Applying for Financial Aid
1 - Submit your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®),
School Code 008228
The 2026-27 FAFSA is available at studentaid.gov
Your answers to questions within your FAFSA determine whether you are considered dependent or independent.
You can find the questions HERE
Not living with parents or not being claimed by them on tax forms does not make you an independent student.
Students and parent(s), if applicable, will be using 2024 income tax information to complete this FAFSA.
YES! The earlier the better. Your FAFSA must be signed and fully completed prior to your last date of enrollment.
This means if you are still enrolled for the Spring 2026 semester, you have until 2 weeks prior to your last date of enrollment.
Students are more than welcome to visit the SCCC Financial Aid Office for in person assistance. No appointment necessary.
Students may also call to schedule a Zoom meeting with a financial aid specialist.
Various local area high schools will also be hosting local FAFSA Nights. Please contact your local high school.
2 - Complete the SCCC Scholarship Application
Complete the 2026-2027 General Scholarship Application
The SCCC General Scholarship Application will match you to SCCC Foundation scholarships and Seward County Tuition Grant
Annual scholarship applications typically open OCTOBER 1ST, almost a full year before the academic year. The priority deadline is APRIL 1st. Students must have received their SCCC acceptance letter with log in credentials in order to access the scholarship application.
SCCC Scholarships are extremely competitive and students are encouraged to complete their application early! Students will be notified of any scholarship offers, so please continue to check your student email. Due to the competitiveness, students have 30 days to accept any award offers before the award will be removed and awarded to the next candidate.
3 - Watch your SCCC Student Email and Postal Mail
Approximately 13% of students that complete the FAFSA are selected for a process called verification. This process requires additional documentation to verify the information entered in your FAFSA. Click HERE to view SCCC’s Verification Policy.
You can also view any outstanding documents/requirements in your student portal, financial aid section.
Students will be sent a letter through postal mail or a notification to their SCCC student email.
Students can also check all outstanding documents/requirements within their student portal. Once logged into your portal, select the ‘My Student Records’ card then ‘Financial Aid’.
Students are encouraged to submit all requested documents within 30 days of notification.
Read your notification carefully. Additional information can be found within the request.
If you still have question, please reach out to our office at (620)-417-1110 or financialaid@sccc.edu
- Confirm that you have sent your FAFSA to SCCC with our School Code: 008228. It is a common mistake to select the wrong school, change your mind and attend a different school without adding that school to your FAFSA, or to add a school to your FAFSA and not fully submit the change
- Ensure that you have checked your SCCC student email, not your personal email.
- Check that your correct mailing address is on file.
4 - Review Your Financing Plan/Aid Offer
As a student, you can expect some expenses to be direct costs (billed by SCCC) as well as additional expenses.
These are estimates and we encourage you to make your own specific budget based on your housing choices, transportation needs, etc.
Visit our Cost of Attendance page for more information.
This is a number derived from your FAFSA and the information input into the form. This is the amount that the Dept of Ed feels that a student and their family should be able to contribute towards their education.
Scholarships and grants are funds that do not need repaid.
Any scholarships and grants offered (excluding Federal Pell Grants) need accepted.
This number listed on your College Financing Plan is NOT a bill. This number is determined by taking your ‘Cost of Attendance’ minus your total scholarships and grants. This number includes non-direct costs such as transportation, personal expenses, etc.
You must be enrolled at least 6 credit hours a semester to receive student loans.
To accept loans offered, you must complete a Loan Acceptance Form in the Financial Aid Forms section of the website.
Student loans do not require repayment until you either drop below 6 credit hours a semester or graduate and your 6-month grace period expires.
This is the maximum amount you are allowed to earn throughout the year in a work-study job. The amount you actually earn will depend upon how many hours you work.
Visit our Student Jobs page for more information.
Additional Information
Students are asked to accept/decline awards within 30 days of awarding notification.
Watch our YouTube instructional video for assistance on how to review and accept/decline your aid offer.
All students requesting a loan, must complete the Loan Acceptance Form on the Financial Aid Forms page.
First-time loan borrowers will also be required to sign a Master Promissory Note (MPN) and Loan Entrance Counseling.
If you have taken out a Direct Student Loan before, you will need to ensure that SCCC is linked to your Master Promissory Note (MPN).
You are obligated to notify us if you receive any type of financial assistance not already listed as part of your financial aid. Your aid may need adjusted as a result of any external financial assistance.
Students can access their SCCC student email by logging into their student portal and selecting the ‘Gmail’ icon.
Please check out this YouTube video for help!
There may be times that your current income is no longer an accurate representation from what was provided on your FAFSA. If you feel like this applies, you may be eligible to apply for a professional judgement. Please complete the ‘Special Circumstance Request’ on the Financial Aid Forms page.
Please be aware that a recalculation of your financial aid eligibility does not guarantee additional financial aid will be offered to you. There are limits to the circumstances that we can consider in compliance with federal regulations.