To apply for a Federal Stafford Loan you must first have your eligibility determined for federal grants. You begin by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online at
www.fafsa.ed.gov. You and your parents (dependent students) will both need to first apply for a federal Personal ID Number (PIN). You may link to the PIN web site from the FAFSA web site. After you apply, El Camino College will receive your data electronically in about seven days and that begins your process for applying. You will receive a letter from the Financial Aid Office outlining what documents we need and what problems the federal government may have with your application. You should review our letter as well as the comments produced by the federal government with your online application. When you apply online, you get your results immediately and should verify your data and correct any problems to get a "head start" on your process. Once you have turned in the requested documents, your file is processed first come, first served based on our deadlines published on the financial aid website. The Financial Aid Office will send you an award letter notifying you about what grants you are eligible for based on your application data. You may view your award letter as well as the documents that we request on web services also known as the portal. At that time, you may request and submit a Federal Stafford Loan Packet. Please read the information carefully as all loans must be repaid to the lenders or federal government. The Financial Aid Office considers a loan a last resort funding option. Federal, state, institutional and private grants are available for students. Please review our website at
www.elcamino.edu for more detailed information.
