How to Apply

A student should apply on or after January 1, of the year if they plan to attend college. To apply for financial aid at Sul Ross State University-Rio Grande College, complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on paper or electronically. There is no charge for processing the FAFSA.  It is free.  Some students will not have to complete an entire FAFSA, but can use a Renewal FAFSA, preprinted with last year's data, and simply change or add information as needed. The Central Processing Center will mail Renewal FAFSAs to students who applied for federal student aid in the previous year.

The FAFSA paper form may be obtained from the financial assistance office of any college or university, or by calling the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-433-3243.

FAFSA on the Web is a free U.S. Department of Education web site where you can complete a FAFSA online and submit it via the Internet.  The Internet address is http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/.

FAFSA Express is a free software program that allows you to apply for student aid on a personal computer equiped with the Windows operating system and a modem.  You can download a copy of the program from the U.S. Department of Education's World Wide Web site.  The address is http://www.ed.gov/offices/OPE/express.html.

If you apply by mail, your application will be processed in approximately four to six weeks, and you will receive a Student Aid Report in the mail.  The results will also be sent electronically to the schools that you list on your application.  If you apply on the web or by express, you may have to mail in a signature page before the application can be processed.  You will receive a SAR in the mail approximately two to three weeks after your completed application, including a signature (if required) is received.

Review your Student Aid Report carefully, follow the instructions on the SAR and make corrections if necessary. Most corrections can be made electronically if you contact the Financial Aid Office.

After your electronic data is received and you have completed admission requirements to the university, the Financial Assistance Office will:

• Review the data for completion and data integrity
• Request additional documents and/or missing information if necessary
• Evaluate and verify reasonable academic progress
• Determine your Cost of Attendance (COA) budget
• Make an award package based on your academic and financial eligibility and the availabilty of aid funds.

Your award letter, detailing how much and what type of aid you are offered, will be sent to you as soon as your financial aid is packaged.

Note:  The amount of financial assistance a student receives is determined by the college or university in which he or she is enrolled.  Therefore, a student who changes his or her college or university must apply at the new college or university to have his or her eligibility for financial assistance determined.  Students cannot receive assistance from Sul Ross to attend another school.  In addition, a student who is co-enrolled cannot receive aid at both institutions.

Applying for and receiving financial assistance may seem time consuming and complicated.  We encourage students to seek our assistance in this process, if needed.  Our staff is trained to answer many of the questions you may have.  In addition, every student has an assigned Financial Assistance Counselor to discuss financial aid issues.  Contact our department either via email (select the mailbox on our Contact Information Page from our web site) or phone us at (830) 758-5021 if you wish to schedule an appointment with a Financial Assitance Counselor.