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Pay for College

Financial Aid & Scholarships Are Available

Paying for college can be a big concern, but obtaining financial aid and scholarships to help you is entirely possible.  You can receive help with the financial aid process at CSI, and we've prepared some videos to help you begin to learn how.

Fifteen to Finish on Time

One of the smartest ways to pay for college is to pay for less college! National studies, as well as the experience of existing CSI students, consistently show that students who take 15 credits each semester - or 30 credits each academic year - complete their college program sooner and earn higher grades. Finishing on time has many benefits to you, including paying less overall tuition and beginning your chosen, higher-paying career job sooner. There are many resources at CSI to help you stay on track with your graduation plans, and meeting with your academic advisor is an important first step! To learn more about finishing on time, please check out Finish on Time.

Video: Applying for and Receiving Financial Aid and Scholarships at CSI

This first video will help you begin to see the steps in the financial aid process, including applying for aid using the FAFSA, accepting aid using Net Partner, how aid will be distributed to you, and how to keep that aid once you have received it.

Video Transcript (English)

Hi, welcome to CSI. I'm Danny and I'm a student here at CSI majoring in Animal Science.

One of the biggest concerns for incoming students is how to pay for college. I applied for scholarships and financial aid and I got them and so can you. This video will show you some of the basics on how to receive financial aid and scholarships. For any additional information, financial aid advisors are available in the Eagle Central or by web conferencing.

The first step to obtain student financial aid for college is to apply through studentaid.gov. This online application is called the FAFSA. CSI will use your FAFSA data to determine your federal aid eligibility. To complete the FAFSA, you'll need your Social Security Number, Driver's License number, Federal Tax Information and details about your assets including things like checkings and savings account balances. If you're a dependent student, your parent or guardian will also need to complete a portion of a FAFSA application to provide this information about themselves. Providing this information is so important that you'll need to do it every year you're in college.

Once you've submitted the FAFSA, you'll receive a confirmation email that your application has been submitted. After a short time, you'll receive a student aid report that will give you some basic information about your eligibility for Federal Student Aid. CSI will also receive a copy of your application if you designated that information when completing the FAFSA application - so be sure and add CSI to your FAFSA application. You may also be wondering about scholarships at CSI. You will definitely want to complete the CSI General Scholarship Application. With a single application, you can apply for multiple scholarships. If you're wondering if you can qualify for scholarships, GPA is not always a deciding factor for a scholarship eligibility. Students can be considered regardless of their GPA. However, if you have a better GPA the more likely you will receive the scholarship. The CSI Foundation provides opportunities for students every year. Also, be sure and check with your department and CSI's Financial Aid and Scholarship Office to seek additional scholarship opportunities related to your major and even childcare.

Once you've completed your FAFSA, received your student aid report and applied for scholarships you've made a good start, but you're not finished. Next, you need to go online to Net Partner, complete the aid planning worksheet and submit all requested documents. Net Partner is CSI's online Financial Aid and Scholarship Portal. To find Net Partner go to netpartner.csi.edu. If you are accessing Net Partner for the first time, you'll need to create an account. Net Partner will be an important resource for you every year at CSI. You can use Net Partner to complete your financial aid planning worksheet online, check the status of your financial aid scholarship file, download and print forms and documents, view a list of documents received by CSI and documents still needed, track priority processing dates so you won't be late, accept or decline offers of financial aid, and view of your financial aid and scholarship awards and student loan history.

After you've submitted all the required documents an aid offer will be generated. It is very important for all students to know that no award will be granted unless you log into Net Partner and accept the award. If you're wondering how you'll receive your federal student aid and scholarship money I can help. You'll receive financial aid money through a two-part process, credit and refund. Because these processes are commonly misunderstood, I'll show you the difference. Credit occurs when your loan or scholarship funds are paid out from the aid source and in most case will be paid directly to CSI. It is important for you to know that your attendance in class will be verified by your instructor before any award can be credited. When your attendance is verified, your award will be applied to your student account to pay for your college expenses like tuition, fees, room and board and textbooks. If the financial aid or scholarship applied to your student account is greater than the amount due, you will receive a refund of those extra funds.

The last thing we'll talk about in this video is Satisfactory Academic Progress or SAP for short. To maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress and keep your financial aid in place each semester you'll need to do three things.

  1. Make progress towards completing your declared degree or certificate while maintaining a minimum completion rate of 67%
  2. Maintain a minimum GPA of 2.0
  3. Stay on track to complete your declared degree or certificate within a given timeframe.

 

SAP may sound confusing but it's really not. Don't worry, we have more information for you later. You'll see that financial aid and scholarships are not an impossible process. There are many available resources to help you. With a little persistence, navigation and follow through, you can navigate your way through financial aid and scholarships to find funds to pay for your college. So why not get started?

Transcripción del video (Español)

Hola, bienvenidos a CSI. Soy Danny y soy estudiante, aquí, en CSI con especialidad en Ciencia Animal.

Una de las mayores preocupaciones de los estudiantes entrantes es cómo pagar la universidad. Yo apliqué por becas y asistencia financiera y las recibí y tú también puedes hacerlo. Este video les mostrará algunos de los básicos sobre cómo recibir asistencia financiera y becas. Para cualquier información adicional, hay consejeros de asistencia financiera disponibles en la Central Eagle o por conferencia web.

El primer paso para obtener asistencia financiera estudiantil para universidad es aplicar a través de studentaid.gov. Esta aplicación en línea se llama FAFSA CSI usará tu información de FAFSA para determinar tu elegibilidad para asistencia federal. Para completar el FAFSA, necesitarás tu número de seguridad social, número de licencia de manejo, información de impuestos federales y detalles sobre tus ingresos, incluyendo cosas como saldos de cuentas corrientes y de ahorro. Si eres un estudiante independiente, tu padre o guardián también necesitará completar una porción de una aplicación FAFSA para proveer esta información sobre ellos mismos. Proveer esta información es tan importante que tendrás que hacerlo cada año que estés en la universidad.

Una vez que hayas enviado el FAFSA, recibirás un correo de confirmación de que tu aplicación ha sido enviada. Luego de poco tiempo, recibirás un reporte de asistencia estudiantil que te dará algo de información básica sobre tu elegibilidad para asistencia estudiantil federal. CSI también recibirá una copia de tu aplicación si designaste esa información al completar la aplicación FAFSA. Asegúrate de añadir a CSI a tu aplicación FAFSA. Puede ser que también te preguntes sobre becas en CSI. Definitivamente querrás completar la Aplicación a Beca General CSI. Con una sola aplicación puedes aplicar a múltiples becas. Si te estás preguntando si puedes aplicar a becas, el GPA no siempre es un factor decisivo para tu elegibilidad a beca. Los estudiantes pueden ser considerados a pesar de su GPA. Sin embargo, si tienes un mejor GPA, será más probable que recibas la beca. La Fundación CSI le provee oportunidades a los estudiantes cada año. También asegúrense de revisar con su departamento y la Oficina de Asistencia Financiera y Becas de CSI para buscar oportunidades adicionales de becas relacionadas con su carrera, e incluso cuidado infantil.

Una vez que hayan completado su FAFSA, recibido su reporte de asistencia estudiantil, y aplicado por becas, han hecho un buen comienzo, pero no han terminado. Luego, deben ir en línea a Net Partner para completar la hoja de planeación de asistencia y enviar todos los documentos requeridos. Net Partner es el portal en línea de Asistencia Financiera y Becas y CSI. Para hallar Net Partner, vayan a netpartner.csi.edu. Si están ingresando a Net Partner por primera vez, tendrán que crear una cuenta. Net Partner será un recurso importante para ustedes cada año en CSI. Pueden usar Net Partner para completar su hoja de planeación de asistencia financiera en línea, revisen el estado de su archivo de beca de ayuda financiera, descarguen e impriman las formas y documentos, vean una lista de documentos recibidos por CSI y documentos que todavía necesitan, rastreen fechas prioritarias de proceso para que no se retarden, aceptar o rechazar ofertas de asistencia financiera, ver sus premios de asistencia financiera y becas e historial de préstamos estudiantiles.

Luego de que hayan enviado todos los documentos requeridos, se generará una oferta de asistencia. Es muy importante para todos los estudiantes saber que ningún premio será otorgado a menos de que ingresen a Net Partner y acepten el premio. Si se están preguntando cómo recibirán su asistencia estudiantil federal y dinero de la beca, puedo ayudarles. Recibirán el dinero de asistencia federal a través de un proceso de dos partes, crédito y reembolso. Ya que estos procesos se malentienden comúnmente, les mostraré la diferencia. El crédito ocurre cuando tu préstamo o fondos de la beca son pagados desde la fuente de asistencia y, en muchos casos, será pagado directo a CSI. Es importante para ustedes saber que su asistencia a clase será verificada por su instructor antes de que cualquier premio pueda ser acreditado. Cuando su asistencia sea verificada, su premio será aplicado a su cuenta estudiantil para pagar sus gastos universitarios, como colegiatura, cuotas, habitación y consejo, y libros de texto. Si la asistencia financiera o beca aplicada a tu cuenta estudiantil es mayor que la cantidad debida, recibirán un reembolso de esos fondos adicionales.

De lo último que hablaremos en este video es el Progreso Académico Satisfactorio, o SAP, en inglés. Para mantener un Progreso Académico Satisfactorio y mantener su asistencia financiera en lugar, cada semestre tendrán que hacer tres cosas.

  1. Progresar hacia completar su grado o certificado declarado mientras mantienen una tasa mínimo de finalización de 67%.
  2. Mantener un GPA mínimo de 2.0.
  3. Y mantenerse en camino para completar su grado o certificado declarado dentro del tiempo declarado.

 

El SAP puede sonar confuso, pero no lo se. No se preocupen, después tenemos más información para ustedes. Verán que la asistencia financiera y becas no son un proceso imposible. Hay muchos recursos disponibles para ayudarles. Con algo de persistencia, navegación y seguimiendo, pueden navegar su camino a través de la asistencia financiera y becas para hallar financiamiento para pagar su universidad. ¿Así que por qué no comenzar?

What is Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)?

To establish and maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress and keep your financial aid in place each semester, you only have to do three things.  We'll tell you about each step, and then we'll show you what they mean!

SAP refers to how well you are progressing toward your goal of completing your program of study.  Because CSI participates in the Federal Financial Aid Program, we are required to have a SAP policy to help you meet your goals and move toward completing your academic or certificate program.  You must meet these three requirements to establish and maintain eligibility for federal financial aid:

1.  Pace of Completion - You must progress toward completing your declared degree/certificate while maintaining a minimum 67% completion rate. This completion rate is calculated by dividing the total number of credit hours you have successfully completed by the total number of credit hours you have attempted. Remedial courses are excluded from the completion rate calculation.
 
2.  GPA Requirement - You must maintain a minimum Cumulative GPA of 2.00 (using a 4.00 scale). A cumulative GPA includes all coursework receiving a letter grade (including remedial coursework and credits you may have completed as a dual credit while in high school). This does not include transfer credits.
 
3.  Maximum Timeframe Requirement - You must be able to complete your declared degree/certificate program within 150% of the published number of credit hours required to complete the program.

For example: if the published length of an Associate of Arts degree is 64 credit hours, you must be able to complete your degree within 96 attempted credit hours.

 

Because we understand this can be a little confusing at first, we made the following video to add a little clarity and a lot of fun:

Video Transcript (English)

Welcome to the College of Southern Idaho!

While you are a student here, you may qualify for financial aid.  Now to keep your financial aid, you need to do one very important thing: you must meet satisfactory academic progress, or SAP, for short.

Satisfactory academic progress is measured on 3 criteria: progress, grade point, and maximum timeframe. To meet progress, you must successfully complete 2/3 (that’s 67%) of your attempted credit hours.  So, if your program’s credit hours are these pancakes, you must eat 2/3 of them to meet SAP standards. Note that syrup is optional!

You are required to maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or above.  You can get a 4.0 grade point average, a 3.0, and even a 2.0, but anything below a 2.0 could mean no cash. 

Finally, to meet maximum time frame, you must declare a major and finish that program within 150% of the allotted time.  What does this mean?  Let’s say that your program of study is pancake-making, and that a pancake-making degree requires 60 credit hours to complete.  You must finish your pancake-making degree within 90 credit hours.

 

If you fail to meet these standards, you will receive a notification that you are on warning and may lose your financial aid eligibility.  If you find yourself in this situation, there is an appeals process.  However, the best course of action is not to get SAP’d in the first place – unless, of course, you want some on your pancakes!   

 

To learn more about SAP, the appeals process, and financial aid eligibility, visit csi.edu/financial-aid.

Transcripción del video (Español)

Esta transcripción de video estará disponible próximamente en español.

Paying Tuition

Learn how to use MyCSI Self Service, these guides show you how to complete common academic tasks like registering, paying for classes, and financial tasks like accepting your Financial Aid.

What you need to do

File your FAFSA

All students should fill out the FAFSA every year! CSI has a March 1 priority application date.  This means that all students who are admitted and submit their FAFSA by this date can be assured full consideration for all scholarships and financial aid available.  Don’t worry, CSI will continue to admit students after March 1, award scholarships to qualified students, and process FAFSA applications as they are received.

Find out more about the FAFSA

Complete the CSI Scholarship Application
The CSI Scholarship Application is located inside MyCSI. Incoming freshman and transfer students must submit an in-progress transcript at the time of submittal and a completed transcript prior to June 1 to complete your application.

New Students: Next Steps

Video tutorials and checklists for beginning your path at CSI.

Questions?

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