For example, students who are recently moved from another state and are not yet California residents, but who had previously gone to school in California, may be able to submit an AB 540 and receive in-state tuition again.

Stafford loan is a deprecated term that was used to refer to subsidized and unsubsidized loans made under the auspices of the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) program. The FFEL has not made any new loans since 2010.

The William D Ford Federal Direct Loan Program is the formal name for the program where students borrow directly from the Department of Education. Solano participates in this program and all our loans (subsidized and unsubsidized) are through it.

An excused withdrawal occurs when a student withdraws after submitted an accepted excused withdrawal petition. Excused withdrawals occur when their are severe extenuating circumstances which prevent the student from continuing the term. The main differences between excused withdrawals and unofficial withdrawals are that excused withdrawals do not count towards the number of attempts a student may make for a given course and still receive financial aid. Depending on the last
date the student attended class, they may or may not have to pay back financial aid.

Unofficial withdrawals occur when a student exits the school and does not file an excused withdrawal petition. Depending on the last date the student attended class, they may or may not have to pay back financial aid.

R2T4 stands for Return 2 Title 4. R2T4s occur when students drop, withdraw from, or fail all their courses for a term. Depending on the last date the student attended class, they may or may not have to pay back federal financial aid (Title IV funds). R2T4s are complex and can result in significant overpayments.

Title IV refers to the federal programs (or funds earmarked for or drawn from these programs) authorized by the fourth title (section) of an act of Congress called the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA). Title IV programs include subsidized loans, unsubsidized loans, Pell grant, Federal Work-Study (FWS), FSEOG, and PLUS loans. Solano does not offer PLUS loans. State, institutional, and outside financial aid, such as Cal grants, the CCPG, Solano Promise, and scholarships, respectively, are not Title IV. There are additional rules and regulations for Title IV programs and their funds which may not apply to other forms of aid.

HEA is an acronym for the Higher Education Act of 1965. It is the most significant financial aid law in the country.

Parent PLUS loans are a type of loan offered by the Department of Education. Solano does not offer Parent PLUS loans. For more information, visit the studentaid.gov Types of Federal Loans page.

ED is an acronym referring to the Department of Education. ED is the highest authority on education in the US and is ultimately responsible for—and the source of—federal financial aid.