Financial Aid Checklist
You must reapply for federal aid each new school year!
Log in to your Financial Aid Portal to check the progress of your financial aid file, access forms, accept/decline aid and find disbursement dates.
All Financial Aid files must be complete by August 1st if students intend to use their aid as payment.
Apply for Admission to Cowley College
- Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The ideal time to apply is October through April.
- Log in to your Financial Aid Portal. Be sure to Accept or Decline all offered aid.
Provide an IRS Federal Tax Return Transcript to the Financial Aid Office. This can be ordered online or you can file a correction to your FAFSA and choose IRS Data Retrieval or complete the paper IRS Form 4506T and mail to the IRS or call a local IRS office to set up an appointment. IRS offices accept appointments only (no walk ins).
Provide an IRS Wage & Income Transcript or copies of W-2’s to the Financial Aid Office (if IRS Data Retrieval was not used). If you do not have your original W-2’s for copies, you may order the Wage & Income Transcript by completing the IRS Form 4506T and mailing it to the IRS.
If a tax return was not filed for the required tax year, complete the IRS Form 4506T to request proof of Non-Filing from the IRS and a Wage & Income Transcript. Mail the 4506T to the IRS.
Students must be enrolled in and attending at least six (6) credit hours at Cowley per semester to receive a Direct Stafford loan. (Summer hours are calculated the same as any other semester. You still will have to have 6 hours at Cowley to be eligible for a loan.)
- Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
- Complete financial aid file, returning all requested documentation to the Financial Aid Office.
- Log in to your Financial Aid Portal. Be sure to Accept or Decline all offered aid.
- Complete the online loan process. You must complete the Entrance Counseling (for sub/unsub Direct Stafford loans) and the Master Promissory Note.
- For Additional Unsubsidized Direct Stafford Funds - Complete the form on your Financial Aid Portal.
You will receive an email delivered to your Cowley student email account when your award offer is available for you to accept or decline online.
If you have not received your award email, check your spam folder since the financial aid office may be a new sender to your account.
Review your online award notification carefully, accepting or declining each award.
You need to complete the online award acceptance within 30 days of receiving it or it may be canceled.
To accept or decline your award:
1. Log in to the Financial Aid Portal
2. Verify that you are in the correct award year. (Located on top bar menu)
3. Click on Menu, read and accept the Terms and Conditions to the Student Responsibility Form.
4. Click on Menu and then on Accept Awards.
5. To accept an award, scroll over and click on status box and change to accept.
6. To decline an award, click on the status box and change to decline.
7. Click submit once award is accepted or declined.
8. First-time borrowers must complete Entrance Counseling and a Master Promissory Note. This information is found on your awards page