Determining Your Eligibility

Springfield Technical Community College follows the U.S. Department of Education guidelines in administering its financial aid programs. Simply stated, the formula used to determine eligibility is:

Cost of Attendance - Student Aid Index = Financial Aid Need

Student Financial Services determines your cost of attendance. The Student Aid Index (SAI) is determined by information supplied on your FAFSA and calculated according to guidelines of the national "need-analysis" process established by the U.S. Department of Education. The following factors are considered during need-analysis:

• Family income;
• Number of family members;
• Number of family members attending college on at least a half-time basis;
• Family assets, excluding the primary residence

Any aid received from outside sources such as private scholarships, grant awards, and alternative loans will affect your financial need as these are also considered resources in determining your aid eligibility.

Determining Dependent or Independent Status

Financial aid eligibility is based on your resources and those of your parents, if you are a dependent student. If you are independent, your eligibility is based on your (and your spouse's, if applicable) resources alone. You are considered an independent student only if you can answer "yes" to any of the following criteria:

• Were you born before January 1, 2001?
• As of today, are you married? (Answer "Yes" if you are separated but not divorced)
• At the beginning of the 2024-2025 school year, will you be working on a master's or doctorate program (such as an MA, MBA, MD, JD, PhD, EdD, or graduate certificate, etc.)?
• Are you currently serving on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces for purposes other than training?
• Are you a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces?
• Do you have children who will receive more than half of their support from you between July 1, 2024, and June 30, 2025?
• Do you have dependents (other than your children or spouse) who live with you and who receive more than half of their support from you, now and through June 30, 2025?
• When you were age 13 or older, were both your parents deceased, were you in foster care, or were you a dependent/ward of the court?
• Are you or were you an emancipated minor as determined by a court in your state of legal residence?
• Are you or were you in legal guardianship as determined by a court in your state of legal residence?
• At any time on or after July 1, 2023, did your high school or school district homeless liaison determine that you were an unaccompanied youth who was homeless?
• At any time on or after July 1, 2023, did the director of an emergency shelter program funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development determine that you were an unaccompanied youth who was homeless?
• At any time on or after July 1, 2023, did the director of a runaway or homeless youth basic center or transitional living program determine that you were an unaccompanied youth who was homeless or were self-supporting and at risk of being homeless?