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The Financial Aid Office wants every student to know about the financial aid resources,
programs, and services available to them here at Cerritos College.
As you can see, there are many different types of financial aid available. Financial aid
consists of grants, the Board of Governors fee waiver program, scholarships, work-study,
and loans. If you qualify, financial aid can help you
pay for fees, help you buy your books and supplies, help you with transportation and
living expenses. It is definitely worth it to apply and see if you qualify.
The best way to see if you qualify is to go through the 4 step application process.
The financial aid process is easier than ever. There are four mains steps to the financial
aid application process. First, you want to Apply by submitting a Free
Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at www.fafsa.gov. Be sure to list our school
code 001161. When you apply, make sure to have income information like taxes or W2’s
and have social security numbers available. If you are dependent, you will need this same
information for your parents. We offer FAFSA workshops from January to May to assist students
when applying. Second, you want to submit any required forms
to the Financial Aid Office. You will receive a Missing Information Letter or you can review
your To Do List on MyCerritos. The To Do List lists all of the required forms needed to
complete your financial aid file. You can download forms from our website, and you can
submit these forms by fax, mail, drop-box, or in person here at the Financial Aid Office.
Once all of the missing documents have been received, the Financial Aid office will review
and determine your eligibility. This can take some time and that is why it is so important
to apply early. For the Third step, you will receive a Financial
Aid award letter detailing what financial aid you may qualify for. Please read the financial
aid award letter let us know if you have any questions. You may also view your awards online
on MyCerritos. It is important to note that you must meet our Satisfactory Academic Progress
standards in order to receive these awards.
The final step of the process is the Fourth step, once awarded you will receive a Cerritos
Falcon Card in the mail. You can activate your Cerritos Falcon Card online at www.cerritosfalconcard.com.
Any grants, scholarships, and/or loans that you are eligible for will be disbursed to
the card. Remember, do not throw this card away. It will be used as long as you are here
at Cerritos College. Now that you know the four steps to applying
for financial aid here at Cerritos College, I want to mention some important dates.
You must apply for financial aid each year. The FAFSA becomes available every January.
Another important deadline to mention is the Cal Grant deadline which is March 2nd. You
must submit a FAFSA and a Cal Grant GPA Verification to apply. Go to www.calgrants.org for more
information. The best time to do Step 1, submitting your
FAFSA, is January or February. You can even submit your FAFSA based on estimated information
if tax returns have not been filed yet. You can always go back and make a correction later
once you have filed. March and April is the best time to submit the required documents
that I mentioned in Step 2. Our early application period is January through April 30th. If you
submit your FAFSA and submit all required forms during the early application period,
you should expect to receive an award letter in July and expect to receive financial aid
when school starts in August. You definitely want to avoid the lines in
July & August, and get everything completed early.
We want students to succeed here at Cerritos College and the Financial Aid Office can help
you do that. The Financial Aid Office can help you with any questions that you have.
We understand how important it is to apply for financial aid and we are here to help
you through that process. Check our website to view our office hours.
Get important information and view online Financial Aid TV video clips. You can submit
general questions through the Contact Us form on our website or through e-mail. On MyCerritos,
you can view your To Do List, view your awards, and view your refund information. We also
have a quarterly newsletter called the NewsFlash which has all of our latest announcements
and important information. You can view the current or past newsletters on our website.
We thank you, and look forward to assisting you.