The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) must be completed each year and sent to the appropriate processing agency in the envelope provided, or you can submit your application electronically by using FAFSA on the web. You may contact the Financial Aid Office for a paper application.

Your eligibility for all forms of federal financial aid, including PELL Grant, Direct Student Loan programs, and Work-Study are determined when you complete the FAFSA. In addition, this form allows you to apply for the Workforce Improvement Grant (grant given by the state of Arkansas).

Our Title IV code is 011948. When you enter this code on the FAFSA, BRTC will automatically receive an electronic version of your processed Student Aid Report (SAR).

When you complete the FAFSA, your eligibility for the Pell Grant is automatically determined.

Many families mistakenly believe they don’t qualify for aid, preventing themselves from receiving aid for which they may be eligible simply because they fail to apply. In addition, there are sources of aid, such as Unsubsidized Direct Loans and Parent Loans for Undergraduate Students (PLUS), available regardless of need. The FAFSA form is free. It does not obligate the student or the parent in any way. There is no reason not to apply.

No. You can apply for financial aid any time after January 1 each year. To be awarded federal aid you must be admitted to a degree-seeking or certificate-seeking program. To receive funds, you must be admitted and enrolled at BRTC.

If you haven’t received a Student Aid Report (SAR), call the Federal processor at 1-800-4FEDAID. You must provide them with your Social Security number and date of birth as verification.

Probably not. The federal aid programs are built on the premise that educating a child is a family responsibility. It is unfortunate that your parents do not support you in this effort. However, the FAFSA gives specific criteria for determining when a student may file for federal aid without using parental income information, and none of the circumstances you mentioned are listed as factors in that determination.

Federal aid may be transferred to any college/university in the United States. If you are transferring in the middle of the school year, you may call (800) 4-FEDAID and request that it be transferred to the college of your choice. You will be asked for your DRN#, which is located on your SAR (Student Aid Report), and the school code, which for BRTC is 011948. The transfer process may also be completed at www.fafsa.ed.gov.

When you submit the FAFSA you should indicate that you are interested in receiving a student loan. If you did not indicate your interest or have changed your mind since you filed, you can contact our office so we can note your aid preferences in your file. Students desiring a loan must make specific requests to the Financial Aid Office.

For both loans, the principal (the original amount a student borrows) is deferred until six months after the student graduates or stops attending school at least half time. As its name implies, a SUBSIDIZED loan is one where the government pays the interest on the loan while the student is in school. An UNSUBSIDIZED loan is one where the government does not pay the interest while the student is in school, that is, the student is responsible for paying the interest.

Yes. You may cancel all or a portion of your loan within ten to fifteen days from the date of the scheduled disbursement date. To cancel a student must contact either the Financial Aid Office or the lender.

How do I know when I will receive my student aid refunds?

PELL grant refunds are issued within 30-45 days after classes begin for a Fall/Spring semester, and for Summer terms it is within the second to third week of class.  LOAN refund dates are posted on this link for each semester financial-aid.  These dates represent when the credit balance is applied to your account and a refund check will be issued to you via mail within 7-10 days from those dates.    ** NOTE — Loans are disbursed in 2 equal disbursements each semester. **

For federal aid refunds (PELL grant & LOANS), an email is sent to your BRTC Student Email account as notification that a refund check has been mailed to you.  It is the students’ responsibility to check his/her student email account on a regular basis.

Students may receive aid disbursements at different times throughout the semester depending on:  when the student applied for aid, if a student is enrolled in 4 weeks classes ( see 4-week8-week-course-information), or if scholarship criteria have specific contingencies before sending BRTC payment.  ** Any questions regarding refunds should be directed to the BRTC FInancial Aid Office at (870) 248-4000. **