How the Financial Aid Process Works
STEP 1: Apply for FAFSA
Apply for Federal Financial Aid by going to www.studentaid.gov (free application).
- Apply for your FSA ID. The FSA ID – a user name and password – must be used to log in to certain U.S. Department of Education websites, including managing your federal student loans or Pell Grants. Download instructions for how to create a FAFSA ID.
- Apply for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) here. Calhoun Community College’s School Code is 001013. Download instructions for how to fill out your FAFSA application.
STEP 2: Complete Verification Process (If Required)
- Applicants selected by the Federal Central Processing System for verification must provide requested documentation within 15 days of request and prior to award offers. Click here for verification forms.
- Failure to provide all documents requested in a timely manner will delay your award offer and financial aid payments.
STEP 3: Satisfy Requirements, Review, & Accept Award Offers
All student notifications are made via your Calhoun email account. When notified, you may review and satisfy documents online by following these steps:
- Login to MyCalhoun with student ID and password
- Click on the ‘Banner Self-Service link’ under the “Launchpad” section to the left of the screen. **If you only see the Personal Information and Student links or buttons, Calhoun has not received your financial aid file from FAFSA. Once your FAFSA has been received, you will see an additional link/button for Financial Aid.**
- Click on the Financial Aid button, then
- Award box, then
- Award for Aid Year link – then select the correct academic year from the drop-down menu and click submit. Four tabs will appear across the screen:
- Award Overview tab: VIEW ONLY screen: shows the amount of aid you have been awarded and how it will be made available to you for each semester.
- Resources and Additional Information tab: REQUIRES A RESPONSE (takes approximately 3 days to update to satisfied status.)
- Terms and Conditions tab: REQUIRES A RESPONSE (updates to satisfied immediately)
- Accept Award tab: Accept or Decline student loans by using the drop down menus.
STEP 4: Complete Direct Student Loan Steps (If Applicable)
- If a student declines loans on the Accept Award tab (Step 3), no other steps are necessary.
- If the student accepts federal student loans, they may also be required to complete Entrance Counseling and a Master Promissory Note to activate loans through the Dept. Of Education.
- For more information, visit the Student Loans page.
STEP 5: Complete PLUS Loans for Parents (If Applicable)
- Go to the Financial Aid Applications & Forms page. Complete the PLUS loan application and submit it to the office. Or apply for a PLUS loan online.
- Go to StudentAid.gov to complete the PLUS Master Promissory Note for John C. Calhoun Community College.
- PLUS loans require an acceptable credit history and can be disbursed to the student per parent authorization. The student must have a FAFSA on file before a PLUS application.
STEP 6: Check Student Account for Charges, Authorized Aid, & Refund / Owed Amounts
- Once in the MyCalhoun portal:
-
- Click on Student link/button, then
- Student Landing Page link, then
- Account Detail by Term link, (NOT the Account Summary by Term link)
- Select term from drop-down menu
- Charges, or debits, such as tuition, fees and bookstore charges will display in the top section of the screen. These show up as a positive number. Students will need to scroll down to see the rest of the information contained on this page.
- Middle section details all authorized aid (credits) such as financial aid, scholarships, outside resources paying towards student account balance. If the difference is a positive number, this means student has a remaining balance. If the difference is a negative number, student will be issued a refund.
- If you do not have financial aid and need to pay a remaining balance owed by credit or debit card or sign up for the payment plan, CLICK on the PAY NOW button at the top of this screen. You will not use this button if you have Pell, other grants, scholarships, or loans that are sufficient to cover your tuition. For more information about the payment plan, details can be accessed at MyCollegePaymentPlan.com/calhoun. IF YOU HAVE AID AUTHORIZED TO COVER YOUR TUITION AND BOOK CHARGES, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO DO ANYTHING TO MAKE THE AID MOVE OVER TO PAY AS THIS IS AN AUTOMATIC PROCESS.
- At the bottom of the Account Detail by Term page is a Statement History link that can be accessed once your refund has been processed. This page will show dates as to when money was moved over to pay and/or refunded back to credit/debit cards if you pre-paid before aid was available.
STEP 7: Get Books for Class
Use the on-campus bookstore charge procedures to apply books and supplies to your financial aid account. Details of the book charge procedures are available in the course schedule.
STEP 8: Verify You are Attending Class
Financial aid disbursements require documented attendance from each course instructor.
- Be sure to review the course syllabus and complete attendance and/or participation requirements for each course during the first week of the semester to ensure timely aid disbursements.
- Student must attend the first day of class to be counted as attending.
- Financial aid awards may be reduced for non-attendance during the first week of class.
STEP 9: Get Your Refund
To get your Pell Grant, Student Loan, SEOG and Alabama Student Assistant Grant refund, select a refund preference with BankMobile Disbursements. Learn more about Refunds and Policies.