Financial Aid FAQs

CCCC’s federal school code is 005449.

Whether you’re a student, parent, or borrower, you’ll need to create your own account to apply for, receive, and manage your federal student aid.  You can create your FSA ID on the Federal Student Aid (FSA) website.
 

The student needs to complete the Free Application for Federal Financial Aid (FAFSA) online through the Federal Student Aid (FSA) website. The FAFSA opens every year on October 1st.  A student must apply every year for the upcoming fall term. CCCC's school code is 005449.

Students planning on attending Fall 2025, Spring 2026, and/or Summer 2026 terms need to complete a 2025-2026 FAFSA.  Students planning on attending Fall 2026, Spring 2027, and/or Summer 2027 terms need to complete a 2026-2027 FAFSA.

You may review FAFSA Help Options for assistance.  If you need in-person assistance, contact the CCCC Financial Aid Office.

Financial need is the difference between the cost of attendance (COA) at a school and your Student Aid Index (SAI).  The SAI is determined by completing the FAFSA.  While the cost of attendance varies from school to school, your SAI does not change based on the school you attend.

Your Student Aid Index (SAI) is calculated using the information you provide on your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form.

The SAI formula calculates the total financial resources of you and your parents (or spouse in some cases) then deducts the minimum amount needed for your family's normal annual living expenses. The remaining amount may, in part, be allocated for college expenses.

Most of the financial information used to calculate the SAI is transferred directly from the IRS into the FAFSA form if you provide your consent and approval.*

Where your SAI falls within the SAI range (-1500 to 999999) helps your school determine what level of financial support you may need. For example, a lower SAI means the higher your financial need and your higher likelihood of qualifying for need-based aid like a Pell Grant.

Your SAI will be listed on your FAFSA Submission Summary. The calculation uses information from your tax return as well as the net worth of your assets.

*Some FAFSA applicants may need to manually provide their financial information. Learn more about where to find tax information.

Students can check the status of their financial aid through Self-Service. Please log into the CCCC Student Portal.  Students can review missing documents and their award letter under the Financial Aid Counseling tab.

The Financial Aid Freeze Date/Census Date is the date our office takes a “snapshot” of student enrollment to establish the official enrollment status for the term.  The census date is determined for reporting purposes and for determining financial aid eligibility.  As required, the CCCC Financial Aid Office will adjust awards each semester based on the student's official enrollment status as of the student's "Financial Aid Freeze Date" for their first session of that semester. At that point, awards will be adjusted accordingly if the student is enrolled less than full-time.

If the student is registered full-time (12 credits) at the beginning of the term and dropped 3 credits before the financial aid "Freeze" date, financial aid is adjusted to reflect 9 credit hours (12 credits minus 3 credits dropped). Credits added after the "Freeze" date cannot be used to increase financial aid award eligibility.

Note: Students who receive a financial aid award after the "award by" date for their registered session will be paid on a rolling basis. For example: if you are enrolled in classes for the full 16 or 1st 8-week term and are awarded after February 14th, your disbursement will occur on subsequent dates. Please contact the Financial Aid Office to confirm the subsequent disbursement date if this situation pertains to you.

Federal and state grants will be based on the students' "frozen" enrollment status as of the financial aid "Freeze" (census) date for the student's initial term session. Federal and state financial aid will be prorated based on enrollment.

Note: Students enrolled for less than 6 credits are not eligible to receive certain state and federal grants.

See Deadlines, Policies & Procedures 

Refunds are processed throughout the semester based on the 10% point (census date) of each enrolled course. Attendance must be verified in each course prior to disbursement. Stay up-to-date on the Financial Aid Disbursement Schedule.

CCCC offers E-Refunds. To receive your refund via ACH/Direct Deposit, log into your Self Service account via the student portal and select Student Finance, Banking Information and then select Add an Account. Once you have entered and submitted the information, your account will show as "Not Verified". Once CCCC imports your information, your account will show as "Verified". There is no need to contact CCCC to get your information verified. All updates and corrections to your information must be completed through your Self-Service account.  For more information, contact the Business Office at (919) 718-7517.

Federal regulations require that students maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) to be eligible for financial aid. CCCC requires that students maintain a cumulative 2.0 GPA and 67% completion rate (overall passed vs. earned credits). Failure to complete courses (Withdraw, Withdraw Fail, "F" grade, and Incomplete) or failing courses (W, WF) will affect a student's SAP status.

When changes occur, a student should contact the Financial Aid Office to complete the necessary forms to allow us to re-evaluate your financial aid status.

The Federal Pell Grant program allows an eligible student to receive up to 150 percent of the student's Federal Pell Grant scheduled award. This is known as "Year-Round Pell." Year-Round Pell benefits a student that was enrolled full-time in the fall and spring terms and allows them to receive up to an additional full Federal Pell Grant for the summer. Students may take advantage of this new regulation to earn their degree faster.

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. Year-round Pell no longer requires half-time enrollment if you were previously enrolled full-time in the fall and spring semesters.

Verification is a process used to check the accuracy of the information that a student has submitted on the FAFSA.  This ensures data like income, household size, and tax information is correct.  Applicants are selected for verification due to inconsistent data or random selection, and they must provide supporting documents to their school to resolve discrepancies.  Completing the verification process is necessary to receive federal aid, and failure to do so can result in delays or withholding of financial aid.

Beginning with 2024-25, all persons on the FAFSA must provide consent for the U.S. Department of Education to receive tax information or confirmation of non-filing status directly from the IRS. In a very small number of cases, students and families will have to enter their tax data manually, but for most, that data will be automatically transferred into the application. This change makes it easier to complete the FAFSA and reduces the number of questions that need to be answered.

The Cost of Attendance (COA) is a financial aid budget that estimates a student's total educational expenses for a period, including both direct costs (like tuition, fees, and housing) and indirect costs (such as books, supplies, transportation, and personal expenses). The COA determines the maximum amount of financial aid a student can receive. Use the Net Price Calculator for help determining your cost of attendance.

Unusual Enrollment History (UEH) is a flag on your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) indicating that you have received federal financial aid at multiple colleges within a recent four-year period. The UEH flag requires your school's financial aid office to review your academic history and financial aid history.

Pell Grant eligibility is limited to a total of six years of full-time enrollment (or 12 full-time semesters), which translates to a 600% Lifetime Eligibility Used (LEU) limit. You can track your LEU on Federal Student Aid (FSA) website. Once your LEU reaches 600% or higher, you are no longer eligible for Pell Grants, with no exceptions.

Return to Title IV or R2T4 is a federal regulation which governs how much aid a student earns for a given term. For example, if a student completes 60% or more of a term/payment period or 49% of a module, the student earns all eligible aid during that term/payment period, and a Return to Title IV calculation is not required. If a student unofficially withdraws before 60% of the term/payment period or 49% of a module, and fails to earn a passing grade in at least one course offered over an entire period, then that student is considered to have unofficially withdrawn. If a student officially withdraws, then this institution will use that date to determine the refund calculation and the amount of aid earned. If the student is considered to unofficially withdraw from the term/payment period, then this institution will use the midpoint of the term/payment period to determine the amount of aid earned.

Students receiving state grants must meet 35% of the term/payment period to be eligible for their state grants.

Federal Pell Grant is awarded for the fall and spring semesters. The Federal Pell award is based on full-time enrollment. If you do not enroll for full-time status, your Federal Pell grant will be adjusted accordingly. If you do not attend full-time during the fall and/or spring semester, your remaining Federal Pell grant amount will be moved to the summer semester.

The Federal Pell Grant program allows an eligible student to receive up to 150% of the student's Federal Pell Grant scheduled award. This is known as "Year-Round Pell." Beginning 2024-2025, year-round Pell no longer requires half-time enrollment if you were previously enrolled full-time in the fall and spring semesters.

To be eligible for assistance you need to be admitted and enrolled in an approved degree program (curriculum major). Students enrolled as a special student (no major declared) or continuing education students are not eligible. Federal Pell grants are available for part-time students. The amount of grant funding is adjusted depending on the credit hours taken.

Financial need is determined by subtracting the amount that you or your family is expected to pay toward the cost (SAI) from the annual cost of your attendance (COA). Need-based awards include, but are not limited to: the Federal Pell Grant, FSEOG, Federal Work Study, and state grants. The greater the difference between a student’s COA and their SAI, the more room they will have for need-based aid. Each college/university sets its own COA based on its tuition costs etc., while SAI is determined by FAFSA information.

SAI is a measurement of your family's financial strength and is used to determine your eligibility for need-based aid. You receive an SAI based on the processing results of your FAFSA. Your SAI can be found on your confirmation page once your FAFSA is submitted or on your FAFSA Submission Summary, or online.​