FINANCIAL AID / SCHOLARSHIPS

• Who is Eligible
• How to Apply
• When to Apply
• What to Expect Next

Eligibility for most financial aid programs is based on your and/or your family's demonstrated financial need and on your registered credit hours.

To be eligible for federal and state financial aid programs, you must be a citizen, national or permanent resident of the United States.

• If you are in the process of becoming a citizen or permanent resident, you may be eligible. For more details, you can visit the Federal Student Aid website.

To be eligible for federal financial aid programs (Pell, SEOG, Federal Work-Study, Direct Loan, Direct PLUS Loan), you must also:

• Be accepted by the college for admission and provide documentation of high school completion or its equivalent (GED). College Credit Plus (CCP) or students still enrolled in high school are not eligible for aid.
• Be enrolled in a financial aid eligible, approved degree or certificate program. 
  • Courses taken as audit are not eligible for federal aid.
  • Transient students are not eligible for federal aid. While transient students cannot receive federal financial aid from Lakeland, some scholarships may be available to them. To be eligible and considered, make sure to fill out a FAFSA form and indicate school code 006804 for Lakeland.
  • Senior citizens taking courses for audit purposes are not eligible for federal aid.
• Comply with requirements concerning Selective Service registration. For information regarding Selective Service, or to register, visit sss.gov.
• Comply with requirements concerning submission of a Statement of Educational Purpose. This is included on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
• Not be in default on any federal student loan.
• Not owe a refund to any federal aid programs, including grant overpayments resulting from withdrawing from class(es).
• Maintain satisfactory academic progress as set forth in Lakeland's Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy (PDF).
• Not have a conviction for the possession or sale of illegal drugs for an offense that occurred while you were receiving financial aid (such as grants, work-study or loans). If you have such a conviction, you must complete the Student Aid Eligibility Worksheet to determine if you are eligible for aid or partially eligible for aid.

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• All students should complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online at studentaid.ed.gov/fafsa. Lakeland's federal school code is 006804.
• You will need a FSA ID to complete the FAFSA online.
  • The FSA ID is a username and password you will use every year to complete the FAFSA and access other federal aid sites such as the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) and studentloans.gov.
  • Create your FSA ID at fsaid.ed.gov.
  • If you are required to provide parental information, one parent must also create an FSA ID and utilize it to sign your FAFSA.
• Students are also encouraged to complete the Lakeland Foundation Scholarship application, which can be found on myLakeland in the "Scholarship Center," located under "myRECORDS." For additional information regarding these scholarships, review the Scholarship Center Application Process Brochure (PDF).
• For assistance completing the FAFSA or for scholarship information, please contact the Lakeland Financial Aid Office or Student Service Center.

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You can complete the FAFSA beginning Oct. 1 of each year.

There are times when two different aid years are available for applying at the same time; refer to the chart below to be sure you are applying for the correct year.

To ensure your financial aid is available at the start of each semester, you need to submit your FAFSA at least two months before the start of the term. If any additional documentation is required, this should be submitted at least four weeks before the start of classes.

*FAFSA applications received after these dates will still be considered for aid, but students may not have access to funds until after the start of the semester. This means you should be prepared to use your own funds to pay for a portion of your tuition before the semester's payment deadline and all of your textbooks.

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After you submit your FAFSA, the U.S. Department of Education will send you a Student Aid Report (SAR), which is a summary of the FAFSA data you submitted.

1. You will receive your SAR via email a few days after your FAFSA has been processed or by mail within 7-10 days if you did not provide an email address.
2. Be sure to look over your SAR, make sure you did not make a mistake on your FAFSA form, and make corrections to your FAFSA data if necessary. 
3. If there are no corrections or additional information you must provide, the SAR will contain your EFC, which is the number that is used to determine your eligibility for federal student aid.

If you listed Lakeland's federal school code on your FAFSA, we will get your SAR data electronically usually within 3-5 business days and will use this information to offer you a financial aid award package.

If you are asked to submit additional documentation, do so as soon as possible. Your financial aid cannot be processed without the requested documentation.

• If you are a new student at Lakeland, you will receive a letter in the mail notifying you of any additional required documentation.
• If you are a returning student, you will receive an email in your Lakeland email account notifying you of any additional required documentation.

After all your documentation has been reviewed, you will receive notification that your financial aid award package has been created and is ready for your review through your myLakeland account.

Scholarship applications will be reviewed before the start of the academic year.

• If you have been awarded a scholarship, you will be notified via your Lakeland email account.
• You can check your myLakeland account to see the amount of your scholarship.
• Scholarships are awarded throughout the entire academic year as funds become available.

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