Receiving Your Financial Aid

  • When your FAFSA has been completely processed by the Financial Aid Office, your awards will be visible in GIZMO.
  • Accept your awards through GIZMO by clicking on “Account Info” and then “Accept/Decline Aid”. Be sure to read through all the supplied information regarding your awards.
  • If you have accepted loans, complete the necessary loan steps. If you do not complete your loan steps, you will not receive your loan money. See the Loan Instruction attachment to your Award Letter email, or view the form under our Forms tab.
  • Your awards are based on full-time enrollment. Your financial aid will be adjusted after the 20th day of the semester (after the drop-period for classes) to the correct number of hours you are enrolled in. 12+ hours is full-time, 9-11 hours is three-quarter time, and 6-8 hours is half-time. If you have dropped below or are enrolled in less than six hours, you will not receive any aid.
  • After the 20th day, your financial aid will be transmitted to the Business Office. They will take out what is due for your current semester charges. Any excess will be released to you on the designated disbursement dates. Please see the “Important Dates” tab for more information.
  • If you have not submitted all your required documentation to the Financial Aid Office by the deadline (see the “Important Dates” tab), you may not receive funds on the first disbursement date.
  • If you have late-starting classes, you will not receive any aid for those classes until after they have been certified. This date is already set before the class starts and will not change even if your class ends earlier than expected. Please contact the Financial Aid Office for their aid eligibility dates.
  • If you have been awarded for only one semester (usually due to a Degree Appeal, SAP Appeal or transfer) then your loans will be split into two different disbursements within the semester. Please see the “Important Dates” tab for more information.
  • Cosmetology students should contact the Financial Aid Office about their specific disbursement dates; or they may refer to the Award Letter email.
  • Any excess of aid will be disbursed to you on your FSCC Hound Card or on a designated checking account. No paper checks will be handed out or mailed by the Business Office. To get your Hound Card, stop by the Student Services Office. Activate your card by calling the 1-800 number on the back. To designate a checking account, log in to your GIZMO, click on “Account Info” and then “Direct Deposit Setup”, and fill out the required information.
  • Any questions about your charges and/or refund should be directed to the Business Office at 620-223-2700, ext. 5090 or 5120.
Contact Information