Financial aid awards now being processed
Nancy Patterson
5/6/04

The Northwest Mississippi Community College Financial Aid Office is now processing 2004-2005 financial aid awards. "We will begin mailing 2004-2005 award letters around the first of May," said Joe Boyles, director of Financial Aid.

If you have not yet filed your FAFSA or FAFSA Renewal for the 2004-2005 school year now is the time to complete that process, Boyles reminded students.

Students attending Northwest and who filed a 2003-2004 Free Application for Federal Student Aid paper application (FAFSA/Pell Grant) should have received the 2004-2005 FAFSA Renewal Application during November and December of 2003. Renewal applications were mailed by the Federal Pell Grant Processor to the student's last known home address or student's whose e-mail address was current received an e-mail reminder to file the 2004-2005 FAFSA Renewal on the Web. Once students and parents' 2003 Federal Tax Returns have been completed, the Renewal Form should be updated with the 2003 tax information and mailed to the processor or filed online. Students who did not receive a Renewal Application in the mail may obtain a 2004-2005 paper FAFSA in the Financial Aid Office on the campus they plan to attend, from their high school counselor, or may file a Renewal FAFSA on the Web.

Students are encouraged to file FAFSA on the Web or a Renewal Pell Grant Application online at www.fafsa.ed.gov using 2003 Federal Tax Return information. A PIN (Personal Identification Number) is required for students to file for financial aid online. For more information about pin numbers or to apply for one, go online to www.pin.ed.gov. The U. S. Department of Education will e-mail the PIN to the student within 1 to 5 days or mail the pin number to the student's permanent mailing address within 7 to 10 days.

Students who have questions or need assistance updating their 2004-2005 Renewal FAFSA or the Free Application for Federal Student Aid may contact the Financial Aid Office at the Northwest campus they plan to attend.

ALL STUDENTS receiving institutional scholarships of any type (Presidential, Leadership, Fine Arts, Athletic), student educational loans and/or state grants must complete and file either the 2004-2005 FAFSA Renewal or the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.

Applications for MTAG/MESG are handled through the state student aid office (Institution of Higher Learning "IHL") in Jackson, Mississippi. Students must apply online at www.ihl.state.ms.us. For additional information and questions regarding MTAG/MESG, students should contact IHL at 1-800-327-2980 (toll-free in Mississippi) or 601-432-6997, or by mail at 3825 Ridgewood Rd., Jackson, MS, 39211-6453.

Beginning with the 2004-2005 school year, all student loan recipients will be required to wait thirty days for disbursement of loan funds; however students whose loans have been guaranteed by their bank will be allowed to charge tuition, fees, and books toward their pending loan disbursements at pre-registration and registration. This transition by the Financial Aid Office and the Business Office is a result of the implementation of a new loan file management system. With this system, we will be able to process loans more efficiently and hopefully eliminate problems we have experienced in the past with our manual loan system.

Contact the Northwest Financial Aid Office at (662) 562-3271 with any questions or for more information.