Paying for College
A college education is one of the major expenses that you will undertake in your lifetime and paying for college requires both planning and preparation. When paying for college, here is what you must consider to better facilitate this process:
You need to understand how much attending college will actually cost. Checking to see if you qualify for in-state tuition, the price of books and supplies, and understanding how many credit hours you can realistically take each semester will help you make informed decisions about your academic journey.
Below is a series of useful tips and strategies to be able to pay for your tuition at SLCC:
Note: Some of the information listed links to external websites and organizations that are not affiliated with SLCC – but provide good insights for prospective and current college students.
Visit Scholarship Universe
Understand your colleges scholarship opportunities offered each semester. Visit Scholarship Universe to find out what scholarship opportunities you can apply for. Login using your MySLCC username and password, answer the eligibility questions, review your matches, and apply by the deadline.
You can pin scholarships you want to apply for at a later time, and you can unmatch with scholarships that you are certain you are not eligible for (it happens!)
Monthly Scholarship List
The SLCC Dream Center creates a monthly list of scholarships that are open to undocumented (with and without DACA), asylum-seeking, TPS, and international students. The scholarships are posted on the Dream Centers Instagram (@slccdreamcenter) and sent out on our monthly Dreamers & Allies newsletter. You can sign up for our newsletter on our Welcome page.
Once you prepare a draft of your scholarship essay, you can submit a request to the Writing & Rhetoric Fellow, Tracy Fraatz, to proofread your written work. We encourage you to take advantage of this service because a stronger essay increases your chances of receiving a scholarship.
Summer Term Classes
If you dont qualify for in-state tuition, you can take SLCC classes during the summer term. All students, regardless of residency status, pay resident tuition and fees during the Summer.
- Review the Tuition and Fee schedule.
- Review the Searchable Course Schedule to determine what is being offered for a specific semester. It provides up-to-the-minute information on every class, including seat availability and waitlist status. The college may cancel classes due to insufficient enrollment or other extenuating circumstances. Students enrolled in cancelled classes will receive notice of the cancellation to their Bruinmail.
Tuition Payment Plan
All students are welcome to participate in the Tuition Payment Plan program as a way to spread their tuition payments throughout the semester. The Tuition Payment Plan does not reduce your financial obligation to the College, but it does offer an alternative to making a single large tuition payment. There is a $30 application fee to participate in Tuition Payment Plan.
To enroll, click on the SLCCPay+ button located on the dashboard of your MySLCC account after you have registered for classes.
FAFSA for Eligible Applicants
While undocumented students (with and without DACA) are not eligible to apply for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), there are several immigrant populations that are able to submit an application to be considered for funding. You qualify to apply for the FAFSA, if you have been granted the following:
- You are an U.S. National (includes natives of American Samoa or Swains Island)
- U.S. Permanent Resident with a form I-551, I-151, or I-551C
- Or you have an Arrival-Departure Record (I-94) from U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS) showing:
- Refugee
- Asylum Granted
- Cuban-Haitian Entrant
- Conditional Entrant (valid only if issued before April 1, 1980),
The official U.S. government website to apply for free is fafsa.gov and studentaid.gov. You should never be charged to apply.
Schedule a virtual/in-person appointment for help on completing the FAFSA here.
FAFSA for U.S. Citizens With Undocumented Parents
If you are a U.S. citizen but one or both of your parents are undocumented, you can still apply for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Your parents citizenship status doesnt affect your eligibility for aid.
- If your parents don't have Social Security Numbers (SSNs), they must enter all zeros (000-00-000) when prompted on the application. Do not enter an Individual Taxpayer Number (ITIN) in the SSNs field.
- If your parents have filed taxes for the requested year, they must enter the requested information manually.
- A physical copy of the signature page will have to be printed and signed by a parent, before submitting it to the Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships (OFAS) or the SLCC Dream Center. Applicants can still submit the FAFSA application, but will have to follow up with the OFAS after the Department of Education has received the signature page to ensure that it is processed.
- Funding is limited and is first-come, first-served! The FAFSA form must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. CT on June 30 to be considered for the next aid year (occurs every year). Additional documentation may be required.
If you are having issues with any of the above steps, feel free to reach out to the Dream Center to make an appointment for 1-on-1 support.
Financial Literacy
The financial aid office at Salt Lake Community has teamed up with Inceptia to provide financial education via their online program, Financial Avenue. Financial Avenue provides many different courses such as:
- Psychology of Money
- Foundations of Money
- College and Money
- FAFSA
- Loan Guidance
- Earning Money
- Credit and Protecting Your Money
- Spending and Borrowing
- Debt and Repayment
- Future of Your Money
For more information and to access these online courses, visit the Financial Literacy webpage.
The National Endowment for Financial Education published 40 money management tips every college student should know. This educational brochure provides important considerations on topics like applying for the FAFSA, understanding student loans, budgeting, setting financial goals and many more. Although not all the information may be applicable, we think many of the tips shared are crucial for students to learn, regardless of their status or what they have access to.
In addition, there are resources that are tailored to the financial needs of immigrant communities:
- For example, Immigrant Rising has a Making Money series that explains how immigrants can generate an income by building their own businesses and working for themselves. They host an income generation webinar series that explains how to build your own business.
- Immigrant Rising also has a Credit and Financial Capital Guide about how to build credit and how to access financial capital for yourself and your business.
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