Glossary of Financial Aid Terms
AA/AS Degree – 2 year Degree granted from a Community College or a 4 year University or a private institution.
AB540 – Assembly Bill 540. This law provides for exemption from paying nonresident tuition for some students who meet the requirements. Studentsqualified to be considered AB 540 will not be classified as California residents andmay be eligible of a Fee Waiver. Determination of AB 540 status is made by theAdmissions Office.
Adjusted Gross Income - AGI is total gross income minus allowances for personal exemptions and itemized deductions. Gross income includes all taxable incomefrom whatever source.
Appeal – A petition process students can request when they have been disqualified for FA based on not meeting satisfactory academic progress (SAP). The process includes completion of an Appeal Form, a detailed written explanation, an Education Plan signed by a counselor, and documentation of the extenuating circumstances that lead to being disqualified.
Alternative Loan – Credit based private loan whose interest rates and repayment plans are generally not regulated by the Federal government. This is an alternative for students not eligible for Federal student loans.
Award – Funds granted as a result of successfully completing a FAFSA and all required institutional documentation.
Award letter – Generally sent by email and posted on Reg-e which reflects a student’s grants and/or loan amounts based on full time enrollment. There is information on terms and conditions for FA and links to payment dates.
BA/BS Degree – 4 year Degree generally granted from a 4 year College or University.
CalGrant – A California State Grant which requires completion of a FAFSA and GPA verification before specific published deadlines. Awards are initially determined bythe California Student Aid Commission.
Completion Rate – The percentage rate of all courses enrolled in to coursessuccessfully completed with a passing grade. 67% is the completion percentage required to maintain FA.
CSID – Assigned SDCCD Student ID number needed for all transactions.
Campus of Record (COR) – The school you have selected as your main campuswithin SDCCD. In order to receive Financial Aid you must be enrolled in at least oneclass at the school where your FAFSA has been processed. You can only receiveaid from one campus during any semester. To change a COR contact your FA Office.
Default - Loan status assigned when loans have not had required payments made. FA eligibility is suspended.
D # – A Default Number assigned by SDCCD when a student either does not have, or chooses not to disclose their Social Security Number on the admissions application. The FAFSA is only able to link with an Admissions record using theSocial Security Number, not a D Number.
Department of Education - The Federal Government’s department that administers all Federal programs dealing with education including aid to educational institutions and students.
Dependent Student – A student under 24, who is not married, not a Veteran, doesnot support any legal dependents, and has not gone through any kind ofprofessional judgment due to extenuating circumstances.
Dependents – Individuals who live with and are supported more than 50% by thestudent or the student’s parents.
Disbursed – A distribution of aid funds either by mail or Direct Deposit.
Direct Deposit – Set up by the student using MySDCCD to allow FA funds to goelectronically into their bank account.
Disqualified – Student is unable to receive FA funds generally due to academic reasons. [SEE SAP]
Documentation – Tangible evidence which supports claims made of extenuating circumstances.
Dream Act - The California Dream Act allows certain students who meet specific requirements to apply for and receive state financial aid at California public and private colleges and private scholarships administered by California public colleges
Education Plan - Completed by an Academic Counselor that outlines a student’s “Program of Study” (Major) and the courses needed for completion. Each student needs an “Education Plan” within the first year of college.
Educational Objective – A student’s ultimate goal for going to college. To beeligible for FA it must be either to obtain an AA, a Certificate, a Vocational degreeor to Transfer to a 4 year school. It is also a form which can be completed in the FA Office.
EFC – Estimated Family Contribution. The amount the Federal Governmentdetermines a family is able to pay for a student’s education.
Eligible – A student has met all academic, application and income requirements tobe awarded FA.
Entrance Workshop Counseling – An online workshop with loan informationfollowed by a test which is required to be completed before applying for a loan.
Extenuating Circumstance – A serious or significant event which is unpreventable,documentable and beyond a student’s (or parents’ if applicable) control.
FAFSA - Free Application for Federal Student Aid – completed online. This is thefirst step for most financial aid.
Fee Waiver – (see BOGW) Waives class fees (not book fees) for California residentswho qualify. There are three kinds. BOGB: from a completed State form; BOGCfrom a submitted FAFSA; BOGA from accepted submitted VA, SSI, CALWorks or General Assistance documentation.
GED – Test taken to receive the equivalent of a High School Diploma.
GPA - A grade measure of a student's academic achievement at a college oruniversity calculated by dividing the total number of grade points received by thetotal number of units attempted. GPA must remain above 2.0 to be eligible for FA.
Grant – Funds awarded that do not have to be repaid.
Health Fee – Fee required of all students (with some specific exceptions) before the class registration process is completed. This fee supports the Student Health Center.
Independent Student – A student who is over 24, married, is a Vet or who hassuccessfully completed a Dependency Petition resulting in a professional judgment. (Note: a student can be considered independent for BOGBW purposesonly if they are under 24, do not live with parents and are not claimed on parenttaxes).
Income Tax Paid – The amount of tax required to be paid based on an individual’s income earned, determined by Federal IRS regulations.
IRS – Internal Revenue Service, Federal agency that processes tax returns.
Legal Name – Given name as it appears on one’s birth certificate, Social Security card or court document indication a change of name.
Loan – (Subsidized or Unsubsidized) Funds awarded that must be repaid. Extrasteps are required to apply for either kind of loan.
Major - The program you choose to study based on your personal interests, careergoals and objectives.
Merge – A process involving several offices which is undertaken when a student has more than one Admissions application. Financial Aid students are unable toreceive aid if they have more than one student record.
Non Resident – A student's residency status is determined at the time of theAdmissions application and is determined by the Admissions Office. Nonresident students must pay nonresident tuition in addition to the enrollment fee and otherfees for credit classes (not to be confused with Immigration statuses).
Official Academic Transcript - Student college record issued in a sealed envelope,not opened. Once opened it is no longer official.
Password – Used specifically in the FA Office to identify a student over the phoneor e-mail and is required to release any student information.
Pin – Confidential number assigned and used to access and sign a FAFSA; A pin should not be sharedwith any other individual.
Prompt – A word or phrase to remind the student what they chose for an FA Office password.
Promissory Note – A re-payment contract completed by the student online, which lists names and addresses of people to contact in case the student is unreachable,and contains all the terms and conditions of the student loan. Completion isrequired before a loan disbursement can proceed.
Professional Judgment – A subjective decision made by the Financial Aid Directoror Supervisor based on documentable extenuating circumstances regarding Dependency Status, Selective Service Registration or Income Reduction. This process is voluntarily completed at the school’s discretion.
Program of Study - (Major) The program a student chooses to study based on personal interests, career goals and objectives. Programs at Mesa
Release – “Authorization to Release” form completed by the student givingpermission to the FA Office staff to release information to a parent or any otherperson. This form must be voluntarily completed in person in the FA Office.
Resident - A California "resident" is a person who has resided in the state for more than one year prior to the residence determination date and shows "intent" to make the state of California their permanent residence. The determination is made in the Admissions Office.
SAP - Satisfactory Academic Progress: Academic standards which must bemaintained to receive FA funds. These include GPA, completion rate, number ofunits attempted and whether or not a student has a previous degree. Not to beconfused with the Registrar’s “Standards of Progress” applied to all students.
Scholarship - Funds awarded by an institution or an independent organizationafter an application and review process. Usually requires FAFSA completion, an application and an essay.
School Code - Federal code used to identify a school. It is used on a FAFSA todetermine where the application will be sent.
SDCCD – San Diego Community College District: Consists of three separate collegesand Continuing Education. Each college has a separate school code for FAFSApurposes: Mesa (001275), City (001273), Miramar (014172). While the Fee Waivercan be used between each school within the District, Financial Aid is specific toeach separate campus. Continuing Education has multiple programs and offersclasses to complete a GED but does not offer Financial Aid.
Selective Service - The Selective Service System is responsible for supplying U.S. armed forces with people in the event of a national emergency. All males arerequired to register at age 18 thru 25. Registration is a FA requirement unless the SSS or a professional judgment determines a student was not required to register.
Selected for Verification – A FAFSA chosen either by the Federal Government orby the FA Office to verify specific (or all) information. Students must turn insupporting tax transcripts and/or other documentation of information submittedon the FAFSA.
SSI - Supplemental Security Income is a government program that providesmonthly payments to low-income people who are either aged (65 or older), blind, or disabled.
Tax Return Transcript – An IRS document reflecting information from a processed IRS 1040 and required by FA if a student is selected for verification. (Wage andIncome Transcript (W2) – can be requested when W2 information is required; IRS Tax Account Transcript – rarely required, requested in specific circumstances suchas when a tax return is amended or corrected.)
Technician – Staff member in the FA Office that troubleshoots problems,processes corrections and packages aid for students, and reviews disbursement eligibility.
Untaxed Income – Funds received that are not required to be reported on aFederal tax return.
Verification – A process which requires a student to turn in IRS Tax Return Transcripts and various forms supporting information entered on a FAFSA.
Wages — Funds earned from working.
W2 – A record issued by an employer of the amount of income earned by anindividual and used to accurately file Federal and State taxes.
Work Study – A Federal program that awards aid in the form of on-campus parttime jobs for students with financial need who have met the application deadlineand income qualifications. This program has limited funding.
