Metropolitan College of New York
financial aid at mcny

How To Apply for Financial Aid

Click here to download "The 6 Easy Steps to Apply for Financial Aid" or get the more detailed instructions below...

Obtain your Personal Identification Number (PIN)
We strongly recommend that you complete your FAFSA online, and before you begin that process you will need to obtain a Federal Personal Identification Number (PIN).

You can apply for a PIN at the Department of Education's PIN site, www.pin.ed.gov, by selecting '‘PIN Request and Information'’ followed by '‘Apply for PIN'’.

The PIN serves as your identifier to let you access your personal information in various U.S. Department of Education systems. It's like the Personal Identification Number that you get from your bank that enables you to access your account. Because your PIN serves as your electronic signature, you should not give it to anyone. Once you are assigned a PIN, you can go online and change it to something that is easy for you to remember.

It should take 7-10 days for you to receive your PIN (giving your email address will reduce the turnaround time for a PIN# to 3 days). Once you have a PIN# then you can get begin!

FAFSA
Applying for financial aid is free, and the application you will use is called the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

  • Call us at 1-212-343-1234 ext. 5004 for an appointment to file your FAFSA with a trained Student Financial Services Representative on campus using our high-speed Internet connection.
  • Or, if you would like to do this on your own, go to www.fafsa.ed.gov site (If you prefer, you can complete your FAFSA in Spanish.)
    Note: Forms are available in MCNY’s Office of Student Financial Services. However the online option is much faster and more accurate and we highly recommend using it.

Required Documents:

  • Your Financial Information
    You will need records of income earned in the year prior to when you will start school. This will include:
    • Your W-2 Forms and other records of money earned
    • Your (and your spouse's, if you are married) Federal Income Tax Return - IRS Form 1040, 1040A, 1040EZ, 1040Telefile, foreign tax return, or tax return for Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia
    • Your untaxed income records - Social Security, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, welfare, or veterans benefits records
    • Your bank statements
    • Your Social Security number, alien registration number, and/or driver's license number
    • Your business and investment mortgage information, business and farm records, stock, bond, and other investment
  • Your Parents’ Financial Information
    Even if your parents are not planning to contribute towards your tuition, if you are classified as a dependent student, their income information will be required for completing the FAFSA. You are considered dependent if you are unmarried, under 24 years of age, have no financial dependents, are not an orphan or a ward of the court, nor a Veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces.
    • Your parents' prior year Federal Income Tax Return as well as all the items identified above, for your parents (i.e. W-2 Forms, untaxed income records, bank statements, etc.)

MCNY’s FAFSA School code is #009769
The U.S. Department of Education assigns a number called a Federal School Code to each school that is qualified to receive and disburse federal financial aid. By including MCNY’s school code in your application, you allow us to have electronic access to your FAFSA application data, so that we can calculate your federal financial aid package.

Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) for NYS Residents
New York State residents who are completing the FAFSA online, will also want to apply for the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) at the same time. The New York State TAP program covers tuition costs only at New York State colleges and schools. At the FAFSA on the web confirmation page, you will see a section entitled "New York State Residents". Click on that link for TAP. Please note that if you do not access this link before completing your FAFSA, you might have to complete the TAP form manually and this can take several weeks. For more information and step-by-step instructions on how to apply for TAP, log onto www.hesc.com.

  • The MCNY undergraduate code for your TAP application is 1099
  • The MCNY graduate code for your TAP application is 5425

Note: Be sure to “Submit” your application before you log off.

Requirements to receive aid from Federal programs
To receive Federal student aid, you must:

  • Be a citizen or eligible non-citizen of the United States with a valid Social Security Number. (International Students are not eligible for most grants, scholarships and loans). Click here for additional information.
  • Have a high school diploma or a General Education Development (GED) certificate or pass an approved "ability to benefit" test;
  • Enroll in an eligible program as a regular student seeking a degree or certificate;
  • Register (or have registered) for Selective Service, if you are a male between the ages of 18-25; and
  • Meet any additional financial aid eligibility requirements

Your Student Aid Report (SAR)
One to four weeks after completing your FAFSA, you will receive your Student Aid Report (SAR). After processing your FAFSA, the Department of Education will forward you a copy of your Student Aid Report (SAR) to you either through email or regular mail, and will also send copies to the schools you list on your FAFSA.

Your SAR will summarize the information you report on your FAFSA. Your SAR will contain comments that will alert you if further information is required to process your FAFSA. Please check this information carefully to make sure it is accurate. If all the information on your SAR is correct, you do not need to return it.

If there is information in your SAR which is not accurate, you will need to access your information online and correct it. Your SAR will tell you how to correct the information. You then will receive a new SAR which you should review.

Your financial aid is released only after your application for aid is approved. An error in the application that goes uncorrected could lead to a delay in aid being posted to your account, or worse, to receiving no aid at all. Remember, you are responsible for paying your tuition and fees.

Your Financial Aid Package
Our MCNY Office of Student Financial Services packages each student according to the amount of grant in aid awarded, state aid after the TAP verification arrives, Federal Pell Grant, limited FSEOG (Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant) and the type of loan(s) the student may be eligible for. Some Federal Work-study funds might be part of that package, as well as possible scholarship funds.

MCNY's Office of Financial Aid sends out award letters to students who have completed all the necessary forms when the actual award is credited to the student's account.

Transferring Aid from another College
If you have been attending another college and wish to transfer to MCNY, you can have your aid transferred by taking the following steps:

  • Completing the transfer admissions process (have your previous college send an official transcript) and submitting all other required documents.
  • Filing a College Enrollment Change Form in our Office of Student Financial Services, or write to HESC, 99 Washington Ave., Albany, NY 11255 to inform them that you wish to transfer to MCNY. Be sure to include your name, Social Security number, our college code (1099- undergraduate, 5425 - graduate) and the semester you are enrolling at MCNY.
  • If you received grants and/or other types of financial aid at your previous school, call 1-800-433-3243 and request that the information be released to MCNY by giving the FAFSA code: 009769
  • If you did not receive financial aid, but you are interested, click here to start the process.

International Students
There is very little financial aid for international students to study in the US. Most grants, scholarships, and loans from public and private sources are restricted to US citizens.

MCNY is working with lending institutions to provide supplemental educational financial assistance for students from around the world.

International Students may be eligible for Merit Scholarships as well as private bank loans if they have a U.S. citizen as a co-signer.

More information for International Students seeking financial aid can be found at www.edupass.org or contact MCNY's Office of Student Financial Services .

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  • Mailing Address MCNY (431 Canal Street New York, NY 10013)
  • Phone Number  (800) 33 THINK | 212 343 1234