Tuition at the Tooele Technical College is among the lowest in the state at only $2.00 per hour for adult students. High School students attend Tooele Tech tuition-free. However, if you do not have the means to make tuition and fee payments, College staff can refer you to federal, state and private organizations which may be able to assist with the cost of your training.
FAFSA
Tooele Tech participates in Federal Financial Aid and offers Pell Grants for 17 of its programs (programs 600 hours and greater). The first place to start is to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid or FAFSA. For FAFSA links, instructions and helpful videos click here.
You can find more information on the Leave of Absence, Return of Title IV and Satisfactory Academic Progress policies on the Financial Aid Policy web page.
Dependency Overrides
Students who cannot answer yes to any of the dependency questions on the FAFSA can submit an appeal to the financial aid office requesting that they be declared independent. If granted, eligibility for federal aid is then based solely on the student’s income.
To have an appeal approved, there must be extenuating circumstances which prevent the student from providing parental information on the FAFSA. To have the independent status carried forward into subsequent academic years, the student must submit a letter requesting that it be renewed.
Dependency overrides can only be granted if an extenuating circumstance exists.
In reviewing appeals, the Financial Aid Coordinator is looking for evidence that it is not reasonable to expect the student to seek out information from their parents because it would be unsafe, unhealthy, or the parents are inaccessible.
Examples of extenuating circumstances include:
- Physical or sexual abuse
- Abandonment by both parents
- History of neglect due to parental alcohol or drug abuse
- Incarceration of the custodial parent
- Other circumstances which prevent the student from having contact with the parents
A parent’s refusal to provide information on the FAFSA, or the fact that a student is self-supporting, in and of themselves, are not reasons for which a dependency override can be granted.
Professional Judgement
Professional Judgment refers to the school’s authority to make adjustments, on a case-by-case basis, to information reported on the FAFSA, so that the Department of Education can recalculate the Expected Family Contribution (EFC). The EFC is the number that the school uses to determine if a student is eligible for need based financial aid.
Please Note: The school does not have the authority to make direct adjustments to the EFC or to the formula used to calculate the EFC, just data elements on the FAFSA which may change the EFC.
The professional judgment process is an extensive process that requires a thorough review by the Financial Aid Coordinator to determine what, if any changes, may be appropriate based on your FAFSA application. It is a time intensive process that includes the following steps:
- If a Professional Judgment is requested, the student will be institutionally selected for Verification (if not previously selected). Be aware that during the Verification process, corrections to your FAFSA may be required which can result in a change to a student’s aid eligibility.
- The file will then be reviewed to determine if all required documentation has been submitted. If additional documentation is required, the student will be notified by email.
- The Office of Scholarship and Financial Aid will determine if a student’s Professional Judgment request meets the criteria to make data element changes to their FAFSA.
- If approved, appropriate changes will be made to the student’s FAFSA and submitted to the Department of Education. The Department of Education will then recalculate the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) and the student’s eligibility for need based aid. The student will be notified by email.
- If denied, the student will be notified by email.
In many cases, an adjustment does not increase the student’s eligibility for grants or the total amount of aid awarded. Be aware that if a student receives Federal Pell Grant, it may be reduced or lost because it is based on the original EFC.
Special circumstances are anything that differentiates the family’s finances from those of other families. Below are examples to include, but not limited to, reasons to submit a professional judgment request:
- changes in a family’s reported income
- death or disability of a wage earner
- separation/divorce of the student’s parents
- unusually high childcare or dependent care expenses
- changes to dependency status
- unusually high medical or dental expenses
- parent(s) enrolled in college at least half-time in a degree seeking program
Verification
When completing the FAFSA, students may be selected for a process called “Verification” by the U.S. Department of Education. This process requires Tooele Tech to verify the information provided on your FAFSA with financial documents you must provide to our office. The required documents will be requested once Tooele Tech receives your FAFSA and may include, but are not limited to, a signed copy of your federal tax return transcript(s) and the Verification Worksheet. If you are a dependent student, you will also be required to submit a copy of your parents’ signed federal tax return transcript(s). You may be asked to submit other documents as needed to complete the verification process.
Your Student Aid Report (SAR) will inform you if you are selected for verification. If there are discrepancies between the information provided on the FAFSA and your financial documents, you will need to make electronic corrections to your FAFSA data. Important note: Tooele Tech will not proceed with your aid application until all required documents are returned and the verification process is complete. Any correction(s) made to your FAFSA may cause changes to your financial aid account including award amounts.
Tooele Tech is required by the Department of Education to complete the verification process for any student selected. You cannot receive any federal financial aid until the process is complete. Please assist us in completing this process as soon as possible so that your financial aid will not be delayed.
Scholarships and Additional Funding Opportunities
Tooele Tech has compiled a list of funding opportunities to assist you in your education. Some of these opportunities include: national and local scholarships, private student loans options, etc.
Click here for more information.
Referring Agencies and Organizations
Tooele Tech works closely with several government agencies and private organizations to help individuals obtain the training they need to qualify for employment. Some of those organizations include the Department of Workforce Services (DWS), Vocational Rehabilitation, Deseret Industries and the WIOA Youth Program. You may wish to work with one or more of these organizations directly as you arrange financing for your training program at Tooele Tech. Contact Student Services for more information.
Veterans
Training programs offered by Tooele Tech are approved for veterans. The student services assistants can help answer questions about programs and offerings.
The Veteran Services Coordinator is the certifying agent, and can be reached at 435-248-1844. To determine your eligibility, students should contact the Veterans Administration Office at www.gibill.va.gov or 1-888-GIBILL-1 OR 1-888-442-4551. The Veteran Services Coordinator can assist with working through the process.
The College fully complies with Executive Order 13607 – Establishing Principles of Excellence for Educational Institutions Serving Service Members, Veterans, Spouses, and Other Family members.
For more information:
- Call Joe Mena at (435) 248-1844
- Visit our office at 88 South Tooele Blvd., Tooele
- Click the link to our Veteran Services page