Notice: If a Federal Financial Aid recipient withdraws before completing 60% of the semester/term, federal regulations require LBW Community College to return a prorated amount to the Department of Education. The student will be required to pay all or part of any Financial Aid awarded to them.
Federal Financial Aid Eligibility
Requirements Federal Student Aid Programs available are Federal Pell Grants, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (FSEOG), and Federal Work-Study (FWS).
- File a free application for Federal Student Aid at www.fafsa.gov, beginning October 1 of each year.
- Demonstrate financial need. Have a high school diploma, or a GED.
- Be enrolled as a regular student in an eligible program. Be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen.
- Maintain satisfactory academic progress.
- Not be in default on Federal Perkins Loan (or National Direct Student Loan), Federal Stafford Loan (or Guaranteed Student Loan), Federal PLUS Loan or Supplemental Loan for Students (FSLS).
- Not owe a refund on a Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG), or Alabama Student Assistant Grant (ASAP). Agree to use any Federal Student Aid received solely for educational purposes.
- If you are a male between the ages of 18 and 25, you must register with the Selective Service.
- Must not have a 4 year (Bachelor’s) degree.
What you need to Apply for Financial Aid
Expenses for tuition, books, supplies, at-home maintenance, transportation, and miscellaneous personal costs are used in preparing annual student budgets to determine the applicant's financial need. Each year students are required to file the U.S. Department of Education's Application for Federal Student Aid in order to be considered for federal and non-federal aid. Applicants should apply as soon as possible after October 1. To complete an application for financial aid, the applicant should have the following records available for reference:
- The U.S. Income Tax Return from a previous year. (examples: for 2019-2020 you will use 2017 U.S. Income Tax Returns; 2020-2021 you will use 2018 U.S. Income Tax Returns), for student, his/her parents (if he/she applies as a dependent student) and his/her spouse's return (if he/she is married and his/her spouse filed a separate return). You may view a tutorial on completing the FAFSA here.
- Records of untaxed benefits such as, veteran’s non-education benefits, payments to tax-deferred pensions, and other agencies that might pay non-taxable benefits.
- FSA ID. Create an FSA ID here. You may view a tutorial for creating a user FSA ID here. Make sure that write this information down and keep it in a safe place. If you are a dependent student, your parent will also be required to create a FSA ID.
Process to complete FAFSA Application
(Completing the FAFSA on the Web is the first step in applying for grants and college work study.)
- Apply online at www.fafsa.gov.
- If you haven't already created an FSA ID, create a FSA ID first. Both the student and parent must sign the application. Once you have created an FSA ID, click Apply and login using your FSA ID.
- Make sure you list Lurleen B. Wallace Community College (Federal School Code – 008988) in “Schools Section” of the FAFSA. Failure to list our Federal School Code will result in a delay in the processing of your application.
- If you choose to use the paper FAFSA application, you must call 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243) and request a paper application be mailed to you. The paper application must be completed using 2017 income information. This form must be signed and mailed to the federal processing center in the envelope provided with the application. Both the student and parent must sign the application.
- Make sure that you have applied for admission or readmission to LBW Community College. For returning students, application for readmission must be submitted if you have not attended LBWCC during the past two (2) terms. You must submit, high school transcript and/or GED and all college transcripts to the admission office. All college transcripts must be evaluated before you can be awarded aid.
If you list LBWCC on your FAFSA and complete the application correctly, LBWCC will receive your financial aid information electronically. LBWCC will Email you when your aid is received and you must respond designating which campus you plan to attend. It is your responsibility to review your financial aid status online at www.lbwcc.edu under myLBWCC and provide any documentation requested. If you have not heard from LBWCC in a reasonable time frame you should contact the Financial Aid Officer at the campus you plan to attend. Please respond immediately to all LBWCC requests for additional information.
Federal Verification of FAFSA Application: The Department of Education selects some FAFSA applications for a process called verification. During verification, the financial aid administrator(s) will ask the applicant to supply copies of documentation, such as income tax returns, W-2 statements and 1099 forms, to verify the data that was submitted on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). If your application is selected, you will be notified by email to review your myLBWCC(OneACCS) Account for the requirements necessary to complete verifications. If verification is not complete, your application cannot be processed.
Some financial aid funds are limited and preference is given to students who apply by March 1.
If you require a Pell Grant to pay your tuition and fees, your admission and financial aid files must be complete and received by the Student Services Department at least two weeks prior to registration. All high school and college transcripts must be on file before you can be awarded financial aid. Once your financial aid is completed by the financial aid office you will receive an award letter in yours SAINTS MAIL account. You do not have financial aid at LBWCC until you have received the award letter.
To continue to receive aid you must apply for the FAFSA each year by July 1 at www.fafsa.ed.gov and continue to make satisfactory academic progress.
