Financial Aid Overview

Overview of the Financial Aid Process

Students must follow the following steps in order to apply for federal financial aid. This does not include applying for scholarships or other types of private financial aid. Chicago-Kent's Office of Financial Aid is available to help you through this process, and provide additional resources such as budgeting components, information on other types of aid, and loan repayment resources. The U.S. Department of Education also provides a website with comprehensive information on student financial aid.

1. FAFSA

Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) anytime after October 1. Chicago-Kent's FAFSA code is E00773. We recommend that you submit the FAFSA online no later than April 1 in order to receive full consideration for financial aid. Some financial aid is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. You can still submit a FAFSA after April 1.

2. Student Aid Report (SAR )

Log into your FAFSA account to check your FAFSA status online and ensure that Chicago-Kent receives your Student Aid Report (SAR). In addition, review the Department of Education's comments on your SAR and make any necessary changes.

3. View and Accept/Decline Your Award

When your financial aid award is finalized and ready for you to view and accept, our office will notify you by an email notification and a paper award letter in the mail. Log into your Access Illinois Tech account and select the myIIT Portal icon to view and accept, modify, or decline the award(s) offered to you. You can request a loan be re-offered to you later in the academic year by emailing our office. The myIIT portal does not allow you to change your status after you have already submitted your selection. View instructions for how to log into Access Illinois Tech.

4. Complete Loan Requirements

If you accept any federal loans, you must complete the corresponding loan requirements. These can be found on the myIIT portal Loan Requirements tab after you accept your loans. You can also find a list of general loan requirements along with the loan terms and conditions on the Financial Aid website.

5. Other Required Documents

Some students are selected by the Department of Education to submit additional documentation. Please log into your myIIT portal account to see any additional required documents that you must submit.

6. Disbursement

All student loan funds are disbursed to a student's tuition account 10 days prior to the start of each term, if a student has completed all requirements in advance. If you have a credit balance in your student account after scholarships, loans, or any outside resources have been credited to your student account, the Student Accounting Office may be processing a refund for you. You can sign up for direct deposit of these funds to your personal bank account on the myIIT portal. Please contact the Student Accounting Office directly for any questions regarding the status of your tuition refund.