FAQs

Sometimes your family may have a change in circumstances such as, but not limited to: a parental job loss, death of a parent or spouse, additional program expenses, or other situations that may affect your ability to pay for your education. We recognize that each student's situation is unique, however not all situations will result in an adjustment. Please visit our office for more information regarding Professional Judgment (Special Circumstance appeal). 

Appeals will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis to determine if an adjustment is appropriate. You may be asked to provide supporting documentation to verify your income and special circumstances.

To find out about eligibility requirements for Federal Financial Aid, read who is eligible for federal financial aid?

Can I receive summer Pell Grant?

Eligibility for additional Pell Grant funds in the summer depends on your enrollment level and remaining Pell Lifetime Eligibility Used (LEU). For additional information regarding Pell and becoming eligible in summer please visit our Pell Grants section.

Feel free to contact Enrollment Services for additional information regarding eligibility.

When will my summer aid be determined?

Summer financial aid determinations will begin once summer registration opens. Students are encouraged to register early.

When is the summer financial aid stipend?

Information regarding summer and other disbursement dates can be found on our Disbursements and Stipends page.

How much Pell Grant can I get for summer?

It depends, your summer Pell Grant amount will depend on the number of credits required for your major, your student aid index, satisfactory academic progress (SAP) standing, as well as your Pell Lifetime Eligibility Used (LEU).

*Note* Summer aid offers will be adjusted based on your actual enrollment until the drop period is over.

Yes, Pell Grant lifetime eligibility is 600% or a maximum of 12 full-time semesters to receive the Pell Grant. Once you have used 600% (12 full-time semesters) of your Pell Grant eligibility, you can no longer receive the Pell Grant. In most cases, students who have earned a bachelor’s degree are no longer eligible for Pell Grants.  Read more about Pell lifetime limits and how it applies to you. 

Federal aid is earned based on the percentage of the term completed. If you withdraw before completing more than 60% of the term, a portion of your aid may be returned to the U.S. Department of Education, and you may owe a balance. It is important to check with an Enrollment Specialist about what dropping, withdrawing, or failing a course will do to your Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP).

Read more about CSI’s SAP policy and how it will affect your financial aid. 

Refund Policy and Requirements for Withdrawal and Return of Federal Financial Aid see links below

• Refunds
• Return to Title IV Funds

You can order online through the IRS transcript request tool.

Note: you can only request tax return transcripts and/or statement of account transcripts online, verification of non-fillings or W-2 transcripts please see below

If you did not file taxes or if your address has changed from the time that you filed your taxes, please use the 4506-t form to request either your Verification of Non-Filing letter or a copy of your tax return transcript to be sent to another address.

• You are not enrolled in the current term, and the aid offer has been reduced to $0
• You did not accept pending aid that was available in your aid offer
• Your declined aid offers were set to $0
• The master promissory note and/or entrance counseling were never completed on your account, so your loan was reduced to $0
• You were ineligible to receive the aid offer (not in enough credits to qualify, suspended, ineligible program. etc.)

Verification is the process your school uses to confirm that the data you reported on your FAFSA is accurate. Read more about providing required verification.

For more information regarding dependency status visit the student aid website regarding dependency status.

All students are required to meet CSI's Standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) to receive and maintain eligibility for financial aid funds, including grants, work-study, and loans. Students are no longer eligible when they no longer meet SAP standards.

The standards of eligibility for some scholarships or aid offered may differ as defined by the granting agency or department from which the offer was made.

You might lose federal student aid eligibility for several reasons. For more information on eligibility please see the student aid website.