Financial Aid FAQs

To complete an electronic Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) simply go to https://studentaid.gov/. You can complete your FAFSA anytime after October 1. Manhattan Tech strongly recommends that students, and their parents if required, use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool if given the option when filling out the FAFSA.

The FAFSA will determine your eligibility for all Title IV Aid (Federal Pell Grant, Federal SEOG Grant, Federal Stafford Student Loans and Federal Work Study). Not all aid is based on need. Consequently, everyone can be eligible for some type of loan.

FAFSA Deadlines: October 1 is the first day a student can submit a FAFSA application for the following academic year.

Manhattan Tech's priority deadline is July 1st. However, you should complete your FAFSA well in advance of the semester you wish to attend as there may be additional paperwork to complete.

In order to receive a book voucher for the fall semester, you must have all your financial aid paperwork turned in no later than July 1st. If eligible, text book vouchers allow you to charge your textbooks purchased at the eCampus Bookstore against your expected financial aid.

Unfortunately, family or personal circumstances can take a turn for the worse during an award year. The federal government allows each school to develop a policy of Professional Judgment to review unforeseen circumstances that limit a student or family's ability to pay for college expenses. For special circumstances to be considered, please discuss the issue with the Office of Financial Aid.    

Aid cannot be disbursed until all required documents have been submitted and you officially enroll in the number of hours for which aid was processed. Generally, funds are disbursed on or after the 20th day of class. Financial aid will first pay off any outstanding tuition and fee charges.  Refunds of aid exceeding charges are available in the Manhattan Tech main office or through direct deposit.

The Higher Education Act of 1992 states which students will be considered independent of parental support for education costs. Independent students must be able to document at least one of the following criteria:

• 24 years old by Dec. 31 of the award year
• Orphan or ward of the court
• Veteran of the Armed Forces of the U.S.A.
• Enrolled in a graduate or professional program (beyond a bachelor's degree)
• Married
• Student has legal dependents other than spouse

If you do not qualify under these rules, the financial aid administrator or Financial Assistance Committee may consider exceptional circumstances that would allow you to be independent. The unwillingness of a parent to provide support or the choice of a student not to accept support are unacceptable reasons to be considered independent. If you have exceptional circumstances, contact the Manhattan Tech Office of Financial Aid. You may also be required to complete an Independent Appeal Form and turn in the required documentation.

Students must be enrolled at least half-time, 6 credits to be eligible for Direct Loans. Financial aid can vary depending on enrollment status. At Manhattan Tech 6 - 8 credits is ½ time, 9 - 11 credits is ¾ time and 12 or more is full-time.

According to federal regulations, Expected Family Contribution (EFC) is subtracted from the allowable Cost of Attendance (COA) to determine need. If the EFC is low enough, a student may be eligible for a Pell Grant and/or other campus-based aid. It is the policy of the Manhattan Tech Office of Financial Aid to award students their maximum eligibility in all available fund categories.

Cost of Attendance (COA) is the allowable expenses a student will incur by attending college. COA can vary widely between institutions and individual students. The following items are included in the COA at Manhattan Tech:

Tuition and Fees
Books and Supplies/Tools
Room and Board
Transportation
Personal/Misc. Expenses
Childcare

Please note that these expenses are not all paid directly to Manhattan Tech but are expenses students might incur while pursuing their education.

Expenses associated with attending college are not tailored to individual expenses but reflect an average paid by Manhattan Tech students in a particular program.

Sometimes situations arise that cause students to be enrolled at more than one institution at a time. However, you cannot receive financial aid from both institutions. The school you plan to receive a certificate/degree from should be the school you receive financial aid from and is considered the 'home' institution. The home institution can determine your financial aid eligibility, award aid based on the hours enrolled that contribute toward your certificate/degree, and disburse financial to you. If you are enrolled in classes that are not on the Manhattan Tech campus, you need to provide Manhattan Tech Office of Financial Aid with proof of enrollment of those hours.  Students may be required to make payment to the 'host' institution for tuition and fees prior to the financial aid disbursement date at Manhattan Tech.  Please speak with the business office at the other institution for their policies.

No, only the information used to determine eligibility transfers to another school. The student must go to https://studentaid.gov and correct their processed FAFSA. The correction is adding the Title IV code for the school you are transferring to. Once the correction is made, the school added will electronically receive the results of your FAFSA and will determine your eligibility for their institution.

In order to supply a student's FAFSA information to an institution, please include our six-digit number called a Title IV Institution Code or Federal School Code. The school code for Manhattan Tech is 005500.

The Federal Government selects applications for verification as they are submitted. It is then the school's responsibility to request copies of tax return transcripts and other information to verify that the data reported on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is accurate. Errors must be corrected and sent to the Federal Processor. Eligibility for financial aid can change due to verification.

Please note that if a student, and parent, if required, use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool when filling out the FAFSA, they may not be required to turn in additional tax documentation. Manhattan Tech strongly recommends families use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool when filling out the FAFSA. Students, and parents, if required, may go back into the FAFSA and to make corrections, including using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool if not initially used.

 

EFC is the Expected Family Contribution level determined by the US Department of Education. In short, EFC reflects the family's ability to pay for college during the award year. It is based on the information provided by the student on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid or confirmed through the verification process. EFC is the sum of the parental contribution (dependent student only) and student contribution. EFC does not reflect what the student or parents may have in "cash on hand" but an index of what the family is expected to contribute towards the student's education and living expenses throughout the award year.

Because every student's situation is different, processing time will vary. A few of the factors that can impact processing time are: whether or not a student is selected for verification, how quickly all requested documents are submitted to the Office of Financial Aid, and when the FAFSA was originally submitted. Manhattan Tech typically starts processing applications for the upcoming award year by the end of March and applications will be processed in the order in which they were received. Generally, once you submit your FAFSA it will take 1-2 weeks for it to be processed and forwarded to Manhattan Tech.  The Office of Financial Aid will then contact you by email requesting any additional information needed.  Once all documents are submitted to the Office of Financial Aid, please allow 4-6 weeks processing time, particularly during June through August.  Although the Office of Financial Aid will work to keep in touch with you, it is your responsibility to make sure all documents are submitted in a timely manner and that your file is both accurate and complete.  Communications are made primarily by official Manhattan Tech email or the Manhattan Tech Online Financial Aid System.

After you submit your FAFSA, the federal processor performs an initial eligibility check and calculates need levels based on the information provided. You will receive confirmation in the form of a Student Aid Report (SAR) from the federal processor and your information will be forwarded to the Manhattan Tech Office of Financial Aid electronically for additional eligibility checks. The Office of Financial Aid will contact you for further information.

Definitions of common terms can be found at the Federal Student Aid website.

Click here to view Parent Information on the Federal Student Aid website.

All scholarships and outside funding must be deducted from your Cost of Attendance (COA), a combination of your direct billed costs (Manhattan Tech tuition & fees) and indirect expenses (transportation, housing, and personal expenses), based on your enrollment, program, and living situation.  Generally, a student may not receive aid in excess of their COA.  If your scholarships/outside funding for the academic year exceeds your Cost of Attendance, the amount of student loan you qualify for may decrease.

Manhattan Area Technical College typically cannot administer financial aid to non-degree-seeking students. Federal regulations require you are enrolled in an eligible academic program for the purpose of obtaining a degree, in order to qualify for federal aid.