What is financial aid?
Financial aid is money in the forms of grants, loans and employment to assist in paying for your college education. The two main types of aid are:
- Merit-Based Aid: Usually a scholarship.
- Need-Based Aid: Awarded to students who can show need according to a formula. The three types of need-based aid are:
- Grants: Gifts that do not have to be paid back. The three types of grants available at ENMU-Ruidoso are Pell Grants, SEOG and NMSIG.
- Loans: Borrowed money that has to be paid back over a period of time, usually after a student leaves school. ENMU participates in the Perkins Loan program, the Stafford Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loan programs and the Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students.
- Work-Study: Money that a student earns by working at a part-time job through the College. Funds used to pay for the major portion of a work-study student’s earnings come from either the Federal Work Study Program or the State of New Mexico Work Study Program.
How is dependency status determined?
You are considered a dependent student for financial aid purposes until you meet one of the following criteria:
- 24 years old or older
- Are an orphan or a ward of the court
- Active duty or veteran of the U. S. Armed Forces
- Have legal dependents other than a spouse who receive more than half their financial support from you
- Are married before the date you complete your FAFSA
- Biological parents are deceased
- Emancipated by the court
- Considered legally homeless
The FAFSA asks for Previous Tax Year Income information. There has been an extreme change of Income in my family. What should I do?
Answer all the questions as asked and mail the FAFSA to the processor. When you receive your Student Aid Report (SAR) in the mail, you should contact Financial Aid and explain your special circumstances. We may be able to assist you. You will need to complete the Special Circumstances form.
What are the credit limits to be eligible to receive financial aid if meeting all other SAP requirements?
The maximum time frame to be eligible to receive financial aid as an Associate-seeking student is 106 attempted credit hours and 196 attempted credit hours as a Bachelor-seeking student.
What are the SAP requirements?
In order for a student to maintain financial aid eligibility, the US Department of Education requires that a student maintains a 2.0 GPA or above with a 67% completion ratio. The completion ratio is calculated by taking the number of earned hours by the number of attempted hours. For example, if a student registered for 12 credit hours their first semester and failed one class then their completion ratio would be 75% or 9 credit hours/12 credit hours since the failed class counts as an attempted hour. Withdrawals also count as attempted hours, but a dropped class will not.
If I do not meet the SAP requirements after the first semester will my financial aid be taken away?
A student will still be eligible to receive financial aid if they do not meet the SAP requirements after the first semester but will be put on Warning. After that, the student will have one semester to meet the SAP requirements before being put on a Denied status where the student will have to complete the petition for reinstatement along with an appeal letter for the Appeals committee to review. At that point, the Appeals committee will decide whether the student’s financial aid eligibility will be reinstated.
How can I accept my loans at ENMU-Ruidoso?
In order for a student to receive their student loans, they will need to complete the Student Loan Request Form. The form can be found on the ENMU-Ruidoso website under Current Students >> Financial Aid. Part 1 of EverFi financial literacy, student loan entrance counseling and the MPN must be completed before the Student Loan Request Form is given to the ENMU-Ruidoso Student Success Center. Also, the student will need to attach the current balance they have of outstanding student loan debt to the Student Loan Request Form.
What do I need to do to be considered for work study at ENMU-Ruidoso?
First, a student needs to be an Associate-seeking student who is enrolled in 3 credit hours minimum. Second, the student must have completed a FAFSA for the current financial aid year. Third, the student needs to complete a Work Study application with the position they want to be considered for along with a resume and cover letter and return that to the Student Success Center. For more information, check with a Student Success Center advocate.
How do I apply for scholarships?
The best place to start when applying for scholarships is to go to the Financial Aid page. The Scholarship Guide will have all information regarding financial aid and scholarships as well as a list of scholarships only offered to ENMU-Ruidoso students. The Scholarship Guide will also have links to the major national scholarship websites. For ENMU-Ruidoso scholarships, a student should review the list of scholarships offered and apply only for those that they meet all the criteria required. Next, they will need to complete the application and return that to the Student Success Center.
What are the requirements to receive the Bridge or Boost scholarships?
In order for a student to be eligible to receive the Bridge scholarship, the student must have enrolled for 12 credit hours at ENMU-Ruidoso the first regular semester after receiving their NM high school diploma or GED. They must have graduated from high school with a minimum of a 2.5 GPA or completed their NM GED with a minimum score of 530 or above. The first regular semester the student must have completed 12 credit hours with a 2.5 GPA or better to receive the Lottery scholarship. Also, the student must have submitted their official transcripts to ENMU-Ruidoso.
In order for a student to be eligible to receive the Boost to Success scholarship, the student must have enrolled in 12 credit hours at ENMU-Ruidoso the first regular semester after receiving their NM high school diploma or GED. The student must have graduated from high school with a minimum of a 2.0 GPA or completed their NM GED with a minimum score of 500 or above. Also, the student must have submitted their official transcripts to ENMU-Ruidoso.
