No. You should not assume you are ineligible based on your income. The only way to determine your eligibility is to complete the FAFSA®.

Submitting the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) allows you to be considered for federal grants, federal student loans, and Federal Work-Study. Many colleges also use FAFSA information to determine eligibility for state and institutional aid.

Yes. You must submit a FAFSA each academic year to continue receiving federal financial aid.

After your FAFSA is processed and reviewed, you will receive a financial aid offer detailing the types and amounts of aid you are eligible to receive on your LoLa account. RPCC will notify via email you when your award information is available. You may view your Award Offer on your LoLa and accept, decline, or adjust awards in the Offer section.

No. You can accept the full amount, accept a reduced amount, or decline loans entirely based on your needs.

Your classes are considered secured once your financial aid has been awarded and any required documents have been completed and approved. If your anticipated financial aid covers your tuition and fees, you may not need to make a payment out of pocket.

However, you are responsible for monitoring your student account and financial aid status. If your aid is not finalized or does not fully cover your balance by the payment deadline, you may be at risk of being dropped from your classes.

If you are unsure whether your classes are secured, log in to your student account to review your balance and financial aid status, or contact the Financial Aid Office for assistance.

• Log into LoLA
   
• Select Check Financial Aid
   
• Select Current Aid Year
   
• Click on the "Offer" tab to accept and/or decline loan offers
   
• Scroll down to view “Account Balance net of Authorized Financial Aid”
   
• If your Financial Aid has been applied, you should see the credit balance (negative balance).
   
• PLEASE NOTE: OTHER SCREENS MAY SHOW THAT YOU OWE MONEY. If you have a negative balance on Account Detail for Term, your classes are secured.
   
  • If you paid IN FULL, you should see a $0.00 balance for the SEMESTER BALANCE (Summer, Fall or Spring depending on the semester you are trying to secure) and all previous semester balances.
     
  • If you have a waiver, you should see the waiver applied to your account.

Example of a Credit Balance (negative balance) on the Account Detail for Term Screen:

Entrance Counseling is a required online session for first-time federal student loan borrowers. It explains your rights and responsibilities and ensures you understand how repayment works and is completed online at studentaid.gov.

The Master Promissory Note (MPN) is a legal agreement in which you promise to repay your federal student loans, including any interest and fee and is completed online at studentaid.gov.

RPCC is a summer header school, which means summer is treated as the beginning of the academic year for financial aid purposes. Students who wish to receive financial aid for the summer must complete the Summer Aid Request Form in addition to having a current FAFSA on file. Financial aid will not be automatically applied to summer enrollment without this request.

To maintain eligibility, you must meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards, enroll in eligible coursework, and comply with all federal and institutional requirements. To view our SAP policy, please visit Satisfactory Academic Progress | Apply for Financial Aid.

If your family experiences a significant change in income or circumstances, contact the financial aid office at [email protected]. You may qualify for a review of your financial aid eligibility.