Determining Financial Aid Eligibility

The Financial Aid process begins when the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is submitted. The Department of Education then uses the FAFSA information and a standard formula to calculate the Expected Family Contribution (EFC). The majority of CCBC financial assistance is based on federal, need-based requirements that is determined by subtracting the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) from the student's budget (a standard budget calculated by the College).

In addition to demonstrating financial need, federal aid applicants are expected to meet the following requirements:

1. Be a U.S. citizen, US national, or eligible non citizen.
2. Have a high school diploma, GED, or the ability to benefit from a postsecondary education. (Students without a high school diploma or GED must take and pass a required test). Effective July 1, 2012 all students must have a high school diploma or GED in order to receive financial aid.
3. Cannot be a high school student.
4. Not have defaulted on any prior educational loan or owe a refund for an educational grant or loan.
5. Generally, attend at least half time (six credits or billable hours per semester).
6. Be enrolled as a regular student in a program leading to a CCBC degree or certificate. Undeclared and personal enrichment studies are not eligible. A student who is still in high school or a transient student is also ineligible.
7. Make satisfactory academic progress.

Costs/Budgets

Financial need is determined by subtracting the family's ability to contribute to the student's budget (EFC). The following examples are nine month budgets based on an average of 13 credits for full-time enrollment.

The Financial Aid office will send an award notification to a student who is eligible for the following types of aid:

• Federal Pell Grant
• Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant (SEOG)
• Maryland Part-Time Grant
• Federal Stafford Direct Loan (Subsidized, Unsubsidized and PLUS)
• Student Employment
• Maryland State Scholarships and Grants
• Institutional Scholarship and Grants

The Bursar will do one of the following:

If the awarded aid covers the entire bill (tuition, fees and book credit), no further action is required.

After your financial aid has disbursed to your student account, if there is any excess financial aid, a refund check will be created through Student Finance. Refund checks are mailed within 14 days after disbursement.

If the awarded aid covers only part of the bill, the student is responsible for the difference.

The student may:

• Pay the difference immediately or
• Make partial payments using the Tuition Payment Plan.

Independent vs. Dependent Student Determination

A student is required to enter his or her and parent information when completing the FAFSA. If the answer is "no" to all of the following questions, the student is considered dependent and parental information is required:

• Were you born before January 1, 1988?
• Are you currently serving on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces for purposes other than training?
• Are you a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces?
• Will you be enrolled in a graduate or professional program (beyond a bachelor's degree in 2011-12)? CCBC does not offer any programs beyond the bachelor's degree level.
• Are you married?
• Do you have children who receive more than half of their support from you?
• Are both your parents deceased or were you in foster care or a ward of the court since you turned 13 years of age?
• Do you have dependents (other than your children or spouse) who live with you and who receive more than half of their support from you, now and through June 30, 2012?
• Are you an emancipated minor or in legal guardianship as determined by a court in your state of legal residence?
• At any time since July 1, 2010, were you homeless, or at risk of being homeless, as determined by the director of a shelter or high school homeless liaison?

Can a student ever be considered independent if the all of the answers are "no" to the questions?

• If a dependent student's circumstances make it unreasonable to expect a parental contribution, the federal government allows aid administrators to change or override the student's dependency status.
• Aid administrators cannot use professional judgment to consider a student independent solely on the basis of the student's previous independent status or because the student is "self-supporting."
• The 2011-12 Request To Be Independent form is available in the Financial Aid office or obtained from Printable Documents.
• Only extreme mitigating reasons that must be documented are used when granting a Dependency Override. Documentation may include the following: Personal letter of explanation on how you came to support yourself and over what time period you have done this; description of the events in your family which led up to your current separation from them; if you are receiving support from friends or relatives, you must describe the nature of that support and how you came to receive it. Provide any and all information which you feel will help to outline your situation. All information will be kept strictly confidential and will only be used to determine your dependency status for financial aid application purposes. Attach letters (on letterhead) from three professionals within the community verifying the family circumstances described in your personal explanation. Professionals include guidance counselors, clergy members, teacher or professors, doctors, family counselors, mental health professionals, and law enforcement personnel.