General Information

General eligibility requirements are that a student must:

• Be a U.S. citizen or an eligible non-citizen, as defined by the U.S. Department of Education
• Have a valid Social Security Number or Alien Registration Number
• Be admitted as a regular student in an eligible degree/certificate program
• Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress
• Have a high school diploma or recognized equivalent
• Complete the FAFSA

The U.S. Department of Education is the final authority on all federal aid programs. All awards will be based on the most current regulations. The information included in the LCC Financial Aid website is solely for information purposes is not intended to be used as any authority governing any federal aid program.

For more information regarding available federal aid programs, please visit http://studentaid.gov.

To become a legal resident of New Mexico for tuition purposes each of the following requirements must be satisfied:

• A person must physically reside in New Mexico for the twelve consecutive months immediately preceding the term for which the resident classification is requested.
• Only persons who are financially independent may establish residency apart from parents or guardians.  A student cannot be approved for residency who is financially dependent upon his or her parents or legal guardians who are nonresidents of New Mexico. Dependency will be determined according to the 1954 Internal Revenue Service Code, Section 152 and is always based on the previous tax year for residency purposes. If under the age of 23 at the time the student applies for residency, a copy of his/her parents’ or guardians’ 1040 or 1040A U.S. income tax form for the previous tax year is required. If the student is shown to be a dependent on this tax form, he/she will not be considered financially independent or eligible for residency during the current year.
• The student or person must sign a written declaration of intent to relinquish residency in any other state and to establish it in New Mexico.
• Overt acts are required to support evidence of the written declaration of intent to establish permanent residency in New Mexico. Any act considered inconsistent with being a New Mexico resident will cause the request for resident classification to be denied. 

The New Mexico Higher Education Department is the final authority on all state aid programs. All awards will be based on the most current regulations. The information included in the LCC Financial Aid website is solely for information purposes is not intended to be used as any authority governing any state aid program.

For more information regarding available state aid programs, please visit https://hed.nm.gov.

Students selected for Verification by the U.S. Department of Education, will have additional requirements that must be satisfied before their financial aid eligibility can be determined. Notifications will be sent via the student's LCC student email and through the Student Portal. Any delays in the student's response will cause delays in financial aid processing. Students should continuously monitor their LCC student email for updates.

NOTE: If a student is selected for Verification, that student should not make any additional corrections to the FAFSA unless specifically advised by the LCC Financial Aid Office.  If a student makes an unauthorized correction themselves, this could cause delays in the Verification process.

Any necessary corrections will be made by the LCC Financial Aid Office through the Verification process.

If there are any corrections requiring action by a contributor on the FAFSA, we will notify the student directly via their LCC student email.

Any corrections made to the FAFSA may take an additional 5-7 business days to be processed and returned to LCC, if our federal school code (009962) is on the FAFSA.

If you cannot answer “Yes” to the FAFSA dependency questions, you are required to include your parent information; however, if you cannot or should not have contact with your parent due to extenuating circumstances such as abuse or abandonment you may complete an Unusual Circumstance Appeal Form.  Additional information/documentation may also be required.

If your Unusual Circumstance Appeal is approved, the LCC Financial Aid Office may use Professional Judgment to override your dependency status for FAFSA purposes.  Appeals will be evaluated within 60 days from the date the student submits the appeal form and supporting documentation. Incomplete appeals will automatically be denied.

If your family’s financial situation has changed since you completed your FAFSA such as parent losing a job due to business closure or layoff, or a parent has become deceased, or your parents have divorced/separated, you may complete a Special Circumstance Appeal.  If the appeal is approved, the LCC Financial Aid Office may use Professional Judgment to adjust the items reported on the FAFSA to re-evaluate your financial aid eligibility.  You must meet with a Financial Aid Advisor to request the Special Circumstance Appeal Form. Appeals will be evaluated within 60 days from the date the student submits the appeal form and supporting documentation. Incomplete appeals will automatically be denied.

Students can see outstanding requirements in their LCC Student Portal. Each requirement has a link that will either (1) take the student to the required form or (2) provide additional information about what documentation is required.

All required documentation should be scanned and emailed to finaid@luna.edu.

If a student is unable to scan and email their documentation, they may visit the Student Services building to request assistance from a school representative.

The census date is the third Friday of the semester. A student's enrollment on the census date will be locked for financial aid purposes. If a student adds or drops courses prior to the census date, this could affect the student's financial aid eligibility. Financial aid eligibility will be based on the student's enrollment level on the census date. Changes to enrollment after the census date will not affect financial aid eligibility, except total withdrawal. A student's Cost of Attendance will be based on the student's enrollment on the census date.

Students may only receive financial aid twice for the same previously passed course. For this purpose, passed means any grade higher than an "F," regardless of any school or program policy requiring a higher grade. Financial aid will not be calculated for any third or greater attempts for a previously passed course. Repeated coursework can also affect Satisfactory Academic Progress.

COA is a limit to how much federal, state, or institutional financial aid a student may receive. If you are only receiving privately funded awards, you are not limited by COA unless specifically restricted by the awarding agency. COA is also used to determine your financial need based on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

The LCC Financial Aid Office determines COA by reviewing collected data for annual living expenses in San Miguel County, NM. This information is averaged over the number of months in each term.

NOTE: Your financial aid package may be affected if you drop courses prior to the Census Date.

Financial Need is calculated by the COA minus the Student Aid Index (SAI), which is a result of the FAFSA. Financial Need can also be affected by Other Financial Assistance (OFA) including scholarships, grants, or other need-based aid you are receiving. Your Unmet Need is calculated by Financial Need minus OFA.

Why are Financial Need and Unmet Need important?

Some financial aid awards are considered need-based, which means you must have Financial Need to qualify. Some of these awards include Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (FSEOG), SSIG, FWS, and Subsidized Loans.

Federal and state regulations mandate that each student has a Cost of Attendance that accounts for averaged, estimated expenses that any degree-seeking student at the institution may incur as a result of pursuing their education at that institution. These regulations also mandate that a student’s total financial aid package must be limited to the student’s COA. This means that, as you begin to accrue additional financial assistance, you may lose eligibility for existing or new awards to prevent an over-award on your file. This also means that your financial need could be reduced, which could also affect your financial aid.

The Financial Aid Office makes every effort to monitor and adjust your financial aid package to avoid an instance of over-award; however, outside scholarships, third-party payments, and any other financial assistance you may receive cannot be accounted for until funds have been received. This means that if additional funds are received by LCC after the disbursement date for the semester, an adjustment could cause a balance due on your account. The reason you may incur an outstanding balance could be related to an over-awarded refund you may have received. If this rare circumstance should affect you, the Financial Aid Office will contact you directly to notify you of the impact.

Dependent Student

Tuition	$1,224
Fees	$266
Books & Supplies	$464
Housing & Food	$9,317
Transportation	$6,381
Personal Expenses	$5,862
Total Academic Year Cost of Attendance*	$23,514

Independent Student

Tuition	$1,224
Fees	$266
Books & Supplies	$464
Housing & Food	$15,024
Transportation	$8,443
Personal Expenses	$11,940
Total Academic Year Cost of Attendance*	$37,361

*Estimated for Full-Time Enrollment

Dependent Student

Tuition	$1,656
Fees	$266
Books & Supplies	$464
Housing & Food	$9,317
Transportation	$6,381
Personal Expenses	$5,862
Total Academic Year Cost of Attendance*	$23,946

Independent Student

Tuition	$1,656
Fees	$266
Books & Supplies	$464
Housing & Food	$15,024
Transportation	$8,443
Personal Expenses	$11,940
Total Academic Year Cost of Attendance*	$37,793

*Estimated for Full-Time Enrollment

Dependent Student

Tuition	$3,168
Fees	$266
Books & Supplies	$464
Housing & Food	$9,317
Transportation	$6,381
Personal Expenses	$5,862
Total Academic Year Cost of Attendance*	$25,458

Independent Student

Tuition	$3,168
Fees	$266
Books & Supplies	$464
Housing & Food	$15,024
Transportation	$8,443
Personal Expenses	$11,940
Total Academic Year Cost of Attendance*	$39,305

*Estimated for Full-Time Enrollment

Financial aid eligibility is determined by the Financial Aid Office . Once financial aid awards have been determined, a roster of those awards is then submitted to the Fiscal Office for additional review. Once the Fiscal Office has reviewed the disbursement roster, the aid is posted to student accounts. At this time, the Fiscal Office must balance each student account. If there is a credit balance on the student's account, the Fiscal Office will make a check available for the amount of the credit balance.

Financial aid eligibility is determined by the Financial Aid Office  within 1-2 business days after the student has completed their financial aid file. This can be monitored by students in their Luna Student Portal.

The Financial Aid Census Date is the third Friday of the Fall/Spring semester. This is the date that enrollment is locked for financial aid purposes. At this time, the Financial Aid Office sends its initial disbursement roster to the Fiscal Office for further processing.

Student bills must be created by the Fiscal Office. This typically happens on or around the third Friday of the semester. Once tuition/fee charges are no longer pending, the Financial Aid Office can then determine any remaining state aid eligibility. At this time, the Financial Aid Office would send an additional disbursement roster to the Fiscal Office for further processing.

Students may complete their financial aid files at any point during the semester; however, any files completed after the third week of class will likely experience delays in their financial aid disbursements due to other priority processing that takes place throughout the semester.

Financial aid is based on the classes you’re actually taking. But the total amount you receive isn’t locked in until the Census Date (the end of the 3rd Friday of the semester).

Here’s what that means for you:

• You’ll get an award notification in your LCC student email when your aid is calculated or adjusted. You can also see this in the LCC Student Portal.
• If you’re taking classes that start later in the semester (like 2nd 8-week courses), financial aid for those classes won’t be paid out until the class actually begins.
• This can make it look like you were awarded one amount, but only part of it shows up on your student account at first. Don’t worry, once your late-start class begins, the rest of your aid will be released (as long as your enrollment doesn’t change).

Click here to open the Luna Connection - Consumer Information.