Links & Resources
Learn The Lingo
A
Academic Year
For financial aid purposes, a year that starts with the Fall semester and ends with the Summer semester.
Aviso
An online academic planning tool where students can communicate with faculty advisors, create academic success plans, and plan for upcoming class registration periods to have advising holds lifted.
Award
A monetary commitment made to a student applicant for a specific student aid program, contingent upon the availability of funds and the student's eligibility
B
Billing Statement
A document available to students that provides a detailed listing of all charges and credits with the College.
C
Cost of Attendance (COA)
The estimated total amount it will cost to attend an institution. It is determined by Financial Aid rules established by the Department of Education. Cost of Attendance is based on average costs incurred by students and it includes tuition, room/board, books, transportation, and personal miscellaneous expenses. This figure is used solely for the determination of financial aid and does not represent a figure you will owe the College.
Cougar Blast
An e-mail sent to student's cougarmail account, providing information on various pertinent information.
D
Degree Audit
A process that the Financial Aid Office uses to ensure financial aid is only paying for classes within a student's major.
Department of Education
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for providing federal aid to educational institutions and financial aid to students, keeping national educational records, and conducting some educational research.
Dependency Override
Students with special circumstances that allows for Financial Aid Administrators to override dependency status.
Dependent Status
Student that are not able to answer "yes" to any of the dependency questions on the FAFSA and must provide parental information.
Disbursement
The payment of funds from the Department of Education to the College.
E
Enrollment Status
Based on the number of credit hours a student enrolls for the semester/term. A student's enrollment status can affect their financial aid eligibility.
Expected Family Contribution (EFC)
A federally mandated formula used to determine a student's need based eligibility based on the information submitted on the FAFSA.
F
FAFSA- Free Application for Federal Student Aid
The application used to determine financial need
FERPA
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. A Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records.
FSA ID
User created username and password that replaced the PIN that is used to log in and sign and submit a FAFSA on the Web application.
Federal Pell Grant
A subsidy that the U.S. Federal Government provides for students who need it to pay for college.
Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)
Additional funding awarded to low-income students on a first-come first-serve basis to assist with educational costs.
Fifteen hours PLUS
Students who are awarded the North Carolina Community College Grant (NCCCG) must be enrolled in 15 credit hours or more to receive the full amount awarded.
Financial Aid Package
An offer of financial aid that may include a combination of scholarships and grants.
Financial Aid Specialist
Each student is assigned a financial aid advisor to help the student with the financial aid process and answer any questions. All students are divided alphabetically by last name.
Financial Need
The difference between your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) and Cost of Attendance (COA)
Forbearance
A period of time during repayment in which the borrower is permitted to temporarily postpone making regular monthly payments.
Full time Status
Students with an enrollment status of 12 credit hours or more.
G
Grant Aid
A form of need based financial aid that does not have to repaid** or earned. Students who withdraw from all classes before finishing an enrollment period may be required to repay their grant aid.
H
Half-time Status
Students with an enrollment status of 6-8 credit hours
I
ISIR
Institutional Student Information Record. A record produced by the Central Processing System that is sent to CCCC with a student's calculated Expected Family Contribution. The ISIR is an institutional version of a student's FAFSA.
Independent Student
Students are considered independent if they can answer "yes" to one of the dependency questions on the FAFSA. These questions ask if student is 24, married, has a dependent, is on active duty, etc. Students that are self-supporting are not necessarily considered independent.
J
K
L
Less than Half-time Status
Students with an enrollment status of 1-5 credit hours
Lifetime Eligibility Used (LEU)
The amount of Federal Pell Grant funds a student can receive over their lifetime is limited by federal law to the equivalent of six years. Each year at full time status equals 100%.
M
N
National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS)
Department of Education's central database for student aid. NSLDS receives data from schools, agencies that guaranty loans, the Direct Loan program, the Federal Pell Grant program, and other U.S. Department of Education programs.
Need-based Aid
Aid programs that student must qualify for by demonstrating financial need. Financial need is determined based off of the FAFSA.
North Carolina Community College Grant (NCCCG)
Need based grant for qualifying NC Residents enrolled in a community college.
North Carolina Education Lottery Scholarship (NCELS)
Need based grant for qualifying NC Residents.
O
Outside Scholarship
A scholarship funded by sources outside the CCCC Financial Aid Office. These sources can include corporations, individuals, churches, employers, etc.
P
Peak Times
Time period in which the Financial Aid Office experiences large call volumes, one on one counseling, and extended processing times. These times generally occur during the summer and beginning of each term.
Professional Judgment
A Financial Aid Administrator can use this on a case-by-case basis only, to alter the data elements used to calculate a student\s EFC.
Program of Study
An academic program with required courses and requirements leading to a certificate, diploma, or degree.
Q
R
Refund Check
A check a student receives from CCCC for any funds remaining in the student's account after aid has been disbursed and all balances have been resolved.
S
Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)
Policy required by Department of Education ensuring students are moving toward obtaining a degree in a timely, acceptable manner. Students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 and completion rate of 67%. Students must also complete a program within the 150% of the published timeframe.
Scholarships
A grant or payment made to support a student's education, awarded on the basis of academic or other achievements.
School Code
CCCC's school code is 005449.
Sponsorships
Financial support from an outside source such as an employer or Workforce Development
Student Aid Report (SAR)
The report a student receives after filling out the FAFSA.
T
Tax Return Transcript
Official copy of student's tax return requested from the IRS.
Three Quarter Time Status
Students with an enrollment status of 9-11 credit hours.
U
V
Verification
Students are selected for verification by the Department of Education. All students selected must provide requested documents so the Financial Aid Office can verify the information submitted on the FAFSA is correct before the student's financial aid eligibility can be determined.
W
Wage and Income Transcript
Official copy showing data from information returns we receive such as Forms W-2s, 1099, 1098, and Form 5498.
WebAdvisor
An online inquiry and registration system that interacts with the college's database system. A student can register, pay for classes, view grades and unofficial transcripts, check financial aid status, and view class schedules.
Work Study
A form of financial aid that must be earned through working in a student job. Federal Work study is need-based and funds are limited.