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At Your Service

Financial Aid & Scholarships
SRC 143, Main Campus
Tel: 847-214-7360
Fax: 847-608-5460
financialaid@elgin.edu
Hours: M-Th 8 a.m. - 7 p.m.; F 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Closed Fridays June - Aug.

Apply for Financial Aid

Five Easy Steps

  1. Apply for a PIN at www.pin.ed.gov
  2. Complete the FAFSA at www.fafsa.gov
  3. Complete an ECC Institutional Aid Application
  4. The Financial Aid and Scholarships Office may request additional information from you. Please submit requested documents as soon as possible.
  5. An award letter will be sent to you.

Eligibility Requirements

  • Be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen
  • Have a high school diploma, a General Education Development (GED) certificate, or pass the Ability to Benefit (ATB) – Wonderlic test (or the CELSA test for Spanish-speaking students) in the Testing Center
  • Be enrolled in an eligible degree or certificate program
  • Have a valid Social Security number
  • Register with Selective Service, if required
  • Maintain financial aid satisfactory academic progress
  • Not be in default on a federal loan or owe an over-payment of a federal grant.

Enrollment Status

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Some types of financial aid are related to maintaining specific levels of enrollment. The U.S. Department of Education sets federal definitions of enrollment statuses, which supersede school-imposed definitions related to an academic term. Federal aid follows these federal enrollment guidelines in all terms, including summer:

  • Full-time = 12 credit hours or more
  • Three-quarter-time = 9 to 11.5 credit hours
  • Half-time = 6 to 8.5 credit hours
  • Less than half-time = 1 to 5.5 credit hours

Please Note

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ECC federal school code: 001675

FAFSA Priority Filing Deadlines

Filing your FAFSA and all ECC paperwork by these priority dates assures your financial aid package will be completed by the start of the term. You may still file after these dates, but your aid may not be in place before payment is due for the term.

  • Summer term - April 1
  • Fall term - July 1
  • Spring term - November 1

Need help with your FAFSA? Attend a FAFSA Workshop, where financial aid staff will be on hand to guide you through the process. 
Download workshop dates 

Applying for a Federal or State Grant

  1. Apply for a PIN Number
  2. Complete the FAFSA online
  3. Complete the ECC Institutional Aid Application
  4. Receive and review your award letter and enclosed materials.

Applying for a Federal Stafford Student Loan

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  1. Apply for a PIN Number
  2. Complete the FAFSA online
  3. Complete the ECC Institution Aid Application.

New borrowers to ECC must complete the following steps:

  1. Complete, sign and submit a “loan request form” to the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office.
  2. Log on to www.dlenote.ed.gov and “complete new MPN for student loans.”
  3. Log on to www.dl.ed.gov and complete “entrance counseling.”

Returning borrowers to ECC must complete the following step:

  1. Complete, sign and submit a “loan request form” to the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office.

Applying for Student Employment

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All students interested in student employment should contact the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office.

Application for Student Employment