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How to Apply for Aid
Please note: CIM's application process is online and does NOT involve a separate CIM financial aid application. In submitting the online application to CIM, you have done all you need to begin the financial aid process.
New applicants will be contacted directly via email by the Financial Aid Office in mid December with more information on a student-specific level. No Financial Aid forms for 08-09 are due before February 15, 2008.
In addition to the documents required for admission to CIM, the following are required for consideration for financial aid.
U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). FAFSA's may be filed online at www.fafsa.ed.gov (1-800-433-3243), with CIM school code 003031. After it has been processed, the student will receive the results via the Student Aid Report (SAR). It is very important to promptly review the SAR, especially the comments section, for accuracy. FAFSA's may only be filed after January 1.
The FAFSA is required for financial aid and is required each year, even if you are only applying for CIM Scholarship, with the exception of the Presidential Merit Award.
International applicants must complete the "International Student Declaration and Verification Form" (also sometimes referred to as the "International Student Application"). If you are attending another U.S. college, the U.S. Enrollment Verification Form is also required (see forms section).
If you are admitted to CIM, an Award Letter will accompany your letter of admission. It will list all the aid being offered to you based on your merit and financial need (as determined by the FAFSA or International Student Declaration and Verification Form, as applicable). Admission and Award Letters are mailed around April 1. You will have until May 1 (April 15 for graduate students) to make your decision to attend CIM or elsewhere. Your requirements to confirm your intent to enroll will be detailed in your letter. CIM prepares award letters only for admitted students with complete applications.
08-09 Applicant Financial Aid Timeline
| December 1, 2007 | Deadline to submit online application to CIM for 08-09 academic year. |
| Mid December, 2007 | The CIM Financial Aid Office will email all aid applicants with student specific information about what is expected of the applicant to complete the financial aid process. All international students, even those not seeking aid, will be contacted about their SEVIS/visa and funding documentation requirements. |
| January 1, 2008 | All Admission Office required documents are to be submitted by this date. |
| January/February, 2008 | Audition at CIM. |
| January/early February, 2008 | Register for a federal PIN (needed to do FAFSA later) – see FAFSA tips below. Also collect tax return documents; prepare return if possible. If unable to complete return at this time, you may estimate to meet the February 15, 2008 deadline. |
| February 15, 2008 |
Deadline to submit the FAFSA (U.S. citizens and permanent residents) OR International Student Declaration and Verification Form (international applicants). See FAFSA info at bottom of this page for more FAFSA tips. These forms may NOT be submitted prior to January 1, 2008. The CIM FAFSA school code is 003031. After submitting your FAFSA, be sure to review the Student Aid Report (SAR) that is sent to you (within a few days if filed online). Until you review the SAR, do not assume your FAFSA is complete. |
| April 1, 2008 | Admitted students should receive admission notification and financial aid offer by this date, assuming applicant has completed all required documents by due dates. |
| April 15, 2008 | If any estimated tax data was entered on the FAFSA, make sure to correct those estimates with actual data from the completed tax return, as required by law. Be sure to indicate the tax form is "completed." April 15 is the deadline for graduate students to confirm intent to enroll. To accept your graduate admittance to CIM, sign and return the Intent to Enroll Form including Tuition Deposit information as well as the signed Award Letter and FERPA Form by April 15. |
| May 1, 2008 | May 1 is the deadline for undergraduate students to confirm their intent to enroll. To accept your undergraduate admittance to CIM, sign and return the Intent to Enroll Form including Tuition Deposit information as well as the signed Award Letter and FERPA Form by May 1. Submit any additional required financial aid documents as noted on the Award Letter. |
| Summer | Finish any incomplete aid documents as requested by the Financial Aid Office. If you are the recipient of any outside or private scholarships, be sure to inform the Financial Aid Office (in writing) so they may be included in your aid file, as required. Aid will not be credited (disbursed) to the student tuition account until all required documents are completed. |
If you are returning in the same program next year, the following are due by February 1, each year:
- $100 Tuition Deposit (will be applied to your fall tuition bill)
- Returning Student Financial Aid Renewal Form (see forms section)
The following is due by March 1, each year:
- Renewal FAFSA (US citizens and permanent residents only)
If the above are late, you risk having your CIM Scholarship or other aid reduced, or canceled.
08-09 Returning Student Financial Aid Timeline
| February 1, 2008 | Deadline to submit the $100 Tuition Deposit and CIM Financial Aid Renewal Form. |
| March 1, 2008 | Deadline to submit the Renewal FAFSA (U.S. citizens and permanent residents only. See FAFSA info at bottom of this page for more FAFSA tips. After submitting your FAFSA, be sure to review the Student Aid Report (SAR) that is sent to you (within a few days if filed online). Until you review the SAR, do not assume your FAFSA is complete. |
| April 1, 2008 | Students should receive renewal award letters by this date, assuming all required documents were received by March 1. |
| April 15, 2008 | If any estimated tax data was entered on the FAFSA, make sure to correct those estimates with actual data from the completed tax return, as required by law. Be sure to indicate the tax form is "completed." |
| May 1, 2008 | If you intend to return to CIM, sign and return your Renewal Award Letter. Submit any additional required financial aid documents as noted on the Award Letter. |
| Summer | Finish any incomplete aid documents as requested by the Financial Aid Office. If you are the recipient of any outside or private scholarships, be sure to inform the Financial Aid Office (in writing) so they may be included in your aid file, as required. Aid will not be credited (disbursed) to the student tuition account until all required documents are completed. |
FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) Tips
The FAFSA is required of all undergraduate and graduate students who are U.S. citizens or Permanent Residents. You may submit your FAFSA online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. CIM's school code for the FAFSA is 003031. If you are unable to submit online, paper forms are available at high school guidance offices, college financial aid offices and from CIM, upon request. Keep in mind, the online FAFSA processes in just a few days; paper applications will take several weeks. 08-09 FAFSA's should not be submitted until after January 1, 2008. Any sent prior to January 1 will not be processed or are for the wrong school year.
You do not need to have your 2007 tax return(s) completed to submit your FAFSA! Yes, it is easier to do your FAFSA if your taxes have been prepared first, but it is not required. You may estimate 2007 tax return data so you can get your FAFSA in by the deadline. If you do this, remember you are required by law to submit a FAFSA correction as soon as actual tax data is known. Do not wait until March or April to do your FAFSA just because your tax return is not completed.
Prior to submitting the FAFSA online, you will need a PIN (Personal Identification Number) from the Department of Education. The PIN serves as your electronic signature on the FAFSA. The PIN is applied for at www.pin.ed.gov/PINWebApp. Your PIN will be emailed to you a few days after you apply. Keep this number handy. You may need it later if you need to correct your FAFSA or have federal student loans later. If you lose or forget your PIN, you may reapply, but it will take a few days. Dependent (generally all undergraduate) applicant FAFSA's require a PIN for both the student and one parent.
Do not wait until the deadline date to begin your FAFSA! We record the date your FAFSA is processed. Incomplete or late FAFSA's imply that financial aid is not really a priority to you. Some types of aid are limited and will run out. Priority will be given to those who have met deadlines. If your financial aid offer is a critical factor in deciding where you will attend, it is of the utmost importance that you get your FAFSA and any subsequent paperwork submitted on time.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Simply "submitting" the FAFSA does not always mean you are done. The immediate automatic notice you get, "FAFSA on the Web Submission Confirmation," is not confirmation it was "processed." A few days after submitting the online FAFSA, you will receive an email with your Student Aid Report (SAR) attached. It is VERY IMPORTANT you review the SAR to verify the data was accepted and there is nothing missing to delay the processing. If there are processing errors or your FAFSA is missing signature(s), the SAR will let you know. Once your FAFSA is processed with a calculated number for the EFC (may be zero, but not blank), you have completed that requirement.
Applying to more than 6 schools? You can only select 6 schools to receive your processed FAFSA results. Fill in the school codes for your first 6 choices on the FAFSA as requested. If you have additional schools, you will need to provide the financial aid office at that school with your DRN (Data Release Number) which is found on the upper corner of your Student Aid Report. Schools can access your FAFSA if you provide that number to them. As you eliminate schools from your preferred list, you can remove that school code and replace it with the ones you are still interested in attending.