Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC) has course work leading to Bachelor of Science degrees in Aviation Management, Electronics Management, Fire Science Management, Health Care Management, Industrial Technology, and Workforce Education and Development offered on military bases in eighteen states. Similar Off-Campus Cost Recovery Programs are offered at ten offcampus civilian sites. Detailed information on the SIUC programs offered can be found at the Office of Military Programs website.

The Military Programs area of the SIUC Financial Aid Office (FAO) assists students attending an off-campus site with the financial aid programs which may fund their postsecondary education. Financial aid is awarded as grants, scholarships and loans from various federal, state, institutional and private sources. Most off-campus sites have a local SIUC representative who assists students with general financial aid questions and acts as a liaison to the SIUC FAO Military Programs Financial Aid Advisor. At locations where there is no SIUC representative, students should work directly with the Military Program Financial Aid Advisor. The current Military Program Financial Aid Advisor is:

Dee Rotolo
Financial Aid Office
Woody Hall B-312
Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Carbondale, IL 62901-4702

To apply for financial aid at SIUC, students should file a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or a Renewal FAFSA (if the student applied for financial aid the prior year). The FAFSA should be completed as soon as possible after January 1st preceding the academic year, with Southern Illinois University Carbondale (Federal School Code 001758) listed as a school choice.

The Financial Aid Office strongly encourages students to file the FAFSA electronically. The electronic FAFSA/Renewal FAFSA is available at the U.S. Department of Education’s web site (www.fafsa.ed.gov). Filing electronically provides the benefit of built-in edits to improve accurate completion of the application and the processing time is generally one to two weeks faster than filing the paper FAFSA.

Most undergraduate students who applied for financial aid the previous year are provided access to an electronic Renewal FAFSA from the U.S. Department of Education in December. (A paper Renewal FAFSA will be mailed to students who have not provided an email address). Students will receive a Personal Identification Number (PIN) to use in filing electronically. Students and parents of dependent students may also request a PIN at the U.S. Department of Education’s web site (www.pin.ed.gov). The PIN will be e-mailed to the students and can then be used to file an electronic FAFSA or Renewal FAFSA. The PIN serves as an electronic signature, which significantly improves the processing time. A paper signature page must be downloaded, signed and mailed for students or parents who don't have a PIN.

Renewal applicants must review and update all pre-printed and blank items. Income and assets for the applicable year must be provided. Do not leave items blank; indicate a zero when an amount is not applicable. Dependent students must print, sign and mail a signature page that includes at least one parent’s signature, unless the parent also has received a PIN to use in the application process.

Only one application should be completed each year (don't file both a paper and an electronic application). A federal customer service telephone help line is available at 800/433-3243 or 319/337-5665.

A Student Aid Report (SAR) is provided to the student when the financial aid application is processed. The SAR should be reviewed for accuracy and completeness. If the SAR has errors, corrections should be completed, signed, and the SAR submitted to the address indicated for reprocessing, or electronic corrections can be made at the U.S. Department of Education’s FAFSA web site by using the PIN. When a correct SAR is available, the student should contact their local SIUC representative for further processing. A verification packet must be obtained from the local SIUC representative, completed by the student and returned to the local SIUC representative. Once complete and reviewed by the local SIUC representative, the packet will be forwarded to the SIUC Financial Aid Office for processing. Nonreturnable, signed copies of the student’s (and spouse’s, if applicable) federal tax returns and W-2 forms are required to be submitted. Other documentation may also be requested. Based upon the documentation the Financial Aid Office will verify the accuracy of the information on the SAR. Financial aid will not be awarded until all requested information is provided and it has been determined that all the information on the SAR is accurate. An accurate SAR will report an Estimated Family Contribution (EFC) that will be used, along with the student’s estimated expense budget, to determine the types and amount of financial aid that can be awarded.

Once financial aid can be awarded, usually after July 1st, an Award Notification is provided to the student and to the SIUC representative. If a Master Promissory Note is required the Award Notification will include a link to the Direct Loan website for completion of the electronic Master Promissory Note. Aid will be credited to the student’s account no sooner than 10 days before the beginning of the student's term.