How to Apply for Financial Aid
To apply for financial aid, complete the following five steps.
Please note that only admitted students can be awarded financial aid, so apply to MTC before you apply for financial aid!
- Step 1: Complete the FAFSA
We strongly recommend you create your StudentAid.gov account before starting your FAFSA form. When you create your account, be careful to enter your name and social security number (SSN) exactly as they appear on your Social Security card.
The FAFSA application for 2024-2025 is now open.
On the 2024–25 FAFSA form, every contributor—anyone (you, your spouse, a biological or adoptive parent, or your parent's spouse) who's required to provide information on the FAFSA form—needs a StudentAid.gov account before accessing and completing their section of the online form. Contributors can access their StudentAid.gov account by using their FSA ID (account username and password).
Note: Contributors without an SSN can create a StudentAid.gov account to fill out their portion of your 2024–25 FAFSA form online.
To start the online 2024–25 FAFSA form, go to StudentAid.gov. You’ll be taken to the “Log In” page to enter your account username and password. After logging in, you’ll be given the option to select your applicable role to fill out the FAFSA form: “Student” or “Parent.” You (the student) should select “Student.” If a parent wants to start their dependent child’s FAFSA form, they should select the “Parent” option.
Please list MTC's school code on the FAFSA to route your application to us. Our school code for the FAFSA is 003993.
Get help applying for the FAFSA
The Educational Opportunity Center (EOC) assists students and parents with completing the FAFSA. Contact EOC at 803-822-3749 or eoc@midlandstech.edu for help.
- Step 2: Complete MTC Foundation Scholarships Application
MTC Foundation Scholarships are scholarships just for MTC students. In addition to the FAFSA, you'll need to create a profile and fill out our online application. Scholarships provided through the Midlands Technical College Foundation are awarded on a competitive basis based on financial need, academic excellence, and/or leadership.
- Step 3: Supply Additional Documentation
You may be selected for verification, which means we’ll need additional documentation to process your application. We’ll let you know if this applies to you, and tell you exactly what forms you’ll need to submit.
Other Required Documentation:
- Citizenship Information
- Bankruptcy
- Loan Default
- Loan Discharge
- Veteran Status
- Social Security Number/name/Date of Birth Discrepancies
- Federal Aid Overpayments
If any additional documentation is required, the Office of Student Financial Services will send you a request via email to log into MyMTC. From MyMTC you can access MyFinancialAid and manage your Financial Aid package from submission to completion. If you/your family have special circumstances that you believe should be taken into consideration (e.g., an income source is no longer being received, a significant change of income expected, etc.) you should contact a Financial Aid Counselor.
- Step 4: Receive Award Notification
Within three weeks, the Office of Student Financial Services will send you a notification to log into your MyMTC account. From MyMTC you can access MyFinancialAid to manage your Financial Aid package from submission to completion. The types of aid you have been awarded for the academic year will be listed on the My Awards page and your award letter.
All aid you are eligible for, with the exception of a Federal Work Study award, will then be credited to your student account. If a credit balance occurs after applying tuition, fees, and any other authorized charges, we will issue refunds approximately 30 days after the first day of class. Refunds are processed using BankMobile Disbursements, a technology solution, powered by BMTX, Inc.
If your federal and/or state awards are greater than your student account balance, you may be able to charge books at the bookstore against your financial aid. Check your bookstore allowance in your MyMTC account.
- Step 5. Pay Your Tuition
If your tuition and fees exceed the financial aid you’ve been awarded, pay your tuition online via MyMTC. Failure to do so may result in your entire schedule being canceled, even if financial aid covered a portion of your balance.
Keeping Your Financial Aid
Students receiving federal or state financial aid must meet certain academic standards and make progress toward the completion of their program to remain eligible for aid.
- Student must maintain a cumulative 2.0 GPA
- Student must maintain a 67% pace rate of all attempted courses
- Student must complete their program of study within 150% of the total hours required to complete their program
Read the full Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy
Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal Form
- Withdrawal and Return of Federal Aid
Return of Federal Financial Aid (R2T4)
A student’s federal financial aid eligibility must be recalculated for students who withdraw, drop out, are dismissed or take a leave of absence prior to completing 60% of a term. Federal financial aid includes Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG), and Federal Direct Loans. The recalculation of eligibility is based on the percent of earned aid using the following formula:
- Percent of earned aid = Number of days attended in the term / Total number of days in the term
Federal financial aid must be returned to the federal government based on the percent of unearned aid using the following formula: - Aid to be returned = Percent of unearned aid X the amount of federal financial aid disbursed
The amount of aid to be returned is the responsibility of the College and the student. However, the student will be responsible for repaying the College for the amount that the College was required to return on his or her behalf less any refund for which the student is eligible. Therefore, a student who does not complete at least 60% of a term will owe a repayment to the College and/or the federal government for the amount of unearned federal financial aid.
A student who owes the College may not be permitted to register for a subsequent term or obtain an official academic transcript until the debt is paid. Payment should be made to the cashier’s office. A student who owes the federal government may be reported to the U.S. Department of Education and be required to provide documentation of a satisfactory payment arrangement before federal or state financial aid eligibility is restored.
Returning of Funds, Notification and Payment Arrangements
The College and the student are both responsible for returning unearned federal aid to the federal government. Amounts that must be returned will be applied in the following order:
- Unsubsidized Federal Direct Loan
- Subsidized Federal Direct Loan
- Direct PLUS Loan
- Federal Pell Grant
- Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant
- Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant
The Office of Student Financial Services will notify students if they have unearned aid for a payment period and will notify the student of the amount owed back to the College and/or the federal government. Any grant amounts the student has to return to the federal government must be repaid within 45 days. If this amount is not paid within 45 days the student will be referred to the Department of Education (DOE) for Collections as in overpayment of federal funds.
Any money the student owes back to the College resulting from the return of federal funds needs to be handled with the cashier’s office. If a student does not repay the grant funds that are owed to the government within the 45 days, the account will be turned over to the U.S. Department of Education (DOE).
If a student earned more aid than was disbursed to him/her, Midlands Technical College (MTC) is required to determine the student’s post withdrawal disbursement. MTC must offer any post-withdrawal disbursement of loan funds within 30 days of the withdrawal date and make a post- withdrawal of grant funds within 45 days of the withdrawal date. MTC must disburse any Title IV grant funds a student is due as part of a post-withdrawal disbursement within 45 days of the date the withdrawal was determined and disburse any loan funds a student accepts within 180 days of the date.
The Office of Student Financial Services will notify students of their post-withdrawal disbursement offer of loan funds via mail. Students will have 30 days to accept or decline the disbursement of their loan funds. Students are informed of the amount of their post withdrawal disbursement and the source. Students are also informed of any remaining balances the loan funds could cover and that the loan funds are to be repaid.
Determination of Withdrawal Date
Official withdrawals are those which are initiated by the student. A student's withdrawal date is defined as the actual date the student notifies the student records office of their wish to withdraw from a course or courses.
A federal financial aid recipient who, at the end of the term has received grades of F resulting from FN grades statuses or a combination of F and W will be considered as having unofficially withdrawn. The financial aid office will use the last date that the student participated in an academically related activity, as reported by the instructors as the withdrawal date. If no date is available, the midpoint (50%) of the semester will be used.
- Percent of earned aid = Number of days attended in the term / Total number of days in the term
Have questions about the FAFSA or financial aid?
MTC's Student Financial Services and EOC team can help guide you through the process of obtaining financial aid. Find their contact info below.
Student Financial Services
803.738.7792
Toll-free: 800.922.8038
asksfs@midlandstech.edu
Educational Opportunity Center
803.822.3749
eoc@midlandstech.edu