Due to anticipated delays in FAFSA processing and reporting, HCCF is modifying FAFSA submission requirements for the 2024 Scholarship Application.

On January 30, 2024 the U.S. Department of Education published a press release on the “Better FAFSA” form. The press release included a statement that the “first half of March” was the anticipated timeline for the transmission of some important FAFSA information.

Because the HCCF Scholarship Application is due February 29th at 11:59 p.m., we are making the following changes to our application process regarding the FAFSA to accommodate the delays in processing:

Students may complete the Federal Student Aid Estimator and submit that number when asked for their FAFSA information in the application. Federal Student Aid Estimator | Federal Student Aid — after completing the Estimator, there is a “print or download” option at the very bottom of the results page. This should be the document uploaded into the application or a screenshot of the SAI generated by the estimator.
Students may submit their official Student Aid Index information if they receive it by the February 29 deadline.

The Estimator data will still allow for an objective review of financial data as required by the HCCF Board of Trustees scholarship process and the IRS regulations regarding scholarships. The Estimator should take students approximately 5 - 10 minute to complete using information that they have previously gathered for the completion of their FAFSA Application. HCCF reserves the right to request the FAFSA Student Aid Report prior to issuing scholarships if necessary.

Scholarship reviewers will receive information on the delay of FAFSA and an update on the interim protocol established.