Financial Aid FAQs

Financial aid is made available to assist students and families in meeting the costs of a post-secondary education. If you believe you will need assistance in meeting those costs, you should apply for financial aid. You can apply online at www.studentaid.gov or dream.csac.ca.gov (For California AB540 students)

To be eligible for both federal and state aid, a student must be a U.S. citizen or an eligible non citizen. For financial aid purpose, an eligible non citizen is one of the following:

• a U.S. permanent resident who has an Alien Registration Receipt Card (I-551)
• a conditional permanent resident (I-551C); or
• a non citizen with an Arrival-Departure record (I-94) from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services with one of the following designations—“Refugee,” “Asylum Granted,” “Parole,” or “Cuban-Haitian Entrant.”

Students who are residing in the United States with an F-1 or F-2 student visa or a G series visa are not eligible for federal or state financial aid.

To receive financial aid you must apply for it. The biggest mistake students make is not to apply because they don’t think they’ll qualify. To apply for federal, state and college financial aid programs, you need to complete the FAFSA and for the Cal Grant program you must submit a GPA verification form by September 2 or March 2. You may also be requested to submit additional documents such as tax returns to complete your financial aid file. Please respond immediately to all requests made by the financial aid office.

While it is recommended that you complete your tax return prior to filling out your FAFSA, it is not essential. You can fill out the FAFSA using estimated information from your W-2. Any large discrepancies between your FAFSA and your tax return may have a large impact on any preliminary financial aid award you receive.

If you have to drop a class it may affect your eligibility for financial aid for the current term or future terms. Review the information on your college’s enrollment requirements and satisfactory academic progress standards and check with the financial aid office to ensure you aren’t jeopardizing your financial aid eligibility. If you have to drop out or withdraw from college, you may be expected to repay a portion of the financial aid that was disbursed for that term. If you withdraw, some of the funds paid to the college for your fees, tuition, or other charges may be refundable. If you received financial aid, refunds must first be returned to the financial aid programs according to federal regulations and other program guidelines. Check with the college about procedures for withdrawing or taking a leave of absence and be sure to consult with the financial aid office about refunds, repayments of financial aid funds, and your future eligibility to enroll and receive financial aid funds.

Your eligibility for financial aid is based on your enrollment and making satisfactory academic progress towards degree or certificate. If you don’t attend classes, you probably will not receive a passing grade. Failure to complete course work or document an effort to do so (e.g., participating in classes or completing assignments and exams) can result in the determination that you were not in fact enrolled and therefore not entitled to receive financial aid. All financial aid would need to be returned and you might be subject to charges for fees, tuition, and other amounts due the college. Besides facing these financial obligations, your academic records and ability to return to the college could be adversely impacted.

Most financial aid is money that doesn’t have to be repaid. Grants, part-time employment and scholarships make up a large portion of annual aid received by students at most colleges or universities. If you apply early, chances are that a significant amount of your financial need can be met with aid that doesn’t have to be repaid.

You don’t have to be a full-time student to receive financial aid. At California community colleges, there is no unit requirement for enrollment fee waivers through the California College Promise Grant. To receive assistance from the state and federal programs, you can take as few as six units and still qualify for financial aid.

Effective July 1, 2012, students who do not have a high school diploma or a recognized equivalent (e.g., GED), or do not meet the home school requirements, will not be eligible to receive Federal student aid. Students may qualify for Federal student aid if the student was enrolled in a federal student aid eligible program prior to July 1, 2012 and completed 6 units of  college coursework applicable towards a degree or certificate. Additionally, as an Eligible Career Pathway Program (ECPP) institution, designated adult education students working on an eligible college degree or certificate alongside their high school diploma who have completed 6 units of college level coursework can receive financial aid. Please contact the Adult Education Office at your home college.

There may be a chance you will be eligible to receive an Enrollment Fee Waiver. You need to first fill out a FAFSA or Dream Act Application in order for the financial aid department to determine whether or not you are eligible. You also need to be a California resident to be eligible.

Yes. You may qualify for Federal Student Aid programs (i.e., Pell Grant, SEOG, Work Study, etc.).

No. You can apply for financial aid any time after January 1. To actually receive funds, however, you must be admitted and enrolled first.

Yes. You need to apply for financial aid every year.