Access Missouri Financial Assistance Program

This is a need-based program designed to provide a simplified financial aid process, provide predictable, portable awards, and increase access to your school of choice. Your eligibility is determined by your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) as calculated through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Beginning with the 2007-2008 academic year, the Access Missouri program replaced the Charles Gallagher Student Financial Assistance and Missouri College Guarantee programs.

Am I eligible?

To be eligible for assistance you must meet the following requirements.

Initial Students

Renewal Students

Have a FAFSA on file by April 1, 2009. Have any FAFSA corrections made by July 31, 2009 (if you are eligible, you may add school choices until September 30, 2009 by contacting the MDHE). Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident and a Missouri resident. Be an undergraduate student enrolled full time at a participating Missouri school. (Students with disabilities who are enrolled in at least six credit hours may be considered to be enrolled full time.) Have an EFC of $12,000 or less.* Not be pursuing a degree or certificate in theology or divinity. Not have received your first bachelor's degree, completed the required hours for a bachelor's degree, or completed 150 semester credit hours.

Continue to meet the eligibility requirements for initial students. Maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 2.5 and otherwise maintain satisfactory academic progress as defined by your school. Not have received an Access Missouri award for a maximum of five semesters at a 2-year school or 10 semesters at any combination of 2-year or 4-year schools, whichever occurs first.**

*If you have an EFC of $12,000 or less you are eligible for at least the minimum award. If sufficient funding is available, you may be eligible if your EFC is higher. For the 2009-2010 academic year, only students with an EFC of $12,000 or less are eligible.

**If you received Charles Gallagher or Missouri College Guarantee awards in past semesters, those semesters are counted in the 10 semester limit, along with any semester in which you receive an Access Missouri award.

How much can I receive?

Award amounts are based on your EFC and the type of school you are attending when you receive the award. If you transfer to a different school, your award amount may change based on the type of school to which you transfer.

If you are eligible for A+ tuition reimbursement, your award will be reduced by the amount of the reimbursement. Award amounts may also be reduced if your total aid package, excluding educational loans and aid based solely on academic performance, exceeds your school's cost of attendance.

Awards are not available during summer terms.

The table below displays the minimum and maximum annual awards for each institutional type as established by the Missouri legislature in the statute. Maximum award amounts may be less than those shown in the table depending on the amount of funding that is available for the program.

Public 2-Year		Public 4-Year and Linn State Technical College		Private
Maximum	Minimum	Maximum	Minimum	Maximum	Minimum
$1,000	$300	$2,150	$1,000	$4,600	$2,000

Access Missouri awards are funded by the state and federal governments, as well as a philanthropic entity. The award you receive may be funded by one or a combination of these sources. Specifically, these sources are:

• State general revenue,
• Federal Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership (LEAP) Program (funded by the federal government),
• Federal Special Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership (SLEAP) Program (funded by the federal government), and
• Purdy Scholarship funds.
  

How can I apply?

There is no paper Access Missouri application to fill out. Submit your FAFSA by April 1 each year. The MDHE receives electronic FAFSA records for Missouri residents directly from the federal government.

How will I know if I am eligible?

The MDHE does not provide notice to students of eligibility. However, you will be notified if you provided conflicting information on your FAFSA that needs to be corrected before July 31 in order to be considered for an award. It is very important that you accurately report information concerning your residency, citizenship and undergraduate or graduate status when completing or correcting the FAFSA.

Final eligibility is determined by the school you are attending, usually in late August for the fall semester and mid-January for the spring semester. Contact your school or the MDHE for your eligibility status.

How will I receive my award?

Each semester the institution you are attending will certify your eligibility. The certification process occurs electronically in real-time. Institutions typically certify eligibility at the beginning of each semester, although they can do so through the end of the semester.

If your institution certifies you are eligible, the MDHE will disburse your award within 3-5 business days of the certification. Your institution will then deliver it to you. Delivery timeframes can vary from institution to institution.

How do I renew my award?

You may renew the Access Missouri award annually. To renew you must reapply and have your eligibility re-evaluated each year. This means that if you fail to file a new FAFSA by the deadline or your EFC increases to a point above the eligibility cutoff, you may no longer be eligible for an Access Missouri award even though you received one in the previous year.

If you are denied an Access Missouri award for not maintaining satisfactory academic progress or a 2.5 CGPA, you cannot receive another award until the enrollment period after you have once again met those requirements. Your school?s satisfactory academic progress policy will determine how often your progress is checked.

If, while you are receiving an Access Missouri award, you are found guilty of or plead guilty to any criminal offense that disqualifies you from receiving Title IV aid, you cannot renew your Access Missouri award.

How do I transfer my award?

You may transfer your eligibility to any participating school. If you choose to transfer to a different participating Missouri school, either between academic years or semesters, you must contact the MDHE at (800) 473-6757, option 4.

To transfer your award between semesters you must have been paid in the preceding fall semester or the school you are transferring to must have been on file with the MDHE by the September 30 deadline for addition of school choices.