APPLYING FOR FINANCIAL AID
 

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Financial Aid

Financial Aid Application Timeline

Independent Status

Notification and Award Decisions

Awards Disbursements

 

 

To receive financial aid at BCCC, a student must:

• Be enrolled in an eligible program.
• Have a high school diploma or GED certificate.
• Be a US citizen or eligible non-citizen.
• Be making satisfactory progress in the course of study.
• Not be in default on an educational loan or owe a refund on a federal grant.
• Be registered with the Selective Service (if required).

To be considered for all need-based aid, including institutionally administered scholarships, students must complete the Free Application For Federal Student Aid.  Because of the time involved in processing applications, a student must have a completed student aid file in the Financial Aid Office by August 1 to be assured of receiving financial aid by the beginning of Fall Semester. Awards for students starting in the spring, require a completed file by December 1.

Students must reapply for financial aid each academic year.  Applications for next year may be completed beginning January 1.

Students may apply for federal student aid by completing the Free Application For Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on the internet.

Financial Aid Application Timeline

 Independent Status

To be classified as an independent student, a student must meet one of the following requirements:

·        You are at least 24 years old on January 1^st preceding the academic year;

·         A veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces.  A veteran is a former member of the Armed Forces who served on active duty, or National Guardsman or Reserve enlistee who was called to active duty for purposes other than training, or was a cadet or midshipman at one of the service academies, and was released under a condition other than dishonorable discharge.  Former National Guardsmen or Reservists that have not engaged in active duty are not considered veterans;

·         Married;

·         A student with legal dependents other than a spouse. If you have a child who receives more than half of his or her support from you, you may count the child

·         A graduate or professional student;

·         A ward of the court, or both your parents are deceased and you don't have an adoptive parent or legal guardian;

 

Notification of Award Decisions

Students are notified of award decisions for the academic year in the spring (usually April).  Your award letter is based on full-time enrollment, but the actual award will be reduced proportionately if you attend less than full-time.  Actual award amounts are based on the number of credit hours in which you are enrolled that are applicable to your program of study.  Students may not be paid for courses completed through credit by exam.

The requirement for full-time eligibility for Federal Financial Aid is 12 or more credit hours; ¾ time is 9, 10, or 11 credit hours; ½ credit hours is 6, 7, or 8 credit hours.  In some situations, funds may be disbursed to students attending less than ½ time (1-5 hours).  Students who plan to attend less than full time should contact the Financial Aid Office to determine their eligibility.  Students enrolling for classes with irregular start dates will be able to use Pell Grant to pay for these classes, however, they will not receive the balance of their Pell Grant for that class until a designated date after they attend the class.

Students should retain their award letter and keep it with their important records as part or all of the award may be taxable.

Tuition Payment and Text Book Purchases After you have registered for classes, your Federal Pell Grant and/or NC Community College Grants and NC Education Lottery Scholarship should appear on the Beaufort County Community College Cashier’s Office computer records.  Tuition and fees will be deducted from your student aid account. 

Required books and supplies may be purchased from the campus bookstore on the first day of class.  If purchasing books from an alternative source is more convenient, the College offers a service allowing students to buy books and supplies with grant money at off-campus locations.  However, the student is limited to one vendor each semester (i.e., the student will not be allowed to purchase books and supplies at the BCCC Bookstore and an off-campus location).  The following conditions apply: 

The student must notify the Financial Aid Office in writing one week prior to the first day of class if grant monies are to be used at an off-campus location.

The student must provide the Financial Aid Office with a written statement (on letterhead) from the off-campus vendor that indicates that the vendor will (1) allow the student to make a charge against the student’s grant account, and (2) will bill the College within the seven-day period after the first day of the semester. 

Award Disbursements

After tuition/fees and bookstore purchases, award balances will be mailed to students on the following dates:

FALL SEMESTER:	September 14, 2007
SPRING SEMESTER:	February 8, 2008
SUMMER SEMESTER:	June 6, 2008

(Usually Pell Grant does NOT cover Summer Semester, however, if a student does not enroll full time during fall and/or spring semesters, they may have funds available for summer semester.)

 NOTE:  Any delay in the receipt of award letters or of financial aid checks to students because of an incorrect address is not the responsibility of the Financial Aid Office.  The student is responsible for completing the Change of Address form with the Office of Admissions.

Beaufort County Community College    252-946-6194