To apply for financial aid, you must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) available at fafsa.ed.gov. A new FAFSA must be completed for each academic year in which you are attending. Most colleges have priority deadlines by which time they need to receive the output of your FAFSA. SUNY Broome has a priority deadline of April 1. You should complete your FAFSA by the middle of March each academic year. A FAFSA is required for all forms of federal financial aid (including student loan funding). You will need to establish your electronic signature at fsaid.ed.gov in order to submit your FAFSA. If you are a dependent, your parent (or legal guardian) will need to establish her/his electronic signature, also.
The FAFSA application becomes available October 1st of each year. Out of state residents should contact their State Educational Agency or the Financial Aid Office for information on state grant assistance from their state of residence. The Financial Aid Office provides information and assistance with the completion of these applications.
Once you submit your FAFSA application and sign it electronically using your FSA ID, you will be taken to a Confirmation Page that shows your confirmation number and estimated Expected Family Contribution (EFC). You should print a copy of the Confirmation Page for your records.
The Financial Aid Office at SUNY Broome will receive your application results in 3-5 days.
When the Financial Aid Office receives the FAFSA data for a student, the student will be sent an email confirming either receipt of the application or an email requesting additional information. The student’s email will review the eligibility requirements. See Instructions on Checking Your Requirements.
The U.S. Department of Education may select a financial aid application for verification. This would require the college to obtain additional documentation in order to verify the information that the student and/or the parent gave on the FAFSA prior to the disbursement of any financial aid funds. An applicant that is selected for verification will be notified via e-mail that they have outstanding requirements. If you are selected, all required forms can be downloaded from the Financial Aid Forms page. Students who are selected for verification will not be packaged for Financial Aid until all verification requirements have been received and reviewed. See Information on SUNY Broome’s Verification process.
The packaging philosophy at SUNY Broome is to attempt to meet one hundred percent of the financial need of the students through a combination of grants, loans, work, and institutional aid. With the limited funds available in financial aid, this is not always possible. The Financial Aid Office attempts to provide each student financial assistance in a timely manner. All students must pay their tuition and fees by either self-pay or payment via Financial Aid funds. Information regarding making payments via the payment plan is available through the SUNY Broome Student Accounts webpage.
Initially each student is packed with a full time cost of attendance. At the time of census (the first day of the fourth week of classes) enrollment is frozen and the student cost of attendance is adjusted to reflect their enrollment status for the semester.
If the student is eligible for a Pell Grant and the NYS TAP and/or Excelsior Award, these amounts are awarded first. Federal aid is then awarded in the following order, FSEOG (to those with an Estimated Family Contribution (EFC) of 0-400) based on availability of FSEOG funding, Subsidized Direct Loan, and Unsubsidized Direct Loan.
PLUS (Parent Loans) and Federal Work Study are awarded manually on a case-by-case basis. If a student has no grant eligibility, the student is packaged for a student loan. Once the aid package is developed, the student is notified electronically (Award Notification) that the awards are available for viewing on their MyCollege account. The student may accept, reduce, or decline student loans via their MyCollege page. For more information on how to view your Financial Aid Award, visit Financial Aid Terms and Conditions.
NOTE: You must be a matriculated student meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress to qualify for Federal Financial Aid.
