NSCC - Financial Aid

Grants

Grant aid is “free money,” which means that you do not have to pay it back. Grants are awarded to those students who demonstrate the most financial need and who satisfy all general requirements for federal aid.

Important: Only undergraduate students are eligible to receive grant aid (that is, students who have already earned a Bachelor’s degree or its equivalent are not eligible for any grant aid).

There are two general types of grants: federal and state. Examples of federal and state grant aid programs include the following (specific requirements may differ program to program):

Federal Grants

Federal PELL

Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant (SEOG)

State Grants

Massachusetts Access Grant

Massachusetts Full-time Grant

Massachusetts Part-time Grant

Massachusetts Performance Bonus Grant

Most grant aid programs are available for both full-time and part-time students who qualify, with the exception of the Massachusetts Full-Time Grant.

Massachusetts Full-Time Grant

This grant is awarded on a priority basis, which means that your FAFSA must be successfully completed and filed with the Federal processing center no later than May 1, 2007 for the 2007-08 academic year. If you filed your FAFSA after May 1, you are not eligible for the Massachusetts Full-Time Grant (but you may qualify for other federal and state grants).

Other eligibility requirements for the Massachusetts Full-Time grant include:

You must be enrolled in a minimum of 12 credits in a semester

You must be a Massachusetts state resident for at least one year prior to the start of the academic year (or from September 1, 2006)

You have not exceeded the total maximum amount allowed (for those students who have received this grant in the past.)

All financial aid applicants will receive written notification of their eligibility for the Massachusetts Full-time Grant. The Massachusetts Office of Student Financial Assistance (OFSA) sends this notice and not the school.

Important! When you receive written notification from OFSA, remember that it only applies to your Massachusetts Full-Time Grant eligibility. Even though you may not be eligible for this particular grant, you may be eligible for other types of federal and state aid funding.

Visit the OFSA web site for more information regarding Massachusetts grant programs.

For more information, contact us at (978) 762-4189 or (781) 477-2191 or fin-aid@northshore.edu.