Financial Aid & Scholarships

Treatment of Potential Fraudulent Financial Aid Applications

After conducting a review of a Financial Aid application, through review of the FAFSA or supplemental documents that accompany the FAFSA, if there is any credible information indicating that the applicant may have engaged in fraud or other criminal misconduct in connection with their application, the Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships will take several steps to address.  The type of information that an institution must refer is that which is relevant to the eligibility of the applicant for Title IV assistance.  Examples of this type of information are:

• False claims of independent student status
• False claims of citizenship
• Use of false identities
• Stolen demographic information including: Name, Social Security Number, Date of birth, etc.
• Forgery of signatures or certifications
• False statements of income

The office will notify the Office of Admissions and Records, Cashier’s Office, Information Technology, and other relevant offices as deemed necessary. The Admissions & Records Office reports the case to the Chancellor’s Office.  The Financial Aid & Scholarships office will also refer these cases to the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Education for investigation.

In addition, any credible information indicating that any employee, third-party servicer, or other agent of the institution that acts in a capacity that involves the administration of the Title IV programs or receipt of funds under those programs, may have engage in fraud, misrepresentation conversion or breach of fiduciary responsibility or other illegal conduct involving the Title programs will also be referred to the Inspector General.  The type of information that an institution must refer is that which is relevant to the eligibility and funding of the institution and its students through the Title IV programs.

Recently, BankMobile notified the institution that as part of our ongoing commitment to fraud prevention and secure account access, they are updating the identity verification process for students by requiring mobile phones and mobile-based One-Time Passcodes (OTP) beginning Friday, August 1, 2025. This change is designed to strengthen security by eliminating the email OTP option, which has proven to be more susceptible to fraud.

What's Changing: 

1. Mobile Phone Required for Refund Selection
   1. Students will now be required to provide a mobile phone number and successfully enter the OTP sent to that mobile number before proceeding with Refund Selection.
      1. If a student indicates that they do not have a mobile phone number or fails to successfully complete the OTP process, they will acknowledge receipt of future refunds by paper check only.
      2. Future refunds for these students will be sent upon receipt of a refund file to the most recent address provided by the institution.
2. Additional Verification for Refund Preference Changes
   1. Following profile completion, if a student wishes to add a new ACH account for deposit, they will be prompted to complete a mobile OTP.
   2. Students can update their mobile number at any time by logging in to their profile; doing so will also require mobile OTP verification.
   3. Once verified, the updated mobile number will be used for future alerts and account security measures. 
3. Self-Serve Mobile Number Change
   1. They are introducing a new self-serve identity verification step when students request to change the mobile number on file. 
   2. When a student is logged in to their Refund Selection profile or BankMobile account and attempts to update their phone number, they will be prompted to complete a short identity verification process. This may include submitting a government-issued ID and/or a selfie to confirm their identity.
   3. Once the verification is complete, the request may take up to 5 business days to process. When the mobile number update is finalized, a confirmation email will be sent to the primary email address on file. 

Please ensure that you take these steps to prevent a delay in receiving your financial aid refund. 

Planning to enroll in Summer 2025 classes? Here's what you need to know about your financial aid eligibility:

Federal Aid: To be considered for federal (such as Pell Grant), students must have a completed 2024–2025 FAFSA or California Dream Act Application (CADAA) on file. Be sure your application is submitted by June 30, 2025.

California College Promise Grant (CCPG): If you're eligible for the CCPG (which waives the cost of enrollment), your eligibility will be determined using your 2025–2026 FAFSA or CADAA. This is because the CCPG for summer is linked to the upcoming academic year.

Annual Pell Award
The Annual Pell Award is the Scheduled Pell Award adjusted for enrollment intensity. The FAFSA
Simplification Act (the Act) changes the way a Scheduled Pell Grant must be reduced for students
enrolled less than full-time. Per the Act, the Pell Grant must be prorated according to the student’s
enrollment intensity rounded to the nearest whole percent.
Enrollment Intensity
Enrollment intensity is the percentage of full-time enrollment at which a student is enrolled, rounded to
the nearest whole percent. For example, if full-time enrollment is 12 credit hours and the student is
enrolled in 7 hours, the enrollment intensity would be 7 ÷ 12 × 100% = 58%.

 

FAFSA

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (opens in new window) (FAFSA) is the first step toward applying and getting federal aid for college, career school, or graduate school. Santa Monica College will use your FAFSA data to determine your eligibility for state and school aid. All students are encouraged to complete and submit a FAFSA by March 2nd of each year.

How to Apply for FAFSA

• Access the FAFSA (opens in new window) to submit your FAFSA application early!
• Create an FSA ID (opens in new window) . This is your federal student number to apply for financial aid.

DREAM ACT (For AB 540/SB 68 Eligible Students)

How to Apply for CA DREAM Act 

1. Submit a DREAM Act Application (opens in new window)  online (SMC School Code: 00128600). Priority Deadline for Cal Grant program is April 3.

2. Submit an AB 540 Affidavit (opens in new window)  to Admissions and Records Office with an official High School Transcript, GED certificate or the equivalent.

3. Apply to SMC today!

       4. Meet with a college counselor to develop an education plan to help you achieve your goals.

CCPG:

Beginning with the 2023-24 academic year, to apply for the CCPG, please complete the FAFSA if you are a U. S. citizen or eligible non-citizen. If you do not meet the citizenship qualification but meet the AB540 (opens in new window)   residency standards, please complete the California Dream Act Application to determine your eligibility. 

STUDENTS ENROLLED IN A BACHELOR'S PROGRAM MUST APPLY FOR THE CCPG FEE WAIVER THROUGH THE FAFSA OR CALIFORNIA DREAM ACT APPLICATION. 

School Codes

• FAFSA: 001286
• CA Dream Act: 00128600

Log in to your SMC Corsair Connect financial aid portal (opens in new window) .

All communication from the Santa Monica College Financial Aid Office will be sent to you via email or posted on your financial aid portal. For example, your estimated award letter will include information about your eligibility for federal and state financial aid, the type of award (California College Promise Grant, Cal Grant, Pell, SEOG, Work Study, etc.) and dollar amounts awarded to you.

*An award is based on the number of units enrolled in each semester and subject to change based on academic standing. See the orientation (opens in new window) page for the breakdown of enrollment.

Note: Students can only receive federal financial aid (grants and loans) from one college at a time.  If you plans to attend two colleges concurrently, you must decide which college you will receive your financial aid assistance from.

Submitting Documents

You can submit most documents through the new paperless system called Corsair eDocs (opens in new window) !

Summer 2025

• June 23, 2025First Day of the Summer Semester
• July 9, 20251st Pell Disbursement*
• August 11, 2025

  Direct Loan Application will be available via E-Docs**

• August 15, 2025Last Day to submit Summer Appeal

*Full disbursement process may take 1-2 weeks from date listed above. Please check Financial Aid Portal on Corsair Connect for a more accurate date.

**This date change will not delay your disbursement date. 

Fall 2025

• September 2, 2025First Day of the Fall Semester
• December 19, 2025Last Day to submit Fall Appeal

** Full disbursement process may take 1-2 weeks from date listed above. Please check Financial Aid Portal on Corsair Connect for a more accurate date.

This online phone system allows you to place yourself in a queue to receive a callback from a Financial Aid staff member.

HOW IT WORKS:

1.  Add yourself to the "line" by clicking on the link below. You will be asked for your name, ID number, and phone number. Please make sure to fill out all information correctly.
2.  We will send you texts to keep you updated of your place in line.
3. Once we are ready for you, we will call you at the number provided.

***The QLess line will close automatically if the wait time exceeds 2-3 hours or the number of available representatives, but you can periodically try again  to access the QLess line. Depending on the current student wait time, we may not be able to reopen for the day.

QLess : Remote drop-in hours (Summer 2025)

• Mondays, Tuesdays & Wednesdays: 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
  
• Thursdays: 9:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
  
• Fridays: 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Join the QLess Line (opens in new window)