FAFSA
Review qualifications and apply for CSI Scholarships online at scholarships.csi.edu
Students can complete both the FAFSA and scholarship applications online after January 1. Students are highly encouraged to complete both their FAFSA and scholarship applications by CSI's priority deadline, March 1. Students are advised to use their completed Federal income tax returns to complete the FAFSA. Completing the FAFSA with estimated taxes is acceptable, however, corrections may have to be made at a later date, causing a delay in the processing of their application. Both student and parent information is required on the dependent student's application. In addition, students may be required to submit a signed copy of their Federal Income Tax Returns and W-2's (and parents, if dependent) to CSI Student Financial Aid Office if student's application results are chosen for "verification." In this case, the CSI Student Financial Aid Office is required to comply with Federal regulations and verify the information the student reported on his/her FAFSA.
Approximately 2 to 3 days after submitting the FAFSA, the student will receive a Student Aid Report (SAR) from the Department of Education.
Check the Student Aid Report (SAR) for accuracy. If corrections need to be made, provide the correct information, sign the SAR (if dependent, both the student and the parent must sign) and return it to the CSI Student Financial Aid Office, which has the capability to make corrections to the SAR through an electronic process. Students will receive another SAR in the mail.
Return requested information to the Student Financial Aid Office.
Students are strongly encouraged to apply early, by March 1, for financial aid and finalize their schedules as early as possible. Generally it takes a minimum of 2 to 4 weeks from the time students submit their FAFSA until their Federal financial aid is actually awarded. If a student's application is selected for verification or if they take a long time to submit copies of documents or corrections, it may take 4 to 6 weeks or even longer. It is important that students apply early and allow adequate time to process their applications. If a student applies and fails to turn in required documents late (ie. Less than 6 weeks prior to the beginning of the semester) and their financial aid is not ready by the tuition payment deadline, the student must be prepared to pay tuition in full unless they have a tuition loan agreement (payment plans) in place. Tuition Loan Agreements may be completed with the Office of the Registrar. Students can find additional information related to tuition and charges such as tuition loan agreements, tuition/fee due dates, late fees, refund policy and the consequences of non-payment on the Tuition and Fees page.
- Students must use CSI's NetPartner online system to check which required documents have been received by the CSI Financial Aid Office, which documents are missing, the status of their awards, and to accept/reduce/decline their awards, etc.Important: The CSI Financial Aid office no longer sends out hard copy letters/notifications. Students are expected to log into NetPartner to manage their financial aid files.
- Submit requested information/documents - Students are most likely asked to submit additional information/documents in order to complete the Federal financial aid application process. The information requested is usually required by the U.S. Department of Education to clarify, resolve, or assist CSI staff in preparing a Federal financial aid award package. It is imperative that students log into NetPartner to see what information/documents are needed and submit those documents as soon as possible. Failure to submit required information/documents will delay the processing of the students' Federal financial aid.
- Receive your award notification - After students submit all of the information/documents requested to complete the Federal financial aid application process, CSI staff will finalize the review of their application materials. The award notification will be posted in NetPartner with detailed information about the financial aid awards the students are eligible for.
- Accept, reduce, decline the award - Students log into NetPartner to review their Award Notification and follow instructions carefully on how to accept/reduce/decline their awards. The students’ financial aid “package” may include a combination of grants, scholarships, student employment, and loans. CSI strives to maintain affordable tuition and fees and we encourage students to be fiscally responsible and reduce or decline any financial aid (especially student loans) that they don’t need to pay for direct educational expenses such as tuition, fees, books, etc.
- Students who qualify for student loans must:
- Complete the student loan Master Promissory Note (MPN) - Some types of Federal financial aid, student loans specifically, require additional documentation before they can be distributed. Please read the Master Promissory Note information carefully on our Loans page and follow the instructions.
- Complete the Loan Entrance Counseling - Students borrowing loans for the first time at the College of Southern Idaho must complete the Loan Entrance Counseling before their student loan funds can be distributed to them. The purpose of the Loan Entrance Counseling is to ensure that first time borrowers have all the information they need to make good decisions about student loans. Please read the Loan Entrance Counseling information carefully on our Loans page and follow the instructions.
Who is eligible for Federal Financial Aid?
- Be a U.S. citizen or an eligible noncitizen with a valid Social Security number.
- Demonstrate financial need. Please note, that not everyone who applies for Federal Financial Aid is automatically eligible. Students must meet very specific criteria established by the U.S. Department of Education and the College of Southern Idaho.
- Be enrolled as a regular student taking credits in an eligible degree or certificate program.
- Not be in default on a student loan or owe an overpayment or repayment to a financial aid program.
- Meet additional eligibility requirements if you have ever been convicted of sale or possession of illegal drugs while you were receiving federal student aid.
- Be registered with Selective Service if you are a male who was born on or after January 1, 1960.
- Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP).
- Be academically ready for study at the college level by-
- Having a high school diploma (this can be from a foreign school if it is equivalent to a U.S. high school diploma);
- Having the recognized equivalent of a high school diploma, such as a general education development or GED certificate;
- Having completed homeschooling at the secondary level.
Financial Aid/Scholarship Disbursement
All Financial Aid awards are automatically applied towards tuition and fees, room and board. CSI disburses financial aid funds in excess of these charges to the student (or borrowing parent in case of Plus loans). With the student's permission, CSI can apply excess Federal Financial Aid funds (amount left over after paying tuition/fees and room/board) towards other educationally related charges. These charges may include: traffic/parking fines, child care fees, library fines, late fees, reinstatement fees, and returned check charges, etc. Students can fill out an Authorization for the Deduction of Miscellaneous Charges form to have miscellaneous charges deducted from their Federal Financial Aid.
Student’s awards are posted to their student accounts to pay their tuition, fees and any outstanding balance first. If your financial aid credit exceeds your total charges, a refund will be issued to you. CSI partners with BankMobile to issue student refunds. A refund selection kit is mailed to every student who is enrolled in credits at CSI. Please make sure that your mailing address is up-to-date and select your refund preference as soon as you receive your kit. Remember, even if you are not currently expecting a refund from CSI, we may have a refund for you in the future. You can select your refund preference by visiting refundselection.com. For more information about refunds please visit csi.edu/BankMobileVibe
The first disbursement of Federal financial aid and scholarships will be on the second Thursday of the semester. By accepting the Federal financial aid or scholarship disbursement, the student certifies that they are enrolled in the number of eligible credits on which their awards were calculated and that they are attending all of their classes. Scholarship disbursements will be distributed the same time as the other Federal Financial Aid disbursements. Financial aid awards will be made based on the number of eligible credits students are enrolled in at 8:00 a.m. on Monday of the second week of classes. If students who receive Federal financial aid increase the number of credits they are enrolled in after 8:00 a.m. on the second Monday, they will be responsible for all tuition and fees for those classes, (they will not be awarded additional aid for the semester). If students who receive Federal financial aid decrease the number of credits they are enrolled in after the 8:00 a.m. on the second Monday, they will owe money back to the Federal Government and/or the College of Southern Idaho or other entities. Students may be able to change sections or add/drop classes as long as they do not change the total number of eligible credits upon which their financial aid was awarded. By accepting and/or cashing Federal financial aid or scholarship disbursements, the student certifies that they are enrolled in the number of eligible credits on which their awards were calculated and that they are attending all of their classes. Students whose financial aid award is large enough to cover tuition, books and supplies will be able to charge against their financial aid award at the CSI bookstore. The same is true for CSI housing, food service, and CSI Child Care Center. Students with large enough financial aid awards can start charging against their accounts the week before schools starts. Parent Loans The parent's written authorization is required for the disbursement of any excess Parent PLUS loan funds to the student. In the absence of the parent's written authorization, excess Parent PLUS loan funds will be mailed to the parent using the mailing address provided on the Parent PLUS loan application.
Returning Financial Aid: Students have the right to cancel all or a portion of their student loan(s) disbursed to them within 14 days from the disbursement date. They must return the funds to the Matrix within 10 days of disbursement to allow for the processing of the loan return.