It starts with the FAFSA

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), available at studentaid.gov, is used to apply for federal, state, and college-based financial aid. Please read our CCC FAFSA Guide.​​​

Steps to Apply

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The Federal Student Aid website provides a list of the information you will need in order to complete your FAFSA.                   

If you are completing and signing the FAFSA electronically (recommended method), you must create a FSA ID. Follow the steps in our FSA ID Guide to create yours. Dependent students will also need to have one of their legal parents create an FSA ID. It is very important you do not lose your FSA ID usernames and passwords. Write them down and store them in a safe place.

Note: if you are a dependent student whose parents are undocumented, they will not be able to create an FSA ID. You will instead print the signature page and mail it to the specified address (allow 6 weeks).                 

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If you are completing and signing the FAFSA electronically (recommended method), you must create a FSA ID. Follow the steps in our FSA ID Guide to create yours. Dependent students will also need to have one of their legal parents create an FSA ID. It is very important you do not lose your FSA ID usernames and passwords. Write them down and store them in a safe place.                   

Note: if you are a dependent student whose parents are undocumented, they will not be able to create an FSA ID. You will instead print the signature page and mail it to the specified address (allow 6 weeks).                   

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Submitting FAFSA is free. You should never pay for assistance with completing your FAFSA. You can receive in-person assistance at your college Financial Aid Office. Additionally, the Federal Student Aid web site provides a number of tools and help resources.               

Make sure that you:                      

 

  • Read questions and definitions carefully – in particular, definitions related to family members such as how to determine “household size.”
  • Type information carefully (we often see mistakes on names, birthdays, and social security numbers)
  • Use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (if eligible) to reduce your chance of being asked to provide additional information
  • Sign and submit your FAFSA (check that your status is “submitted”)
                
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You will need to monitor your student portal To Do list and your CCC email, as we may request additional information. You can access both your student portal and email by logging into my.ccc.edu using your CCC username and password.​                     

 

                      

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You will receive notification of your financial aid award package in your CCC student email and can monitor your financial aid in my.ccc.edu. Note that if you add, drop, or withdraw from classes, receive any additional outside financial assistance, or require any corrections to your FAFSA, your award may be adjusted.                 

                

 

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If you plan to use financial aid to purchase books, you must first complete the book voucher authorization process​. You will then be able to purchase your books and materials with your financial aid book voucher at the CCC Online Bookstore.                 

                

 

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All financial aid awards will be credited to your student account around 4-6 weeks after the start of the semester. Funds remaining after tuition and book voucher amounts are deducted will be released to you within 14 days of the date the credit balance was created.*                    
                
Disbursement is a multi-step process and not a single event. If you see a “disbursement date,” that is the day this process begins. The date you should receive any financial aid refund owed to you will be the “refund date.” If you are expecting a refund, be sure to select the refund option​ that works for you.                     

 

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Review important information about how enrollment changes and failure to comply with deadlines can affect your eligibility. Consult our Financial Aid Calendar​​​​ to understand important dates including FAFSA processing, awarding, and refunds.              

                

*Students who have remaining financial aid funds and who owe a past due amount for tuition or fees from a prior academic year will have $200.00 applied to the prior year balance from current year remaining funds.

 

             

             

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