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Ability To Benefit

Students who do not have a high school diploma or its recognized equivalent must pass a Department of Education approved exam administered by the college.

Financial Aid

General Information

Howard College provides financial assistance to help make the benefits of higher education available to qualified students. Federal and state grants, scholarships, federal student loans, and federal and state workstudy programs are administered through the Financial Aid Office. Applications should be made well in advance of the date a student intends to register. Priority deadlines are April 1 for the fall semester and October 1 for the spring semester.

Note to students attending Howard College extended campuses: Please contact the campus representative to assist you in completing your financial aid application information. Documents may be forwarded directly to your campus representative. Priority deadline is April 1 and fall registration deadline is July 1. Information received after the deadlines may not be processed in time for registration.

Basic qualifications for a student to be considered for all types of financial aid are:

  1. Be in financial need (financial need is the difference between what college costs and what your family can pay according to federal guidelines).
  2. Make satisfactory academic progress.
  3. Be a national or permanent resident of the U.S.
  4. Be pursuing a degree or certificate in an eligible program from Howard College. Only course work REQUIRED by your chosen degree plan can be used to determine financial aid eligibility.

To apply for all types of need based-financial assistance, a student must:

  1. File the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This application is available from high school counselors and principals, from the Financial Aid Office, or through FAFSA on the Internet (www.fafsa.ed.gov). Title IV Code Number for Howard College is 003574.
  2. Contact the Financial Aid Office to insure that all copies of the Student Aid Report/I.S.I.R. for the Pell Grant are on file in the Financial Aid Office regardless of grant eligibility.
  3. Complete the Howard College Application for Financial Aid. note: A separate scholarship application is available in the Financial Aid Office. Deadline for scholarship consideration is April 1.
  4. Forward a copy of high school transcript including date of graduation, and GED passing scores, or take a test approved by the Department of Education (see "Ability to Benefit" sidebar). A copy of the transcript or GED must be provided to the Financial Aid Office in addition to any other H.C. office that may have received a copy.

Note: Students selected for verification by the Department of Education will also be required to submit: 1) a signed copy of the family's (student and spouse for independent students; student/ spouse and parents if dependent) most recent federal income tax return (1040, 1040A, or 1040EZ) to the Financial Aid Office (all schedules and W2 information must be included.); and 2) an Institutional Verification Form (IVF) which may be obtained from the Financial Aid Office.