Financial Aid FAQs

You can calculate your Federal Student Loan repayment and review the repayment plans and loan forgiveness options under the Loan Repayment and Loan Forgiveness links on studentaid.gov.

Yes, especially if you are interested in Federal Direct Student Loans, Federal Work-Study, or a CACC scholarship.

CACC offers, to those who qualify, the Federal Pell Grant, Federal Student Loans, Federal Parent PLUS Loans, Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant, Federal Work-Study, Alabama State Grant, VA Benefits, Institutional Scholarships, and other opportunities as they become available to our students.

An A# is a student’s assigned CACC Student ID number. You will receive an email with you’re A# from the Financial Aid Office once we receive your FAFSA and/or once you have submitted an application for CACC admission.

Your financial aid offer may be reduced if you fail to begin attendance in classes, withdraw from classes prior to the Pell Recalculation Date/Freeze/Census (typically 10 business days after the term begins), and/or enroll for classes not required for your declared major. You may be obligated to repay the difference between the amount of funds offered and the amount recalculated. Additionally, if you do not successfully complete your full period of enrollment (either completely withdraw or do not pass at least one class that spanned your entire enrollment period), you may owe a repayment to the U.S. Department of Education and/or CACC. The amount of the repayment is determined by the Federal Return of Title IV Funds calculation. Note: withdrawing/dropping classes/ failure to pass classes may also affect your Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) and cause you to lose your eligibility to receive financial aid.

You need to apply for financial aid using the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) every year at studentaid.gov. Please keep deadlines in mind. Each year the FAFSA typically opens on October 1 for the following Fall. Example: The 2023-2024 FAFSA for Fall 2023, Spring 2024, and Summer 2024 opens on October 1, 2023. Please note the 2024-2025 FAFSA will be delayed by the US Department of Education until December 2023.

CACC’s priority date is June 1 for the upcoming school year. To ensure financial aid processing before classes begin, the FAFSA must be completed at least 15 business days before the first day of the semester, and all verification documents must be received at least 10 business days before the first day of the semester. Note: Fall registration is the most active; therefore, your paperwork should be submitted as close as possible to the deadline to avoid having to pay your student account balance.

001007 – This school code is used for ALL campus locations even though the code description is the Alexander City campus.

Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Be sure to add the CACC’s college code (001007), so your application will be sent to the CACC Financial Aid Office. Follow up on your CACC email account, the email listed on your FAFSA, and/or OneACCS approximately 5-7 business days after completing your FAFSA to see what requirements, if any, are needed. All submitted documents requested will be reviewed and any necessary corrections made. Once all financial aid and admission requirements are complete and your award is processed, you will receive, if eligible, an Offer of Financial Aid email notification to your CACC email. You may continue to check OneACCS for your offer by clicking on Student > Student Landing Page > Financial Aid Dashboard > Award.

Each person who will sign the FAFSA electronically, will need to create an FSA ID online.

The online application process has been simplified and is user-friendly. If you don’t have access to a computer, there are computers available for use on all Central Alabama campuses or at your local public library. Paper copies are available by calling 1-800-433-3243. You must mail paper applications to the Federal Student Aid Program address provided in the paper application information. Paper applications will have an extended processing time with the US Department of Education.

The FAFSA determines which parent you should use on the FAFSA. Studentaid.gov has helpful hints and tools.

Unless you can truthfully answer “yes” to at least one of the dependency questions on the FAFSA, the Federal Government requires you to enter your parent’s personal and tax information. Click here for more information.

If there is no income earned from work and Social Security benefits are untaxed, answer tax-related questions as “Not Filing a Tax Return” with zero income.

If you are in this situation, please contact the CACC Financial Aid Office at financial_aid@cacc.edu to set up a meeting so that we can assist you through the financial aid process. Click here for more information.

Students and parents who have completed their tax returns may be eligible to use the Data Retrieval Tool (DRT) and transfer tax information directly into the FAFSA. The DRT is the easiest way to provide your (or your parents’/spouse’s) tax information on your FAFSA. The DRT accurately enters your tax information into your application. There are some situations where an applicant will not be eligible to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool. The IRS Data Retrieval Tool (IRS DRT) allows students and parents who filed a U.S. tax return with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to access the IRS tax return information needed to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form by transferring the data directly into their forms. Students or parents who are married and filed as “Married Filing Separately,” are married and filed as “Head of Household,” or filed a Puerto Rican, foreign tax return, or an IRS Form 1040NR or 1040NR-EZ aren’t eligible to use the IRS DRT and will need to enter their tax return information manually.

The most convenient way to get your Tax Return Transcript is from the IRS website.

The Federal Processing Center randomly chooses applicants and requires the College to verify the information provided. Again, it is a random process and does not necessarily mean anything is wrong. If selected, no financial aid offer will be made until verification is complete.

Financial Aid Offer notifications post in your OneACCS account. Check OneACCS > Student > Student Landing Page > Financial Aid Dashboard > Award Offer.

Full-time enrollment is not required to receive Federal Pell Grant funds. If attending less than full time in your program of study, your award will decrease accordingly. However, if your EFC is very high, you may not be eligible unless enrolled full time.

Full-time enrollment is not required to receive Federal Direct Student Loans or Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loan funds; however, you must be attending at least half time (6 credit hours in your program of study) at the time of your disbursement to receive student loans funds. If attending less than full time in your program of study, your award may decrease accordingly based on your unmet need within your cost of attendance.

Bookstore purchases can be charged to your financial aid typically 10 days before the first day of class. Our First Day Complete program gives you access to all of your course materials, with the exception of athletic scholarships, dual enrolled high school students, some career technical, and health science courses at the start of class and is automatically charged to your student account. You may opt of the program prior to the beginning of the term/semester.

You may view your CACC financial aid status on OneACCS. Check OneACCS under Student > Student Landing Page > Financial Aid Dashboard > Requirements. Be sure to choose the correct aid year. Make sure to complete any requirements listed as unsatisfied so that your aid may be processed. Please note: All financial aid and admission requirements must be complete before a financial aid offer will process and post to a student account.

Mini-terms may or may not be covered by financial aid depending on the date you register for the course. Financial aid authorizes disbursement to the student account based on enrollment as of the Pell Recalculation/Financial Aid Enrollment Freeze/Census date. This date will be approximately 10-14 days after (and not including) the first day of full-term classes. Please note: If the date falls on a holiday, weekend, or a day that the college is closed, the Recalculation will occur the next business day. The date is a snapshot of the student’s enrollment for the term and aid authorizes for disbursement based on enrollment on this date.

The offered amount posted on OneACCS is for the academic school year (August-July). Pell Grant offers are automatically accepted and assume full-time enrollment (12 or more credit hours) and are decreased accordingly for any status below full time. If enrolled during the Fall and Spring terms for less than full time, the difference will be available for use in the Summer semester. Federal Student Loans are offered and should be accepted or declined by the student. A student may make an additional loan request by completing the Additional Direct Loan Request Form at CACC.edu > Financial Aid > Forms > (Choose the aid year) Forms. You may check OneACCS > Student > Student Landing Page > Financial Aid Dashboard > Award Offer to review the financial aid offer.

Remaining funds should begin to be direct deposited or mailed approximately two weeks after the late registration/drop/add period ends. Students may sign up for direct deposit by the deadline provided by the CACC Business Office. In most cases, it is best to sign up for direct deposit prior to the start of the term. Paper checks are mailed to the mailing address in the OneACCS system that has been listed on your admissions application. It is recommended to ensure that you have the correct mailing address prior to the start of each term. To update your address, please contact student_services@cacc.edu for instructions.

All federal financial aid is Title IV funding. The Title IV Authorization allows you to accept or decline the authorization to allow your financial aid to apply for all charges on your student account and, if eligible, use your financial aid to pay for books in our online bookstore. Students who choose to decline the authorization will not be eligible to receive a book voucher using federal financial aid and may owe a balance to the student account after a refund has been processed. Declining the authorization of your federal aid status you do not wish for your aid to cover any non-institutional charges such as fees or bookstore charges.

This is the amount of your estimated credit balance that may be refunded. The Business Office begins issuing refund checks approximately two weeks after the late registration/drop/add period ends for the semester.

No. It is College policy that all checks are mailed or funds direct deposited.

The first credit balance checks are issued approximately two weeks after the drop/add period. After this initial disbursement, credit balance checks are typically, issued by the Business Office weekly. Per federal regulations, first time loan borrowers who meet the federal requirements for disbursement will have a 30-day disbursement delay. In addition, federal student loan borrowers who meet the federal requirements who have a one-term only loan will receive loan payment in two equal disbursements during that term.

You should wait 14 business days from the date your check was placed mailed. This is to allow sufficient time for the Post Office to deliver the check or for the check to be returned to the College if the check was undeliverable. Once 14 business days have passed, please contact the Business Office if you would like to request a stop payment on your check and have another check issued. Please note, once a stop payment has been issued, that check is null and void. We encourage students to use direct deposit rather than a mailed paper check by logging into MyCACC > Student Card> Make Payment to create a profile.

Several factors may have led to a reduction in your check or direct deposit amount. For example, if your instructors have not yet reported your class attendance, your funds may be reduced. Enrolling in a course outside of your degree program can also result in decreased funds. Additionally, if you are enrolled in a class that begins later in the term (e.g., Mini 2), your financial aid will be temporarily reduced until you start attending that class and attendance is reported.

Yes, CACC participates in the Federal Direct Stafford Loan program for students and the Federal Direct Stafford Loan PLUS program for parents, but does not participate in private loans.

Yes, a completed FAFSA application is important for those interested in a federal loans, scholarship or Federal Work-Study.

Withdrawing before the freeze/census date or fully withdrawing from the College before the 60% date can lead to a reduction in your financial aid, potentially creating a balance on your account due to unearned aid from not completing the semester/term. Additionally, withdrawing from classes may impact your Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP), which could affect your eligibility for financial aid in future terms. To avoid these consequences, it’s important to consult with the Financial Aid Office before making any decisions to withdraw from a class or the from the entire semester.

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) is defined as the successful completion of coursework toward an eligible certificate or degree. Federal regulations require the Financial Aid Office to monitor the academic progress of students receiving financial aid. You may view the SAP policies online CACC.edu > Financial Aid > Financial Aid Forms > click the year you plan to attend. You may view your SAP status on MyCACC > Financial Aid > Financial Aid Status

If you fail to achieve the required cumulative GPA or do not successfully complete the required percentage of hours, you will be placed on financial aid warning for one semester. You can still receive Pell funds in your warning semester. The warning will be lifted in a subsequent term if you attain the required cumulative GPA and successfully complete the required percentage of hours. If you do not achieve required SAP, you will lose your eligibility. However, you may appeal by the following: CACC.edu > Financial Aid > Financial Aid Forms (for the requested year) > Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Appeal Request.

Your financial aid (Pell Grant or loan) cannot be applied until grades have officially posted for the classes you are currently taking and until your SAP is re-evaluated. Of course, if you want to register before grades are officially posted, you can register and make payment. If you are meeting SAP after grades post, your aid will apply to your student account charges.

Per federal regulations, you have one-and-a-half times the length of your chosen program to complete it. Once you reach this maximum time frame, MAX will appear as your eligibility. If you are unable to complete your degree within the maximum time frame, MTHMX will appear as your eligibility. Students with MAX or MTHMX statuses are not eligible to receive federal financial aid.

If a student failed to make SAP (GPA, PACE, GPAPCE) or has reached maximum time frame (MAX or MTHMX), the student may file an appeal by submitting a Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal Request Form and submit any required supporting documentation to the CACC Inceptia Satisfactory Academic Progress portal. This portal is listed at CACC.edu > Financial Aid > Financial Aid Forms> (Choose the year) Forms > Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Appeal Request. You will need to select the provided link to access the SAP Advisor. If an appeal is approved, be sure to follow all instructions of the appeal decision. Incomplete appeals will not be reviewed. Please note that there is not an appeal for the Pell Lifetime Eligibility Usage.

Appeal decisions post in OneACCS. View the decision under Student > Student Landing Page > Financial Aid Dashboard > Notifications. You can also view your current status by selecting the Satisfactory Academic Progress menu item across the top of the page. Approved students will be sent an email with information required for the approval.

Filing academic bankruptcy will not improve your SAP. If you are interested in academic bankruptcy, please visit the Student Services Office or reference the CACC catalog for this information.

The maximum Pell Lifetime Eligibility a student is eligible to receive is limited to 12 full-time semesters (six years) or 600%.

To find out the amount you have used, visit the National Student Loan Data System. If you have questions about the percentage used, please call the U.S. Department of Education at 1-800-621-3115.

The Federal Work-Study Program provides part-time jobs for students with financial need and allows students to earn money to help pay for any additional educational expenses. The program encourages community service work and provides possible work related to fields of study.

Students are paid at the last working day of the month.

Both. If you work on campus, you will work in one of the departments at CACC. If you work off campus, your employer will typically be a nonprofit organization or a public agency, such as a public elementary school, United Way, Boys and Girls Club, local Career Center, or the Red Cross, etc.

The number of hours will be determined once hired based on remaining need and the departmental needs. The FWS contract will have the assigned department, the rate of pay, the number of hours eligible to work and the contract length. The student and the student’s supervisor will determine the student’s work schedule. A student may never work during a scheduled class time even if the class has been cancelled for that day. Students can typically work up to 7 hours a day and an overall total of 19 hours per week based on eligibility.

Students can work only during the dates listed on the contract. Students cannot work during scheduled class times, even if the class has been cancelled for that day.

Yes. It is the official policy of the Alabama Community College System and Central Alabama Community College that no person on the basis of race, color, disability, sex, religion, creed, national origin, age, or other classification protected by law be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subject to discrimination under any program, activity, or employment. Furthermore, no qualified individual with a disability shall, on the basis of disability, be subject to discrimination in employment or in connection with any service, program, or activity conducted by the College. More information is located at CACC.edu.

Contact the Financial Aid Office at financial_aid@cacc.edu.

The current tuition and fee rates, along with other charges, fines, and fees are located in the CACC Catalog for each year in the Tuition and Fee Rate section.

If you have registered, tuition and fees will show on your OneACCS account. You may also look on OneACCS to see if you have any financial aid authorized to your account. Please check OneACCS > Student > Student Landing Page > Make A Payment

Please log into OneACCS > Student > Student Landing Page > Make a Payment

Please log into OneACCS > Student Landing Page > Make Payment. Once you are on the Make Payment screen, click the semester that you are wanting to view. If your balance due shows a negative amount. Example: -1000.00 or (1000.00), this may be the approximate amount of your refund. Please Note: This amount could change if all tuition and fees are not on the student account and bookstore charges have not imported in the system from the Bookstore, if applicable.

Click here for CACC’s Cost of Attendance

The Cost of Attendance (COA) allows for the approximate housing, food, books, transportation, and personal expenses in addition to your tuition and fees. Only tuition and fees are billed to your CACC student account. Housing, food, books, transportation, and personal expenses are not billed by CACC. Books are an exception if are purchased by using a CACC book voucher in our online bookstore, your student account will be charged. The COA allows students an approximate total budget of possible expenses associated with attending CACC.