FAQ & Resources

The majority of students qualify for financial aid from the federal government to help cover the cost of their education. Eligibility depends on several factors: having a high school diploma or GED, enrolling or accepted into an approved trade program, and more. Check out this Federal Student Aid Department infographic for a full breakdown of the requirements and see if you qualify!

That depends on the type(s) of financial assistance. The three basic types of financial assistance are – Scholarships, Grants and Loans.

• Scholarships: You do not have to pay back scholarships.
• Federal Grants: If you withdraw early from your training program, or if you received outside scholarships or grants that reduced your
  need for federal aid, then you might have to repay part or all of your federal grants.
• Loans: Loans must be repaid with interest.

Your eligibility for federal loans and grants is determined through a single application. However, some sections may require verification with additional documents. If you’re applying for other types of financial aid, you might need to complete extra forms as well. Our team can assist you and ensure you are prepared to submit any necessary paperwork to maximize your funding opportunities!

No, scholarships and grants are considered gift aid and don’t need to be repaid – they’re here to help fund your education. Federal student aid is also based on eligibility, not credit history.

However, if you’re applying for a Federal Parent PLUS loan or private loans, credit history may play a role.

FAFSA applications may be randomly selected for a process called verification.

If this happens, you’ll need to either use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool within your FAFSA or submit a copy of your tax return for that year. For the quickest results, check with your financial aid advisor to see if you qualify to use the online tool. Unless you’re selected for verification, there’s no need to submit tax documents to the school.

Having a solid tuition plan is essential to securing your spot in class. Completing the FAFSA as soon as you enroll allows us to outline a financial plan and ensure you have the funding needed for your program. Financial aid involves multiple steps, and additional documents may be required. The sooner you submit your FAFSA, the sooner we can determine any extra paperwork needed. Plus, scholarships and grants—also known as ‘Gift Aid’—are often awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.

Completing the process early increases your chances of receiving available aid!

According to the Department of Education, students are considered a dependent for financial aid purposes if the following apply:

• The student is under 24 years old.
• The student is not married.
• The student has no children or dependents.

In most cases, this means a parents’ information will need to be included on the FAFSA. However, this does not make the parent(s) responsible for any loans in the students’ name – it simply helps determine student eligibility for federal grants.

Some unique situations may qualify for an exception (though custody alone is not a qualifier). If circumstances such as abandonment, death, incarceration, or institutionalization apply, the student and Arclabs may be able to appeal to remove the requirement for parental information.

Yes. Parents who are not citizens or do not have a SSN will still be able to fill out the FAFSA. They will enter all zeros as their SSN, and they will need to physically print a signature page, sign and mail the copy to us.

Our Campus addresses can be found on the locations page.

If parents did not file taxes, they will simply indicate that on the FAFSA with “will not file” and answer any additional income questions.

The parent the student lives with or who provides more than 50% of their financial support must include information on the FAFSA. If that parent is remarried, their spouse’s information must also be included.

Depending on the school, some of the financial aid documents can be transferred over from Arclabs. There is no risk or obligation from filling out these forms until you are officially attending Arclabs.