Steps to Financial Aid

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is how the Financial Aid Office can determine your eligibility for financial aid.

A new FAFSA is required each academic year. An academic year runs from fall-summer.

The 2024-2025 FAFSA is for Fall 2024, Spring 2025, and Summer 2025.

6 Things Students Need Before They Fill Out the 2024-25 FAFSA:

1. Your Studentaid.gov Account
   • You’ll need to create a StudentAid.gov account to access and fill out the 2024–25 FAFSA form. If you already have one, you would use your existing information.
   • Your contributors will each need their own StudentAid.gov account too. “Contributor” is a new term on the 2024–25 FAFSA form—it refers to anyone (you, your spouse, your biological or adoptive parent, or your parent’s spouse) required to provide information on your FAFSA form.
   • As a student, you’ll be required to enter your Social Security number SSN) to create a StudentAid.gov account unless you’re a citizen of the Freely Associated States. However, beginning with the 2024–25 FAFSA form, your contributors who don’t have a SSN can create a StudentAid.gov account to complete their section of your FAFSA form.
2. Your Contributor Information
   • When you fill out the FAFSA form, you’ll answer questions that will determine who needs to be a contributor on your form. However, you may be able to identify your contributors now to get a head start on collecting the information you’ll need to invite them to your form.
   • To invite contributors to your FAFSA form, you’ll be asked to provide their first and last name SSN (if they have one), date of birth, and email address. Information on the invite must completely match with the contributors account information or the invite will not go through.
3. Your 2022 Federal Income Tax Return
   • Beginning with the 2024–25 FAFSA form, you and your contributors must provide consent and approval to have your federal tax information transferred directly from the IRS into your FAFSA form.
   • Providing consent and approval is mandatory, even if you or your contributors don’t have a SSN, didn’t file a tax return, or filed a tax return outside the U.S.
   • You and your contributors should have your tax returns on hand when you fill out the FAFSA form. Even though your tax information will be transferred directly into the FAFSA form, you may still need your tax records to answer certain questions.
4. Records of your Untaxed Income
   • You and your contributors may need to answer FAFSA questions about untaxed income, such as child support and interest income.
5. Record of Assets
   • The FAFSA form will ask you and your contributors questions about your assets, so make sure you have records of your savings and checking account balances, as well as the value of any investments, such as stocks, bonds, and real estate (excluding your primary residence). Report the current amounts of your assets as of the date you sign the FAFSA form, rather than reporting the 2022 tax year amounts.
6.  List of Schools You're Interested in Attending
   • Be sure to add any colleges, career schools, or trade schools you’re considering, even if you haven’t applied or been accepted yet. You can list up to 20 schools on the online FAFSA form.
   • Even if there’s only a slight chance you’ll apply to a school, list it on your FAFSA form. You can always remove a school later if you decide not to apply, but if you wait to add a school, you could miss out on financial aid.
   • After your FAFSA form is processed, the schools you list on the form will receive your FAFSA results electronically. They’ll use your FAFSA information to determine the types and amounts of financial aid you may receive. We’ll send an email to let you know when your information has been shared with your schools.

To complete the FAFSA, please go to the FSA website.

Click here for information about completing the FAFSA

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is how the Financial Aid Office can determine your eligibility for financial aid.

A new FAFSA is required each academic year. An academic year runs from fall-summer.

The 2025-2026 FAFSA is for Fall 2025, Spring 2026, and Summer 2026.

6 Things Students Need Before They Fill Out the 2025-26 FAFSA:

1. Your Studentaid.gov Account
   • You’ll need to create a StudentAid.gov account to access and fill out the FAFSA form. If you already have one, you would use your existing information.
   • Your contributors will each need their own StudentAid.gov account too. “Contributor” is a new term that started with the 2024–25 FAFSA form—it refers to anyone (you, your spouse, your biological or adoptive parent, or your parent’s spouse) required to provide information on your FAFSA form.
   • As a student, you’ll be required to enter your Social Security number SSN) to create a StudentAid.gov account unless you’re a citizen of the Freely Associated States. However, beginning with the 2024–25 FAFSA form, your contributors who don’t have a SSN can create a StudentAid.gov account to complete their section of your FAFSA form.
2. Your Contributor Information
   • When you fill out the FAFSA form, you’ll answer questions that will determine who needs to be a contributor on your form. However, you may be able to identify your contributors now to get a head start on collecting the information you’ll need to invite them to your form.
   • To invite contributors to your FAFSA form, you’ll be asked to provide their first and last name SSN (if they have one), date of birth, and email address. Information on the invite must completely match with the contributors account information or the invite will not go through.
3. Your 2023 Federal Income Tax Return
   • Beginning with the 2024–25 FAFSA form, you and your contributors must provide consent and approval to have your federal tax information transferred directly from the IRS into your FAFSA form.
   • Providing consent and approval is mandatory, even if you or your contributors don’t have a SSN, didn’t file a tax return, or filed a tax return outside the U.S.
   • You and your contributors should have your tax returns on hand when you fill out the FAFSA form. Even though your tax information will be transferred directly into the FAFSA form, you may still need your tax records to answer certain questions.
4. Records of your Untaxed Income
   • You and your contributors may need to answer FAFSA questions about untaxed income, such as child support and interest income.
5. Record of Assets
   • The FAFSA form will ask you and your contributors questions about your assets, so make sure you have records of your savings and checking account balances, as well as the value of any investments, such as stocks, bonds, and real estate (excluding your primary residence). Report the current amounts of your assets as of the date you sign the FAFSA form, rather than reporting the 2023 tax year amounts.
6.  List of Schools You're Interested in Attending
   • Be sure to add any colleges, career schools, or trade schools you’re considering, even if you haven’t applied or been accepted yet. You can list up to 20 schools on the online FAFSA form.
   • Even if there’s only a slight chance you’ll apply to a school, list it on your FAFSA form. You can always remove a school later if you decide not to apply, but if you wait to add a school, you could miss out on financial aid.
   • After your FAFSA form is processed, the schools you list on the form will receive your FAFSA results electronically. They’ll use your FAFSA information to determine the types and amounts of financial aid you may receive. We’ll send an email to let you know when your information has been shared with your schools.

To complete the FAFSA, please go to the FSA website.

Click here for information about completing the FAFSA

Once you have completed the FAFSA, you will want to complete your admissions application if you have not already and choose an approved program of study. You will complete your application through CFNC.

The Financial Aid Office requires an official copy of your high school transcript be on file with Admissions Office before you can be awarded financial aid. Transcripts can be sent through diploma sender, mailed to 3395 Airport Rd, Pinehurst, NC 28374, or officially emailed to sccadmissions@sandhills.edu.

The College begins awarding mid-May for the impending academic year. Prior to awarding, all required documentation must be submitted to the Financial Aid Office. Offer letters will be posted in Self Service within two weeks of receipt of documentation.