Financing Your Future

www.lander.edu/finaid

Lander University provides students with a comprehensive array of funds from federal, state and institutional sources. Funds are distributed based on criteria defined by the donors. Types of aid include grants, scholarships, work and loans. Loans must be applied for each year and repaid according to the terms of each loan. Some grants and scholarships are renewed automatically if you meet the criteria, which usually means completing a certain number of credit hours with a certain GPA each year. Federal and state funds require students to maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). Students lose eligibility once they reach the maximum time frame of 187 attempted hours for an undergraduate degree. Transfer students must have all transcripts evaluated before financial aid eligibility can be calculated or risk having to repay any funds obtained prior to the official determination of eligibility.

During the fall of your senior year, apply for admission and submit your transcript and test scores to Lander. Institutional scholarships are awarded based on high school credentials and a completed application for admission. Make sure your admission application is complete by December of your senior year.

How does the financial aid process work?

Visit the Financial Aid website at www.lander.edu/finaid for details and links to other resources, such as free scholarship searches and the S.C. Commission on Higher Education for HOPE/LIFE/Palmetto Fellows scholarships. You may also visit us in Lander’s Marion P. Carnell Learning Center, e-mail the Financial Aid Office at finaid@lander.edu, or call 864-388-8340.

Maximizing your potential for financial aid begins with your performance in high school. Several grants and scholarships rely exclusively on high school grades, rank in class and/or ACT/SAT scores. Take the ACT and/or SAT prior to your senior year. You may want to take the tests more than once.

You and one parent/guardian must obtain a PIN (Personal Identification Number) from the U.S. Department of Education at www.pin.ed.gov. You can apply for PINs at any time but make sure you apply no later than January of your senior year. With your PIN, you can apply for financial aid using the Free Appli­­ cation for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at www.fafsa.ed.gov. You must reapply every year, no earlier than Jan. 1 but before March 1, to meet the priority deadline.

How can I get more information?

Financial Aid Calendar Sophomore/junior year of high school

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Take ACT and/or SAT Research scholarship sources and deadlines

Senior year of high school (Sep/Oct/Nov)

n Apply for admission (financial aid applications cannot be processed without degree program acceptance)

Senior year of high school (Dec/Jan)

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Senior year of high school (Jan/Feb)

Complete FAFSA at www.fafsa.ed.gov Both student and parent must sign FAFSA using PINs from above (priority deadline is March 1)

Spring/summer of senior year of high school

n Check Bearcat Web account weekly; respond quickly to requests for information n Order/purchase computer n Complete entrance counseling and Master Promissory Notes (MPNs)

Aug/Sept

Apply for a PIN at www.pin.ed.gov

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Pay balance due to Lander (www.lander.edu/goto/businessoffice)

Maj. Cory Plowden Biology Graduate, ’99 2011 Young Alumnus of the Year Lander’s Alumni Association presents the Young Alumni of the Year Award to alumni who have graduated within the last 15 years and serve their communities in exemplary ways. U.S. Army Major Cory Plowden, whose 18-year military career includes service in the South Carolina National Guard, received a biology degree from Lander in 1999 and completed the university’s Army ROTC program, which named him the Distinguished Military Graduate of the Highlander Battalion’s Bearcat Company. He considers his ROTC training and experiences at Lander to be very influential in his military career. Plowden was commissioned into the Medical Service Corps after graduation and he went on to earn a master’s degree in health care administration. A veteran of two tours in Iraq, he has earned several decorations for distinguished military service, including the Bronze Star, two Meritorious Service Medals, the Army Achievement Medal, three Army Commendation Medals, the Iraqi Campaign Medal, the National Defense Service Medal and more. 33