Financial Aid

Financial Aid

Hurricane Michael Financial Aid Questions & Answers

Q1) When will disbursements begin again?
A1) We will begin disbursing spring 2019 financial aid for eligible students on 01/23/2019 and the resulting refund checks will be mailed by the Business Office on 01/25/2019.  Please note that students who subsequently need to cash their refund checks at Summit Bank can visit their Middle Beach Road drive thru. 

Q2)  If I have a refund issued due to my financial aid disbursement then may I pick up the resulting check in person?
A2)  The Business Office will take individual refund check requests into consideration so please contact their office by visiting them in person, calling (850) 872-3879, or emailing businessoffice@gulfcoast.edu from your GCSC email account.

Q3) What happens to my financial aid if I dropped or withdrew from fall classes due to Hurricane Michael?
A3)  The U.S. and Florida Departments of Education have strict rules about what happens to a student’s financial aid when they withdraw.  Please refer to https://www.gulfcoast.edu/tuition-aid/financial-aid/return-to-title-iv.html for more information.

Q4) Are there other sources of guidance or assistance?
A4) Yes, the federal government and the state of Florida provide the following assistance:

• Michael's Pantry at the Rosenwald Jr. College Classroom
• https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/about/announcements/disaster#michael
• https://www.disasterassistance.gov/
• https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela/
• https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/taxpayers-can-get-tax-help-after-hurricanes-and-other-natural-disasters
• http://www.dcf.state.fl.us/programs/access/dsnap/SiteLocations.shtml
• https://www.floridadisaster.org/shelter-status

Q5) I've lost my job due to Hurricane Michael so the income on my 2018-2019 (or 2019-2020) FAFSA is not accurate anymore.  Is there anything that can be done to reflect my new situation?
A5) You can appeal for more Pell grant funding due to involuntary job loss by submitting a "Professional Judgment" request online at https://dynamicforms.ngwebsolutions.com/casAuthentication.ashx?InstID=ea1a3db4-b0a6-4af8-9c22-c522ab696f18&targetURL=https://dynamicforms.ngwebsolutions.com/ShowForm.aspx?RequestedDynamicFormTemplate=7cd52e45-5bab-4c2a-8192-0ca13110f272.  Please be detailed and attach as much documentation as you can to substantiate how Hurricane Michael affected your employment.

Q6) What should I do if I have other questions?
A6) Please email FA@GulfCoast.edu from your student email account or visit the financial aid office in person with your student ID.

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Federal, State, Institutional and Private

Financial aid is any grant, scholarship, part-time employment opportunity, or student loan that helps you pay for your educationally related expenses (e.g. tuition, fees, books). Financial aid may be provided by federal, state, institutional, or private agencies. 

The Financial Aid office at Gulf Coast State College serves students by providing information and access to financial aid programs. We are committed to high-quality customer service and continually strive to improve the accurate processing of financial aid to students in a fair, consistent, and efficient manner.

For specific questions, please email FA@GULFCOAST.EDU from your official Gulf Coast address or visit the financial aid office in person with your student ID (A#).  If you have a general question then you may call (850) 872-3845.  Please note though that we do not have a phone queue so we often miss phone calls during peak periods since we can only handle one call at a time.  Emailing or visiting us in person are therefore more effective methods for articulating your questions, comments, or concerns.  Our fax number is (850) 873-3523 and our hours of operation are listed at https://www.gulfcoast.edu/hours-operation.html.

Meet the Financial Aid Team

• Sabine Bennett
• Lisa Fritch
• Rowena Gammons
• Yvette Lareaux
• Rebecca Ramsey
• Carolyn Thomas

• Director of Financial Aid

  KRIS HATCHER

  (850) 873-3543

  khatcher1@gulfcoast.edu

•  Coordinator of Financial Aid

  LORAINE CHANCE

  R2T4, PROFESSIONAL JUDGMENTS, & DEPENDENCY OVERRIDES

  (850) 872-3869

  lchance@gulfcoast.edu

• Assistant Coordinator of Financial Aid & The Financial Aid Office's Interpreting Liaison*

  Ursula Backus

  SATISFACTORY ACADEMIC PROGRESS

  (850) 913-3313

  ubackus@gulfcoast.edu

*Financial aid information will be provided to national origin minority persons with limited English language skills in their native language.  Ms. Backus interprets Spanish and will obtain the assistance of other GCSC employees with the skills necessary to interpret financial aid information in other languages.

*Información sobre la asistencia económica para estudiantes se proporcionará a las personas de origen nacional minoritario con conocimientos limitados en inglés, en su lengua nativa. La Señora Backus interpreta español y si es necesario puede obtener la asistencia de otros empleados de GCSC con habilidades para interpretar la información sobre la asistencia económica para estudiantes en otros idiomas.