Application Process for Financial Aid

In order to be considered for financial assistance, a student must do the following: Link to FAFSA on the Web at http://fafsa.ed.gov
  1. Apply for admission to the college. Procedures for application for admission are found in the ADMISSIONS section of this catalog. The Financial Aid Office will not award any financial aid until a student is admitted to the college. When completing the application for admission, the student should indicate if they will be applying for financial aid.
  2. Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA is available from high school guidance counselors or the GCC Financial Aid Office. The processing time of the FAFSA is approximately 4-6 weeks. The student will receive a Student Aid Report (SAR) from the Central Processing Center in response to the FAFSA. If the student does not receive a SAR within 6 weeks, the student should call (800) 433-3243 to check on the processing.
  3. Review the information on the SAR. If any of the information is incorrect, make corrections and submit them to the GCC Financial Aid Office. Do not resubmit the corrections via the mail to the processing center. If all the information is correct, the student does not need to submit the SAR to GCC unless GCC was not listed as one of the school choices. GCC will receive the information electronically if GCC was listed as a school choice.
  4. Submit requested documentation to the Financial Aid Office. The Financial Aid Office will be requesting additional information that is needed to complete the processing of the student application. Documentation may include student and parent tax forms, social security statements, child support payments, family member verification, etc. A student's file will be placed on hold until all requested documentation is received.

All application materials should be completed as early as possible. A student who has completed the application process by May 1 will receive first consideration for campus-based funding.

Financial aid will not be provided to a student until the financial aid process is complete. All students are required to complete the financial aid process prior to registration in order to be considered for a financial aid tuition/fee waiver. If the process is not complete at the time of registration, the student is responsible for the full cost of the tuition/fees. Upon completion, financial aid will then be disbursed according to federal and institutional guidelines. The deadline date for providing the requested documentation is the earlier of the student's last date of enrollment or Aug 1.

An eligible student may be reimbursed for book expenses through financial aid resources or charge his/her books against certain types of financial aid. All other students are required to pay cash for books.