Financial Aid FAQs

Am I Eligible for Financial Aid?

In order to receive financial aid, all students must meet certain general requirements. The first step toward receiving federal and state financial aid is to complete the FAFSA and TAP applications on time every year! Each application becomes available on October 1 and students are encouraged to apply as early as possible!

Students must also:

• Be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen

• Have a valid Social Security Number

• Be a high school graduate, have a General Equivalency Diploma (GED) or High School Equivalency (HSE)

• Be registered for the Selective Service (if required)

• Provide additional documentation when necessary according to federal, state and College policies and regulations.

• Enroll in an approved program through the Admissions Office.

• Attend the classes that you are registered for.

• Not be in default on any previous student loans.

• Have never been convicted of a drug-related offense while receiving federal financial aid.

• Maintain Good Academic Standing and demonstrate Satisfactory Academic Progress toward a certificate or degree. Please visit the pages for federal and state aid requirements for more information.

• Inform the Office of Financial Aid of any changes in your financial resources.

How Much Financial Aid is Awarded?

Each financial aid award is based on need, eligibility, and available funds. First consideration goes to students who apply early and show the greatest need. Need is determined by comparing the cost of attending Dutchess Community College with the expected family contribution as calculated by a federal formula. Budgets used for financial aid vary depending upon your status, residency, and program. Standard budgets used for awarding financial aid are available from the Office of Financial Aid.

The following is an estimated budget for fall 2016 and spring 2017, for a dependent full-time student living at home in Poughkeepsie and surrounding areas:

• Tuition — $3,528

• Fees — $350-470

• Books — $1,350

The actual amount awarded may be different from the estimated award. The actual award may be adjusted based on additional information, revised regulations, or changed student status. Financial aid will only be paid for classes that you are currently attending and that are required (applicable) for your degree.

My family’s financial situation has changed since last year.  What do I do?

You should complete a Change of Circumstance Form and submit it to the Office of Financial Aid. You should also provide the requested documentation to support your special circumstance. The Office of Financial Aid will review the new information and if possible recalculate your financial aid. The Change of Circumstance Form has a deadline of April 30, 2018.  This covers the Fall 2017, Spring 2018, and Summer 2018 semesters. Please be aware a Change of Circumstance evaluation can take up to 6-8 weeks to review. 

What happens if I drop or don't attend classes?

Dropping classes or failing to attend classes for which you are registered may result in loss of or adjustments to your financial aid, even after you have received it.

View information on Student Responsibilities and Maintaining Eligibility for financial aid.

How and When is Financial Aid Paid Out?

Financial aid is disbursed (paid) as follows:

1. If you have been informed of a financial aid award, the College may defer the cost of your tuition and fees in the amount of your financial aid. This means that you will only need to pay the college the amount you will owe after financial aid is applied to your account. (Please note that if you are selected for verification and your financial aid award changes after the verification process is complete, you may owe additional funds to the college.)

2. If you have been awarded more aid than you need for tuition, fees, and other College charges, the College will issue a book voucher for you at Student Financial Services. You may use this to purchase your textbooks and supplies. You can only receive a book voucher for the Fall & Spring semesters during the first week before class through the end of the DCC Add/Drop period.

3. After tuition, fees, bookstore costs and other authorized charges are covered, any remaining financial aid will be disbursed to you as a payout. Payouts begin for Fall 2017 on October 20, 2017 and for Spring 2018 on March 16, 2018.  

   You will need to cover your own expenses until you receive your payout.
   
   

• For a student loan to be disbursed, you must be registered for and attending at least six credits of classes.

• Payments will be disbursed based on classes that you are attending that are required (Applicable) for your degree.

• Aid for late-start classes will be disbursed after those classes begin.

• The amount of a Pell award will be based on the classes required for your degree that you are enrolled in and attending at the end of the drop/add period.

• For TAP to be disbursed, you must be registered for and attending at least 12 credits of classes at the end of the drop/add period.

• Your payout will be sent to you through your BankMobile Account. You should have already received information regarding BankMobile by mail. If not, or if you would like to have your refund deposited into your personal bank account, you must visit www.refundselection.com to make that choice. If you do not make any selection on the site above, a check will be mailed to you from BankMobile approximately 21 days after your refund was sent to BankMobile.

• Financial aid will be disbursed only if:

  
  

  • You are in a matriculated program.

  • You have completed your online Entrance Counseling and Promissory Note for student loans. For more information see your self-service Banner account.

  • New York State Aid for Part Time Studies (APTS) monies will not be disbursed until the end of the semester.

  • For APTS to be disbursed, you must be registered for and attending between 3-11 credits of classes at the end of the drop/add period.

  • At least three of the credits you are attempting must be credit bearing. In other words, you must be taking at least three credits that are non-remedial (100-level or higher) courses.

If I have financial aid, how can I buy my books?

If the amount of your financial aid exceeds your tuition and fees you could be eligible for a Book Voucher to use at the campus bookstore. Check your Banner account for the amount of your financial aid credit. A voucher will be issued to the student directly from Student Financial Services that they can use to purchase books & supplies from the DCC Bookstore.

Will there be money left for my personal expenses?

If your financial aid exceeds your tuition, fees, and bookstore charges, you'll get the remainder as a refund to be used for other education related expenses. The amount of the refund will be based the number of credits for courses that:

• You are currently attending (not courses that have been dropped or start later in the semester)

• Are required for your degree

What if I would like to decrease or cancel my loans after I have accepted them?

If you accepted your loans in full and would like to either reduce the total amount or cancel them in full, please click here. Simply print out the form or pick up a copy from our office, complete it and hand it in!

What if I would like to accept my loans after I have declined them?

If you originally declined your loans or only accepted a partial amount, you can complete a form to reinstate or increase your loan by clicking here. This form can also be completed in our office.

How do I keep my Federal Financial Aid?

In order to maintain your eligibility for federal aid, you must be meeting satisfactory academic progress. Your satisfactory academic progress is evaluated at the end of each semester of the academic year. There are three requirements that you must meet in order to maintain eligibility. You must have an overall GPA of 2.0 or higher, you must have completed 2/3 of the credits that you have attempted, and you must not have taken more than 150% of the credits it takes to get your degree. For a more detailed explanation of our satisfactory academic progress policy, please click here.

To view your current status, please go to myDCC.

What can I do if I am not meeting satisfactory academic progress for federal aid?

If you fall below the required completion rate or GPA requirement, you will be given a one-time Warning Status semester to regain eligibility. After the Warning Status semester, if you have not regained eligibility, you may apply for a Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal with the Dean of Student’s Services Office if you are able to document extenuating circumstances.

How do I keep my State Financial Aid?

Full-time community college students may receive six semesters of New York State Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) aid. To maintain eligibility, you must achieve the following TAP standards by the end of each semester. To view your current status, please click here

To review the New York State Full Time (TAP) eligibility rules please see NYS Academic Progress Chart

To review the New York State Part Time (APTS) eligibility rules please see NYS Academic Progress Chart. 

If you lose your eligibility for State Financial Aid, you will be notified by letter and email from the Office of Financial Aid. You may apply for a NYS Academic Progress Waiver with the Dean of Student’s Services Office if you are able to document extenuating circumstances.

What happens if I withdraw from one or more courses?

Withdrawing, even from a single course, could affect your eligibility for aid, now and in the future! Depending on the date that you drop the course(s), your aid may be reduced or removed from your course. You may even owe money back to the school depending on your situation. Withdrawing from courses also affects your 2/3 completion rate which could put your satisfactory academic progress in jeopardy. For more information on how withdrawing from courses could affect you, please click here.

What happens if I’m in default of a student loan?

Default generally occurs on a federal student loan when a borrower doesn't make a payment for 270 days. During the delinquency period, the loan servicer must make repeated efforts to locate and contact the borrower about repayment. If the lender is unsuccessful, steps will be taken to place the loan in default. Borrowers should avoid default at all costs! Unlike other consumer loans, student loans usually cannot be discharged through bankruptcy and will likely stay with borrowers for the rest of their lives.

A borrower with a defaulted loan faces these consequences:

• Payment of entire loan balance (principal and interest) becomes due immediately

• Garnished wages and federal and/or state tax refunds

• Withheld Social Security retirement benefits and disability benefits

• Additional charges, late fees, and collection costs

• Lawsuits

• Ineligibility for additional student aid

• Damaged credit rating and lower credit score (which could prevent obtaining a mortgage, buying a car, or borrowing other consumer loans in the future)

• Loss of eligibility for loan deferments (such as for in-school, unemployment, etc.)

For more information on default and tips for what you can do if you’re struggling or already in default, please click here.

More Questions?

Check out our FATV page!