Getting Your Aid
Getting your FINANCIAL AID: Disbursement and Refunds
When your financial aid is ready, CCC applies it to your account. This is called a disbursement.
Your aid pays eligible charges first, such as tuition and fees. If your aid is more than what you owe CCC, the rest is sent to you as a financial aid refund. If your aid is less than what you owe, you must pay the remaining balance.
When you receive your aid depends on:
- When your classes start
- The type of aid you receive
- Whether you have completed all requirements
Before Your Financial Aid Can be Disbursed
Eligibility requirements are explained on the Financial Aid Eligibility and Maintaining Your Eligibility pages. Before CCC can release your aid, you need to make sure:
- CCC has received a valid FAFSA;
- No aid will be disbursed without a FAFSA, including institutional aid and third-party funding, such as outside scholarships.
- You have completed any forms or documents Financial Aid has requested;
- You continue to meet the requirements for the financial aid you are receiving; and
- You have started attending your in-person classes and completed an academically related activity in each online class.
- Students who do not show up to their classes during the first or second week of school may not be disbursed financial aid. This includes online class participation.
- Registering for a class is not enough. You must attend your classes, so your instructors can confirm that you have started attending or participating.
If CCC cannot confirm your attendance, or something is missing from your financial aid file, your aid may be delayed.
Check your CCC student email and myCCC for requests or updates from Financial Aid.
When Will I Receive My Financial Aid?
- Traditional 16-Week Classes
If your classes follow the traditional 16-week semester, eligible financial aid is generally disbursed on the Friday at the end of the third week of classes.
- Late-Start Classes
If you are only taking late-start classes, eligible financial aid is generally disbursed on the Friday at the end of your third week of attendance in those classes.
For example, if your classes begin eight weeks after the start of the traditional semester, you should generally expect your aid during the ninth week of the semester.
- A Mix of 16-Week and Late-Start Classes
If you are taking both traditional and late-start classes, your financial aid may be disbursed at different times.
Pell Grants: Your Pell Grant may be released in more than one disbursement based on the classes in which you have reached three weeks of attendance.
Federal Direct Loans: Loans are disbursed once you have reached three weeks of enrollment in at least 6 credits.
After the first disbursement, CCC processes additional disbursements and refunds for eligible students each Friday.
How Will I receive My Refund?
If the amount of financial aid is more than the eligible charges on your CCC account, the remaining amount becomes a credit balance and is refunded to you.
For example, if your financial aid is $3,700, but your classes only cost $1,500, you will get $2,200 refunded back to you ($3,700 – $1,500 = $2,200.00).
You can receive your refund by:
- Direct deposit to your bank account, or
- Check by mail.
Direct deposit is faster than receiving a check by mail.
Get Your Money on Time
To give yourself the best chance of your money being delivered on time, do the following:
- Make sure CCC has your current mailing address, phone number, and direct deposit information. If a check is mailed to the wrong address, CCC waits at least two weeks for it to be returned before issuing another one.
- Double-check your bank information before submitting. If your bank account or routing number is incorrect, it typically takes 7–10 business days for the funds to be returned to CCC. Student Accounts will then contact you about how the refund can be reissued.
You can review or update your address through myCCC.
If a credit balance appears on your account, CCC usually issues the refund on the first Friday after the balance is created. In some cases, CCC may hold a credit balance for up to 14 days while it fixes an issue with your enrollment or financial aid file.
My financial aid is different than expected
There are several reasons why your financial aid may be delayed or why the amount you receive may differ from what you expected. Before aid can be disbursed, you must complete all required steps and submit any requested documentation. Changes in your enrollment, eligibility, or financial aid status can also affect your award amount. If you have questions about your situation, contact the Financial Aid Office or Student Accounts. The examples below describe some of the most common reasons financial aid may be delayed or adjusted.
Adding or Dropping Classes Can Affect Your Pell Grant
CCC sets a Pell Recalculation Date each semester. This is the date CCC uses to determine how many classes you are enrolled in so they calculate your Pell Grant for the semester.
CCC reviews and recalculates Pell Grant eligibility through the Tuesday of the second week of the full semester. This makes sure that you only receive money for classes you are actually taking.
If you add or drop classes before the Pell Recalculation Date, your Pell Grant may increase or decrease based on your enrollment.
If you add a class after the Pell Recalculation Date, including a late-start class, it will not increase your Pell Grant.
If you were not enrolled in any credits on the regular Pell Recalculation Date and enroll later, your individual recalculation date becomes the date when you:
- Are enrolled in one or more credits for the semester;
- Have a processed FAFSA; and
- Have been awarded a Pell Grant by CCC.
If you are enrolled in courses during both the first and second parts of a semester, your Pell Grant eligibility is still reviewed based on the Pell Recalculation Date for the full semester.
After the Pell Recalculation Date, CCC generally will not adjust your Pell Grant unless:
- You withdraw from all of your classes;
- You are determined to be a no-show in one or more classes; or
- CCC needs to correct a Pell Grant calculation error.
CCC must also remove Pell Grant funds for any course you do not attend.
Other common reasons
- You did not attend or participate in your classes during the first two weeks of the term
Registering for a class is not enough for financial aid to be disbursed.
You must attend your in-person classes and complete at least one academically related activity in each online class.
If you are reported as not attending or participating during the first or second week of classes, your financial aid may be delayed until CCC receives confirmation from your instructors that you have begun attending or participating.
Students who do not attend a class are not eligible to receive financial aid for that class.
- You withdrew from some or all of your classes
If you drop or withdraw from classes, or stop attending, your financial aid may be reduced, and you could owe a balance.
If you withdraw from all of your classes, CCC must determine how much federal financial aid you earned based on how long you attended. This is called a Return of Title IV Funds calculation.
If you drop classes after receiving financial aid, you may also be required to repay some or all of the aid you received, depending on your situation.
Review how withdrawing may affect your financial aid before changing your schedule.
- You did not complete your Student Loan agreements
Not every student signs up for student loans. If you did, you need to complete some additional steps, as student loans have additional requirements before they can be disbursed.
Make sure you have completed all required loan steps, including:
- Completing the loan request process;
- Completing Entrance Counseling; and
- Signing your Master Promissory Note.
- You are attending CCC and another college
You cannot receive a Pell Grant or Federal Direct Loan from two schools at the same time.
If you attend CCC and another college in the same semester, a Consortium Agreement may allow credits from both schools to count toward your financial aid.
You choose one school as your financial aid home. That school provides your financial aid and may count eligible credits you take at the other school.
Both schools must participate in the agreement, and you must complete it before your aid is disbursed.
- You owe money from a previous term
If you owe CCC more than $200 from a previous year, you must pay the balance before financial aid can be disbursed or refunded for the current semester.
Your financial aid from the current school year may be used to pay up to $200 in eligible debt from the previous year. You will need to authorize Financial Aid to do this by signing an agreement, either in myCCC or by visiting the Financial Aid Office.
Common charges include tuition, parking tickets, or any other charges that cause a financial hold.
- Your direct deposit information is wrong
If your bank account or routing number is incorrect, it typically takes at least 7–10 business days for the money to be returned to CCC.
Once the funds are returned, Student Accounts will contact you to discuss options for sending the money again.
- Your address is wrong
If CCC mails your refund check to an incorrect address, CCC must wait at least two weeks for the check to be returned before another check can be issued.
How to update your address:
- Login to the myCCC student portal using your cometID and password.
- Click the “Self Service” dropdown near the top of the dashboard.
- Click “Personal Information”.
- Login to the Ellucian portal using the same cometID and password as myCCC.
- In the “Address” box click on the edit address/pencil icon underneath your current Mailing Address.
- Update information with current mailing address.
- Click the “Update” button to save your new information
- You have not turned in required documents
Financial Aid may ask you for additional forms or documents before your financial aid file can be completed.
Not every student is required to submit the same information. Check your CCC student email and myCCC for requests from Financial Aid. Your aid can’t be disbursed until CCC processes your documents.
- CCC does not have your FAFSA
Income is not the only factor that affects financial aid.
You must continue to meet CCC’s Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirements, maintain the required enrollment level, and meet any other rules for the aid you receive.
If your situation changes or you are not sure whether you still qualify, contact the Financial Aid Office or Student Accounts.
- You have other circumstances that make you ineligible for financial aid
There are several factors beyond income that can affect your financial aid. You must continue meeting CCC’s Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirements, maintain your enrollment level, and satisfy any other eligibility conditions specific to your aid. If your circumstances change or you are unsure whether you are still eligible, contact the Financial Aid Office or Student Accounts.
Learn more about maintaining your financial aid elegibility.
