Financial Aid

IMPORTANT: THE 2024-2025 FAFSA WILL OPEN BY DECEMBER 31, 2023.

Federal Student Aid will not be releasing FAFSAs to schools until January 31, 2024 at the earliest. This is due to the extensive changes made to the Financial Aid process for the upcoming year and the FAFSA experience will return to normal (opening on October 1st, 2024) for the 2025-2026 Academic Year. Please expect an extended timeframe between the submission of your 24-25 FAFSA and a response from our Financial Aid Office. We will review your information and send any needed communication as quickly as possible. Thank you for your patience and as always, please reach out to our office with any questions or concerns.

What is Federal Student Aid?

The majority of Federal Financial Aid eligibility available through the federal government is determined by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).  This application includes the Federal Pell Grant, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, Direct Loans, and Work Study.

All traditional and non-traditional students are encouraged to apply for Federal Student Aid. Selection to receive financial assistance through Cloud County Community College will be made without regard to age, sex, race, color, religion, national origin, or handicap.

If your financial situation has changed recently and you do not believe that the information submitted on your FAFSA reflects your ability to pay, please see our Professional Judgement page for more details.

Requirements For Federal Student Financial Aid

Every student who meets certain eligibility requirements can get some type of Federal Student Aid, regardless of age, or family income.  The most basic requirements are that you must:

• Demonstrate financial need (for most programs);
• Be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen;
• Have a valid Social Security number;
• Have earned a high school diploma, GED certificate, or have been home-schooled;
• Enroll as a regular student in an eligible degree or certificate program
• Meet Satisfactory Academic Progress.

All students utilizing Federal Student Financial Aid must submit all previous college transcripts to be evaluated for Satisfactory Academic Progress before eligibility can be determined and an Offer Letter sent to the student. Transcripts must be sent to CCCC's Admissions Office directly by the institution they are from.

Enrollment Status for Federal Financial Aid for Fall, Spring and Summer semesters.

•  Full-time status – 12 credit hours, or more, per semester
•  Three-quarter time status – 9-11 credit hours, per semester
•  Half-time status – 6-8 credit hours, per semester
•  Less than half-time status - 1-5 credit hours, per semester

Financial Aid Offers are based on Full-Time Enrollment Status and Financial Aid Eligible hours will be used to determine Enrollment Status.

Financial Aid Eligible hours are courses which are eligible to apply toward a student's declared CCCC degree or certificate.

If a student is enrolled in courses that do not count toward their degree or certificate program, they cannot be used to determine enrollment status unless they are eligible remedial courses.

The Financial Aid Office will prorate the Federal Pell Grant based on the student's Financial Aid Enrollment Status if the student is enrolled in less than 12 Financial Aid Eligible hours during a payment period.

Direct Loan eligibility can also change as a result of the Financial Aid Enrollment Status.

Financial Aid is not fixed.  Information received at any time during the payment period may require adjustments to be made to the student's Financial Aid.

Some students may be selected for a process called Verification by either the Department of Education or a school. If a student’s file is selected for Verification, supporting documents will be requested to verify that the information submitted on the FAFSA is correct.

It may take up to eight weeks to process a FAFSA, especially if selected for Verification, so we encourage students to apply early to avoid needing to make payment arrangements with the Business Office before the start of classes.

CCCC's Priority Deadlines