You can’t. Your scholarship in most cases is the first award applied to your tuition bill and occurs typically after the third week of classes. Federal Pell grants, MN State grants, SEOG grants, and subsidized and unsubsidized loans are applied after your scholarship monies. In most cases your scholarship will directly offset only your tuition bills.
If a scholarship says “Pell eligible only”, or “demonstrated financial need only” you must be receiving a Federal Pell Grant, SEOG grant, or MN state grant as a part of your FAFSA award. In some cases a grant or scholarship from an external entity could qualify. If in doubt about your eligibility for designated Pell eligibility or demonstrated financial need scholarships the scholarship director can consult your EFC code.
Awards are announced by mid-July of every year. Award amounts are split evenly between Fall and Spring registered classes. For example if you have received a $1000 award, $500 will apply to your Fall registration, and $500 to your Spring. Financial Aid will be notified of your award and awards are posted directly to student accounts by the third week of September (Fall) and the first week of February (Spring).
Yes. All scholarships at NHCC have a minimum requirement of 6 credits enrolled and a cumulative GPA of 2.0. Some scholarships are higher and demand full time enrollment, higher grade points, or other eligibility criterion. Consulting the Scholarships links will outline all eligibility requirements for each individual scholarship. Financial aid does monitor your enrolled credits and will notify the Foundation in the events of dropping, withdrawing, or falling below credit thresholds.
Yes. In fact, the best advice is to complete your FAFSA early. The FAFSA is released by December 1 for the next academic year. Completing your FAFSA early may provide you with additional financial aid resources, and ensures the ability to use the book charge function in August, and January. Waiting too long to complete your FAFSA could mean important data that may be needed to determine your scholarship eligibility would be missing and that may impact your ability to receive a scholarship.
The Foundation acknowledges the realities of unforeseen circumstance. Depending on when that break occurs it absolutely can affect your award status. If the break occurs from semester to semester you will forfeit the semester you aren’t enrolled. If it occurs within the semester scholarship monies that paid for tuition will be reversed, and you will be retroactively billed contingent on final enrolled date and tuition reimbursement tiers.
You can be co-enrolled but a consortium agreement on file with Financial Aid will be required. Your FAFSA will need to be coded to NHCC (002370) as the aid receiving institution. Consortium agreements can be obtained by meeting with your advisor.
Your FAFSA award needs to be through NHCC. Consult with your advisor to navigate exception possibilities.
Registration will need to coincide with award timing (at the beginning of each semester) Even in the event you don’t notify the Foundation, Financial aid generates an “aid apply” list at the beginning of each semester that is supplied to the Foundation. In this event the Foundation does contact you directly to help guide you to your advisors to complete the necessary compliance documentation.
If it is a Minnesota State institution, yes. All 38 MN State entities communicate with each other through a system called ISRS. Enrollment issues with other institutions will create a “hold” scenario at NHCC where the scholarship will not be disbursed until all issues NHCC or other institution are rectified.
No. You will receive your scholarship for that semester and the following semester’s award will have to be rescinded. If you do not notify the Foundation, your name will appear on the aid apply list and the money will revert back to the Foundation.
Only if you plan to apply exclusively for the Dr. John Helling and Sandvick Baccalaureate scholarships, the only two scholarships at NHCC that apply to graduating NHCC students. All other scholarships at NHCC are for concurrently enrolled students. Be sure to pay attention to the terms “new” or “returning” as they are a part of scholarship criterion.
Unfortunately, no. Scholarship monies are designated to pay tuition bills only and since PSEO students don’t have a tuition bill with the college, thanks to the State of Minnesota, PSEO students don’t qualify for scholarships.