The best way to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is early, online and without any mistakes. FAFSA_Tips&Mistakes_2014
All posts by Clint Young
Financial Aid Transitions to E-Forms
Starting with the 2014-2015 financial aid award year, NOVA Financial Aid will begin its transition to the use of online forms (E-Forms). These forms will be available via the NOVA Financial Aid Dashboard website and will be directly linked to a student’s MyNOVA “To Do List’ log-in and electronic signatures will be used. The addition of E-Forms will greatly increase the financial aid office’s ability to process FAFSA applications.
Online forms will be presented to students via the Financial Aid Dashboard which will be accessed via the NOVA website and a secure log-in. Once students have logged into the dashboard, they will access their required documents – “To Do List” – as seen in MyNova; forms will be directly linked to E-Form versions, and students will then have the option to complete and submit them via the dashboard. For those forms that are not in the E-form format, students will access the College Forms Library for normal download, completion, and submission.
The most noticeable change will be to the financial aid forms page. This page will now serve as the entry page to the Financial Aid Dashboard, where students can log in and view, complete, and submit requested financial aid forms. In addition, this page will also host video tutorials on how to access and use this system.
Please continue to check the financial aid page of the NOVA website and your NOVA e-mail for updates as this process moves forward. While this change may be a bit unsettling in the beginning, bear in mind that this will greatly improve the financial aid application process and reduce the time it takes for students to view and accept their financial aid awards.
The Financial Aid Shopping Sheet
How does this work? The Virginia Community College System (VCCS) and NOVA Financial Aid have teamed up to roll out the Financial Aid Shopping Sheet for the 2013-2014 award year. The Financial Aid Shopping Sheet (PDF) is a consumer tool developed collaboratively by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Department of Education. The standardized form is designed to simplify the information that prospective students receive about college costs and their financial aid awards so they can easily compare award packages and costs to make informed decisions about where to attend school.
The Shopping Sheet pulls together essential information for the potential student. This includes the specific cost of attendance, a summary of awarded aid, and the FAFSA calculated Expected Family Contribution (EFC). Additionally, the Shopping Sheet includes loan repayment information, institutional loan default rates, and graduation rates. Putting this information in a standardized format will enable students and their families to make the most informed decision about college attendance.
To view your Shopping Sheet, log in to your My NOVA account >VCCS SIS: Student Information Center >Self Service >Student Center; scroll down to Finances >View Financial Aid >financial aid year (2014). Select NOVA Shopping Sheet.
The Financial Aid Support Center
Help Us Help You. The Financial Aid Support Center has been in service for the past ten months and, as of the date of this article, has answered more than 46,000 inquiries. While this is wonderful news, NOVA financial aid is serious about helping students; and to that end, we need your help. The Financial Aid Support Center needs your feedback; tell us how we are helping you as you complete the financial aid process.
You can provide feedback on your support center experience three different ways; the first is via the web-based survey on the support center portal. This seven-question survey allows you, the user, to evaluate the support portal, the embedded knowledge base, the NOVA financial aid staff, and allows you to write in your own comments. This survey has provided some vital information thus far and, with your help, will be an even more effective tool.
The second is via a brief phone survey at the conclusion of your call to the support center. This will allow you to rate the service you received during your call on a scale of one to ten, with ten being the most positive score. This provides us with quick and instant feedback on your phone call experience. The support portal is currently getting about a 40 percent response rate via this feedback tool, and it is our goal to get that response rate to above 60 percent.
The final method for feedback is via an embedded survey in your support center e-mail that summarizes the nature of and response to your ticket. This short survey allows the support center staff to gain valuable insight on your financial aid needs and expectations. An example: via this survey, we have found that 75 percent of respondents have indicated that e-mail is their preferred method of communication. Therefore, the financial aid department is taking steps to increase our effectiveness in reaching students via e-mail.
Customer service is a very serious matter at Northern Virginia Community College. Your feedback is essential to improving the financial aid application experience. The Financial Aid Support Center is your first line of engagement in addressing financial aid concerns; and it is important that we all work together to continue to improve this service.
You got financial aid questions; we’ve got the answers!!
Did you know?
- During the month of December, the Financial Aid Support Center answered over 225 web tickets, 1200 online chats and over 3900 phone calls! This resulted in well over 5,500 successfully answered inquiries!! Call or log on to the Financial Aid Support Center today!!!
Awareness Challenge:
- What have you done to promote the Financial Aid Support Center on your campus or in your office today?
- Here are some suggestions:
- Post/distribute some flyers to students as they transit your office
- Personally tell at least “3” students about the Financial Aid Support Center and how it can help them.
- Make a point to remind at least 10 students to complete the online survey about the Financial Aid Support Center and let them know that their opinion matters to us. NOVA Financial Aid is serious about helping students!!
- Here are some suggestions:
Call for Action!
- Encourage or assist a student to use the “Live Chat” function of the Financial Aid Support Center to get an answer to their financial aid question.
Financial Aid Support Center Awareness Month
Avoid the lines, save some gas, financial aid support is right at your fingertips! NOVA financial aid has designated May as Financial Aid Support Center Awareness Month. Our goal is to make a college-wide push to promote the services available to our students via the Financial Aid Support Center. We are encouraging all our students and financial aid staff to visit the support center, ask questions and complete a survey to tell us about your experience. The Financial Aid Support Center is available 24-hours, 7-days a week and 365 days a year for your financial aid questions or concerns. Log on to the Support Center at: https://mysupport.nvcc.edu and chat with a representative; or call them at: (855) 323-3199.
NOVA Financial Aid is serious about helping students!!
About Us
Our scholarships, grants, loans and work-study opportunities can make your college education more affordable than you ever thought possible. Need-based financial aid is not available to international students, although many students can qualify for loans without demonstrating need. Apply today by filling out the Free Application for Financial Aid (FAFSA) at FAFSA on the web.
Our Mission
NOVA Financial Aid facilitates access to education for NOVA students by providing assistance in all areas of the financial aid process for the purpose of supporting student enrollment, retention and program completion at Northern Virginia Community College.