1. Achieving the Dream Leader College recognizes an institution’s impact in the effort to improve student success and eliminate achievement gaps nationwide. Financial Aid Navigating ACES

2. Presented by: Alamo Colleges Student Financial Aid

3. Welcome to the Navigating ACES Presentation The purpose of this tutorial is to guide students through the general login process & provide an overview of financial aid information available in the ACES portal. Topics of discussion will include Gaining an understanding of what ACES is What financial aid information does ACES provide How to Navigate Using ACES as a destination point for financial aid updates Let’s get started

4. What is ACES? The Alamo Colleges Educational Services (ACES) is a self service online portal which allows students to perform a variety of functions related to their educational pursuits. Students can also monitor the status of their financial aid applications including outstanding financial aid requirements & award details. What Services does ACES provide? Students can check their ACES e-mail, monitor application status, check awards and billing. When will access to my ACES account be provided? Once the Apply Texas Application is processed you will receive an e-mail providing instructions on how to login to your ACES.

5. What financial aid information does ACES provides? Has your FAFSA been received Messages from the Financial Aid office Requirements you must satisfy Status of all documents submitted SAP (Satisfactory Academic Progress) status Award amounts Billing and refund information Let’s login to ACES

6. Logging into ACES 1. Go to www.alamo.edu www.alamo.ed 2. Click on the login to ACES tab 3. And then ACES login link.

7. If you have your User Name and Password enter them here and login. If experience any technical problems with the ACES login contact your college’s Helpdesk If you need to obtain your Username and Password click here.

8. To obtain your Username & Password enter you last name and last four of your social security number & click submit

9. The information in the red box will instruct you how to login with your default user name. The blue box will display your user name. RDINERO711

10. ACES Homepage 1. This is you ACES e-mail. Be sure to monitor your ACES e-mail for all official communication from the Alamo Colleges. 2. Click on the My Page tab to begin looking at your financial aid information.

11. ACES My Page The ACES My Page is designed to display registration and financial aid information on one screen. 1. Here is where you will see all of your requirements in addition to the status of any documents you submit. 2. This will show you the status of your documents. A green check indicates the requirement is satisfied and the red flag Indicates the requirement needs to be met or you have submitted the document and it is pending review.

12. Clicking on certain requirements will link you to either an external website to locate information you will need to complete the requirement or a link in the Financial Aid website.

13. Also note at any time you access a screen from your MyPage, your Banner ID will be in the top right corner. Why is your Banner ID important? 900123456

14. Your messages link from My Page will provide more detailed information for each requirement such as the status, date the document was submitted or updated, and links with further instructions.

15. By clicking on Progress, you will be able to see both you current and past SAP (Satisfactory Academic Progress) status

16. Your SAP status will be displayed in the red box. Remember, to maintain eligibility You will need to meet the following criteria each semester: 2.0 GPA 67% Completion Rate Not exceed 99 hours of coursework

17. To view your overall status, click on Financial Aid Status

18. This will display a snapshot of your entire ACES financial aid activity. Let’s click on Awarded and then Account Summary

19. By clicking on Awarded this will bring you to your Award Package. It’s important to view the General Information

20. The Terms and Conditions tab will provide information on your financial aid awards. To see your actual award, click on Award Overview.

21. The Award Overview page will list all of your award totals and how much you will receive for both Fall and Spring. Remember, if you have an award posted your classes will not be dropped and your funds will credit 10 days before classes begin.

22. Your Account Summary lists all charges for each semester including payments and awards. Keep in mind you will not see your award credit into your account until 10 days before classes begin.

23. Once your funds credit your tuition will be deducted and any remaining funds posted to an AlamoCash Card. In the event you have a remaining balance, you’ll need to resolve those charges or risk being dropped from your classes.

24. Credits posted on ACES by Sunday will load to ALAMOCash Cards on Thursday by 5:00pm A financial aid credit to your account in ACES is indication of eligibility to receive funds as payment of tuition and fees Once credited to your account, the Alamo Colleges must request the funds from the Department of Education to pay a Pell Grant, FSEOG, or Direct Loan. This multi-day process can be impacted by weekends and holidays Upon receipt, funds are immediately sent to Acceluraid and transferred to your ALAMOCash Card. Cards are mailed to the address on file with the Admissions Office and in your ACES account

25. Common FAQ’s Q. Is the ACES My Page complete? While the ACES system is complete and provides up to date student data, the My Page is in the first phase of development. Additional changes will be occurring for the 2013 -14 Year. Q. When do students receive their ACES login? After the Alamo Colleges receives the Apply Texas, an e-mail will be sent to your personal e-mail detailing where you can login or obtain your username & password in addition to other information regarding My Map. Q. What Financial Aid ACES resources are available? Students can find tutorials on the Financial Aid website under the Check Your ACES link that can assist with locating information. All tutorials are currently being updated for the 2013-14 year. Q. How often should students check their ACES? This depends on the student’s status. Students should check their ACES for messages and/or e-mails weekly. If the student is submitting documents, consider the processing time. If the processing time is 8 weeks, the student should allow at least 3-4 weeks before beginning to check their ACES account.