At-A-Glance

7 Things You Need Before Filling Out the FAFSA Form by FSA

 

Attention:  Please pay close attention to the year FAFSA filed, ensuring that is for the correct school year.  

Example: 2021-2022 Academic Year (Fall ’21, Winter’22 Spring’22 and Summer ’22) the 2021-2022 FAFSA must be filed.

Application Process :

Complete the application for student financial aid assistance.  The County College of Morris Federal school code is 007106, which should be entered when filing your FAFSA.

STEP 1 –  Create a Federal Student Aid – FSA ID from https://studentaid.gov/fsa-id/sign-in/landing for login and electronic signing of the fafsa.

STEP 2 –  Using your FSA ID login and complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa – US Citizen and Eligible non-citizen only

STEP 3 – YOUR FAFSA RESULTS!
The U.S. Department of Education will send you your Student Aid Report (SAR) – the result of processing your FAFSA. Review your SAR, and if necessary, make changes or corrections online at www.studentaid.gov.

STEP 4 – YOUR NJ STATE AID RESULTS!
HESAA will send an email to the email address listed on the FAFSA which will contain your NJ State/HESAA ID. You will be instructed to create a NJFAMS User ID and password to log into your NJFAMS Student Portal. You can find your “To Do List” and “Award and Eligibility” information as well as other functions to assist you with your state aid process.

STEP 5 – VERIFY YOUR ANSWERS!
If you are selected randomly for federal verification, your school’s financial aid office will ask you to submit, uploading tax returns and other documents, as appropriate. Be sure to meet the school’s March 1st. preferred deadline, ensuring funding prior to the start of the semester.

STEP 6 – DOCUMENT UPLOAD!
CCM Financial Aid Office will notify you if additional document’s are required to complete the award eligibility process by way of your CCM student mail –  Uploaded all forms and documents to Titans Direct or CCM MappingXpress as an alternative.

STEP 7 – VIEW YOUR AWARD !
CCM Financial Aid Office will notify of your eligibility by way of your CCM Student Email. This email will direct you to TITANS DIRECT, Student Portal to view your annual Award Packet (Award Letter).

STEP 8 – TITANS DIRECT ACCESS !
CCM Incoming students or  if accessing your CCM student self-service portal Titans Direct – Your access password is your CCM student identification number. Example – ccm9999999 (no space and requires change once accessed). Your user name is your CCM student email (last name.first name@student.ccm.edu).  Both your  identification number and email are on your Admissions acceptance letter to the college.

 

Application for NJ Dreamers (Undocumented and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)), complete – The New Jersey Alternative Financial Aid Application https://www.hesaa.org/Pages/NJAlternativeApplication.aspx

 

Documents​ Required for Filing:

Before you start the application for financial aid assistance, it’s helpful to gather the following documents. You may need to refer to the personal or financial information as you complete the aid application.

Please note –

  1. your 2021-2022 FAFSA requires financial data only from your filed 2019 IRS income tax return.
  2. your 2022-2023 FAFSA requires financial data only from your filed 2020 IRS income tax return.
  3. Non tax filers must report all earnings and or benefits received if applicable and may be required to complete our annual expense and resources form.

Your Financial References –

(Student and Parent (if dependent per FAFSA))

    • IRS Income Tax Return (1040, 1040A, 1040EZ)
    • Federal IRS Income Tax Return Transcript
    • Tax schedules C, E, K
    • W-2’s (from all your employers)
    • Savings/Checking/Investment balances (exclude retirement plan)
    • Business value (if were to be sold)
    • Social Security benefits statement
    • SNAP benefits statement
    • TANF benefits statement
    • WIC benefits statement
    • Child support benefits statement
    • In-kind Support value (monies received or bills, expenses paid by other on your behalf)
    • Unemployment benefits statement
    • Value of rental properties
    • Value of second Home (investment)
 Personal References –

  • Social Security card (signed)
  • Marriage certificate
  • Pendente-Lite consent order or
  • Divorce decree.
  • Legal custody or guardianship court orders
  • Foster care or orphan/ward of court documentation
  • DD214 veteran paperwork
  • Proof of Citizenship
  • Alien Permanent Resident Number (ARN) or I-94.

 

 

 

 

*** Do NOT submit documents unless requested by your Financial Aid Office.  Do NOT submit originals (copies only) as they may not be returned to you ***

Filing Dates and Deadlines

(Annual FAFSA or NJ Alternative Financial Aid Application (NJ DREAMers only) is available October 1 ).

March 1 is the County College of Morris “preferred” FAFSA filing date, allowing for sufficient processing time.   Additionally students may make all necessary corrections or document submission if needed.  The Office of Financial Aid estimated processing period toward your receipt of an aid eligibility notice, may take between 2 to 3 weeks.

Attention:Financial Aid applicants who register for classes prior to an award notification by CCM may be required to pay out-of-pocket till awarded by us. Once aid is disbursed they will be refunded their financial aid eligibility amount by the colleges’ Business Office.

Examples of FAFSA filing dates for a given enrollment period, during an academic year (Fall, Winter Spring and Summer):
  • Enrollment during the 2021-2022 Academic Year (Fall ’21, Winter’22 Spring’22 and Summer ’22)

2021-2022 FAFSA or NJ Alternative Financial Aid Application must be filed and file complete in our office for awarding Federal and or State funds.

  • Enrollment during the 2022-2023 Academic Year (Fall ’22, Winter’23 Spring’23 and Summer ’23)

2022-2023 FAFSA or NJ Alternative Financial Aid Application must be filed and file complete in our office for awarding Federal and or State funds.

To extend your financial aid into the summer semester an additional Summer Aid Form may be completed and returned to our office by March 1st., prior to the start of the summer semester.

 

What Happens Next – The Financial Aid Process

  • About one month after filing, both you and the institutions you listed on your FAFSA or NJ Alternative Financial Aid Application will receive the results electronically for eligibility.  Review the reports (Student Aid Report (SAR) for Federal and Student Eligibility Notice (SEN) for NJ State eligibility determination) for accuracy and follow all instructions on these documents.  Verify that County College of Morris is listed on the SAR as an institution that will receive your information. CCM will access this data electronically to prepare your aid package.
  • Verification – Students selected for the Federal or institutional process called “verification”, will receive  an electronic notification from the County College of Morris Financial Aid Office, listing additional documents required to complete the aid determination process. Requested documents may include copies of signed filed IRS income tax returns, proof of residency, proof of date of birth, citizenship, copy of social security card, selective service registration (males), proof of marital status, etc. Note: Your name and CCM student ID must be indicated clearly on all pages submitted. All requested items must be received before an award determination is made.
  • Award Notification– Once the Financial Aid Office receives the processed FAFSA or NJ Alternative Financial Aid application results, and completes the award determination process, an email award notice will be sent to the student’s CCM student email address. This notice will instruct students to logon to Titans Direct to view/print their awards (student loan awardees must accept/decline). Students may also view additional documents* which may be requested in order for the office to complete the aid determination process.
  • Document Upload* – 
    • TITANS DIRECT student self-serve portal. Select here  Or

How Aid is Applied to Tuition

All forms of aid (Federal, State, Institutional grants and scholarships) are applied to a student’s tuition account immediately after the add-drop period and the verification of attendance.  Student’s whose aid exceeds their tuition cost will receive a refund check by the Colleges’ Business Office approximately 10 business days after disbursement.

FAFSA or NJ ALTERNATIVE FINANCIAL AID APPLICATION FILING

For more information, the Financial Aid Office recommends that students periodically view your County College of Morris student email.

Need HELP Filing ?

  1. HELP !  Need assistance filing your FAFSA?
  2. 2022–23 FAFSA Form on StudentAid.gov Preview Presentation in PPT Format, 52MB (US Dept. of Ed.)
  3. Virtual FAFSA and NJ Alternative Financial Aid Application filing  (NJ State HESAA)
  4. How to Fill Out the FAFSA Form?  Watch YouTube – video here, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9HWaQpuNSk   (US Dept. of Ed.)
  5. 3 FAFSA® Deadlines You Need to Know Now (US Dept. of Ed.)
  6. Annual FAFSA or New Jersey Alternative Financial Aid Application (NJ DREAMers only) filing availability – October 1.
    1. For eligibility between July 1st – June 30th  (Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer terms)
  7. Undocumented and DACA students – Complete the NJ Alternative Financial Aid Application for NJ Dreamers only.
  8. Review online your Student Aid Report (SAR) sent from the Federal processing center.
  9. Correcting your FAFSA (if required)

    1. Common mistakes made: School code reported, Parent income/assets information reported as the students, Social security number, etc.
  10. Upload documents requested by NJ State (HESAA) to them per your “To-Do-List” . Login to NJFAMS https://njfams.hesaa.org