STEP 1: Submit a Free Application for Federal Student (FAFSA) to the federal
government online at www.fafsa.gov.

Be sure to list the Merced College school code, 001237, on your FAFSA. Before you  start your FAFSA, apply for a Personal Identification Number (PIN) at www.pin.ed.gov for you and for one parent, if you are a dependent student. You will use the PIN to sign your online FAFSA We have computers in Lesher Room 326 which you can use.

The federal government analyzes and summarizes the information you provide on the FAFSA and creates your Student Aid Report  or SAR. You will receive your SAR via email if you provided an email address or at your physical address if you did not indicate an email address.

Please see the Merced College Financial Aid Handbook

STEP 2: Come into the Merced College Financial Aid Office 1 to 3 weeks after you
submit your FAFSA.

If you have received your letter from the Merced College Financial Aid Department, bring it with you. When you take your letter to the Financial Aid counter, go to Line 1 where you will be given our school's financial aid paperwork (Supplemental Form, Terms of Agreement, Verification Worksheet, etc.) as well as a list of documents you need to bring in when you return to the Financial Aid Office. In order to serve you quickly, please bring the letter you receive from the Merced College Financial Aid Department.

STEP 3: Return to the Financial Aid Counter with all required documents and completed paperwork.

Go to Line 2 where you will speak with an advisor and turn in all financial aid documentation. You should complete this entire financial aid process as soon as possible after you submit your admission application to Merced College. (We usually start accepting students' financial aid information for Fall as early as the previous March.) Do not wait until school starts or you enroll in classes because you may not receive your financial aid at the start of the semester.)

Drug Law Violations
If you have a conviction for a drug offense (you were found guilty), you may be ineligible for federal student aid, however, you might still be eligible for state or institutional aid.

Please use the following worksheet to determine if you are eligible for federal student aid:
2012-2013 Drug Conviction Worksheet

2013-2014 Drug Conviction Worksheet

Please see Merced College's Drug and Alcohol Policy for Institutional Penalties
Drug Free Campus