Myths About Financial Aid

There’s so much information available about financial aid for college or career school that it can be hard to tell the facts from fiction. We’ve got you covered!

Here are some common myths—and the real scoop—about financial aid and the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form.

1. Federal student aid is just "free money" like grants.

Reality: Federal student aid includes three different kinds of financial help: grants, low-interest loans, and work-study funds (a part-time job on or near campus). To learn more about the different types of federal student aid, visit StudentAid.gov/types.

2. “My parents make too much money, so I won’t qualify for aid.”

Reality: There is no income cut-off to qualify for federal student aid. Many factors—such as the size of your family and your year in school are taken into account.

And remember: when you fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form, you’re also automatically applying for funds from your state, and possibly from your school as well. In fact, some schools won’t even consider you for any of their scholarships (including academic scholarships) until you’ve submitted a FAFSA form.

Don’t make assumptions about what you’ll get—fill out the FAFSA form and find out!

3. “Only students with good grades get financial aid.”

Reality: While a high grade point average will help a student get into a good school and may help with academic scholarships, most of the federal student aid programs do not take a student’s grades into consideration. Provided a student maintains satisfactory academic progress in his or her program of study, federal student aid will help a student with an average academic record complete his or her education.

4. “My ethnicity or age makes me ineligible for federal student aid.”

Reality: There are basic eligibility requirements (which you can find at StudentAid.gov/eligibility), but ethnicity and age are not considered.

5. “My parents aren’t U.S. citizens, so there’s no way I’ll get aid.”

Reality: Your parents’ citizenship status is NOT a factor, and the FAFSA form won’t even ask you about it. If your parents don’t have Social Security numbers, they must enter 000-00-0000 when the FAFSA form asks for their Social Security numbers.

6. “The FAFSA form takes forever to fill out, and it’s really hard to do.”

Reality: You have someone to help you through the process....

The Educational Opportunity Center!

Call any one of our offices at Trident Technical College Campuses and make an appointment to get help with your FAFSA. One of our Education Specialists will let you know what you will need to bring to  successfully complete the on-line, free form.

• TTC Downtown Palmer Campus office: 843.722.5509
• TTC North Charleston Thornley Campus office: 843.574.6430
• TTC Moncks Corner Berkeley Campus office: 843.899.8020