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Financing Your College Education

Financial Resources

College students have a variety of financial resources available. The Financial Aid office at Sierra Pacific Community College is a good starting point. The goal of financial aid is to assist students in obtaining the financial resources needed to achieve their educational goal.

Types of Financial Aid

The staff of the Financial Aid office will assist students in completing applications and will explain the requirements for the different types of financial aid programs. The following is a list of financial aid programs available and the average amount awarded per student nationwide for each program:

Federal grants

Loans

Work study

State grants

Fee waivers

Scholarships

College Expenses

The first step is to determine the expenses to attend college for a semester as a full-time student. Cost of attendance budgets include average costs associated with all the educational expenses a student will incur during the academic year. This includes tuition and fees, room and board, miscellaneous personal expenses, books and supplies, local transportation costs. While students must determine their own budget, in keeping with needs and resources, the following is an approximate annual cost of education for financial aid students attending Sierra Pacific Community College:

Expenses Living with Parents Living on Your Own

Room/Board $4,346 $10,862

Books/Supplies $1,656 $1,656

Transportation $1,206 $1,206

Personal/Misc. $3,114 $2,854

Fees ($46/unit) $1,104 $1,104

Total (approximate) $11,426 $17,682

Financial Aid Information

The SPCCD Financial Aid office administers financial aid (including loans). Please note that financial aid is handled in accordance with federal and state regulations, and rules are not set by the college. Funds are distributed to students who have documented financial need determined by the total resources available to them. For more information, phone (209) 658-4466. See the following list for more information.

Parents are considered to have the primary responsibility for assisting the dependent student in meeting the cost of education. Financial aid is available along with parental contributions to meet the student's academic expenses.

Aid for independent students is available based on student contribution and the student's academic expenses.

Use the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online to apply for campus-based aid and the Pell Grant/Student Loans. List Sierra Pacific Community College as the college of choice. SPCCD's federal code number is 0085412. Comment by Randy Nordell: Use Smart Lookup to find information about FAFSA.

Once the SPCCD Financial Aid office receives an Electronic Student Aid Report (SAR) from the Federal Processor, you will be notified (by e-mail or U.S. Mail) of the required documentation needed to complete your file. Documentation requested is confidential and must be furnished to receive financial aid.

The priority date for funding is March 4. Applications dated after this date will be funded if funds are available. Students awarded financial aid are notified by e-mail or U.S. Mail. Average processing time of Federal Student Aid is eight to twelve weeks.

Financial aid workshops are listed under the Financial Aid Workshops link on the right side of the Financial Aid Web site homepage.

Enrollment Status

Enrollment status is based on the number of units taken during a semester. For the Fall and Spring semesters, the following criteria are used:

Full time = 12 or more units

Three-quarter-time = 9.0 units - 11.9 units

Half-time = 6.0 units - 8.9 units

Less than half-time = 0.1 units - 5.9 units

For students attending the Summer session, the following criteria are used:

Full time = 6 or more units

Three-quarter-time = 4.5 units - 5.9 units

Half-time = 3.0 units - 4.49 units

Less than half-time = 0.1 units - 2.9 units