Financial Assistance

Applying for Financial Assistance

At Delgado Community College, we want to provide you with the best financial assistance package possible. In order to be considered for assistance from non-federal as well as federal sources, you must complete the FAFSA and submit any financial assistance documents/forms requested.

1. Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov (Delgado’s school code is 004626.)
2. Check the status of your application at LoLA by logging into my.lctcs.edu. If you are required to submit additional documents/forms, select the hyperlink next to each form, and complete and submit the forms to the financial aid office. NOTE: Students applying for federal financial assistance must submit all admissions documents before aid is processed.
3. Accept your award decision online. Once your aid is processed, you will receive notification via your Delgado student e-mail address. Some awards will require your “acceptance,” which you can do in LoLA at my.lctcs.edu. Failure to confirm your notification within the time frame mentioned above may cause a cancellation of your financial assistance award.
   • All students must make a selection under the terms and conditions tab.  Acceptance of your financial aid award indicates that you agree to comply or that you “accept” the terms and conditions along with all regulations that govern the program for aid as well as the policies of this institution. 
   • Please contact the Office of Student Financial Assistance at (504) 671- 5040 if you have not received an award notification within 45 days of submitting all requested documents and forms. 

 New for fall! 

• Receiving information regarding financial assistance: The financial aid office will no longer send information to your physical home address. We will communicate important information to you via the e-mail address you entered on your FAFSA and  your Delgado student e-mail address. It is your responsibility to read your e-mail accounts regularly. If you DO NOT wish to receive financial aid communications and award notifications via e-mail, you may submit a request in writing to the Office of Student Financial Assistance. 
• Requiring tax transcripts: If you are selected for verification and you are required to submit your tax information, you must obtain a tax transcript from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Request tax transcripts from the IRS at 1-800-908-9946, select option two and then enter 2011 or download a paper request form from http://wwww.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f4566tez.pdf. The Office of Student Financial Assistance is no longer allowed to accept copies of personal tax returns from students and/or parents.
• Elimination of Ability to Benefit (ATB) students: ATB students are those who have not received a high school diploma or GED but have demonstrated their capacity to benefit from college access through testing or course completion. As of July 1, 2012, new ATB students will no longer be eligible for financial aid. You must have a high school diploma or GED.
• Reduction in the maximum number of semesters: Beginning July 1, 2012, students may receive a maximum of 12 full-time semesters of Pell Grant awards, and it will retroactively impact students currently exceeding 12 semesters. For students who are less than full-time, the cap is applied proportionally to their enrollment.

Financial Assistance Deadlines

1. Priority Processing — If you have submitted all required documents by March 30, 2012 for summer and July 13, 2012 for fall, your application will be given priority and will be reviewed before registration payment deadline. Students who miss the priority deadline may have to secure classes with payment out-of-pocket. See Important Dates (Academic Calendar)   for payment information. The last date for submitting financial assistance applications and any required documentation is June 18, 2012 for summer and Nov. 3, 2012 for fall.
2. Loans — To apply for an educational loan to help pay the cost of attending school, you must have received a response to your free application for financial assistance. The deadline to apply for a loan is June 18, 2012 for summer and Nov. 3, 2012 for fall.
3. Financial Assistance Appeals — in time to hold classes If you submit your financial assistance appeal before the close of business on May 16, 2012 for summer and Aug. 2, 2012 for fall, we will consider your appeal in time for your classes to be held with financial assistance if the committee rules in your favor.

Satisfactory Progress

To be eligible to receive Federal Student Aid, you must maintain satisfactory academic progress as defined in the College Catalog for this academic year. You may also review the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy at www.dcc.edu/departments/financialaid/sap.

If you fail to meet the required standard, your eligibility for financial assistance might be suspended. In the event of exceptional mitigating circumstances, you may appeal your suspension of your eligibility to the Financial Aid Appeals Committee in writing. Appeal forms may be obtained from the Office of Student Financial Assistance or online at www.dcc.edu/CurrentStudents/FinancialAid/Forms.

Submitting an Appeal

If you submit an appeal after May 16, 2012 for summer and July 27, 2012 for fall, you must pay out-of-pocket to hold your classes. The last date for submission of an appeal is Aug. 2, 2012 for summer and Sept. 18, 2012 for fall. Please submit proof of mitigating circumstances with the appeal form to the financial aid office at the location where you will attend.

Obtaining Proceeds of an Educational Loan

Federal regulations require that student loans awarded for one semester (fall, spring or summer only) must be disbursed in two installments. Loan disbursements will be credited to the student’s account at the beginning of the semester and at the mid-point of the semester.

First-time Borrowers

Federal regulations require that the College delay delivering the proceeds of educational loans to first-time borrowers until 30 days after the start of classes. Therefore, student loan funds for first-time borrowers will not be disbursed to their accounts before July 2, 2012 for summer and Sept. 18, 2012 for fall.

In addition, all first-time borrowers must receive loan counseling before loan funds can be disbursed. Students must complete a Master Promissory Note and entrance loan counseling at www.studentloans.gov.

Books

If you are eligible to receive a Pell Grant or student loan and your account has a credit balance (negative balance) after your tuition and fees have been paid,  and you have given the college permission to pay other educational expenses, you may purchase books in the College contracted bookstore at http://dcc1.bkstore.com. Visit www.dcc.edu/departments/studentaffairs/reg/bookstorecredit for more information.

Financial Assistance Payments in Excess of Tuition/Fee

At the time financial assistance is credited to your account, applicable outstanding charges will be deducted, and any excess credit balance will be refunded to you via your Delgado Dolphin One Card within 14 days after classes begin. The Dolphin One Card will be mailed to your permanent address on file. Please verify your address at my.lctcs.edu or at the Office of the Registrar at your respective Delgado location. Once you receive the card, please logon to  www.dolphinonecard.com to select your refund preference (direct deposit or Higher One fast refund).

Federal Financial Assistance Refunds/Repayments

When a student completely withdraws from the College during an academic period for which he or she is the recipient of Title IV funds, the College is required to determine whether the return of Title IV funds must be made according to statutory and regulatory requirements. The rules that govern the return of Title IV Funds assume that a student earns his or her assistance based upon the period of time that the student remained enrolled.

During the first 60 percent of an enrollment period, a student “earns” Title IV funds in direct proportion to the length of time that he or she remains enrolled. The percentage of time during an academic period that a student remained enrolled is the percentage of dispersible assistance for that period that the student earned.

Assistance is “dispersible” if a student could have received it at that point of academic period when the student withdraws from the College. Total dispersible assistance includes that which was disbursed and that which could have been, but was not, disbursed as of the student’s date of withdrawal. A student who remains enrolled at the College beyond the 60 percent point of an academic period is presumed to have earned all assistance for that period. Unearned Title IV funds, other than Federal Work Study, must be returned.

Unearned assistance is the amount of disbursed Title IV funds that exceed the amount of Title IV funds earned under statutory and regulatory guidelines. The responsibility to repay unearned Title IV funds is shared by the College and the student in proportion to the Title IV funds each is assumed to possess. The College will notify, in writing, a student who is required to repay and return unearned Title IV funds before the end of the enrollment period.