Financial Aid and Veteran Services assistance is available via email at fin_aid@swic.edu

• Forms can be mailed to Financial Aid, Southwestern Illinois College, 2500 Carlyle Ave, Belleville, IL 62221.
• Financial aid awarding, document processing, and disbursements will continue. 
• Students also are encouraged to monitor their student email and eSTORM account for updates.

A little inspiration goes a long way…

“The best way to predict your future is to create it.” —Abraham Lincoln

Announcements

Upcoming Events and Workshops

The Personal Advocate Linking Services (PALS) and Financial Aid Awareness programs link students to resources on- and off-campus in a variety of areas with special emphasis on applying for financial aid, responsible borrowing, avoiding bad debt, and paying back student loans. Other initiatives include an emphasis on general student responsibilities, financial aid, eSTORM, and email.

News Flash

What’s new for the FSA ID:  Text Messaging as an Option for Account Recovery

The Department of Education added a Short Message Service (SMS)/text messaging as an option for FSA ID users when performing the following actions:

• Resetting a forgotten password
• Retrieving a forgotten username
• Unlocking an account

This new feature, which users can add to their account when creating or updating their FSA ID, will maintain the security of the FSA ID while providing an additional self-service channel. Users who have forgotten their username or password, or who have an FSA ID account that is locked, may request that a secure code be texted to their mobile phone. The user enters the secure code on the FSA ID website and may then continue with the process to reset their password, retrieve their username, or unlock their account.

Current FAFSA

The Department of Education recommends students complete the 2022-23 Free Application for Federal Student Aid as early in the year as possible after Oct. 1 each year. Early processing may qualify students for state funding in addition to the award of any federal funds. Income estimates from 2020 will be used to process the FAFSA to meet state deadline requirements.

New FAFSA

For the upcoming 2023-24 financial aid application, the Department of Education recommends students complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid as early in the year as possible after Oct 1. each year. Early processing may qualify students for state funding in addition to the award of any federal funds. Income estimates from 2021 will be used to process the FAFSA to meet state deadline requirements.

PALS Services

PALS supports and encourages all students’ endeavors toward academic and career success. Our Personal Advocates offer services at all campuses, Belleville, Granite City, Red Bud, and the East St. Louis Community College Center (ESLCCC). We support all students through successful transition into college. We also encourage on-going support to current students for completion of personal and academic goals. We do this by:

• Providing FAFSA assistance
• Identifying needs to remove any barriers that might prevent successful enrollment through awareness of services and encouraging utilization of these services.
• Provide linkages to resources and opportunities on campus and in the community.
  
• Provide peer mentoring and support to all students.
• Provide FAFSA (Day) workshops throughout the semester on campus, and nightly at various times throughout the term at district high schools.

Hours and Contact Information

Upcoming Workshops:

Sam Wolf Granite City Campus

Room 413
618-797-7347
866-942-SWIC (7942), ext. 7347 (in Illinois)

PALS General Contact Information

Email: fin_aid@swic.edu

Toll-free phone number: 866-942-SWIC (7942), ext. 5558

FAFSA Help

Find out what documents you need for Federal Student Aid.