Grants are awarded to students based on Satisfactory Academic Progress and other criteria such as financial need and GPA. Grants are not required to be paid back by the student.
The CCPG is a state program that assists in paying the enrollment fees for eligible students who are California residents (formally known as the BOG Waiver).
CCPG-A: Covers the per-unit tuition costs and additional enrollment fee of approximately $5. Apply by submitting a CCPG application as well as an Agency Certification form to the Financial Aid Office.
CCPG-B: Covers the $46/unit tuition costs only and is awarded based on household size and low income thresholds. Apply by submitting a CCPG application to the Financial Aid Office or by filing a FAFSA.
CCPG-C: Covers the $46/unit tuition costs only and is awarded based on financial need which varies between colleges based on their costs of attendance. Apply by submitting a FAFSA. You will be informed about eligibility via email at your student email account.
Designed to assist students with financial need to continue their education beyond high school and attempts to provide students with financial assistance to help defray their educational costs. Award amounts are based on the number of units a student is enrolled in. The minimum number of units required to receive the Pell grant varies based on the individual student's financial need, but many students qualify at as few as 1 unit.
In recent years, there have been changes regarding the Pell Grant formula. The Pell Grant refund amount will be based on your Student Aid Index - SAI (previously known as the EFC) AND Enrollment Status. Use the is the table below to calculate how much Pell Grant funding you are eligible for based on your award and units. Remember, you will receive half of your entitlement at the beginning of the semester and the other half around the 60% mark. You can view specific disbursement date through our:
| Number of units: | Enrollment Intensity: |
| 12 (or more) | 100% |
| 11.5 | 96% |
| 11 | 92% |
| 10.5 | 88% |
| 10 | 83% |
| 9.5 | 79% |
| 9 | 75% |
| 8.5 | 71% |
| 8 | 67% |
| 7.5 | 63% |
| 7 | 58% |
| 6.5 | 54% |
| 6 | 50% |
| 5.5 | 46% |
| 5 | 42% |
| 4.5 | 38% |
| 4 | 33% |
| 3.5 | 29% |
| 3 | 25% |
| 2.5 | 22% |
| 2 | 17% |
| 1.5 | 12% |
| 1 | 8% |
|
Example: your award for the Fall 2026 semester is $3,697.50 and you are enrolled in 7 units. 1st: Divide 3,697.50 in half = 1,848.75 2nd: Determine the percentage based on your units. 7 units = 58% 3rd: Multiple the two amounts. 1,848.75 X 0.58 = 1,072.28 Your first disbursement would be $1,072.28 |
NOTE: Late Start Classes
Students will NOT receive funding for late start classes until the disbursement date
AFTER they have begun.
NOTE: Retaking Coursework
A student may be paid one time for a previously passed course. For this purpose, passed
means any grade higher than an "F." In other words, the student may be awarded Title
IV aid for a second term only, regardless of the grade earned on the repeated course.
The U.S. Department of Education has set a regulation which limits the funds you may receive over your lifetime to 12 full time equivalent semesters, or 6 years of Pell Grant Funding. Since the maximum amount of Pell Grant Funding you can receive each year is equal to 100%, the six-year equivalent is 600%.
The Cal Grant program is a state-funded program administered by the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC). Students may apply for the Cal Grant by filing their FAFSA and submitting their GPA prior to March 2nd, . Your past or current school may submit your verified GPA for you, but in some cases you are responsible for submitting your verified GPA (ask your Financial Aid Technician before March 2nd or check your account, under "Cal Grant GPA" to see whether ÉñÂíÎÒ²»¿¨¸£Àû submitted your verified GPA for you). Students may access or update information regarding their Cal Grant award, including change of school or request to put an award on reserve, online at . The types of as well as below. While students must maintain a certain GPA for Cal Grant awards, the awards are ultimately granted based on a point system that assigns values to each question on the FAFSA. Details of the point values are not disclosed by CSAC but a student may view their score on WebGrants 4 Students, linked above.
Cal Grant A: Awarded on the basis of academic achievement and financial need. This award is for UC and CSU students so may be held on reserve while the student is enrolled in a community college. More information can be found on the .
Cal Grant B - Entitlement: This award is for newly entering students and those who have completed no more than 16 semester units who come from low income families and are not able to gain access to college without financial support. Cal Grant B is also available to students transferring to four-year institutions from community colleges. More information is available at all California high school counseling offices, college financial aid offices, and on the .
Cal Grant B - Competitive: Additional Cal Grant B awards are awarded on a competitive basis, half of which are specifically for eligible California Community College students who meet the later deadline of September 2nd. More information is available on the .
Cal Grant C: This award assists with training costs for occupational, technical, and vocational programs. The award is for books, tools and equipment for California community college students. More information is available on the .
We are pleased to announce the consolidation of funding for the new Student Success Completion Grant (SSCG) program, formerly FTSSG (Full-Time Student Success Grant) and CCCG (California College Completion Grant) for full-time Cal Grant B and C recipients at California Community Colleges. Each institution is allotted a certain amount of SSCG funds to distribute; therefore, it is awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Refunds are calculated based on enrollment status per semester:
|
Enrollment Status per Semester |
Refund Amount |
| 15 or more units | $4,000.00 |
| 12-14.5 units | $1,298.00 |
| 0-11.5 units | $0.00 |
IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
The Chafee program is designed for students who are current or former foster youth. Students may qualify for up to $4,500 a year for college training. In addition to submitting a FAFSA, students must complete the California Chafee Grant for Foster Youth application to apply. The program is administered by the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC), and students may access or update information regarding their Chafee Grant award online at
AmeriCorps members serve more than 3,000 nonprofit institutions, public agencies, faith-based and other community organizations to help meet critical needs in education, public safety, health and the environment. The variety of service opportunities is almost unlimited. Members may tutor and mentor youth, build affordable housing, teach computer skills, clean parks and streams, run after-school programs, or help communities respond to disasters.
Upon completion of their service, AmeriCorps members earn a Segal AmeriCorps Education Award to help finance their education. Find out more about AmeriCorps at .
AmeriCorps Educational Awards at ÉñÂíÎÒ²»¿¨¸£Àû Process & Policies:
Once the funds are received from AmeriCorps, the processing time of your award can take up to 18 business days at ÉñÂíÎÒ²»¿¨¸£Àû. It is your responsibility to pay for any fees that are due, and other expenses (i.e. books, supplies and transportation) incurred prior to the disbursement of these funds.
Follow these helpful guidelines to ensure proper and timely payment of your award:
The Federal Work-Study (FWS) Program provides part-time jobs on campus as part of a financial aid offer to eligible students with unmet financial need. Students must be enrolled at least half-time (6 units) in order to be eligible and may work 5-15 hours per week for minimum wage. A student cannot participate in the FWS Program if they are in a disqualification or appeal status or if they have already participated in the program for four semesters.
FWS is available only in Fall and Spring and spots are extremely limited.
Please note: FWS is not the only on-campus job opportunity. Please visit Job Placement Services for assistance in finding the right job for you or check out the ÉñÂíÎÒ²»¿¨¸£Àû for off-campus openings.
Columbia College is dedicated to supporting our students at being successful in their educational goals. We want all potential student borrowers to have a realistic borrowing plan. We want to ensure that transferring students have enough loan eligibility to complete their educational goals. Also to the students working towards a certificate or associates degree to not be overly burdened with student loan debt. For more information GPA filing requirements and forms.
Scholarships are a great opportunity to find additional sources of aid for your schooling. Our scholarship program is run by the ÉñÂíÎÒ²»¿¨¸£Àû Foundation, not the Financial Aid Office. Please visit the ÉñÂíÎÒ²»¿¨¸£Àû Foundation, for more information about Scholarships.
Some students are not eligible for federal financial aid (primarily due to citizenship status) but may still be eligible for some state-based financial aid through the California Dream Act. Visit the webpage for more information about the program and eligibility. For information on specific aid, visit the webpage. Please remember the Dream Act Application has a priority deadline of March 2nd for the following academic year!
Dreamers may apply for the following financial aid through the California Dream Act: