Financial Aid Updates
Financial Aid Updates
This page provides the latest updates on financial aid processing for the 2026-27 award year. Information about your specific account is in your financial aid portal.
Fall 2026
Disbursement/Refund
Disbursements to student accounts for Fall begin approximately the third week of September. You can find this on the Financial Aid Disbursement page.
Every file is different, and some require additional steps for payment. Not all of your awards will pay at the same time. Each aid program has its own requirements and approval process. If one of your awards has already paid and another has not, that does not mean something is wrong with your file.
A few things to know while you wait:
- Attendance must be marked in your classes for your aid to disburse.
- A "Paid" status in the Financial Aid Portal means your aid is in final processing.
- Once an award is marked "Paid," allow an additional 3-5 business days for your refund to be sent to Bank Mobile.
About the "Scheduled" dates in your Financial Aid Portal
When you view awards on your account, you may see a scheduled disbursement date listed next to each one. That date reflects internal processing scheduling. It is not the date that funds will be released to you. Please disregard this date and refer to the information above regarding disbursement timing.
Loan Amount Reductions
Due to new federal regulations, students who are enrolled in fewer than 12 credit hours (less than full-time) should expect their loan amounts to be reduced after the last day to drop/add courses. See our student loans page for more information.
The college highly recommends that all students, including those whose loans may be reduced, complete the SF General Scholarship Application.
Critical Fall Financial Aid Dates
| Event | Date and Time |
|---|---|
| Fees due for Fall and Fall A terms | Monday, August 10th by 10 p.m. |
| Fall Classes Begin | Monday, August 17th |
| Last day of book charging | Monday, August 24th (Online orders by 6 p.m.) |
| Last day to drop/add courses for Fall and Fall A terms | Monday, August 24th |
Book charging
Book charging lets you use your available financial aid to buy textbooks, rentals, and supplies at the Santa Fe College Bookstore before your aid pays out. If you have enough available aid after tuition and fees, a Bookstore Line of Credit (BLOC) is set up for you. Once you receive an eSantaFe notification that your BLOC is ready, you can make your academic purchases online or in person at the bookstore with a valid photo ID.
Getting your aid in place
- Submit your 2026-27 FAFSA as soon as possible at studentaid.gov. The priority date is July 27. If the college receives your processed FAFSA by then, you have the best chance of being awarded before fall fees are due, though awarding takes longer if your FAFSA is selected for verification or additional documents are needed.
- Watch your financial aid portal. After the U.S. Department of Education processes your FAFSA and sends it to Santa Fe College, any requested documents appear there. Submit them quickly so your aid can be finalized.
- Review your financial aid offer. Once everything is in, your federal award package appears in your financial aid portal, including your Pell Grant offer (if you qualify) and any loan offers. If no awards show, contact the Financial Aid Office and we'll review your account. Common causes include an SAI above the Pell threshold, a prior degree, not meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress, or missing prior-school transcripts.
- Expect state and institutional aid later than federal aid. Bright Futures, other state aid, and institutional scholarships are awarded on their own timeline. Confirm Santa Fe College is selected as your school at floridastudentfinancialaid.org, and submit the institutional scholarship application when it's available.
Important financial aid changes for 2026-27
Several federal changes take effect for 2026-27, including new provisions from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. A few may affect your FAFSA or your aid offer.
Required loan reductions for students not enrolled full-time. Federal loan offers will be reduced for students enrolled less than full-time, scaled to match your credit load. For example, a student enrolled in 6 credits might be offered roughly half the annual loan amount that a full-time student would receive. Six credits remains the minimum to be eligible for any federal loan. Final federal rules on how these reductions are calculated haven't been published, so this page will be updated once guidance is released.
Pell Grant and cost of attendance. If your grants and scholarships (not counting Pell or loans) already cover your full cost of attendance, you won't be eligible for a Pell Grant on top of that aid.
SAI cutoff for Pell Grants. Students with a Student Aid Index of $14,790 or higher are no longer eligible for a Pell Grant. In previous years, some students with an SAI above this threshold may have received a minimum Pell Grant award.
Parent PLUS Loan limits. New federal caps limit Parent PLUS Loan borrowing to $20,000 per year and $65,000 total per student. Students with a federal loan disbursement before July 1, 2026, in their current program may continue borrowing under the previous rules for up to three more academic years or until program completion, whichever comes first. Changing programs or transferring can end this grandfathered protection.