Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
FAFSA completion is the first step in the financial aid process. It determines a student's eligibility for federal, state and institutional funding that can help pay for educational expenses. Expenses may include tuition, course fees, textbooks, supplies, tools, transportation, housing & meals, and other personal expenses.
Financial Aid may include:
| Funding Source | Sample Types of Student Aid |
|---|---|
| Federal | Pell Grant, FSEOG, Student Loans, Work Study |
| State of Iowa | Iowa Last-Dollar Scholarship, Kibbie Grant, Vocational Technical Grant, Iowa National Guard Service Scholarship |
| Institutional | NICC Foundation Scholarships, NICC Loyalty Awards, NICC Athletic Scholarships |
Students, and possibly contributors (parent(s), spouse, step-parent), are required to first create their own FSA ID (Studentaid.gov Account) in order to complete the FAFSA.
The 2024-25 FAFSA is now available for students enrolling in the fall 2024 semester. Review the details for the new improved 2024-25 FAFSA!
More than 80% of NICC students receive some sort of financial aid. Find out what the FAFSA is and why you should complete it with this helpful video from Federal Student Aid.
The FAFSA should be completed for each school year that a student plans to attend college. It is available beginning October 1 for the following school year.
Northeast Iowa Community College Federal School Code = 004587
If you are enrolling at NICC with the spring 2024 semester (January) or summer 2024 semester (May), then you want to complete the 2023-24 FAFSA. The Winterim mini-semester is part of the spring semester for financial aid purposes.
| 2023-24 FAFSA - Current School Year | Important Dates |
|---|---|
| Fall 2023 | 8/21/2023 - 12/15/2023 |
| Spring 2024 | 01/08/2024 - 05/08/2024 |
| Summer 2024 | 05/15/2024 - 08/09/2024 |
| Current Year FAFSA Available | October 1, 2022 through June 30, 2024 |
| State of Iowa Aid Deadline | * On or before July 1, 2023 (Kibbie & Vo-Tech Grant; Subject to change) |
| Iowa Last Dollar Scholarship Deadline | * On or before July 15, 2023 (subject to change per Iowa College Aid) |
The 2024-25 FAFSA has been streamlined and made simpler for student and families.
Details on the new 2024-25 FAFSA updates!
| 2024-25 FAFSA - Next School Year | Important Dates |
|---|---|
| Fall 2024 | 08/22/2024 - 12/18/2024 |
| Spring 2025 | 01/13/2025 - 05/14/2025 |
| Summer 2025 | 05/21/2025 - 08/14/2025 |
| Next year's FAFSA is now available! | Now through June 30, 2025 |
| State aid deadline | To be determined sometime spring 2024 |
Ready to File the 2024-25 FAFSA? Here's What You'll Need
Listo Para Llenar la 2024-25 FAFSA? Estos Son Los Documentos Que Necesitas (En Espanol)
- Be sure that you have applied to NICC for Admission and have been accepted into a degree program. Financial Aid eligibility can not be determined until your Admissions Application is complete.
- Approximately one week after you submit your FAFSA, Federal Student Aid will email your estimates on the amount of federal financial aid that you may be eligible for.
- NICC will notify you via your NICC email, once your FAFSA has been received at the College.
- Once you receive notification via email, you may log into Self Service for Students, accessible through MyCampus, and review your Financial Aid Checklist. The Checklist will walk you through the step by step process of completing your financial aid file.
- If you have Required Documents to take action on, follow the links and submit the information to NICC as soon as possible. A Financial Aid Counselor is assigned to you to assist you in the enrollment process. You will find their name and contact information at the bottom of your Self Service Financial Aid page.
- Once you have completed the steps in your Required Documents and NICC has finished reviewing and processing the information, we will notify you via email (your NICC email address) that your Financial Aid Offer is ready to review in Self Service Financial Aid.
- Your Financial Aid Offer (Offer Letter) explains the estimated funding you may be eligible to receive based on full time enrollment (12 or more credits) for a typical academic year that includes two semesters (fall and spring). The actual amounts may vary due to:
- Less than full-time enrollment - Enrollment level is based on the number of credits you enroll each semester and your amounts may be prorated
- Program of study - Certain academic programs qualify for state of Iowa Grants (Kibbie, Vo-Tech, Last Dollar Scholarship)
- Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) - You must meet minimum GPA and completion requirements each semester
- Other eligibility criteria - Contact Student Services for more specifics
- Once you have registered for classes, any grant or scholarship money will be automatically applied to your tuition and fees. If students wish to use student loans to finance their education, additional steps are required to accept and receive loans.
- View your student account balance in Self Service Student Finance in order to determine the cost per semester. Determine how much aid you have to pay towards your tuition and fees. If you do not have enough, be sure to seek out additional funding and/or sign up for the Nelnet Payment Plan. Be sure to make your payment prior to the tuition due date (approximately one week prior to the start of the semester).
- NICC students can use extra financial aid to purchase textbooks, course materials and supplies through the NICC online bookstore. Students can also use excess financial aid for school supplies, tools, NICC apparel and Cafe giftcards at Cougar Store. You must have more accepted aid than your tuition and fee costs viewable on your account each semester
- FAFSA help is available at studentaid.gov/fafsa
- Each student is required to create a Federal Student Aid (FSA) ID - This is your FAFSA user name and password and is used to electronically sign your FAFSA each year you attend college. The FSA ID is also used to make changes to an existing FAFSA and to access other Federal Student Aid websites.
- If you are a dependent student, one of your parents will also need to create a FSA ID of their own and use their own email address. Other contributors may need to create an FSA ID too for 2024-25.