Grants and Loans
Students interested in applying for financial assistance available through the U.S. Department of Education must complete their application process as soon as possible to ensure eligibility for these funds and to ensure that your educational goals can be met without interruption. The most common sources of federal aid are made available to students through the Federal Pell Grant Program and the Federal Direct Student Loan Program.

Federal Pell Grants are available to low income families and do not have to be repaid. These grants currently provide up to $5500.00 of free financial assistance for each academic year of education (three academic quarters at Gupton-Jones College). Federal Stafford Loans are also available to most students and can provide up to $9500.00 per academic year for independent students or $3500.00 per academic year for dependent students. Dependent students may also be able to borrow additional funds under the PLUS program, or parent loans for undergraduate students. These student loans are not free money and do have to be repaid. Repayment of your student loans generally begins in the 7th month after you complete your training or withdraw from school.

Applying for federal financial aid is an easy, web-based process. You can apply for and monitor your financial aid process at www.studentloans.gov. This USDE site is a student’s home page for his/her federal aid application process. There are two main steps to applying for financial aid at this site:

• The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) – This application must be completed by you and your spouse if married. If you do not meet the USDE definition of an independent student as determined during the application process, your parent(s) must also be involved in the process. During the application process you should provide the school’s 6-digit code number when you are asked for it. The code for Gupton-Jones College is 010771.

• The Electronic Master Promissory Note (E-MPN) – If you are applying for student loans, you must complete an E-MPN. This document also requires the school’s 6-digit code number.

Both of these documents require your electronic signature for authorization. Your USDE issued Personal Identification Number (PIN) is used as your electronic signature. If you do not have a USDE issued PIN, you may also apply for one to be issued to you through this same web site at the “Apply for a PIN” link.

Financial aid administrators are available at the school for any questions you may have about your financial aid process. Please allow at least ten days after you complete the application process before contacting the school’s financial aid office. It takes some time before this information is actually available to the school.