Student Financial Aid
Phone the Financial Aid Office toll free at 1-855-286-3462.
Email us at financialaid@westgatech.edu.
Click Here for Frequently Asked Questions * Click Here for Loan Information
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The purpose of the Office of Student Financial Aid is to offer grants, scholarships, and work-study employment to assist students with the cost of their education. All students are encouraged to apply for financial aid. The College has financial aid personnel located in Student Affairs areas of each campus. Students are encouraged to take advantage of WGTC’s web page, which hosts a collection of information and forms pertinent to financial assistance. Contact the financial aid staff by telephone toll free at 1.855.286.3462 or email at financialaid@westgatech.edu.
Student Loan Information
Current information regarding student loans may be found on the Financial Aid webpage at http://www.westgatech.edu/fa/stafford.htm. Answers to Frequently Asked Questions can be found on the FAQ page.
NOTE: All correspondence from the Office of Student Financial Aid will be sent to your West Georgia Tech student email account. If you currently do not have a student email account, correspondence will be via postal mail.
Eligibility Requirements for Financial Assistance
Anyone applying for financial assistance must meet the following general requirements:
- A student must be enrolled at West Georgia Technical College in an eligible program of study seeking a certificate, diploma or degree.
- A student must be a United States citizen or eligible non-citizen of the United States.
- A student must be in compliance with Selective Service registration requirements. Students ages 18-25 who have not registered for the Selective Service may register online at www.sss.gov.
- A student must not be in default on a federal college loan or owe a repayment to any other college, state or federal program.
- A student must resolve any existing drug conviction issue. Incarcerated students are not eligible for Financial Aid.
- A student must maintain satisfactory academic progress towards the completion of his or her program of study.
A student who already has a bachelor’s degree is ineligible for any Federal Grant (PELL, ACG, FWS and FSEOG) and the state’s HOPE Scholarship or Grant.
Citizenship Requirements
Citizens and Eligible Non-Citizens
A student must be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen to be eligible for federal or state student aid. State aid programs (HOPE Grant, HOPE Scholarship) also require the eligible non-citizen status to have been granted 12 months prior to the first day of classes of the term for which the student wishes to receive the state aid.
To be considered for financial assistance administered by the Office of Student Financial Aid, you must have one of the following citizenship or eligible resident classifications:
- U.S. Citizen
- U.S. National (includes natives of American Samoa and Swain’s Island)
- U.S. Permanent Resident who has:
- A Permanent Resident Card (Form I-551 since 1997), or
- A Resident Alien Card (Form I-551 before 1997), or
- An Alien Registration Receipt Card (Form I-151, issued prior to June 1978), or
- An Arrival/Departure Record (CBP Form I-94) or the new Departure Record (Form I-94A with the endorsement "Processed for I-551. Temporary Evidence of Lawful Admission for Permanent Residence. Valid until (Date Cannot Have Passed). Employment Authorized.", or
- A machine readable immigrant visa (MRIV) in the holder’s passport. The MRIV will have an admission stamp, and the statement “UPON ENDORSEMENT SERVES AS TEMPORARY I-551 EVIDENCING PERMANENT RESIDENCE FOR 1 YEAR” which appears directly above the machine readable section. An MRIV with this statement, contained in an unexpired foreign passport and endorsed with the admission stamp, constitutes a temporary I-551, valid for one year from the date of endorsement on the stamp.
- A United States Travel Document (mint green cover), which replaces the Reentry Permit (Form I-327) and the Refugee Travel Document (Form I-571). It is used by lawful permanent residents (as well as refugees and asylees) and is annotated with "Permit to Reenter Form I-327 (Rev. 9-2-03)."
- Citizens of the Federated States of Micronesia and the republics of Palau and Marshall Islands.
Note: Citizens of Palau are eligible only for the Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Opportunity Grant or Federal Work-Study (FWS). Citizens of Micronesia and the Marshall Islands are only eligible for the Federal Pell Grant. - For eligible noncitizens other than permanent residents:
- Refugees with a Form I-94 or I-94A annotated with a stamp showing admission under Section 207 of the Immigration Nationality Act (INA). Also acceptable is the old Refugee Travel Document (Form I-571) or the new U.S. Travel Document cited in paragraph 3.f. above annotated with "Refugee Travel Document Form I-571 (Rev. 9-2-03)."
- Asylees with a Form I-94 or I-94A and a stamp reflecting admission under Section 208 of the INA, or the same travel documents cited in 5.a. above.
Note: A refugee or an asylee may apply for permanent resident status and may have an I-94 that includes the endorsement "209a (or 209b) pending. Employment Authorized." These students are eligible for federal student aid funds if the I-94 has not expired. - Parolees with a Form I-94 or I-94A with a stamp indicating they have been paroled into the United States for at least one year, with a date that has not expired.
- Cuban-Haitian entrants with a Form I-94 indicating they have been classified as a “Cuban-Haitian Entrant (Status Pending). Reviewable January 15, 1981. Employment authorized until January 15, 1981.” This document is valid even if the expiration date has passed. However, if the I-94 is stamped "applicant for permanent residence", the Cuban-Haitian entrant is not eligible for federal student aid and must request documentation of permanent residency status from the USCIS.
- Victims of Human Trafficking are entitled to the same benefits as refugees under the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act (VTVPA). Because this status is certified by the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and not the DHS, these students must submit their certification or eligibility letter from the HHS to us for review and subsequent contact with the Office of Refugee Resettlement. The spouse, child or parent of a trafficking victim might be eligible for aid, but will have a T-visa (e.g., T-2 or T-3) which must be submitted to us along with the certification letter.
Students applying for federal Title IV aid as eligible non-citizens whose citizenship status is not electronically confirmed by the FAFSA process must provide the financial aid office with documentation. The financial aid office will then initiate a secondary confirmation process with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The confirmation of an eligible citizenship status must be received before students can be awarded any aid.
Ineligible NON-Citizens
A student does not meet the Citizenship Requirements, for purposes of Financial Aid awards if the student is a non-citizen with an F1 or F2 student Visa, a J1 or J2 exchange visitor Visa, a G series Visa, or any other classification not included in the definition of an eligible non-citizen in Federal Title IV Regulations.
Georgia Residency Requirements
A student, Dependent or Independent, must meet the Citizenship Requirements of these regulations, in addition to the Georgia Residency Requirements of these regulations, in order to meet the eligibility requirements for State Programs administered by the Georgia Student Finance Commission.
The Admission’s Office determines residency for the institution. However, any conflicting information obtained through a financial aid application, transcript, or other means by the Financial Aid Office may result in a change to your state residency status or eligibility. All conflicting data must be resolved before your financial aid is processed. Please see the Admissions webpage for Residency information.
Financial Aid and Transient Status
A student in good standing and enrolled at West Georgia Technical College may choose to enroll in classes at other colleges (host colleges) for credit towards the student’s program of study while West Georgia Technical College remains his or her home college. Please see the Admissions webpage for procedures to apply for Transient Status.
1. The host college facilitates the award for the HOPE Grant or Scholarship covering tuition and fees and issues a book voucher. Students should contact the host college to redeem the book voucher.
2. Students who receive only the Pell Grant are responsible for tuition and fees at the time of registration. The host college will forward the credit hours enrolled to the home college to be credited to the student’s PELL award. Only the home school will make payment of the Pell refund. The Federal Pell Grant will be awarded to on-line students during the fourth week of the quarter after the Financial Aid Office has received certification of the student’s enrollment by the host school.
3. VA students must also contact both VA certifying officials at the home college and host college and request that they both certify the class hours for which they are enrolled at the host college to Veterans Affairs.
