Financial Aid

Financial aid can help college students pay educational expenses (tuition, fees, books, supplies and other approved expenses) by using funds provided by federal, state and institutional sources. The funds are distributed in the form of grants, scholarships, student employment or loans. Federal and state agencies have developed regulations governing how to apply for these resources and award procedures.

How to Apply for Financial Aid

In order to be considered for most types of financial aid, a student will need to:

• Apply for admission.
• Enroll in a degree or eligible certificate program (must be at least 16 credits).  Personal Enrichment is not an approved program for financial aid.
• Apply by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the first year and every year of his or her college education.
• Submit the FAFSA after January 1 and before March 1 for priority consideration of Maryland state grants and scholarships.

Application instructions are available in high schools, CCBC’s Financial Aid offices and online.

The U.S. Department of Education reviews the information submitted on the student’s FAFSA to determine the Expected Family Contribution (EFC). Most financial assistance received by CCBC students is based on federal need-based requirements and is determined by subtracting the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) from the student’s budget. The student’s budget is determined by factors such as course load and dependency status.

Requirements for Financial Aid Recipients

• Be an accepted CCBC student
• Enroll in an eligible degree or certificate program
• Demonstrate financial need as determined from the FAFSA
• Be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen
• Possess a high school diploma or GED.
  • A student with home school educational experience needs to provide either:
    • a secondary school completion credential for home schools as provided for under state law, or
    • If the state does not require the credential, have completed a secondary school education in a home school setting that qualifies as an exemption from the compulsory attendance requirements under state law.
• Register for at least six billable hours per semester (Pell Grants can be fewer).
• Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) toward the completion of an approved certificate or degree program.
• Not be in default on any prior educational loan or owe a refund on an educational grant or loan
• Does not owe a repayment on any Title IV, HEA grant previously received from any institution
• Register with Selective Service if the student is a male 18 to 25 years of age and is not currently an active member of the Armed Forces
• Is not convicted of possessing or selling illegal drugs after July 1, 1998 for an offense that occurred while receiving Federal student aid such as grants, loans, or work study.

Certificates Not Approved for Federal or State Financial Aid

The following credit certificates do not meet minimum federal and state qualifications for financial aid eligibility.  You will not receive financial aid for these credit certificates.

• Alternative Energy
• AutoCAD Operator  
• Brake and Suspension Specialist    
• CAD Architecture  
• CAD Management  
• Child and Youth Care Practitioner
• Computed Tomography
• Construction Methods (Introduction)
• Construction Project Controls  
• Flight Attendant
• Geospatial Apps (Introduction)
• HVAC and Energy Tech (Advanced)
• HVAC and Energy Tech (Basic)
• Legal Aspects of Construction
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging  
• Microsoft Certified Information Technology Professional
• Minor Engineering
• Network +
• Network Technology (General)
• Physician Assistant (Prof., M.A.)

Types of Financial Aid

Types of Federal Financial Aid

• Federal Pell Grants
• Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (FSEOG)
• Federal Work-Study Program (FWS)
• Federal Loans:
  • William D. Ford Direct Stafford Loans (Subsidized and Unsubsidized)
  • William D. Ford PLUS loans for parents of dependent students

Types of Financial Aid Awarded by the State of Maryland

• Need-based grants
• Legislative scholarships
• Career/Occupational programs
• Merit based scholarships
• Other special programs

More information about state aid is available from the Maryland Higher Education Commission or call 410-767-3300.

Pell Grant Experimental

The Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) was selected by the United States Department of Education in 2014 to participate in two Pell grant experiments and is renewed for 2016-2017.

The purpose of these experiments is to determine the impact of two different proposed expansions to the Pell grant eligibility criteria for income-eligible students enrolling in occupational training. The outcomes of these experiments will help inform policy officials on the effects of expanding Pell grant access on educational attainment, student debt, employment, and earnings.  For more information, visit the Pell Grant Experimental section of the Financial Aid website. 

CCBC Foundation Support for CCBC students

The CCBC Foundation offers institutional scholarship opportunities for both full-time and part-time students.

Federal Loans

Loan eligibility is determined by financial need and is part of a student’s financial aid package. In addition to the FAFSA, a student must submit a separate loan application Obtain forms and additional information here or from the Financial Aid office.

Loan Application Requirements

• Loan applicants need to meet general federal financial aid guidelines.
• All first-time CCBC borrowers are required to complete the loan entrance counseling online at www.studentloans.gov.
• A student can be denied a loan based on the professional judgment of a Financial Aid officer.
• A student borrower will be contacted by the financial aid office to complete the federal exit interview counseling after graduating or when no longer attending CCBC at least half time (6 or more credits/billable hours).
• A student borrower is to be enrolled in a program leading to a degree or certificate.
• A student’s grade point average, number of completed credits, current course enrollment and previous loan history will be reviewed.
• A student needs to maintain enrollment in at least six credits/billable hours for all terms of all enrollment.

Loan disbursement for a first-time borrower occurs 30 days after the start of the semester.

Typical Student Budget Used to Calculate Financial Need

To determine eligibility for need-based assistance, the Financial Aid office considers each student’s ability to contribute to the educational budget. Family contribution is also considered. The following budget is typically used when calculating financial need. A student may request an adjustment to this budget from the Financial Aid office if special needs allowances exist.

Average Budget for a Full-Time Student with Baltimore County Residency

The estimated student budget is different for an out-of-county and out-of-state resident. Budget amounts may vary depending on the number of credits in which a student is enrolled:

Satisfactory Academic Progress for Financial Aid

Federal regulations require all federal financial aid recipients be enrolled in a degree-seeking or approved certificate program and maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) to maintain eligibility. The Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) complies with this requirement by monitoring each student’s academic progress against three standards: minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA), minimum completion rate and maximum time frame for completion of a degree, consistent with the provisions of this policy. All federal, state, and institutional financial aid programs administered by CCBC are governed by this policy.

• CCBC evaluates SAP once a year, after the spring semester, for students currently in Good Standing who are seeking an Associate’s degree.
• Students who are assigned a status of Warning or Probation, or currently on an Academic Plan are required to be reviewed at the end of each semester/payment period.
• Students who are enrolled in a Certificate program are required to be reviewed at the end of each semester/payment period.

A student must successfully complete at least 67 percent of their total attempted coursework, including developmental courses, and must maintain the following grade point averages for the number of attempted credits/billable hours:

Satisfactory Academic Progress standards are different from the college’s academic standard criteria.

A student is allowed 90 attempted credits/billable hours to complete the degree or certificate and receive financial aid funding. A student who plans to pursue additional credits must submit a completed appeal form with a degree audit signed by an Academic Advisor for approval.

A student who is enrolled in developmental courses and is awarded financial aid cannot exceed 30 billable hours of developmental coursework.

Read more about Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). 

Registration Deadlines for Financial Aid

Late start or special session courses that are added to a student’s schedule after the third week of the fall or spring semester will not be covered by financial aid.

Tuition Payment Deadline

If financial aid is not awarded by the time tuition payment is due, a student will need to make tuition payment arrangements using the tuition payment plan available through the Bursar’s office. Classes will be cancelled for nonpayment if tuition is not paid by the deadline date.

Return of Federal Funds

The Financial Aid office is required by federal statute to recalculate federal financial aid eligibility for a student who withdraws, drops out, is dismissed, or takes a leave of absence prior to completing 60% of a payment period or term. The federal Title IV financial aid program is recalculated in these situations.

If a student leaves the institution prior to completing 60% of a payment period or term, the financial aid office recalculates eligibility for Title IV funds. Recalculation is based on the percentage of earned aid using the following Federal Return of Title IV Funds formula:

The percentage of payment period or term completed equals the number of days completed up to the withdrawal date divided by the total days in the payment period or term. (Any break of five days or more is not counted as part of the days in the term.) This percentage is also the percentage of earned aid.

Funds are returned to the appropriate federal program based on the percentage of unearned aid using the following formula:

Aid to be returned equals (100% of the aid that could be disbursed minus the percentage of earned aid) multiplied by the total amount of aid that could have been disbursed during the payment period or term.

• If a student earned less aid than the disbursed amount, the institution is required to return a portion of the funds and the student is required to return a portion of the funds. When Title IV funds are returned, the student borrower may owe a debit balance to the institution.
• If a student earned more aid than was disbursed to him/her, the institution owes the student a postwithdrawal disbursement which must be paid within 120 days of the student’s withdrawal.

Refunds are allocated in the following order:

• Unsubsidized Federal Direct Stafford Loans
• Subsidized Federal Direct Stafford Loans
• Federal Direct Parent (PLUS) Loans
• Federal Pell Grants for which a return of funds is required
• Federal Supplemental Opportunity Grants for which a return of funds is required
• Other assistance under the Title for which a return of funds is required (e.g., LEAP)

For more information, call 443-840-CCBC (2222).

Payment for Repeat Coursework

There is a limit to the number of times when financial aid can be used to pay for repeated coursework.  If a student receives an F, W, I, or U for a course, financial aid can be used to pay for the repeated class in order for the student to earn a passing grade.  When the course has been passed with a grade of D or better (A, B, C, or S), financial aid can be used only one more time to pay for the course in order for the student to attempt to obtain a better grade.

Any second or subsequent repetition of the passed course will not be included in the student’s enrollment status for purposes of the Title IV programs. Withdrawals (W), Incompletes (I), and failing grades (F or U) are considered failed attempts. If a student previously passed a course and is repeating it for a better grade and subsequently earns a W, I, F, or U grade, the course is no longer eligible for payment because it is a failed attempt to improve the grade.

• Example: If a student receives an “F” the first time he or she takes a course and subsequently passes the course with a “D”, the student may only receive financial aid one more time to improve the “D” grade. If the student receives a “D” the first time he or she takes a course and subsequently withdraws (W) or fails (F or U grade) the course on the second attempt, the course will not be paid by financial aid for a third attempt.

Student Employment

Federal Work Study and Institutional Employment are awarded to enrolled students for employment in a variety of jobs throughout the college and the surrounding community. Jobs are generally limited to a maximum of 12 hours a week while classes are in session. Individual hours available for employment are restricted to the amount of the award for each student. Enrollment in at least six credits/billable hours and Satisfactory Academic Progress are necessary to maintain eligibility for these programs. Apply here for student employment.

Financial Aid for Continuing Education Programs

An eligible financial aid student may receive assistance for enrollment in the education programs listed below. Contact the campus Financial Aid office for more information.

• CNC Machine Tool Operator
• Medical Assistant
• Sleep Technologist
• Surgical Technology

National Guard Benefits

A student who is enlisted in the National Guard can receive as much as 36 months of tuition assistance when enrolled in a VA approved institution. The student must agree to serve six years and complete initial basic training to be eligible.

A guardsmen or reservist who plans to enroll in a CCBC degree or certificate program will need to submit the original Notice of Basic Eligibility (DD2384) to Veterans’ Service before applying for benefits.

Veterans’ Educational Benefits

CCBC is approved by the Maryland Higher Education Commission to grant and administer the Veteran Educational Benefits Program through the Department of Veteran Affairs for veteran students, enrolled in approved associate degree and certificate programs. A veteran who plans to enroll in an approved CCBC degree or certificate program will need to submit all of the required VA forms, documents and paperwork, including the original separation papers (DD214) member 4 copy for enrollment certifications by the Veteran’s Certifying Official. Benefit payments will vary depending upon the student’s eligibility and the VA Educational Benefits Program. Complete information concerning eligibility requirements for veterans, eligible spouses or dependents, how to apply, programs covered and payment rate information for the benefits listed below is available on the Department of Veterans Affairs website: www.gibill.va.gov.

• Post 9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act Chapter 33
• Montgomery GI Bill - Active Duty (MGIB-AD) Chapter 30
• Montgomery GI Bill - Selected Reserve (MGIB-SR) Chapter 1606
• Reserve Educational Assistance Program (REAP) Chapter 1607
• Survivors and Dependents Educational Assistance Program (DEA) Chapter 35

Contact CCBC Veterans Service Office for assistance with the processing of educational benefits applications for veterans and other military personnel. The VA form is required each semester you enroll and plan to use benefits.