Financial Aid FAQs
The Financial Aid Process
To receive federal student aid, you must meet certain requirements. You must:
- Be a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen
- Have a valid Social Security Number
- Have a high school diploma or a General Education Development (GED)
- Be enrolled or accepted for enrollment as a regular student working toward a degree or certificate in an eligible program and enrolled at a school that participates in the federal student aid programs
- You must not owe a refund on a federal grant or be in default on a federal student loan.
- You must demonstrate financial need (except for unsubsidized loans)
The first step in applying for financial aid is to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This allows you to apply for federal and state grants. There is no charge for filing the FAFSA. The FAFSA can be completed online at studentaid.gov. It is the fastest, most efficient way to apply for financial aid. Camden County College’s school code for completing the FAFSA is 006865.
You should complete the FAFSA with your accurate tax information from the prior calendar year. If you are a dependent student, then you must list both your information and your parents'. If you are married, then you must list information for yourself and your spouse. The application must be signed and dated in order to be processed. A parent signature is required for dependent students. We encourage you to electronically file your FAFSA with the Department of Education at http://studentaid.gov/. Filing online is by far the fastest, most efficient method.
Before filing online, students, parents, and borrowers are required to use an FSA ID, made up of a username and password, to access certain U.S. Department of Education websites. Your FSA ID is used to confirm your identity when accessing your financial aid information and electronically signing your federal student aid documents.
Create an FSA ID now.
Online help with the filing process is available at www.fafsa.ed.gov and at www.studentaid.ed.gov. You can also obtain help over the telephone at 1-800-433-3243.
For additional assistance and information contact the financial aid office:
Blackwood: (856) 374-4985 or Camden: (856) 968-1340.
You should receive your Student Aid Report (also known as the SAR) from the Department of Education recapping the information submitted on the FAFSA application. You should review this information for accuracy as soon as you receive it. The school receives the same information electronically; we will inform you of the status of your application and tell you if we need any additional documentation. Once your file is complete, if you are eligible for aid, you should receive an award letter. Once you receive your SAR, expect to receive correspondence from the financial aid office in approximately four weeks.
With our Net Price Calculator. This calculator is designed to give you an early indication of how much and what types of financial aid you might qualify for if you were a full time, first year undergraduate student in the academic year indicated. It is a tool that we hope will give you a clear picture of options and opportunities, so you can make more informed decisions about your college choices. The results are non-binding and will only be as reliable as the data you provide. The net price calculator will give you an estimate of your net price and aid eligibility. To get an accurate award the FAFSA application will need to be completed.
FAFSA
You can complete the FAFSA at studentaid.gov. The FAFSA becomes available on October 1st for the following academic year.
You need to complete the Camden County College Admissions Application and the FAFSA application in order for CCC to begin reviewing your file. It typically takes 3-5 business days for the office to begin communication. You can check your status by visiting your myCCC account.
006865
Camden County College does not have an institutional deadline for completing the FAFSA application. We adhere to all federal and state date guidelines. Those dates can be found at this link: studentaid.gov/apply-for-aid/fafsa/fafsa-deadlines. Federal Deadline Online applications must be submitted by June 30th of the award year.
State Deadline
New Jersey - Tuition Aid Grant recipients – prior to April 15th.
All other applicants – prior to September 1th for fall and spring terms; February 15th, for spring term only.
CCC has a priority deadline of April 15th, but students can complete the FAFSA at anytime during the year. The earlier we receive your FAFSA data the faster you will have your financial aid award finalized.
Yes, until a student is 24 years of age federal regulations state that a student is still a dependent student and needs to provide parent data on the FAFSA.
Only the following criteria would make a student under the age of twenty-four eligible to be an independent student:
- You have served or are currently serving in a branch of the Armed Forces
- You are married
- You have a dependent that you provide more than 50% of financial support for
- You are an orphan/ward of the court
- You already have a BA degree and are enrolled in a graduate program of study
- You are a homeless youth
Some students encounter extenuating circumstances that may warrant the student being considered "Independent" for financial aid purposes. If you believe you are in a situation that would make you independent, a dependency override may be processed and you would not be required to provide parental information. Please contact the Financial Aid Office to discuss your extenuating circumstances and determine if special consideration is needed. When completing the Dependency Override process please be prepared to discuss both parents.
The conditions listed below, singly or in combination, DO NOT qualify as unusual circumstances meriting a dependency override.
- Your parents refuse to contribute to your education
- Your parents are unwilling to provide information on the FAFSA; they are unwilling to provide tax forms or W-2s for review of FAFSA data
- Your parents do not claim you as a dependent for income tax purposes
- You demonstrate total self-sufficiency
- Having a bachelor’s degree and being enrolled at CCC does not make you independent as we are still considered an undergraduate program.
Your EFC is calculated based on the information that was supplied on your FAFSA application. That is why it is so important to be as accurate as possible when completing the financial aid documents your aid entitlement can be impacted if corrections have to be made. Your EFC may change from year to year, depending on your financial and household situation.
YES!
Financial aid awards are for only one academic year. You are required to fill out a new FAFSA every year that you attend school. It is a good idea to get into the habit of completing the FAFSA each year even if you are not sure you are going to enroll in the upcoming academic year.
Filling out the FAFSA is only the first step. Five days after you receive your confirmation of submission, check your Self Service, call, or come into the Financial Aid Office and find out what additional information is required to complete your file. You will also be sent an email about what is required to complete your file, you can always check your status by visiting financial aid self-service. No actual aid will be awarded to you until your file is complete.
General Aid
Yes. Pell eligible student can be awarded even if they are only enrolled less than 1/2 credits. Most other forms of aid, including Direct loans and the TAG grant require students to be enrolled at least 6 credits. The amount of aid you are eligible for may increase or decrease based on your enrollment.
A student who completely withdraws at or before 60% of the term may have to return a portion their federal financial aid and may owe a balance to the college. Students earn their federal financial aid based on the percentage of the term that they have attended.
In order to maintain eligibility for financial aid, you must make satisfactory academic progress. SAP is based on your GPA, credits attempted, the amount of remedial courses you have taken, and the time it takes you to complete your degree. SAP calculations are run a on a yearly basis, and students who fail for one or more of the above reasons will be coded as Unsatisfactory Academic Progress (USAP). They will no longer be eligible for federal aid. Even if a student takes a hiatus from their education, when they return they are still considered USAP. Students may appeal the USAP status in order to be eligible for aid again, but placing an appeal does not guarantee that aid will be awarded.
Please note: 30 remedial credits are allowed for each student. ESL and Vocational studies courses are not considered toward the remedial credit counter but will be factored in all other portions of the SAP policies.
Camden County College offers a tuition waiver program (TUWA) for students receiving unemployment benefits through the county. The TUWA covers the cost of tuition only; you will be responsible for books, fees, and any other costs incurred. In order to be eligible for the TUWA, you must have a referral form from the New Jersey Division of Unemployment Services. You also must have filed a FAFSA, and completed your financial aid file at CCC. Students may only use the TUWA to register the day before classes are scheduled to begin. Early registration is prohibited.
Yes, if your financial aid award is more than the cost of your tuition and fees, you will be eligible for a book voucher. The book voucher will be available to you the day after you have been awarded your financial aid, and you registered for classes. They are only available for a limited amount of time each semester, usually beginning two weeks before the start of the semester and ending October 1st for the Fall semester; March 1st for the Spring semester; and July 1st for the Summer semester or your refund being issued whichever comes first.
You are able to access the NJ Department of Election at the following web address. At this site you can complete a voter registration application or check your status. Paper applications are also available in the financial aid office. http://www.state.nj.us/state/elections/voter-registration.shtml
Yes, The winter intersession is considered part of the Spring semester. Students taking Winter Intercession classes are required to take at least one class during the regular Spring Semester in order to receive financial aid if not you will be required to pay out of pocket for all classes taken during that session. Students eligible for the state grant funding can only receive credit for 3 credits during Winter Intercession regardless of how many credits taking in the session.
You can find information regarding scholarships on our Scholarships page.
There will be no change in your aid as long as the student maintains passing grades for the remaining classes the student is registered for.
Verification
FAFSA applications nationwide are selected by the Federal Government for verification. Although the Financial Aid office has no say in who is selected, we are required by federal law to complete verification on any file that has been selected before any aid can be awarded.
The verification process can take up to 30 days once you have submitted all requested documents to the Financial Aid Office. Sometimes additional documents may also be needed, depending on the complexity of students' individual financial situations. This may add on additional time in completing the process. Check Self Service and your mail frequently. We will notify you of any missing documents, or of your award.
According to statute, the penalty for fraud may be a fine of up to $20,000, prison time, or both.
Loans
If you are not grant eligible, you can still apply for a Direct Loan. Loans are a form of Financial Aid. They are either subsidized (these loans do not add interest while you are in college because the interest is being paid by the Federal Government) or unsubsidized (these loans do accrue interest throughout the time you are in college).
No, unlike grants, all students are eligible to receive an unsubsidized Direct Loan, regardless of income and EFC.
No, unless you are in default or have reached your borrowing aggregate, you are fully eligible to receive a Direct Loan.
The Department of Education has a wealth of information about all the loan forgiveness options and how to apply. You can access the most up to date information at http://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/debt-relief-info
