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How to Apply for Financial Aid

The steps involved in applying for aid are listed below. In order to be considered for all aid programs students should have filed their FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Financial Aid) by the priority dates listed. Under no circumstances should you pay someone to file a FAFSA for you! Any claims made by individuals to be able to guarantee aid are false. Please be aware of this when applying for financial assistance.

Deadlines for applying: The U.S. Department of Education will process your 2007-2008 FAFSA if received before June 30 of the current academic year (June 30th, 2008 for the 2007-2008 academic year). To actually receive aid, Red Rocks Community College must have a correct and complete application before your last day of enrollment of the academic year that you are applying to receive aid. It's important to apply early to make sure you leave enough time for RRCC to receive your information and to make any necessary corrections.

Applying for aid

1. Complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
   • For priority consideration, Red Rocks Community College must have received your FAFSA by the respective priority date for the term that you are going to enroll. The FAFSA can be submitted online at www.fafsa.ed.gov.
   • If you do not already have your personal identification number (PIN), contact the federal processor at www.pin.ed.gov so that your FAFSA can be electronically signed.
   • If you are a dependent student, your parent must also apply for a PIN.
   • You may report estimated tax figures on your FAFSA. You will be given the opportunity to make corrections at a later date.
   • Submit the FAFSA even if you are in process of applying for admission.
   • On your application use Red Rocks Community College’s school code so that your information is sent to RRCC.  Our school code is 009543.
   • Colorado Residents should be sure that they have registered with the Colorado Opportunity Fund.
2. Search and apply for private scholarships
3. Review your Student Aid Report.
   • Two to six weeks after you submit your FAFSA, the Federal processor will send you a Student Aid Report (SAR), a SAR is a summary of your FAFSA data. The speed with which you receive your SAR depends on the type of application you filed. Online applications tend to be faster.
   • Verify all the information on your SAR. If you need to make corrections, do so online at www.fafsa.ed.gov or mail a corrected SAR to the Federal Processor. If you should need assistance with corrections, please contact us at (303) 914-6256.
   • If all your information is correct, keep your SAR for your records. Do not send it to RRCC.
   • If your SAR states that you have been selected for "federal verification," the Financial Aid Office will notify you of what documents are needed. In most cases copies of your tax filings for the previous tax year will be need as well as a completed copy of the Federal Verification Worksheet (available in the FORMS section of this web site).
4. Await notification from the Office of Student Financial Aid.
   • The FAFSA processor will send us your information electronically. We will review your FAFSA data, and if necessary, request additional documentation (i.e. tax forms) to verify your information.
   • Please make certain that you provide the student's name and student ID number, as well as all required signatures, on all documents that are submitted to our office.
   • Once we receive and evaluate all documentation, we will notify you of your financial aid award.
   • Responding to requests for documentation in a timely manner is the best way to speed up the processing of your file. If you have applied by the priority dates listed you should receive notification before the start of classes.
   • Your award notification will include information on your cost of attendance and unmet need.  You will also receive instructions on how to apply for student loans if you have indicated through your FAFSA that you are interested in them.
   • If you have any questions about the application process, please contact the Office of Financial Aid by email (finaid@rrcc.edu) or by phone, (303) 914-6256
5. If you are interested in applying for a Federal Student Loan
   •  You will need to review the information provided in our Stafford Loan section of out web site.
   • If you have not done so already you will need to complete an entrance interview for a Stafford loan. An entrance interview is an important part of the process which will educate potential borrowers of their rights and responsibilities with regard to borrowing money

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