Award Information

The Standard Cost of Attendance

The actual Cost of Attendance (COA) is unique for each student attending Clatsop.

Your COA is an estimated budget of the costs you may incur while attending Clatsop.  Financial Aid determines your COA based on the information you provided on the FAFSA and your CCC enrollment status.  The COA budget includes standard allowances for tuition, fees, textbooks, supplies, transportation and living expenses.  It is also determined by your enrollment status, number of terms attending and if you are living on your own or with a parent or provider.  It may also include an allowance for dependent care costs, if applicable and requested.  The Standard COA is adjusted for a less than half-time enrollment (1-5 credits) to include allowances for tuition, fees, textbooks and transportation only.

The following reflects the Estimated Cost of Attendance for three terms of full-time enrollment during the 2020-2021 academic year:

Financial Assistance is available to all students regardless of sex, race, color, national origin, or disability. 

GRANTS

FEDERAL PELL GRANT:  This need-based grant is available during summer, fall, winter and spring to eligible students. The Pell Grant is prorated for less than full-time enrollment levels.  A Pell Grant can be received for all 4 terms of attendance at Clatsop.

Federal regulations do not require any recalculation for changes in enrollment status after the student has begun attendance in all of his or her classes. CCC does not recalculate the Pell Grant up or down, for enrollment status changes beyond the “add/drop” date of the term. The add/drop date at CCC is the last day of the first week of the term.

Pell Grant Lifetime Limits-Students are now limited to the equivalent of six years (600%) of Pell Grant funding during their lifetime.  This change affects all student regardless of when or where they received their first Pell Grant.  Refer to the Department of Education’s Calculating Pell Grant Lifetime Eligibility Used web page for more information on how the equivalent of six years is calculated.

Students can log on to the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) Student Access web site to view their Lifetime Eligibility Used (LEU) percentage.  The LEU will be found on the Financial Aid Review page.  Colleges will also receive notification which may cause adjustments to any existing awards if a student is determined to be close to or have exhausted Pell Grant lifetime eligibility.

OREGON OPPORTUNITY GRANT:  This program is administered by the Office of Student Access and Completion.  It is a need-based program and is available to eligible Oregon residents who are enrolled at least half-time during fall, winter and spring terms. Click here for more information.

OREGON PROMISE: The Oregon Promise is a state funded grant program to help pay the cost of a community college education. For more information, please go to:

Office of Student Access and Completion, Oregon Promise

FEDERAL SUPPLEMENTAL OPPORTUNITY GRANT (SEOG):  This is a need-based program and is available to CCC students enrolled at least half-time.  SEOG is awarded on a first come basis to students who demonstrate exceptional financial need.

STUDENT LOANS
Federal Direct Stafford Loan (subsidized):  This is a need-based program. For 2020-21 it has a 2.75 % interest rate.  Repayment on this loan begins 6 months after a student either graduates, stops attending or drops below half time enrollment.  The interest is subsidized by the federal government while a student is enrolled at least half time and until repayment begins.  If a student is offered a subsidized loan, additional steps are required before it is disbursed.  The student must be enrolled at least half time in order to qualify.  The award amount varies based on a student’s eligibility.

Federal Direct Stafford Loan (unsubsidized):  This is NOT a need-based program.  The interest on an unsubsidized loan is NOT subsidized by the federal government.  Interest accrues on this loan while the student is in school. If a student is offered an unsubsidized loan, additional steps are required before it is disbursed.  The student must be enrolled at least half time in order to qualify.  The award amount varies based on a student’s eligibility.

WORK STUDY
FEDERAL WORK STUDY (FWS): 
This is a need-based program and is available fall, winter and spring terms.  Employment opportunities are available on and off campus.  The student must be enrolled at least half time and may begin working only after FWS has been offered through an Award Letter and accepted by the student by completing the necessary paperwork on our Federal Work Study page.  Students must apply early, demonstrate need, and request the offer of work study on the Financial Aid Information Request (FAIR) sent to them after their FAFSA is received.  Additional steps are required to accept FWS if offered on an Award Letter.

SCHOLARSHIPS

Are monies that do not have to be paid back. Most scholarships are accessed through an application.  Additional scholarships are available during the academic year on a limited basis. Please check the CCC web site and stop by the Financial Aid Office for more information.

The Award Letter, also known as your financial aid package, is a conditional offer of the amount of funding you are eligible to receive.  The amount of funding offered on the Award Letter sent is based on federal eligibility requirements, availability of funds, and enrollment level.

When you apply for federal student aid, the information you report on the Free Application for Student Aid (FAFSA) is used to calculate your Expected Family Contribution (EFC). The formula used to calculate your EFC is established by law and is used to measure your family’s financial strength based on their income and assets. Your Cost of Attendance (COA) and your EFC is used to determine your eligibility for federal student aid.

Cost of Attendance (COA)
– Expected Family Contribution (EFC)
= Financial Need 

Revisions to this offer can occur during the award year if there are enrollment changes, additional educational funding is received, or Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) is not maintained.  For the requirements of each fund that a student may be eligible for, see “Types of Financial Aid” above.

Once you have completed all Steps to Financial Aid for Clatsop Community College and are eligible, you will be sent instructions via your email address on how to access your Award Letter.  You will receive other information along with your initial Award Letter concerning the details of receiving and maintaining financial aid such as the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy (.pdf, 92 KB) and Award Information and the Conditions of Accepting Financial Aid at Clatsop Community College (.pdf, 46 KB).  It is your responsibility to read and understand your Award Letter and all enclosures which could also include additional steps that you may need to take such as:

Official Transcripts

Students must also submit official grade transcripts from all previously attended post-secondary institutions to the Student Services Center front desk. This is a financial aid requirement, and a hold will be placed on any financial aid award offer until all official transcripts have been submitted. Once official transcripts are received and evaluated, either the hold will be taken off of your financial aid award or a revision might need to be made to your award or your award offer may need to be revoked if you are over the maximum credit limit as defined in our Satisfactory Academic Progress Guidelines (.pdf, 62 KB).

Activating your Loan

If you are eligible for a student loan at Clatsop, you will receive a Estimated Loan Request with your Award Letter. The Loan Request will state the type (subsidized and/or unsubsidized) and estimated amount of loan that you are being offered. You may take out the maximum loan(s) you are offered or a lesser amount than offered by requesting it on the Loan Request form.  However, you must follow all steps if you wish to activate your loan(s).  Your loan(s) will not be activated or certified until you have completed all required steps.  Loans may take up to 3 weeks to process from the time you submit a completed Loan Request and required documents.  If you choose not to borrow the loan(s) offered on your Loan Request, do not submit the paperwork.  Note that the processing of loans for Fall term usually begins approximately August 1.

Other Resources and Over Awards

Over awards can occur when the total of your financial aid funding (grants, loans, work study) and other resources (scholarships, outside agency funding such as Trade Act, etc) are greater than your Cost of Attendance (.pdf, 20 KB).  Many other resources are run through the Business Office who then notifies financial aid but it is really the student’s responsibility to notify the Financial Aid Office when receiving scholarships or outside resources toward educational costs.

Federal regulations prevent institutions from offering any financial aid that exceeds the cost of attendance when all outside resources and financial aid are combined.  Exceptions to this rule are Pell Grants and the Oregon Opportunity Grants which are entitlements and will not be reduced due to other resources.  To comply with regulations, financial aid is required to apply resources to the cost of attendance and make any necessary adjustments.  Any adjustments to the financial aid award are made in the following order:  Unsubsidized Loan, Subsidized Loan, Federal Work Study, SEOG.  However, if an over award still exists, you are responsible for repayment of the amount that exceeds eligibility regardless of the reason the over award occurred.

What is Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)?

SAP is an academic standards policy designed to ensure you, as a financial aid recipient, satisfactorily progress toward program completion.  The Financial Aid Office is required by law to implement standards that will help you complete your academic program with a cumulative 2.0 GPA, cumulative completion rate of 67% of the classes you start, and within the 150% maximum credit limit needed for your degree or certificate.

As a financial aid recipient, you must maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) to remain eligible to receive financial aid.  Regulations require you to maintain at least a 2.0 Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA), a cumulative Credit Completion Rate (CCR) of 67% within the 150% of the maximum Credit Limit needed for your degree or certificate.  Financial Aid SAP standards will help you achieve this goal.  Each term after grades are posted, we will check your cumulative completion rate and Cumulative Grade Point Average.  The number of credits you need to complete to maintain progress towards your degree will depend on your enrollment level at the time your financial aid disburses.

View our Satisfactory Academic Progress Guidelines by clicking here: 2020 -21 Satisfactory Academic Progress

The SAP guidelines also explain the Reinstatement of Financial Aid Eligibility and Appeal Process.

Students receiving financial aid must maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP).  Withdrawing may result in financial debt for you. Withdrawing may also make you ineligible for future financial aid at CCC (including loans).  Your withdrawal date is the date that you officially withdraw from all credit classes.  It is very important that you understand that after you have registered at CCC, you are responsible for officially withdrawing yourself from registered courses.  CCC does institute an administrative drop during the first week of a term.  You must be in attendance the first week of classes or have had prior approval and arrangements with your instructor or you could be subject to this administrative drop for non-attendance.  Other than that first week, you must come to the Student Services Center in person to do an official withdrawal.

Regulations require that students “earn” financial aid over the course of a term by attending and participating in classes. You cannot earn all of your funds unless you maintain attendance and class participation for more than 60% of the term. If you withdraw or stop attending before the 60% point, you do not “earn” all of your financial aid funds. The percent of funds you did not earn is the same as the percent of the term you did not attend. The college is required to return the unearned portion of your tuition and fees to the U.S. Department of Education. You may also be required to repay a portion of the funds you received for living expenses. You will not be permitted to re-enroll at CCC until the amounts owed the college are fully repaid.  You may be eligible for aid if you pay or make arrangements to pay any amounts owed to ED and continue to make on-time payments. 

See Refunds and Return of Title IV Funds for important information.

You may only receive aid from ONE school during each term. If you plan to transfer from one school to another during the school year OR want to attend a different school than you originally listed on your financial aid application, you will need to add that school to your FAFSA application so they can receive your FAFSA information. You can add or delete schools from your application by following instructions at the US Department of Education web site at www.fafsa.gov  or contact the Federal Processor at 1-800-433-3243.

Official Transcripts

Transfer students must also submit official grade transcripts from all previously attended colleges to the Welcome Center.  This is a financial aid requirement and an award will not be made until all official transcripts have been submitted.  

Clatsop’s Student Account Office makes payment of any remaining financial aid funds beginning the second Friday of each term and every Friday after that as awards continue to be completed and become ready for payment. You will have the option to receive any refunds and/or financial aid payments by direct deposit.  You will receive, via email, instructions on setting up your direct deposit so please verify that your email address is correct in MyCCC.   

If you choose not to elect direct deposit, you will automatically receive a paper check in the mail.

Federal Direct Stafford Loans – 30 day delay in loan funds

If you are a first time student loan borrower at Clatsop , federal regulations require that the first payment of Federal Direct Stafford Loans not be released until 30 days after the term begins. 

Your Award Letter reflects the funding you are eligible for based on the information you reported on your FAFSA, the resulting Expected Family Contribution (EFC) and your standard CCC Cost of Attendance (COA).   COA is established based on the number of terms you attend in an academic year, the number of credits you take each term and if you are living with your parents or living on your own. 

It is also important for you to realize that when notification is received that a student is receiving funding towards their educational costs from an outside source it impacts their financial aid.  Examples of outside funding sources are, but not limited to, scholarships, Trade Act, Labor & Industry, Department of Employment, Tribal funding, tuition waivers/vouchers, etc.  Notification on outside resources can occur at any time throughout the academic year and can cause a reason for adjustments to existing awards.  Federal regulations prevent CCC from offering any financial aid that exceeds the COA when all outside resources and financial aid are combined.  Exceptions to this rule is the Pell Grants.  In order to comply with these regulations, CCC is required to apply estimated resources to the COA.  Outside resources will be reflected on the “assistance other than financial aid” line in the Student Budget found at the bottom of the Award Letter.

Federal regulations do not require any recalculation for changes in enrollment status after the student has begun attendance in all of his or her classes. CCC does not recalculate the Pell Grant up or down, for enrollment status changes beyond the “add/drop” date of the term. The add/drop date at CCC is the last day of the first week of the term. 

You may receive several revisions to an Award Letter during the year since financial aid funding is subject to change throughout the year if any of the following change:

• Your enrollment level or terms of attendance changed.
• You receive a scholarship.
• You received educational funding from an outside resource.
• You received aid at another school.
• You are a Summer term student.
• There was a change in your Cost of Attendance.
• There are regulatory changes in aid programs.
• You fail to meet the required Satisfactory Academic Progress guidelines.

If there is a revision to your Award Letter, adjustments will be made and you will be sent a revised Award Letter.

If you need to revise your terms of attendance, credit level, work study or student loans, you may use the Student Revision Form found on our Forms and Publications Page.

Clatsop operates on a quarter calendar with the academic year beginning summer term.  The academic year includes summer, fall, winter, and spring terms.  Summer is a shorter, condensed term of 8 weeks in length.  If you indicate you are attending summer term and have completed the Admission process and all other document requirements, you should receive an Award Letter that will notify you if you have financial aid eligibility for summer term.

Student Rights

As a student applying for or receiving financial aid, you have the right to know:

• What financial aid programs are available through Clatsop Community College.
• The procedure and deadlines for submitting applications for each financial aid program.
• How the college determines if you are making Satisfactory Academic Progress and what happens if you are not.
• The repayment consequences of withdrawing from school.
• What portion of financial aid received must be repaid.  If the aid is a loan, you have the right to know the interest rate, the total amount to be repaid, the repayment procedures, when repayment begins, and how much time you will have to repay the loan.
• How to appeal any decision concerning your financial aid.
• How eligibility is determined, including the cost of education, and how aid is awarded.
• How and when you will be paid.

Student Responsibilities

As a student apply for and receiving aid, it is your responsibility to:

• Apply early.  Financial aid processing can take 4+ weeks from the time you submit your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to receive your Award Letter.  Apply as early as possible before the term you are requesting aid or you will need to plan accordingly.
• Be officially admitted to a Clatsop academic program and become familiar with the requirements.
• Complete all application forms accurately and submit them on time.
• Read and follow instructions when submitting documents, corrections or additional information to Clatsop or other agencies.
• Read, understand and keep a copy of any form you are asked to sign.
• Notify the Financial Aid Office of any change in address, name, terms of attendance or enrollment status.
• Perform all work agreed upon after accepting a Federal Work Study job.  See that the hours worked each month are correctly reported and that the amount earned does not exceed the maximum award each term.
• Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress to continue receiving aid.
• Repay student loans after you leave school or drop below half time enrollment.
• Not be in default on a student loan or owe a repayment to any federal financial aid programs at any college you may have attended.

These links below apply to all registered students 

• Code of Conduct