FINANCIAL AID & FEES » Financial Aid » Resources & Policies » Policies
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Once your financial aid file is complete and reviewed, you will be sent an email through your GCC email address notifying you that your financial aid offers have been posted to your MyGCC page. To see the programs and amounts of financial aid that you are eligible to receive for the academic year:
The offers listed are based on full-time enrollment. If you receive your financial aid offer after the financial aid census date, the offer amounts will be based on current enrollment as of the date your offers were made. The amount you actually receive will be based on the number of units in which you are enrolled as of the Add/Drop deadline (financial aid census date). The following programs may be listed:
The Federal Pell Grant program is a grant program for eligible students. The amount you receive is based on your FAFSA information and your enrollment intensity. If you are enrolled less than full-time (<12 units), your Federal Pell Grant will be adjusted based the number of units you are enrolled in.
Federal SEOG grants are awarded in the amount of $200 per semester if you also qualify for a maximum Federal Pell Grant and have a negative or zero student aid index (SAI). Funds are very limited and not all eligible students can be offered SEOG who qualify for it.
The CCPG waives your enrollment fee, regardless of how many units you take. There are three types of CCPG. If your award is a CCPG A, you qualified because you provided documentation that you or your parents receive TANF/Cal Works, or SSI or that you receive General Relief benefits and you may also receive a 50% discount on college parking permits and the health fee. Students who are CCPG A or B eligible may also qualify for EOPS services and should contact the EOPS Office. If you received a CCPG C, you qualified on the basis of your FAFSA information. If you paid enrollment fees prior to receiving a CCPG you will receive a refund of those fees from the Tuition Office.
The deadline to submit an application for the CCPG is the last day of the semester you are enrolled in to be awarded and eligible to receive a waiver for that term.
The EOPS Office provides grants and services to eligible students according to EOPS eligibility criteria. Contact the EOPS Office for more information (EOPS).
Cal Grants are awarded by the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) if you filed a FAFSA and Cal Grant GPA Verification Form by the March 2nd or September 2nd deadlines (or a CADAA and Cal Grant GPA Verification Form by the March 2nd deadline) and meet the eligibility criteria established by the state.
Student Success Completion Grant is a financial aid program for Cal Grant "B" or "C" recipients attending a California Community College and enrolled in Full-Time. The program purpose it to encourage student to maintain full-time status. The Student Success Completion Grant pays full-time (12 units to 14 units) and full-time plus (15 or more units) to Cal Grant B or C recipients up to $4,000 annually. In addition to the eligibility requirements all students must still maintain all Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards per term to be eligible.
To request a Work Study offer contact Career Services, or to inquire about your eligibility speak with a financial aid advisor. Work-study earnings are based on the time sheets submitted by your supervisor and paychecks are issued monthly by the College Payroll Office.
The amount of your Federal Direct Student Loan is visible on your 'MYGCC', 'View Financial Aid' page. Students borrowing federal student loans are required to attend an Entrance Loan workshop. Contact the financial aid office to attend workshop.
The amount of scholarship money you received for this academic year is listed. Scholarship checks are disbursed from the Scholarship Office after they have been received from the funding agency and your eligibility has been verified by the Scholarship or Financial Aid Office.
If you are or were in the AmeriCorps program and earned educational benefits, the funds you are redeeming for this year are listed as part of your financial aid award.
Students who were in the California Foster Care system may be eligible for up to $5000 per year in additional grant assistance. Chafee Grant funds will not negatively affect your other financial aid offers.
BankMobile Disbursements
To provide more flexible options for students receiving refunds, GCC has partnered with Bank Mobile Disbursements to deliver financial aid and other school refunds to GCC students beginning on January 29, 2024. Learn more about BankMobile Disbursements options. Federal Pell Grant, federal Direct Student Loans, FSEOG, and Cal Grants are posted as a credit to your Student Account. Any outstanding charges will be paid with your financial aid funds. If your financial aid is greater than the amount of outstanding charges, a refund will be generated and an EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer) will deposit into your account using Bank Mobile services. If you do not have a Bank Mobile account, a disbursement check will be issued by GCC and mailed to you. To view your Student Account activity:
Federal Pell Grant, FSEOG, Federal Direct Loan and Cal Grant Disbursement Procedures:
First Disbursement of the Semester:
For students who are awarded prior to the second disbursement. If your financial aid awards are posted to your account prior to the Financial Aid Census date, you will receive 50% of your Pell Grant award for the term. Awards will be recalculated based on actual enrollment prior to second disbursement.
Second Disbursement of the Semester:
Students who have already received a Federal Pell Grant disbursement will receive the remaining balance at second disbursement. Awards will be recalculated for actual enrollment at the Financial Aid Census date. Students awarded Cal Grant, FSEOG or Federal Direct Student Loan funds must be enrolled in 6 or more units at the time of disbursement to receive funds. For Student Success Completion Grants, students must be in at least 12 or more units. For the maximum Student Success Completion Grant amount, students must be in at least 15 or more units.
If you receive your first award notification after the Financial Aid Census date you will receive all funds awarded to you in one disbursement for the semester, for the number of units you are enrolled in as of the date of initial packaging. Funds will be received within two to three weeks after receiving the offer notification.
The Financial aid disbursement process is run on a weekly basis effective the week prior to the start of each semester through the week after second disbursement. Thereafter, the disbursement process is run every other week.
To view current disbursement dates, please visit our Deadlines and Timeline
Important notes on late starting classes and disbursement:
Important notes on census date:
All financial aid awards are based on your enrollment status as of the Financial Aid Census date. No adjustments can be made due to a change in enrolled units that occurs after that date. Students who withdraw from all units are subject to repayment of federal and state financial aid funds. Financial Aid census dates are subject to change without notice.
How Many Units Do I Need to Enroll in to Be Eligible?
The amount you receive for a specific program may depend upon the number of units in which you are enrolled. The unit requirements per semester, per aid program, are below:
At GCC, Spring disbursement is a combination of (Winter & Spring units) as the winter term is NOT a stand-alone term for Financial Aid awarding. To have winter term units be combine with Spring semester, the student must meet the following criteria: (1) Be enrolled for Spring semester, (2) Only winter courses with passing grades are accepted. Pass grades for Financial Aid is D or higher and P (Passing).
The combine units of Winter and Spring will be processed if both criteria are met at Spring semester census date. At that time the student's Pell Grant will be adjust to account for the winter units.
Important note for students on SAP Contract: Students currently on a Financial Aid Contract, still needs to meet the same criteria as above as well as making sure the courses taken is within their SAP contract. Courses not related to the student's contract is invalid to be combine with Spring semester.
Dropping a Class:
If you do not attend a class (NO SHOW) for which you received aid, you are required to repay the entire amount you received for that course.
If you drop a class for which you received aid before our Financial Aid Census date, you are required to repay the amount you received for that course.
If you drop a course after the Financial Aid Census date and receive a “W” in that course, you may be eligible to keep your aid. Any time you withdraw from units it may affect your Satisfactory Academic Progress. Speak to a financial aid advisor for more specific information.
Withdrawing From School:
If you received federal student aid and withdraw from all classes prior to completing 60% of the semester, you must repay some or all of the financial aid you received. The amount you must repay is determined by the number of days you attended class or the date you officially withdrew from the college. We recommend that you meet with an advisor in the Financial Aid Office and your Academic Counselor prior to dropping classes.
