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1. General Requirements

To receive federal student aid, a student must:

- Be a high school graduate or have an equivalency diploma;
- Be enrolled or accepted for enrollment as a regular student in an eligible degree or certificate program at PCCC;
- Have a valid Social Security number;
- Maintain satisfactory academic progress;
- Be a U.S. Citizen, U.S. National or Permanent Resident. Information for non-U.S. citizens can be found online.

These are the basic qualifications for eligibility. Full information for eligibility for federal student aid is available online. All applicants must complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) each year. The application is available on the Department of Education’s website. Once the FAFSA is submitted, the application is reviewed by the central processing center of the Department of Education to determine if the student has defaulted on a federal or state student loan. The application is also reviewed to determine whether or not the student owes a refund to the federal financial aid program. Federal student aid can only be used for educational purposes. Students can only receive Financial Aid at one college, university or institution each semester. Computer access and assistance with completing the FAFSA is available on all campuses (Paterson, Passaic, and Wanaque). Students may make an appointment for FAFSA assistance at www.pccc.edu/fafsahelp.

All communication from the Financial Aid Office to students is sent to the student’s PCCC e-mail address. It is the official form of communication for PCCC and students are responsible for checking their e-mail regularly.

Although the Financial Aid staff makes every effort to inform students of financial aid guidelines, the ultimate responsibility for complying with financial aid regulations falls on the applicant.

For more information on the Federal Financial Aid student guidelines and responsibilities, please go to https://studentaid.gov/ and www.hesaa.org for information on New Jersey State financial aid including Tuition Aid Grants (TAG), Community College Opportunity Grants (CCOG) and the New Jersey Stars program.

Financial aid awards (State and Federal) are based on need. Students are encouraged to apply for financial aid before June 1st. The FAFSA opens October 1st each year. For additional FAFSA dates and deadlines, please visit https://studentaid.gov/apply-for-aid/fafsa/fafsa-deadlines

Additional Financial Aid information is also available on the College’s website at pccc.edu/prospective/paying-for-college/financial-aid.

You will find information regarding:

- Required financial aid forms;
- Federal student loans (including Entrance Counseling and Master Promissory Note (MPN);
- Verification process (for those selected);
- Scholarships;
- Financial literacy information on how to manage your money.

Students are responsible for tuition and fees once registered. However, students who have a valid FAFSA on file with the Financial Aid Office, and are meeting Satisfactory

Academic Progress will not be dropped from their classes, and therefore do not need to make payment arrangements with the Bursar If it is determined that the student is ineligible for financial aid or if the financial aid awarded does not cover the total balance, the student is responsible for making payment arrangements with the Bursar for the outstanding amount. Tuition payment plans are available at on the Bursar’s Office website (https://pccc.edu/bursar/)

Verification

The Department of Education randomly selects financial aid applications (FAFSA) for further review. Students selected are notified by the Department of Education and by e- mail from the PCCC Financial Aid Office. Students can also view and access their Required Documents in the Financial Aid Self-Service Menu. If selected for Verification, students must submit documentation (i.e., tax return transcript, verification worksheet, etc.) and a review is conducted by the Financial Aid Office. If errors are found, the Financial Aid staff must submit corrections to the Department of Education. This may decrease the estimated award and the student will be liable for the tuition, fee or book balance. Verification must be completed prior to receiving payment of any federal grant, loan or state award.

A student is expected to submit the required documentation within a reasonable timeframe, preferably 7 to 10 days (about 1 and a half weeks) after receipt of the missing information email. Review of the submitted documentation can take up to 4 weeks for a determination regarding eligibility to be made. If the student does not submit the required documentation by November 1st for the Fall semester or April 1st for the Spring semester, the student will be billed for all tuition, fees and other related charges on the account. Students may submit verification documents after these dates if they are compliant with federal guidelines. Please check with the Financial Aid Office for the deadline. Failure to submit the required documentation will result in the denial of all federal and state financial aid including student loans. Financial Aid forms can be found on www.pccc.edu/faforms.

Students who are required to submit documents may log onto their portal account and access the Financial Aid Self-Service menu entitled “Required Documents”. The documents can be completed online and are submitted electronically to the Financial Aid Office.

Withdrawals

Students who withdraw from a course or reduce their course load before the add/drop period will have their financial aid reduced accordingly. As a result, students may owe a tuition balance and their respective book deferment (if applicable) may be decreased. Please seek assistance from the financial aid staff and an academic advisor before withdrawing or dropping a class to understand the implications. Contact information for academic advisors can be found on the PCCC Academic Advising website.

Cost of Attendance for the 2023-2024

Below are the estimated costs of attending PCCC for an average full-time student (12 credits) for one year (2 semesters). The total amount is used to determine financial aid awards based on the student’s eligibility index. The amounts are subject to change.

NOTES: *Tuition listed above is an annual estimated cost and based on 12 credit hours per semester. 
Full definitions of dependency status can be found on the U.S. Department of Education website.
**Independent Housing & Meals estimate cost of $13,500.00 is broken down as follows: Housing $9,900.00 and Meals $3,600.00.
Some courses have additional fees. Information about all fees can be found on the PCCC Bursar website.

Examples of the courses with additional fees: 
Nursing Students: the following courses have additional fees NUR 101, NUR 102, NUR 201, NUR 202, and NUR 203.
Radiography Students: the following courses have additional fees RA 103, RA108, RA 110, RA 203, RA 207 and RA 209.