Gordon Cooper Technology Center is approved to offer the following federal Title IV financial aid to those who qualify:

•             FEDERAL PELL GRANT
•             OKLAHOMA TUITION AID GRANT (OTAG)-Deadline March 1, 2012
•             FEDERAL WORK STUDY (work on campus for minimum wage)

Note:   Gordon Cooper Technology Center does NOT participate in either the Federal Family Education Loan programs or the Direct Loan programs.  Students will not be able to obtain student loans from a bank to attend here.

Students who are enrolled as full-time or half time students in accredited* Career Majors, which are at least 600 clock hours in length, may apply for Title IV aid.  (*A Career Major must be accredited for Title IV aid by the Oklahoma Board of Career and Technology Education.)  To be eligible for Title IV federal financial aid, you must have a high school diploma or GED or provide an academic transcript to prove you were home schooled.

1^st step apply for a PIN Number-www.pin.ed.gov (If you have never applied for FAFSA on-line before.)  
Keep your pin for future use. If you are required to include your parents’ income, one of your parents will also need a pin number, as that represents the electronic signature.

2^nd step fill out 2012-2013 FAFSA on the internet-www.fafsa.gov

3^rd  Use IRS Data Retrieval Tool

4^th If you have No access to a computer:

You will need to call the U.S. Department of Education by calling toll-free 1-800-4FEDAID (1-800-433-3243).  Ask them to mail you a 2012-2013 paper FAFSA to your home address.  (The US Dept. of Education will no longer send paper FAFSAs to schools).

You may wish to fill out the enclosed 2012-2013 FAFSA-on-the-WEB Worksheet before you go on-line to fill out your FAFSA.  The 2012-2013 FAFSA will be based on your and your family’s 2011 income (both taxed and untaxed).  It would be helpful to have a copy of your (and your spouse’s or parents’) 2011 federal tax forms (1040, 1040A, or 1040EZ and W-2s) in front of you when you fill out the FAFSA-on-the Web Worksheet.

THE FINANCIAL AID CODE FOR GORDON COOPER TECHNOLOGY CENTER IS:    009968.

You will need to enter the data on line at www.fafsa.gov.  Be sure you click on the 2012-2013 FAFSA year.  If you do not have a computer or have no access to a computer, you may inquire at your local library or at the Education Enhancement Center at Gordon Cooper Technology Center to use a computer to send your FAFSA-on-the-Web.

You are encouraged to print a copy of your 2012-2013 FAFSA information before you submit it and to also print the confirmation page after you have submitted your FAFSA-on-the-Web.

Approximately 3 weeks after the FAFSA is submitted on-line, you will receive to your email address, a Student Aid Report (SAR).  If you do not have an email address, the (Yellow) SAR will be mailed to your home address.  That is your copy to keep.  If you entered Gordon Cooper Technology Center’s financial aid code on your FAFSA, the school will also receive a copy of the report.  Your copy (and only your copy) will have a DRN number.  If you should want to transfer schools, you may do so by using that DRN number.

After you are enrolled in an eligible course, you will receive an award letter from Gordon Cooper Technology Center stating the amounts of financial aid (Pell and, possibly, OTAG) for which you are eligible or a letter stating that you are not eligible and listing other financial aid sources that may be available to you.  Award letters are usually sent out by the first part of August.

If you are paying tuition/fees out of your federal Pell grant, tuition for each semester will be taken out of each disbursement.  If you wish to purchase books/supplies or have other costs taken out of your Pell grant, we will need your permission in writing.  Book Vouchers are available in the Financial Aid Office to use in the GCTC Bookstore.  If there is money left over after tuition and books have been paid, the money will be disbursed to the student to be used for school-related expenses (such as gasoline to get back and forth to school and living expenses).  Eligible students who apply for aid before enrollment will usually receive half their Pell grant money toward the end of the first 9-weeks of training.

If an agency will be paying your tuition, fees, etc., it is your responsibility to bring a letter from that agency to the financial aid office.

Application for OTAG is automatic with the FAFSA or FAFSA-on-the-Web if you indicate that you have resided in Oklahoma for more than a year prior to January 2012, and you indicate any Oklahoma Career Tech or college in section 5 (where you enter the federal school codes).  The deadline for state aid (OTAG) is March 1, 2012 for best consideration.

You may apply for Federal Work Study (FWS) by asking for an FWS application in the Student Services Center or the Financial Aid Office.  Openings occur throughout the school year and all eligible applications will be reviewed when openings occur. 

Veterans Educational Benefits for those who qualify through VA and are enrolled in an eligible program (not all full-time career majors are eligible).  The VA’s toll-free number is 1-888-442-4551.

Tribal Grants and Awards – Check with your local tribal education office

WIA – Check with The Oklahoma Workforce Office in your county.

Vocational Rehabilitation – Contact the Rehabilitative Services office in your county

Physician Manpower Nursing Student Assistance Program – LPN students who have been accepted into our LPN program will be given a scholarship application.

Information about our Title IV-accredited career majors and the gainful employment statistics for our former students can be found on our school website under the “About” tab at:   www.gctech.edu or at this Gainful Employment link.

Gordon Cooper Technology Center, in compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, age, gender, disability or veteran status in any of its policies, practices or procedures.  These equal opportunity provisions include, but are not limited to, admissions, employment, financial aid and student services.  Carol Valentine and Donna Stone are compliance officers.