Award Information

Award Process & Information

Financial Aid helps students pay for educational expenses (tuition and fees, books, supplies, food and housing, etc.). To determine eligibility, SJCC uses Student Aid Index (computed by completing the FAFSA), educational expenses (Cost of Attendance), and registered.

There are two types of financial aid: gift aid and self-help aid. Gift aid includes various grants, and scholarships. Gift aid usually does not have to be repaid. Self-help aid includes student loans and work-study. Self-help aid must be earned or repaid.

 

Cost of Attendance (COA)

COA is the cost for an average full-time student in an academic year (9-months)

  Living w/Parent
(In State)		 Living w/Parent
(Non-Resident)		 Living Off Campus
(In State)		 Living Off Campus
(Non-Resident)
Tuition & Fees[1] [2] [3] $1,366 $11,922 $1,366 $11,922
Books & Supplies $2,727 $2,727 $2,727 $2,727
Food & Housing $11,493 $11,493 $22,658 $22,658
Personal Expense $4,059 $4,059 $4,968 $4,968
Transportation $1,962 $1,962 $1,962 $1,962
TOTAL $21,607 $32,163 $33,681 $44,237
[1] Tuition and fees include enrollment fees ($46/unit), health fee ($21/semester), transportation fee ($11/semester), student activity fee ($5/semester) and Representation fee ($2/semester).  Non-resident (out of state) tuition ($377/unit) is included in the Non-Resident COAs.  All fees are subject to change.
[2] COA may be prorated based various enrollment status or for an enrollment period of less than 9 months.
[3] COA may be adjusted by the Financial Aid Office to reflect other educationally related expenses or reduced to reflect individual circumstances.


 

Enrollment Status and enrollment intensity


The following are the enrollment statuses used to determine your financial aid eligibility:

Full-time (FT)

12 or more units

Three-quarters-time (QT)

9.0 to 11.5 units

Half-time (HT)

6.0 to 8.5 units

Less than Half-Time (LTHT)

0.5 to 5.5 units

  • Effective Academic Year 2024-2025, Pell Grant fund will be paid based on Enrollment Intensity. Pell Grant for students enrolled less than Full-Time will have their funds pro-rated based on the percentage of registered units out of 12 units.  For example: 10 units of 12 units or 10/12 = 83%; Pell Grant for 10 units is 83% of the full semester award.
  • Financial aid units will include classes both from SJCC and Evergreen Valley College (EVC).
  • Financial aid units each semester is determined on Sept. 9, 2024 (FA24) and Feb. 10, 2025 (SP25).
  • Financial aid units may be recalculated if units are dropped by census date each semester.
  • Completed units for Intersession will be added to Spring semester units for financial aid purposes.
  • Federal regulations allow students to receive financial aid for one repeat of a previously passed course.
  • Financial Aid enrollment status may be different than academic load for Admissions & Records or Student Accessibility Services (SAS).


Student Aid Index (SAI): formerly Expected Family Contribution (EFC)

The Student Aid Index (SAI) is an eligibility index number that the Financial Aid Office uses to determine how much Federal Student Aid students may receive.  Lower SAI, including negative numbers, indicates the student demonstrates higher financial need. The SAI is not a dollar amount of eligibility, nor an expectation of what the student and family can provide toward the cost of education.


Financial Need: Most financial aid programs are based on need. Financial need is determined the following formula:

Cost of Attendance (COA) – Student Aid Index (SAI) = Financial Need. 

A negative SAI does not allow students to receive more need-based aid, rather negative SAIs are treated as 0 when calculating students’ financial need.


Federal Student Aid Programs
SJCC participates in several federal student aid programs. The following lists the programs at SJCC:

Program Type of Aid General Information
Federal Pell Grant Grant (Gift-Aid) Eligibility determined by ED based on the information on their FAFSA. Award amounts are determined by the school based on COA, SAI, and enrollment intensity. Maximum award for 2024-2025 is $7,395. Lifetime limit is not to exceed the equivalent of six years at full-time.
Supplemental Ed Opportunity Grant (SEOG) Grant (Gift-Aid) Pell eligible students are selected by school based on SAI, financial need, and availability of funds. Maximum award for 2024-2025 at SJCC is $1000. Average award is $600 (full-time); must be registered in at least 6 units.
Iraq & Afghanistan Service Grant Grant (Gift-Aid) Eligibility determined by ED based on the information on their FAFSA. Award amounts are determined by the school based on COA and enrollment intensity. Maximum award for 2024-2025 is $7,395.
Federal Work-Study (FWS) Work (Self-Help) Students are selected by SJCC based on financial need, available funds, and availability of on-campus/off-campus jobs. Students are required to attend a FWS orientation. Students must be registered in at least 6 units.
Direct Subsidized Loan Loan (Self-Help) Loans must be repaid with interest. Students must attend a loan orientation. Students must be registered in at least 6 units.
Direct Unsubsidized Loan Loan (Self-Help) Loans must be repaid with interest. Students must attend a loan orientation. Students must be registered in at least 6 units.
Direct PLUS Loan Loan (Self-Help) For parents of dependent undergraduate students to help meet student's educational expenses. Students must be registered in at least 6 units. Parents can apply at https://studentaid.gov

 

Visit https://studentaid.gov for general eligibility requirements and federal student aid information.

 

Loan Orientation

New borrowers at SJCC who are interested in participating in Direct Loans must attend a Loan Orientation. A new borrower at SJCC is one that has not received a Direct Loan at SJCC.   Loan Orientation information is posted on the SJCC Financial Aid landing page

 

Federal Work Study Orientation

Students interested in Federal Work-Study and did not participate in FWS in 2023-2024 must attend a FWS Orientation. Continuing FWS students will be contacted directly by the FWS Coordinator.  FWS Orientation information is posted on the SJCC Financial Aid landing page

 

State Aid Programs

The following is a list of state aid programs offered at SJCC.

 

Program Type of Aid General Information
California College Promise Grant Fee Waiver (Gift-Aid) Waives the $46/unit enrollment fee and provides a discount for student parking permits. Does not cover the Student Health, Transportation, Student Activity, class material fees or books.  General eligibility requirements and additional information can be found at www.icanaffordcollege.com. Student may submit an application via CCC Apply here: CCPG Application

Cal Grant B

Eligibility determined by the CA Student Aid Commission.  Must be enrolled at least half-time (6 units) per semester

 Grant (Gift-Aid) Award amounts are determined by the school based on enrollment status. Full-Time award for 2024-2025 is $1,648; students who are confirmed Foster Youth/Former Foster Youth, or students who have confirmed they support dependents who are less than 18 years old may qualify for up to $6,000 per year.

Cal Grant C

Eligibility determined by the CA Student Aid Commission.  Must be enrolled at least half-time (6 units) per semester

 Grant (Gift-Aid) Students' program/major must be occupational/vocational. Award amounts are based on enrollment status. Maximum award amount for 2024-2025 is $1,094; students who are confirmed Foster Youth/Former Foster Youth, or students who have confirmed they support dependents who are less than 18 years old may qualify for up to $4,000 per year.

Student Success Completion Grant (SSCG)

For Cal Grant recipients, only.  Must be enrolled full-time (12 units) per semester.

 Grant (Gift-Aid) Students enrolled in 12-14.5 units may receive $1,298 per semester; students enrolled in 15 units or more may receive $4,000 per semester.  Students who are confirmed Foster Youth/Former Foster Youth, enrolled in 12 units or more may receive $5,250 per semester.

 

California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) - general eligibility requirements and additional information on CSAC at www.csac.ca.gov.

 

Extended Opportunity Prog & Services/Cooperative Agencies Resources for Education (EOPS/CARE)

EOPS and CARE are state programs that provide grants, counseling and tutorial services to low-income, educationally disadvantage students. Space is limited. Contact EOPS/CARE at (408) 288-3788.

 

California Work Opportunities and Responsibilities to Kids (CalWORKs)

WIN/CalWORKs program provides services and financial assistance for TANF recipients who are in good standing with the county social services office. Please contact your county worker to determine eligibility. A county referral is required. Contact CalWORKs at (408) 298-2181 ext. 3586.

Verification/Documents/Disbursements/Withdraws

SJCC Scholarship Program and other scholarship opportunities are posted on the SJCC Scholarship page.

Students who are required to submit additional documentation to complete their financial aid file will submit those documents electronically.  Students will log on to https://SJCC.StudentForms.com.  Log-in credentials will be their SJCC email address and password (click here for more information about students' SJCC email address).

Students will then need to complete a profile using their name, date of birth and social security numbers, exactly as they appear on their FAFSA, or CA Dream Application, as applicable.

Some documents will be completed as online forms and other will need to be uploaded as saved files, scanned files, or photos.

Financial aid disbursement occurs when SJCC credits student accounts with financial aid funds.  The disbursement date is the day on which the school credits student accounts.  The REFUND DATE is when funds are sent to students.

A refund is created when a financial aid disbursement is greater than any balance owed to the college. SJCC uses BankMobile Disbursements, a technology solution, powered by BMTX, Inc. to deliver financial aid refunds. After submitting a FAFSA and requested documents to the Financial Aid Office, students are sent a refund selection kit. The kit is mailed to the address on file with Admissions & Records (A&R).

Students use the refund selection kit to log-in and select a refund preference. Options include direct deposit into an existing checking/savings account (ACH) or opening an account with BankMobile.  Refunds are sent based on students’ disbursement preference with BankMobile.  Log on to the BankMobile site for more information.

 

Click here for 2024-2025 disbursement and refund dates and information.

  • Students must be registered, packaged (awarded aid) and in good academic standing by the disbursement date for a disbursement to occur
  • Cal Grant funds are disbursed after Census each semester
  • Pell Grant is generally paid in two disbursements per semester (one at the beginning of the semester, the other around the mid-point of the semester).
  • Students who pay out of state tuition or are registered in a clock-hour program will receive one disbursement for the semester/payment period. 
  • Direct Loans are paid in two disbursements for the loan period – loan period is usually the academic year – (one at the beginning, the other at the mid-point).
  • Most other aid is disbursed once per semester (i.e. SEOG, Cal Grant, Scholarships, etc.).
  • Units from late-start classes will be added to students' enrollment status no sooner than 10 days prior the start of that class.  Financial Aid funds will be disbursed accordingly.

    Additional disbursements made due to changes in eligibility (i.e. change in enrollment status). A single disbursement of Pell Grant and Direct Loans may be made if the first disbursement occurs after the mid-point of the semester.

Students who drop a class(s) and are still enrolled prior to the census date, will have their financial aid adjusted to reflect the enrollment status for the semester.
Students who drop all classes may be required to return some portion of their financial aid funds.  

  • Withdraw prior to 1st day of class:                                             Not eligible – Must return all aid disbursed
  • Withdraw prior to 10/25/24 (FA24) & 3/28/25 (SP25):     Partial – Must return a portion of aid disbursed
  • Withdraw on/after 10/25/24 (FA24) & 3/28/25 (SP25):   Full – no aid needs to be returned
                               

 If students owe a balance, the amount due must repaid. Failure to repay may result in the loss of financial aid eligibility.  Students who borrowed a student loan must complete Exit Loan Counseling.

If students earned more aid than the amount disbursed, they will receive a post-withdrawal disbursement. Withdrawing from some classes may affect financial aid eligibility for subsequent terms (See Satisfactory Academic Progress). Contact the Financial Aid Office for questions.