FINANCIAL AID –�What you need to know

North Central Missouri College

Office of Financial Aid

Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)

Submitted annually at studentaid.gov

For Summer 2026:

Complete 2025-26 FAFSA Available NOW!

For Fall 2026:

Complete 2026-27 FAFSA

Opens on October 1st

PPY: Prior Prior Year

Use Earlier Income Information – Students and their parents will report income from prior-prior-year taxes.

• 2025-26 FAFSA - 2023 income vs. 2024 income
• 2026-27 FAFSA - 2024 income

Federal Student Aid ID (FSA ID)

• Used for FAFSA completion and allows access to certain U.S. Dept. of Education websites
• Used by students and contributors throughout financial aid process, including subsequent school years
• Only the owner should create an FSA ID
• Apply at studentaid.gov

Federal Student Aid ID (FSA ID)

• Contributor – anyone who is asked to provide information on the FAFSA (student, student spouse, parent(s), stepparent(s))
• Each ‘contributor’ must create an FSA ID
• Each ‘contributor’ will have to sign in and complete their portion of the FAFSA (role-based completion)

Federal Student Aid ID (FSA ID)

• If student or contributor has previously created an FSA ID, they will not create a new one
• A verified email address will be required for each contributor

(students should not use school email to set up FSA ID)

• In two parent households, both parents will need FSA IDs if they did not file taxes as married-filing jointly
• FSA IDs will need to be authenticated with social security administration to be used during FAFSA completion

What is needed to complete the FAFSA

• FSA ID for all contributors
• 2024 Tax Returns
• Amount of child support received in past year
• Asset Information
• Value of cash, savings, and checking
• Net worth of investments
• Net worth of any business/farms (if over 100 employees, or not where family resides)
• List of federal benefits received (SNAP, WIC…)
• List of colleges (can list up to 20 colleges)

Direct Data Exchange (DDX)

• Allows for an individual’s federal tax information (FTI) to be directly transferred from the IRS to the FAFSA
• Consent is required by all contributors on FAFSA
• IRS transfers information to populate FAFSA income questions for most tax filers
• Eliminates manual entry of tax and income information
• If consent is not given, the student will be ineligible to receive federal financial aid

Parent of Record

For families where parents are divorced or separated and not living together, students will need to determine which parent should be included as contributor.

​

Who’s my FAFSA parent?

Student Invites Parent to Form

• Student enters parent email address to invite them to complete parent portion of the FAFSA
• Invitation link or invitation code can be shared directly

FAFSA Asset Exemptions

Families no longer required to report the following as assets on FAFSA:

• Family farms
• Family-owned small businesses
• Family-owned commercial fisheries

​

​

Provisionally Independent Status

Students are determined provisionally independent if they indicate:

• Unaccompanied homeless youth

OR

• An unusual circumstance that would prevent them from providing parent information

​

NOTE: A financial aid administrator at the school will review and make a determination of dependency. Until the student’s circumstances are verified, Federal Student Aid will only provide the student an estimate of their federal student aid eligibility.

Unusual vs Special Circumstances

• Professional Judgment Appeal

• Dependency Status Appeal

Verification – What is it?

• Random selection = 1:3
• Quality Control Audit
• Confirm information provided on the FAFSA is reported accurately, students get correct amount of aid
• Federally funded programs = taxpayer $$

Verification – The process

• Students notified by the School if selected
• Students/Parents confirm answers to certain questions, (usually by a Worksheet)
• Additional documentation may be required (e.g., Worksheet, IRS Tax Return Transcripts, W2 forms, etc.)

​

• Financial Aid Offer sent upon completion of Verification

Financial Aid Offer

Typically sent in April each year or upon completion of FAFSA Verification, if applicable.

COA = Cost of Attendance

Tuition and fees

Living Expenses (Food & Housing)

Books, course materials, supplies &

equipment

Transportation

Miscellaneous personal expenses

Student Aid Index

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

• Student Aid Index (SAI) is result of filing FAFSA

​

• Determines need-based aid eligibility for federal, state, and institutional aid
• This number is not a dollar amount of aid eligibility or what the family is expected to provide (at certain institutions)
• SAI range is -1500 to 999,999

What is Financial Need?

Types of Financial Aid

Gift Aid

Self-Help Aid

Categories of Financial Aid

Need-based aid:

​

• Pell Grant
• SEOG
• Work Study
• Subsidized Loans

Non-need-based aid:

​

• Merit Scholarship
• A+ Scholarship
• Unsubsidized Loans

Qualifying award amounts

Max Pell Grant

2025-2026 2026-2027 $7,395 $7,395

​

Missouri Access Grant

$300 – $1300

​

Federal Work Study

$4,400

Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG)

$400

3 Ways to Qualify

• 1
• Maximum Pell Grant
• Students with a Student Aid Index (SAI) between -1500 and 0

2

Student Aid Index (SAI) Calculation

If student doesn't qualify for Max or Min Pell the equation for eligibility is:

Max Pell --- SAI

• 3
• Minimum Pell Grant
• Students whose SAI is greater than the max Pell Grant may be eligible based on family size, adjusted gross income, and poverty guidelines

• Student with an SAI that exceeds twice the maximum Pell Grant Award will be ineligible for Pell
• Students who receive grants or scholarships from non-federal sources covering entire Cost of Attendance (COA) are ineligible to receive Pell Grant, even if otherwise eligible

​

Qualifying loan amounts

Dependent

• First-year $5,500
• Second-year $6,500
• 6.39% interest

Independent

• First-year $9,500
• Second-year $10,500
• 6.39% interest

Parent PLUS Loans

• The student must fill out a FAFSA
• The parent must submit the PLUS loan application and complete MPN at studentaid.gov
• The parent must not have an adverse credit history
• The maximum loan amount is the cost of attendance minus any other financial aid received
• The U.S. Department of Education is the lender
• 8.94% interest
• For additional information go to studentaid.gov

A+ Scholarship Program

• Complete the FAFSA each year
• Enroll full-time – 12 hours*
• Complete credit hour minimum as mandated by MDHE
• Cumulative GPA of 2.5
• Degree-seeking at NCMC*
• 105% rule (AGS 60 hour/63 hours)

* Exceptions can apply

How does A+ work?

A+ Covers:

• Tuition and Fees
• $225 per credit hour plus A+ eligible fees
• $6/clock hour plus A+ eligible fees

***$299 T&F cap at NCMC

​

​

​

​

A+ does NOT Cover:

• Specific course fees (includes nursing fees)
• Books and supplies
• Cost of housing

Funded by the State of Missouri

• Federal funds (Pell and SEOG Grant) must first be applied to A+ eligible costs

Important Deadlines

• State Aid: February 1, 2026 (usually pushed back to April 1)
• NCMC Scholarship App: April 1, 2026, 4:30 p.m.
• NCMC Summer 2026 Financial Aid: April 1, 2026
• NCMC Fall 2026 Financial Aid: July 1, 2026

Helpful Resources

• FAFSA on the Web: studentaid.gov
• FastWEB (scholarship search): www.fastweb.com
• Scholarship Central: www.myscholarshipcentral.org
• MDHEWD (state aid): dhewd.mo.gov
• Financial Aid resource site: www.finaid.org
• North Central Missouri College: www.ncmissouri.edu
• Federal Student Aid Information Center: 800‐4FED‐AID (800‐433‐3243)

Contact Information

Kimberly Meeker�Director of Financial Aid

Ext. 1406�kmeeker@mail.ncmissouri.edu

​

Sarah Williamson�Associate Director of Financial Aid�Ext. 1417�sawilliamson@mail.ncmissouri.edu

​

Merribeth Copeland�Financial Aid Representative�Ext. 1402�mcopeland@mail.ncmissouri.edu

​

​

Sharalyn Robinson�Financial Aid Processor

Ext. 1413�srobinson@mail.ncmissouri.edu

​

Jessie Tabbert

Financial Aid Advisor

Ext. 1513

jtabbert@mail.ncmissouri.edu

​