Financing education is a primary concern during a student's CIA career. The following information will help students to understand the eligibility requirements and where to find more information.
Continued Aid Eligibility
Students must reapply for financial aid each school year by filing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA is available online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. The CIA's federal code is 007304. Students selected for verification will be asked to provide additional information to the Student Financial and Registration Services (SFRS) Office such as official IRS transcripts of the federal tax returns. Incoming students will automatically be considered for CIA merit-based aid through the admissions process.
The CIA has a FAFSA priority deadline of January 1. Students who file by this date will be processed first and given priority for institutional and federal campus-based funds. Students also need to make satisfactory academic progress, as determined by the registrar, in order for aid to continue. If make-up course work is required before starting a new semester, financial aid will not be awarded for the new semester until the course work has been completed and the registrar determines the student's eligibility to start the new semester. There is no federal, state, or CIA aid offered for the costs of making up courses.
Student Eligibility Responsibility
To be eligible for federal or state financial aid, students must not owe repayment on a federal or state grant or be in default on any guaranteed/federally insured student loan. Also, students must be making satisfactory progress in the academic program (see Satisfactory Academic Progress in the Financial Aid section of the CIA Academic Catalog).
Aid Suspension Due to Drug Conviction
The Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, suspends aid eligibility for students who have been convicted under federal or state law of the sale or possession of drugs, if the offense occurred during a period of enrollment for which the student was receiving federal student aid. If students have a conviction for this offense, call the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-433-3243 or go to www.fafsa.ed.gov and click "Before Beginning a FAFSA" in the left column, and submit the Student Aid Eligibility Worksheet to find out how this law applies.
If students have lost their federal student aid eligibility because of drug conviction, they can regain eligibility if they successfully complete a qualified drug rehabilitation program or pass two unannounced drug tests administered by such a program. Students may also regain their eligibility if their conviction is reversed, set aside, or removed from their record so that fewer than two convictions for sale, or three convictions for possession, remain on their record.
Financial Aid Programs
For more information about federal, state, and CIA aid, including award descriptions, please refer to the Financial Aid section of the CIA Academic Catalog.
Grants and Scholarships for Enrolled Students
Throughout the year, many organizations generously offer scholarship assistance to students enrolled at the CIA. More than $4 million was awarded in donated scholarship funds last year.
Criteria and application procedures vary, and are listed on the $HEF site at ciachef.academicworks.com. CIA students are encouraged to check this site often to learn of possible new scholarship opportunities that become available throughout the year.
See also CIA Financial Aid and Scholarships in the CIA Academic Catalog.
How Need is Determined
When students file their FAFSA, the U.S. Department of Education determines their expected family contribution (EFC). Need is calculated by subtracting their EFC from the cost of attendance (COA).