Welcome to Polaris Career Center! We are here to help you navigate the federal financial aid process.
Students are responsible for submitting a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA is reviewed and processed by the U.S. Department of Education, and the results are then sent to each school the student lists on the application. To add Polaris Career Center to your application, you will need our school code, which is 016745. The FAFSA should be submitted at least one week in advance of the student coming in to register for a program. If a student plans to utilize federal aid, all federal aid requirements must be completed (and aid in place) prior to program registration. Students who originally do not intend to utilize federal financial aid may elect to apply for aid while enrolled in the program and aid will be applied to the student's account on the next scheduled disbursement date following the completion of all financial aid requirements. There are four easy ways to submit a FAFSA® form:
-See a helpful tip sheet for questions that may have you stumped on the FAFSA
-There are some terms used in Financial Aid that you may have never heard before. Here's a helpful glossary of terms and their definitions.
-Here is a list of Frequently Asked Questions pertaining to Federal Financial Aid
Step 1 – Collect items that will help in completing the FAFSA, for example: 2019 tax returns, bank statements,social security benefit statement, unemployment statement, child support documentation, etc. Students may need to include their parent's financial information in the application. Step 2 – Visit https://studentaid.gov and create a FSA ID account (username and password). The FSA ID replaces the Federal Student Aid PIN #. If you already have a PIN #, you can link your information to your new FSA ID by entering your PIN # while registering for your FSA ID. If parental information is required on the FAFSA, a parent must also apply for a FSA ID account (username and password). Step 3 – Complete the 2021-2022 FAFSA on-line at https://studentaid.gov. The Polaris Career Center school code is: 016745 If the student is interested in a Federal Direct Loan, follow the bulleted steps below. If the student is NOT interested in a loan, skip to Step 4 below. Please note: Completing these requirements does obligate you to accept a federal direct loan. Click here for helpful step-by-step instructions on completing the loan requirements.
Step 4 –Upon completion of the FAFSA (and loan requirements, if applicable), the student will immediately receive an email to the email address provided on the FAFSA stating that the FAFSA has been received by the U.S. Department of Education. Within 3-5 days, the student will receive another email with a link to the student’s Student Aid Report (SAR). Step 5 – After the student has reviewed the SAR report, the student is responsible for contacting the Financial Aid Coordinator, Allison Smith at 440-891-7668 or by email, asmith@polaris.edu, for the next steps in the process. Step 6 – Once ALL financial aid requirements have been completed, the Financial aid Coordinator will notify the student that he/she may come in and register. All Job & Career Training program students must register in person at the Polaris Career Center Adult Education Office. Please see How to Register for items required at registration.
Verification is the confirmation through documentation that the information provided on a student's Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is correct. The federal government requires colleges and universities to verify or confirm the data reported by students and their parent(s) on the FAFSA. The verification process ensures that eligible students receive all the financial aid to which they are entitled and prevents ineligible students from receiving financial aid to which they are not entitled. You may be selected for verification by the federal processor. If you are selected for verification by the federal processor, there will be an asterisk next to your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) on your Student Aid Report (SAR). Once you are selected for verification, the following documents may be required from you. Please contact Allison Smith at 440-891-7668 or asmith@polaris.edu for more information. Helpful Links: Transferring IRS Data to FAFSA (Recommended) Requesting your IRS Tax Transcript Requesting your IRS Verification of Nonfiling Find out your student loan repayment options Access your financial aid records and find your student loan servicer Creating and using the FSA ID FAFSA: Applying for Aid by the U.S. Dept of Ed The Myths About Financial Aid Financial Aid Loan Change Request Form 12 Common FAFSA Mistakes to Avoid V1 Worksheet-Independent Student V1 Worksheet-Dependent Student V4 Worksheet V5 Worksheet Non Tax-Filer Statement 4506T Form
2021-2022 Professional Judgment Request 2021-2022 Homeless Youth Declaration Form 2021-2022 Loan Change Request Form 359-360 Unusual Enrollment History Form 361 CC Resolution 365 CC Resolution 367 CC Resolution ARP HEERF III Student Aid Application-Ongoing Energency Funds
HEERF Reports
Federal regulations require that institutions provide specific consumer information about the school and about financial aid to enrolled and prospective students.
Welcome to Polaris Career Center! Please see the information and links below for information regarding using your VA Education Benefits.
Need to find creative ways to pay for tuition? Check out the many scholarship opportunities available to adult students.