Financial Aid
Financial Aid Office
Monday – Friday: 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Ph: (406) 771-4334
Location: Student Central
Complete the FAFSA
FAFSA School Code: 009314
Federal Student Aid Estimator
The Federal Student Aid Estimator provides an estimate of how much federal student aid you may be eligible to receive. These estimates are based on the Student Aid Index (SAI), an index number used to determine federal student aid eligibility.
FAFSA Resources
Tips for filling out the FAFSA: Filling Out the FAFSA® Form | Federal Student Aid
FAFSA help – find answers to common questions: https://studentaid.gov/apply-for-aid/fafsa/filling-out/help
FAFSA Help Videos
Check out a variety of helpful videos on the FSA/FAFSA YouTube Channel: Federal Student Aid – YouTube
Quick Links
- Cost Information
- Forms
- Frequently Asked Questions
- General Information & Student Responsibilities
- Getting Started
- Important Dates
- Loans
- Military & Veteran Education Benefits
- Receiving Your Aid
- Scholarships
- Special or Unusual Circumstances
- Tuition & Fees
- Tuition Waivers
- Types of Financial Aid
- Work Study
Special or Unusual Circumstances
Homeless Cicumstances
Unaccompanied and Homeless OR Self-supporting and At Risk of Being Homeless
Federal Student Aid defines Independency based on questions provided to you on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). A review of your FAFSA shows that you answered the question stating that you are “unaccompanied and homeless” OR “self-supporting and at risk of being homeless.”
By answering “yes” to this question, you were then asked to indicate which of the following can support that determination of homeless or at risk of being homeless. To confirm the accuracy of homelessness, please provide the corresponding documentation that aligns with the option you selected that best fits your situation.
- Director or designee of an emergency or transitional shelter, street outreach program, homeless youth drop-in center, or other program serving those experiencing homelessness
- Letter of support stating their contact with you regarding your situation
- The student’s high school or school district homeless liaison or designee
- A McKenny Vento letter from school
- Letter of support from high school stating homelessness
- Director or designee of a project supported by a federal TRIO or GEAR UP program grant
- Letter of support from a TRIO or GEAR UP program who made the determination
- Financial aid administrator (FAA): another college/university other than Great Falls College has made the determination in the past confirming your homeless status.
- A letter from that university’s Financial Aid office or a call from that university’s financial aid officer to the Great Falls College Financial Aid office.
- None of these apply
- If you are not able to supply supporting documentation from any of the above entities, the Great Falls College Financial Aid office can help with the determination.
When contacting the Great Falls College Financial Aid office regarding a “none of these apply” answer you will be asked if the following definitions apply to you:
Unaccompanied—when a student is not living in the physical custody of a parent or guardian.
Homeless—lacking fixed, regular, and adequate housing. For example, temporarily living with other people because he/she has nowhere else to go; living in substandard housing; living in emergency or transitional shelters (FEMA trailers after disasters); living in motels, camping grounds, cars, parks, abandoned buildings, bus or train stations, or any public place not designed for humans to live; or living in the school dormitory (e.g., on-campus housing) if the student would otherwise be homeless.
Self-supporting—when a student pays for his/her own living expenses, including, fixed, regular, and adequate housing.
At risk of being homeless—when a student’s housing may cease to be fixed, regular, and adequate, for example, a student who is being evicted and has been unable to find fixed, regular, and adequate housing.
Fixed housing—stationary, permanent, and not subject to change.
Regular housing—used on a predictable, routine, or consistent basis.
Adequate housing—sufficient for meeting both the physical and psychological needs typically met in the home.
If you do not feel that any of these situations apply to you but you do still have an unusual circumstance, please contact the Great Falls College financial aid office and also visit Unusual Circumstances tab below.
Unusual Circumstances
Unusual Circumstances
Great Falls College understands that students and their families may at times experience unique situations. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) may no longer reflect current dependency status. Section 479A of the Higher Education Act provides institutions with authority to adjust, on a case-by-case basis and with appropriate documentation, a student status. This category is known as unusual circumstances.
Starting with the 2024-25 Award Year, both first-time and renewal applicants who indicate on their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form that they have an unusual circumstance will be granted provisional independent status. They will be able to complete the FAFSA form without providing parental information. They will also receive an estimate of their federal student aid eligibility, which will be subject to a final determination by the institution they attend.
***Note*** with the rollout of the new FAFSA for 2024-2025 year, many students appear to have inadvertently selected Unusual Circumstances and received what is called a provisional independent status. This status is ineligible for student aid until corrections can be made. Review the situations below and if these apply, please contact Great Falls College and have an interview with the staff in financial aid. If none of these situations apply, you will need to log back into the FAFSA and make corrections to add parental data information.
If you answered “yes” on the FAFSA to having unusual circumstances that prevent you from contacting your parents or that contacting them would be a risk, then you must contact the Great Falls College Financial Aid office for guidance. An appeal form is available by request after you have spoken with Great Falls College Financial Aid staff about your circumstances. The Financial Aid office will then review and make a determination on your appeal. If it is approved, based on the student statement and supporting documentation, the provisional Student Aid Index (SAI) would become the actual SAI.
Unusual Circumstances are those conditions that support a change to the student’s dependency status. Examples may include but are not limited to:
- Parental abandonment or estrangement
- Physical or mentally abusive family environment
- Human trafficking
- Refugee/asylee status
- Unaccompanied homeless youth determination
Unusual circumstances DO NOT include but are not limited to:
- Parental refusal to contribute or be a contributor to the student’s education
- Parental refusal to provide information for the FAFSA or where the parent(s) do not claim the student as ‘dependent’ for IRS tax purposes
- A different university offering more aid
If you do not meet the criteria or cannot provide documentation, you will need to return to your FAFSA form and change your answer “no” to the unusual circumstances question, invite your parent(s) to provide consent for the direct data exchange for their tax information, and add their other financial information. You will then be a dependent student. The provisional SAI will become void, and you will be notified of an updated one based on your family’s income and assets.
If you marked on the FAFSA that you are unaccompanied and homeless, or self-supporting and at risk of being homeless, but do not have an official designation of homelessness from a designated agency, you will also receive a provisional independent determination. Please visit the Homeless Circumstances tab above for additional information.
Unsubsidized Direct Loans
Dependent Students Applying Without Parental FAFSA data – Unsubsidized Direct Loan Only
On your FAFSA, you may have marked “YES” to the following question:
“Are the student’s parents unwilling to provide their information, but the student doesn’t have an unusual circumstance that prevents them from contacting or obtaining their parents’ information?”
By affirming this option, you are requesting that you only receive a Direct Unsubsidized Loan and will NOT be considered for eligibility for any grant or subsidized loans.
If, when completing the FAFSA, you inadvertently selected the option to receive unsubsidized loan only and not provide parent information, you will need to return to the FAFSA and unselect this option to proceed with adding parental information and be considered for all aid eligibility including both the Pell Grant and the Direct Subsidized loan. Please contact us if you need assistance with this process.
If you did intend to proceed with no parent data to receive unsubsidized loan only, the eligible loan amounts are listed below. Interest accrues on unsubsidized loans upon disbursement. For more information about Federal Direct Student Loans click here.
Freshman – 5500 unsubsidized loan
Sophomore – 6500 unsubsidized loan
If you wish to proceed with this option, you will need to complete our Unsubsidized Loan Only form and have your parents certify that they have ended financial support and/or they refuse to complete their portion of the FAFSA.
Please contact our office in person, by phone, or by email to receive a copy of the form or assistance with any questions you may have.
Financial Aid Department
Call
Call: (406) 771-4334
Business Hours
Monday-Friday: 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
