1. If I’m a current and new student this semester (Fall 2021), do I have to renew my FAFSA since I’ve completed and submitted prior to enrolling in Fall 2021?
Answer: Yes, regardless of when you attended CMI, every year every student has to renew their FAFSAs. Each year has a different FAFSA.
2. Why is it that we submit our Admissions application only one time, but FAFSAs we are required to submit every year?
Answer: Because as stated in the answer for question #1, every year has a different FAFSA.
For example, I am a current and new student this semester, Fall 2021, I completed and submitted the 2021-2022 FAFSA. This 2021-2022 FAFSA I submitted is only going to work or is good for Fall 2021, Spring 2022, and Summer 2022. So, that’s why for the upcoming school year is a different year 2022-2023, you are required to submit a different FAFSA – 2022-2023 FAFSA. And again, you ONLY submit FAFSA once a year, not every semester.
Here is how it works:
School year 2020-2021 (August 2020 – July 2021)
2020-2021 FAFSA – covers Fall 2020, Spring 2020, and Summer 2020
School year 2021-2022 (August 2021 – July 2022)
2021-2022 FAFSA – covers Fall 2021, Spring 2022, and Summer 2022
School year 2022-2023 (August 2022 – July 2023)
2022-2023 FAFSA – covers Fall 2022, Spring 2023, and Summer 2023
So, This is why every year (before Fall semester, August) you are required to renew or submit a new FAFSA.
3. I’m a current student now, taking courses this semester Fall 2021 and continuing Spring 2022, and I plan to take courses during the Summer 2022. Do I need to submit another FAFSA?
Answer: No, you do not need to submit another FAFSA, because since you’ve completed and submitted 2021-2022 FAFSA prior to enrolling in Spring 2022 or Fall 2021, this 2021-2022 FAFSA covers up to Summer 2022, like it is listed in answer for question #2 above.
4. I was a full time student during Fall 2021, taking 12 credits or more, and also a full time student this semester, Spring 2022 also taking 12 credits or more, will I still have a Pell Grant for Summer 2022?
Answer: It depends on how many credits you will take during the Summer 2022.
For one academic year, full time students will use 100% of their Pell Grant;
However, for the Year-Round-Pell, full time students can be eligible to receive up to 150% of their Pell Grant for one year. So in order to be eligible for this additional 50%, students are required to take at least 6 credits ore for Pell to cover their courses.
5. I was a full time student in Fall 2021 (taking 12 credits or more), and Spring 2022 (taking 12 credits or more), but I only have only one course to take or the course has less than 6 credits during the Summer 2022, will Pell Grant pay for this one course I will take?
Answer: No, you won’t be awarded a Pell grant for only one course or less than 6 credits. Because as stated in answer for question #4.
For example, You are only going to take ENG 111, which has 3 credits, will I be awarded a Pell grant to cover full tuition and fees for it? No, because 3 credits is below the minimum required credits to be eligible for the additional Pell Grant which is 6 credits.
But what if I’m an Education Major and I’ll be taking practicum in Summer 2022, and practicum has more than 6 credits, will Pell cover? Yes, even if that’s only one course, but because it has more than 6 credits, Pell will cover.
6. I was a full time student in Fall 2021 (taking 12 credits or more), and part time in Spring 2022 (taking less than 12 credits), but I only have only one course to take or the course has less than 6 credits during the Summer 2022, will Pell Grant pay for this one course I will take?
Answer: Yes, you will be awarded a Pell grant for only one course because you were not full time for both Fall 2021 and Spring 2022, hence you did not reach or use 100% of your award for one academic year.
***PLEASE NOTE THAT for questions #s 5 & 6, same will apply for prior years 2019-2020 and 2020-2021.***
We hope that these answer your concerns or questions, but please do not hesitate to let us know if you have any other questions we did not answer. Again, every required documents MUST be clearly scanned and emailed to financialaid@cmi.edu.
