Financial Aid

Financial Aid

Hurricane Michael Financial Aid Questions & Answers

Q1) When will disbursements begin again?
A1) We'll begin disbursing financial aid for eligible students with session 'C' classes on November 26^th.

Q2)  Are emergency grants available from the college?
A2)  Yes and please click here to access the corresponding application.

Q3)  If I have financial aid disbursed then can I pick up my check in person?
A3)  The Business Office will take individual check requests into consideration so please contact them at (850) 872-3879 or businessoffice@gulfcoast.edu for further details.

Q4) What happens to my financial aid if I need to drop or withdraw from fall classes due to Hurricane Michael?
A4)  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.  You should consider contacting the office of the Vice President of Student Affairs for information about how to apply for a late drop.

Q5)  Will the SAT & CSS be providing any special considerations for students affected by Hurricane Michael?
A5) Please vist https://pages.collegeboard.org/natural-disasters?affiliateId=cbalert&bannerId=nd&fbclid=IwAR1lT_XTExid-WmhS8ek0LzSU8r5lRPVPcy3Vw9XbJhNo_LIcGVKWwQnVss for information.

Q6) What will the financial aid office’s hours be upon returning to work?
A6)  Please visit http://www.gulfcoast.edu/hours-operation.html for this information.

Q7)  What will happen if I owe a balance and my fall financial aid doesn’t disburse by the October 31st deferment/payment plan (i.e. “emergency loan”) deadline?
A7)  Please contact the Business Office at (850) 872-3879 or businessoffice@gulfcoast.edu for information regarding deferments/payment plans.

Q8) If I have loans in repayment status then is there a way for me to pause my payments?
A8) Potentially but you’ll need to contact your federal student loan servicer to complete the necessary paperwork.  Visithttp://nslds.ed.gov/ if you don’t know who to contact.

Q9) Are there other guidance or sources of assistance?
A9) Yes, the federal government and the state of Florida provide the following assistance:

• 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

Q10) Will I be able to use my financial aid to purchase books for fall session 'C' classes?
A10) The financial aid office has not been informed about what will happen will fall session ‘C’ so we’re not able to discuss book deferments/authorizations for students with those classes yet.

Q11) I received notification from my federal student loan servicer about being withdrawn but I did not withdraw from my classes.  What should I do?
A11) Please email FA@GulfCoast.edu from your student email account or visit the financial aid office in person with your student ID so we can provide you with a deferment.

Q12) 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?
A12) 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.

Q13) What should I do if I have other questions?
A13) Please email FA@GulfCoast.edu from your student email account or visit the financial aid office in person with your student ID.

---

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.