Determining Eligibility:

A number of factors are involved in the determination of a student's eligibility for financial aid.

Institutional grants and scholarships (Gift aid)

All recipients must be full-time undergraduate students. Merit- based institutional scholarships and grants are awarded according to a student’s high school academic performance and ACT or SAT score, or the GPA from a transfer student’s prior college. Other institutional scholarships and grants are based on criteria specific to particular scholarships. For further information go to www.carthage.edu/finaid/scholarships or www.carthage.edu/finaid/grants

Federal grants and loans:

Eligibility for Federal grants and for subsidized Federal student loans is based on financial need, which is determined by completing and submitting a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The application is found at: www.fafsa.ed.gov. For maximum eligibility a student should be enrolled at least half-time in their courses, each academic semester or session.

Additional requirements for need-based aid are as follows. A student must:

• 1. Provide a final high school transcript or GED certificate to the College;
• 2. Be enrolled in a degree-seeking or eligible certificate program of 16 credit hours or more;
• 3. Be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen;
• 4. Have a valid Social Security number;
• 5. Register with the Selective Service System, if required (www.sss.gov); and
  
• 6. Comply with the Federal Standards of Academic Progress (SAP).

State grants (Gift Aid)

Eligibility for State grants is also dependent upon submission of the FAFSA, in addition to various requirements specific to each grant. More information:
http://www.heab.state.wi.us/programs.html

Standards of Academic Progress:

Students must maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) in order to remain eligible for their financial aid awards. This Federal requirement is intended to facilitate successful, timely completion of a student's academic program.To maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress, a student must fulfill all of the following:

• 1. Be enrolled in a degree-seeking or eligible certificate program;
• 2. Maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.0;
• 3. Successfully complete 66 and 2/3 percent of the cumulative college credits attempted; and
• 4. Complete his/her program within 150 percent of the hours required for that particular academic program.

For information on the Hope and Lifetime Learning tax credits and other tax benefits for post secondary students, visit the IRS Web site

If you are a ward of the court or a foster youth and have additional questions about filing the FAFSA see the Special Populations: Tips for completing the FAFSA

Your share of college costs is called the Expected Family Contribution, or EFC for short. Estimating your share helps determine how much you'll need from other sources, such as financial aid.

Remember, this number is only an estimate. Some colleges will expect a family to pay more or less than the EFC, depending on the college's admission and financial aid policies and the financial aid funds available.