At Southside College of Health Sciences (SCHS) financial aid is available to those who qualify. Many options are available to students who qualify, including Federal Student Aid Grant and Loan programs, Private funding sources, as well as Scholarships.

We are dedicated to providing guidance and assistance to students as they explore their financial aid options. The student and family will work with the Financial Aid Office to develop a financial plan that minimizes obstacles that might prevent students from completing their education and achieving their goals.

No matter what your financial circumstance is or your program of study, all students are encouraged to apply for Financial Aid. Check out the how-to steps below to get started applying for financial aid.

Who Do I Contact if I Have Questions?

The Financial Aid Office is available to provide guidance and assistance to SCHS students as well as prospective students as they navigate their financial aid options. 

Financial Aid Specialist

For SCHS financial aid questions:

H. Page Robbins, MBA
HelenPage_Robbins@bshsi.org
 Phone: 804-765-6746

The Business Office is available to discuss with students their student account records. They provide information that you need in making payments and addressing with you any questions regarding your tuition and fee charges.

Bursar

For SCHS billing, payment, and direct deposit questions:

Meg McCarter
Margaret_McCarter@bshsi.org
Phone: 804-765-5801

Financial Aid Office
430 Clairmont Court, Suite 200 Colonial Heights, VA 23834
Fax: 804-627-5441
bsr-confinancial@bshsi.org

HOW TO APPLY FOR FINANCIAL AID

*All Financial Aid updates are communicated via email.  Please check your email regularly.

Step 1: Apply for an FSA ID.
If you have never completed a FAFSA before you will need to create an FSA ID prior to filling out the FAFSA. Simply click the link in Step 2 and “Start New Form”. You will be prompted to create an account. Creating an FSA ID will enable you to “sign” documents electronically, access your Student Aid Report (SAR) online and make corrections to your FAFSA through the web. If applicable, both the parent and student must each apply for an FSA ID, using separate email addresses. If you have applied for aid in past years, you can reuse your existing FSA ID.

Step 2: Submit the FAFSA.

Complete the FAFSA: https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa

You should file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as soon after October 1st as possible. The FAFSA is used to determine your Student Aid Index (SAI) and your eligibility for federal aid, including federal student loans and the Pell grant. We also use the FAFSA to determine your eligibility for institutional aid.

The FAFSA must be filed for every year the student is in school. A FAFSA requires a signature from the student applicant and if applicable, a parent. To sign the online application, you must use your FSA ID (see Step 1).

There is no fee involved in filing the FAFSA and all families are encouraged to apply regardless of their family circumstances. You will need to indicate the college’s school code on the FAFSA.

FAFSA FAQs

• What is the school code for SCHS?
  • 012744
• Am I a dependent or independent student? An independent student must be one of the following:
  • 24 years old before the date FAFSA specifies
  • Married
  • Have a child and provide at least 50% of the child’s financial support
• What taxes do I use when completing the FAFSA? 
  • Taxes from 2 years prior
    • For example, for the 24-25 academic year you will use 2022 taxes. 
• What is my Grade Level and Degree for the FAFSA? 
  • SCHS students start as Freshman (either option) and will choose associate degree (either option) 
• Am I working on a master’s or doctorate?
  • No

Step 3: Review your FAFSA Submission Summary.
After filing the FAFSA, you will receive a FAFSA Submission Summary (FSS). Correct any mistakes online by logging into your student aid account. When reviewing the FSS it will instruct you to contact the Financial Aid Office if additional information is required from you or your parent.

Step 4: Submit financial aid forms. 
Check your email often!  If the Financial Aid Office needs additional documentation, you will be notified by email.  Follow the instructions in the email and submit all requested documents as soon as possible to avoid delays.

Complete Entrance Counseling and the Master Promissory Note, if applicable.

Entrance Counseling and a Master Promissory Note for Undergraduates are required for Federal Student Loan borrowers. Both can be completed by logging into https://studentaid.gov/ with your FSA ID.  If you have an existing Entrance Counseling session completed for another college, you will need to follow these steps to add our school.  We will not be able to process any federal loans without both the Entrance Counseling and Master Promissory Note being completed.

• Entrance Counseling reviews your rights and responsibilities when borrowing federal student loans.
• The Master Promissory Note is your promise to repay any federal student loans that you borrow.

A FAFSA is required if you are using the BSMH Guild Tuition Benefit, please see the employee page for additional instructions: https://www.schs.edu/bsmh-employees 

Step 5: Less than Maximum Borrowing Options (optional)
Students with a completed FAFSA will be awarded the maximum federal financial aid they are eligible for.   

If you prefer not to borrow maximum federal loans, we also offer the option to borrow only what you need—complete the Request to Borrow Less Than Maximum Federal Student Loans form located on our forms page: https://www.schs.edu/students/financial-aid/forms 

See the Federal Financial Aid Programs page for information on federal loans.

Step 6: Financial Plan Estimate
New students who have completed a FAFSA will receive a personalized Financial Plan Estimate from the Financial Aid Specialist.  This is an estimate of financial aid eligibility for the length of the program and is to be used for planning purposes only.  Continuing students may request a current Financial Plan Estimate at any point during their program by contacting the Financial Aid Specialist.

Step 7: Apply for scholarships. 
You should always maximize the amount of free money you use to pay for college before borrowing loans. 

You can use tools like www.fastweb.com to search for national scholarships.

Visit our Scholarships page for more detailed scholarship information and to view our Scholarship Bulletin Board.

Step 8: Review your award letter.
The Financial Aid Office will determine what aid is available to help meet your demonstrated financial need. The college will aim to meet as much of your need as possible.  The Financial Aid Office will put together a financial aid package.  The aid may come in the form of grants, scholarships, and student loans. You will receive a Review your Awards notification email with instructions for:

• Viewing your informational Award Letter
• Reviewing your Registration Bill
  • Student Portal: My Finances> Account Information>Registration Bill
• Accepting and/or modifying the loans that were offered to you
  • Student Portal: My Financial Aid> Award letter>Review Award Details
  • On this page you can accept, reduce, or zero-out your loans
  • Once everything appears how you want it, select Accept All Awards
• Final review of Registration Bill to see how loans have been applied

Check out our Navigating Campus Nexus page for step-by-step instructions.

If your needs have changed due to illness, unemployment, or some other extenuating circumstance, you can try appealing the award. Make sure to have documentation that supports your request.

Your financial aid package may or may not cover your total financial need. If financial need is not entirely met, this unmet need is called a "gap." This means that other resources must be found in order to meet the full cost of education. In many cases this will mean additional student and parent loans.

Step 9: Apply for additional loans, if necessary.
The Financial Aid Office will include federal student loans on your award letter if you are eligible. If these loans are not listed on your award letter, you still may be eligible to borrow alternative loans.