Student Eligibility for Financial Aid

To be determined as an eligible student for financial aid purposes, a student must meet each of the following requirements:

• Must be a citizen or eligible non-citizen of the United States.
• Must be accepted for admission at CCD and enrolled in an eligible degree or certificate program. Apply online here. Admissions information is also available at the Admissions, Registration and Records Office, located in the South Classroom Building - Room 133, or by phone at 303- 556-2420.
• Must be at least sixteen years old and not a high school student.
• Must have earned a high school diploma, passed the GED or have obtained a passing score on a federally approved Ability to Benefit test (Acuplacer) administered by the CCD Testing Center. Students who begin an academic program after July 1st, 2012, must have earned a high school diploma or passed the GED in order to meet this qualification.
• If male, must be registered with Selective Service between the ages of 18 and 25. Male students born during or after 1960 must have registered with Selective Service prior to age 25. Students who did not register should visit www.sss.gov to determine registration and exemption requirements (even if 25 or older).
• Must not be in default on any student loan or owe a repayment of a federal grant.
• Enroll in at least 6 credit hours (half time). Federal Pell Grant recipients may qualify on a less-than half-time basis.
• Must complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and submit any additional verification documents as requested by Enrollment Services (Admissions or Financial Aid) before published deadlines.
• Must maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress.
• May not receive financial aid for more than 30 developmental course credits.

ELIGIBLE NON-CITIZENS

To be eligible for federal, state, and most college financial assistance, a student must be a U.S. citizen, national or eligible permanent resident non-citizen. An eligible non-citizen is one who:

• Has an Alien Registration Receipt Card (I- 151 or I-551) or is a conditional permanent resident (I-151C);
• Has an Arrival-Departure Record (I-94) from the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service showing any one of the following designations —
  1. refugee
  2. asylum granted
  3. Cuban-Haitian entrant or
  4. indefinite parole
• Is a citizen of the Freely Associated States: Republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia or the Republic of Palau (may receive only the Federal Pell Grant, Federal SEOG and/or federal work study)
• Can provide acceptable documentation from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that he or she is in the United States for other than a temporary purpose with the intention of becoming a citizen or permanent resident.

Eligible non-citizens must clear the DHS/SSN matching system or they will be required to document their status with the Financial Aid Office. CCD may send a copy of the documentation papers to the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service for confirmation and clearance before the application for assistance can be processed. Students who are in the United States on an F-1 or F-2 student visa, a B-1 or B-2 visitor's visa, a J-1 or J-2 exchanges visitor visa, and other series visa are not eligible for federal or state student aid nor most college aid programs.

HOW ONE'S FINANCIAL NEED ELIGIBILITY IS DETERMINED

A student's eligibility for financial aid is determined by both the Department of Education (DOE) and by CCD's Financial Aid policies. To calculate need, the federal government uses a formula called “The Federal Methodology” to evaluate a student's (and/or student's family's) financial strength. The DOE considers the information provided on a student's FAFSA, including: income, assets and number of family members in order to calculate the Expected Family Contribution (EFC). The EFC is then used to determine the student's grant and subsidized loan eligibility.

TYPES OF FEDERAL & STATE AID AVAILABLE AT CCD:
(Most aid types require at least half-time enrollment)

 

*The amounts indicated are based on full-time enrollment, will be changed for 1/2 or 3/4 time, and are subject to change.