Applying for Financial Aid

Applying for financial aid can be completed months before the start of the academic year by completing a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online. FAFSA determines a student's eligibility for assistance. Students must complete a new FAFSA each academic year. The earlier the application is completed, the more opportunities there may be for certain types of financial assistance. The FAFSA application period for the 2024-2025 academic year opens on Oct. 1 and Dec. 31, 2023. The 2023-2024 FAFSA became available on October 1, 2022.

Here are instructions for applying for financial aid:

  1. Create an FSA ID at https://studentaid.gov/fsa-id/create-account/launch
  2. Submit your FAFSA at https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa
    1. The application for the new school year becomes available on October 1 every year. Be sure to complete the correct FAFSA for the academic year you will be attending.
    2. For priority processing, complete the FAFSA by April 1 every year.
    3. Blackhawk’s Federal School Code – 005390
    4. You must complete a new FAFSA each academic year.
  3. Submit any additional documentation requested by the Financial Aid Department. Your financial aid will not be awarded until all requested documentation has been submitted.
  4. After your FAFSA and any additional documentation have been reviewed, the Financial Aid Office will mail you your Financial Aid Award Letter. Review it carefully. If grants are included on your Award Letter, you will not need to take any additional steps to accept your grants. If you would like to accept loans that have been offered to you, follow the instructions included with your Award Letter to do so.
  5. Notify the Financial Aid Department of all other sources of assistance you will be receiving for attending Blackhawk, such as scholarships and tuition assistance from employers. All sources of assistance must be made known to the Financial Aid Department to ensure that your financial aid is awarded correctly.

Students can stop by the Financial Aid Office on Central Campus for assistance. Assistance at other campus locations is available by appointment. Please contact Financial Aid to schedule.

If you have any questions or need help filling out the FAFSA, call the Financial Aid Office at (608) 757-7664 or toll-free at (800) 498-1282 ext. 7664.

Disbursement of Financial Aid

Financial Aid is disbursed to student accounts according to federal and state guidelines and Blackhawk's disbursement schedule. If the combination of grants and loans disbursed to your student account for a semester exceeds the tuition and fees billed for the semester, a refund will be issued to you by Blackhawk's Accounting Office. Visit the college calendar to view disbursement and refund dates.

Book Charge Information

Bookstore charges allow a student to charge their books to their excess financial aid at the Blackhawk Bookstore. Bookstore charges are available from one week before the first day of each semester through the second week of each semester. For more information on bookstore charges, please visit: blackhawk.edu/Paying-for-College/Financial-Aid

Return of Title IV Financial Aid

Federal law states that if you receive Federal Financial Aid and withdraw, drop-out, stop attending or receive failing grades in your classes, you may have to return some Federal Aid that you received. Failure to attend classes may require you to repay 100% of all the aid you received for the classes you did not attend. To view the Return of Title IV policy for Blackhawk Technical College, please go to blackhawk.edu/Paying-for-College/Financial-Aid

Program and Course Eligibility
  • Students must be enrolled in an eligible program to receive federal or state financial aid. Look under “Is my program financial aid eligible?” on https://www.blackhawk.edu/Paying-for-College/Financial-Aid (https://www.blackhawk.edu/Paying-for-College/Financial-Aid%20/) to see if your program is eligible.
  • Only courses that are required for graduation from an eligible program are eligible for federal or state financial aid.
  • Students may only receive financial aid for the first completed retake of a course that they previously completed with a non-failing grade.  A non-failing grade is any grade higher than an F.
  • A student must be enrolled in at least six credits within their declared program of study in a semester to be eligible for Federal Direct Student Loans that semester.
  • Students must begin attendance in each course that counts toward their Pell Grant eligibility. If Pell Grant is received for a course, and it’s subsequently determined that the student did not begin attendance in that course, Blackhawk will return the Pell Grant to the Department of Education, and the student will owe the resulting balance to Blackhawk.
  • The number of credits used to determine grant eligibility is locked for each student on the Financial Aid Census day. The Census day for most students will be the end of the full-semester 80% refund period (See Refund Policy in Registration & Records section of this handbook), although the Census day may vary by program. Students are notified by email when their credits are locked for grant purposes each semester. After Census, grant eligibility will not be adjusted for changes in credit load, unless the student does not begin attendance in a course or courses. Students are not eligible for financial aid for courses in which they don’t begin attendance.
Financial Aid Shared Programs

Shared programs allow students to earn a diploma or degree by completing courses at two schools that combine to satisfy program requirements for graduation at one of the schools. The school issuing the diploma or degree is the home college. The other school is the visiting college. A consortium agreement is a written contract that enables students to pursue a shared program and to take courses at both schools simultaneously. Under such an agreement, a student may receive financial aid at the home college based on credits taken at both schools.

When Blackhawk is the Home College

For credits taken at the visiting college to be included in their financial aid eligibility calculation at Blackhawk, students must complete a Consortium Agreement Request form. Consortium Agreement Request forms are available from the Advising and Financial Aid Departments at Blackhawk. Students must submit a separate form for each semester they take credits at the visiting college.

Financial aid is disbursed according to Blackhawk’s disbursement schedule. After a student’s Blackhawk bill for a semester has been paid in full, excess financial aid, if any, is refunded to the student according to Blackhawk’s refund schedule. Disbursement and refund dates are listed in Blackhawk’s online Events Calendar. Financial aid funds are never sent to the visiting college on a student's behalf. It is the student’s responsibility to pay their bill for courses taken at the visiting college.

When Blackhawk is the Visiting College

Students pursuing a shared program in which Blackhawk is the visiting college must adhere to the home college’s consortium agreement procedures in order for credits taken at Blackhawk to count toward their financial aid eligibility at the home college. Financial aid will not disburse to Blackhawk on their behalf, and students must pay their bill at Blackhawk according to Blackhawk policy.

To ensure that financial aid is not disbursed to both colleges, students in shared programs must notify the Blackhawk Financial Aid Department if Blackhawk is the visiting college. Students who receive financial aid at two colleges for simultaneous enrollment may become ineligible for future financial aid disbursements and be held responsible for the repayment of any ineligible financial aid that was disbursed.

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) for Shared Programs

Students must meet the home college’s SAP standards to remain eligible for financial aid. All courses included in a student’s consortium agreement are used by the home college to calculate the student’s SAP, regardless of at which school the courses are taken.

Important Financial Aid Dates

For information on important dates related to paying for college, such as financial aid disbursement, refund dates, and when financial aid be used for Bookstore purchases, please review Blackhawk’s calendar (https:// www.blackhawk.edu/About/News-Events/Event-Calendar/).

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