Plan on attending Georgian Court University in the 2018–2019 year and want to apply for financial aid? You’ll need to file some paperwork—and we’re available to help you through the entire process.
At GCU, about 99.6% of first-time freshmen receive some type of financial aid. In addition to loans and scholarships, there are two types of financial aid awarded via the federal and state government:
- The New Jersey Higher Education Student Assistance Authority (HESAA): They provide grants, scholarships, loans, 529 College Savings Plans, and other programs. Their largest program is the Tuition Aid Grant (TAG) program. They also administer NJSTARS, a merit-based scholarship program. The Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF) is also a state-funded program.
- The U.S. Department of Education: This federal office administers the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) program. When you file a FAFSA, it automatically applies you for aid via HESAA.
Start the Financial Aid Process
Interested in obtaining financial aid? Here are a few details about the process.
Filing a FAFSA and Filing Taxes
- To file a FAFSA, visit www.fafsa.ed.gov. Make sure to carefully review the information on your FAFSA before submitting.
- The GCU priority filing deadline to submit a FAFSA is April 15, 2018.
- GCU’s school code is 002608.
- Complete and file your federal tax returns (and/or use your parent’s). For optimal filing, submit your taxes electronically.
- Sign your FAFSA with your PIN and your parent’s PIN if you are a dependent student. If you forgot your PIN or do not have one, you will be able to retrieve it or apply for a PIN.
- We encourage you not to file your FAFSA until two weeks after filing taxes.
- After approximately 14 days, the data from the FAFSA will be stored within the IRS database, and you will be able to transfer the information to your FAFSA using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool. (If you file by paper, it will take six to eight weeks to use the tool.)
- Applicants and parents who indicate they will file a federal tax return will receive an e-mail directing them to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool to update their income information once they have filed their federal income tax return.
Using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool to Complete a FAFSA
- All applicants and parents who indicated they have filed a federal tax return will be directed to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool.
- Some people are not eligible to use the tool, such as:
- married couples who file separate tax returns
- applicants whose marital status has changed
- applicants who are neither eligible nor required to file a federal tax return
- anyone who filed an amended tax return
- If you use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool and change the information, be prepared to explain to GCU why the information you changed is more accurate than the information on file with the IRS. You may be selected for verification and required to submit additional information.
Reporting Information Required for HESAA on Your FAFSA
- When you get to the confirmation page of the FAFSA, pay attention to the section asking you if you would like to report information to your state agency, which in New Jersey is HESAA. You will be directed to complete additional information for HESAA. The information you provide will be sent to HESAA, and you will NOT have to complete the questions separately on the HESAA Web site.
Filing Late
- Scholarships and grant funds will be limited after the deadlines. As a result, students who complete their financial aid application after these published deadlines may find that their financial aid award is weighted more heavily toward need-based loans than need-based scholarships.
Going through the Verification Process
- Your FAFSA could be selected for verification, which means you and/or your parents will have to obtain a free IRS tax transcript, which will be submitted to the GCU Office of Financial Aid in order to verify your information. You can print your transcript.
Estimating Financial Aid Awards
The College Board Web site and the Net Price Calculator on our Web site can help you estimate your expected family contribution.
Accepting Financial Aid
When you receive an award, our office will let you know. From there, we ask that you e-mail us at financialaid@georgian.edu if you would like to decrease, increase (if eligible), or decline any of your loans. Next, you will sign the Direct Loan Master Promissory Note and complete online entrance counseling.
Making Payments
GCU currently accepts payments at the school and via the Tuition Management Systems (TMS) Web site. TMS offers a payment plan that provides families with the option to budget tuition and other educational expenses interest free over a 10-month period. The nonrefundable fee for this program is $47 per semester. For more information, go to Afford.com or call 888-713-7234.
Questions? We’re Here to Help!
If you have any questions about the process, please reach out to the GCU Office of Financial Aid at financialaid@georgian.edu or 732-987-2258.