糖心视频

Census/Freeze Dates

Your financial aid is based on the number of units you鈥檙e enrolled in on Census Day鈥攖ypically the 3rd Monday of the semester (unless you鈥檙e awarded after that day鈥攎ore on that below).

What Is Census Day?

If you already have a financial aid award:

• Your enrollment on Census Day (the 3rd Monday of the semester) determines how much aid you receive.

If you鈥檙e awarded after Census Day:

• Your enrollment on the day you're awarded will be used instead.

Late-Start Classes

If you're taking a class that starts later in the semester:

• You must be enrolled in that class by Census Day
• You won鈥檛 be paid for that class until 10 days before it starts.
• Usually no changes are made after Census Day鈥攗nless the school made a mistake.

Here are examples of school-related errors (called institutional errors) that might allow us to update your award:

• An instructor accidentally dropped you and confirms it in writing (or by email), with an explanation and contact info.
• Admissions & Records didn鈥檛 process your Add Card even though you turned it in on time and it could have been processed before Census Day.

NOT considered school error:

• You didn鈥檛 know when Census Day was.
• Your class was cancelled or full.
• You weren鈥檛 officially added by Census Day.
• You dropped yourself by accident.
• You thought you were enrolled, but weren鈥檛.
• You tried to re-enroll after being dropped for not attending.
• You didn鈥檛 officially register for 8-week courses before Census.
• Dropping Classes After Census Day

If you're taking classes at both 糖心视频 and Grossmont College, you may be able to get financial aid for all your units鈥攂ut only if you submit a Consortium Agreement.

Here鈥檚 how it works:

Step 1: Apply at Your 鈥淗ome鈥� College

You need to apply for financial aid at the college where you officially declared your major. This means that you must add your home college to your financial aid application. That college is your home school.

• You must be taking at least one class at your home college to qualify.

Step 2: Complete a Consortium Agreement with your Academic Counselor

• This form tells us you're taking classes at both schools. Here鈥檚 what you need to know:
• You must register in all the classes listed on your form by census day.
• All the classes must be required for your program or major.
• You must stay enrolled in at least 6 units within the district. 
• You can only submit one Consortium Agreement per term.

Step 3: Submit Through

• The form must be filled out with your Academic Counselor.
• You can submit it only after Census Day and before the posted deadline.
• Deadlines are listed on the college鈥檚 Financial Aid Deadlines webpage.

What Happens After You Submit?

Your form will be reviewed in the order it was received. A financial aid advisor will:

• Check that the classes you listed are required for your program.
• Make a decision and update your file.

What the Decision Could Be:

Fully Approved

• All your listed classes count toward your major鈥攇reat! You鈥檒l get financial aid for all of them.

Partially Approved

• Some classes are required, but some are not. You鈥檒l only get aid for the approved ones.

Denied

• None of the classes listed apply to your program, so the agreement will be denied.

At 糖心视频, your financial aid information is private and protected under a federal law called FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act). That means we can鈥檛 share your information with anyone鈥攏ot even your parents鈥攗nless you give us permission.

Want Someone Else to Talk to Us About Your Financial Aid?

If you鈥檇 like someone (like a parent, spouse, or another trusted person) to be able to talk to the Financial Aid Office about your account, you鈥檒l need to:

1. Come in person to the Financial Aid Office.
2. Bring a valid government-issued photo ID (like a driver鈥檚 license or passport).
3. Fill out and sign the Financial Aid FERPA Release Form while you're there.
4. Repeat this process every aid year (the release expires at the end of each school year).

Once your release is on file, we鈥檒l mark your account so approved individuals can discuss your financial aid with us for the rest of that year.

What We 颁补苍鈥檛 Do:

• We can鈥檛 release any of your financial aid information by phone or email to anyone unless your FERPA release is on file.
• The person you authorize can only talk to us鈥攖hey can鈥檛 make decisions or take actions on your behalf.

Changing Your Mind?

You can cancel (revoke) your FERPA release at any time鈥攋ust come to the Financial Aid Office in person with your photo ID and let us know in writing.

Even though you can take classes at both schools, you have to pick one as your home college鈥攅ither Grossmont or 糖心视频.

Your major/program of study must be declared at your home college.

Your home college is in charge of handling everything related to your financial aid, including:

• Processing your financial aid application
• Completing verification (if needed)
• Handling appeals and special requests
• Managing both federal and state financial aid

Can You Change Your Home College?

• Yes鈥攂ut only once per school year.

Here鈥檚 how:

• Meet with an academic counselor at the college you want to switch to.
• Submit your request by Census Day of your first term of enrollment.
• If you miss the deadline, the change won鈥檛 take effect until the next school year.

Sometimes life circumstances can affect your financial aid eligibility in ways that your financial aid application does not capture. In these situations, you may be able to request a Professional Judgment (PJ)/Special Circumstance Appeal.

What is a Professional Judgment?

A PJ allows the Financial Aid Office to review your situation on a case-by-case basis and decide if certain changes can be made to your FAFSA information or your Cost of Attendance (COA).

Who Reviews My Request?

PJ requests are reviewed by the Financial Aid Advisor assigned to you based on the first letter of your last name.

When Can I Request a PJ?

You may request a PJ if you have special or unusual circumstances, such as:

• A change in your dependency status (for example, being homeless or unaccompanied)

• A major loss of income for you or your family

• Unusual medical or other expenses

• Other serious, documented hardships

What 颁补苍鈥檛 Be Changed?

Federal rules set some limits on what we can do with a PJ:

• We cannot automatically make a dependent student independent (unless unusual circumstances apply, such as homelessness).

• We cannot change the federal formula used to calculate your Student Aid Index (SAI).

• We cannot add new cost categories to the COA.

• We cannot add costs that occurred after you are no longer enrolled.

How Do I Request a PJ?

1. Request a PJ with the Financial Aid Office or your assigned Financial Aid Advisor

2. Log in to your account.

3. Complete the PJ request form.

4. Upload a written statement explaining your circumstances.

5. Submit supporting documents (for example, medical bills, layoff notice, eviction notice, etc.).

Requests must be submitted no later than the last day of your term of enrollment

Homeless or Unaccompanied Youth

If you indicate that you are homeless or unaccompanied, you will meet with the Financial Aid Director or Supervisor. If you are determined to meet the criteria, your FAFSA will be updated, and the decision will be recorded in your financial aid file.

If you drop all your classes鈥攐r just stop showing up鈥攜ou might have to pay back some of your financial aid. Here鈥檚 how it works:

When Are You Considered Withdrawn?

You鈥檙e considered withdrawn if you:

• Officially tell us you鈥檙e withdrawing (online, in person, or by phone/email), or
• Stop attending all your classes without telling us (this is called an unofficial withdrawal)

How Your Withdrawal Date Is Decided

• If you officially withdraw, your withdrawal date is when you let us know.
• If you unofficially withdraw, your withdrawal date is the last day you participated in an academic activity, as reported by your instructors.

What Happens to Your Financial Aid?

If you withdraw before completing 60% of the semester, you may have to pay back a portion of your financial aid.

If you attend more than 60% of the semester, you keep all of your aid.

If you didn鈥檛 earn all of your aid, the government requires us to return unearned aid in this order:

1. Unsubsidized Federal Loans
2. Subsidized Federal Loans
3. Pell Grants
4. FSEOG Grants

How We Track This

Every two weeks, we run a report that shows students who may have stopped academically engaging or withdrawn.

If you're flagged:

1. We鈥檒l confirm your last date of engagement with your instructors.
2. If your instructor doesn鈥檛 reply within 10 business days, we鈥檒l assume you didn鈥檛 attend and process the aid return accordingly.
3. We calculate what aid you earned and what has to be returned.
4. We update your financial aid file and send you an email if you owe money.

If You Owe Money

You鈥檒l get an email telling you if you have a balance due because of a withdrawal. It鈥檚 important to take care of it right away so you don鈥檛 lose eligibility for future aid or get sent to collections.