Summer Semester Financial Aid

Southern State's (SSCC) academic year consists of 3 semesters: Fall, Spring, and Summer. Federal Pell Grant, Federal Direct student loans, and Federal Work-Study employment may be available during the summer semester.

Year-Round Pell

Students may be eligible to receive up to 150% of their Scheduled Pell Grant Award for an award year. The FAFSA Simplification Act made one change to Year-Round Pell. Previously, a Pell Grant-eligible student must have been enrolled at least half-time in a payment period during which they received more than 100% of their scheduled award. The Act removed the half-time enrollment requirement beginning with the 2024-25 award year but made no other changes to the Year-Round Pell provision.

For Summer 2025 semester, students must have a completed 2024/2025 FAFSA on file with SSCC, be meeting the SSCC Financial Aid standards of satisfactory academic progress, and be enrolled in an SSCC degree or certificate program. Students can view their financial aid information on MyRecords.

The Financial Aid Office will automatically award Pell Grants for the Summer semester to qualifying students.

Federal Direct Student Loans

Students can borrow student loan funding if they have not exhausted their annual loan eligibility for the current academic year. Students can review their academic year loan usage on MyRecords.

Annual Subsidized (Sub) and Unsubsidized (Unsub) Loan Limits:

Dependent Student

• Freshman (0-29 Credits earned) up to $5,500 ($3,500 Sub and $2,000 Unsub)
• Sophomore (30+ Credits earned) up to $6,500 ($4,500 Sub and $2,000 Unsub)

Independent Student

• Freshman (0-29 Credits earned) up to $9,500 ($3,500 Sub and $6,000 Unsub)
• Sophomore (30+ Credits earned) up to $10,500 ($4,500 Sub and $6,000 Unsub)

The standard student loan enrollment requirement of 6 credit hours required for a student's academic program applies to the Summer semester. To request loan funding for the Summer, please fill out the summer request form and return to the financial aid office. We will evaluate your loans to determine if you have any eligibility left and send you a summer loan notification letter.

Foundation Scholarship

Sara M. Barrere Memorial Trust Scholarship

Lifelong philanthropist and generous donor to SSCC and other Highland County organizations for years before her death, Sara (Sally) Barrere loved to read and loved to travel. She thoughtfully considered her experience with health care providers as she battled Parkinson's disease late in life. She was often assisted either in home or hospitals by Southern State-trained nurses. Upon her death, she generously established a trust to help Southern State students further their education.

Application