Eligibility

Eligibility

Your financial need helps determine if you qualify for financial aid. In general, to receive federal, state, or college financial aid, you must:

  • Have a high school diploma or a GED
  • Have a valid Social Security Number
  • Show financial need based on your FAFSA results
  • Be enrolled in a degree or eligible certificate program (A.A., A.S., A.A.S., or certificate)
  • Provide documents if you have an Unusual Enrollment History
  • Not be in default on any federal or state student loans or grants
  • Be a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident
  • Agree to use financial aid only for school expenses
  • Be enrolled in and attending classes in your program

Most financial aid programs require you to be enrolled at least half-time (6 credit hours or more each term, including summer).

Enrollment levels:

  • Full-time: 12 or more credit hours
  • Three-quarter-time: 9–11 credit hours
  • Half-time: 6–8 credit hours
  • Less than half-time: 1–5 credit hours

Federal aid can only be used for up to 30 remedial (developmental) credit hours. After that, federal aid will only cover college-level classes. Starting with the 2024–2025 school year, Pell Grant amounts will be based on your enrollment intensity. This change only applies to the Pell Grant. All other federal aid programs will still use the enrollment levels listed above.

 

Credit Hours Enrollment Intensity Formula Enrollment Intensity Enrollment Status Equivalent
12 (or more) 12 ÷ 12 = 1.0 100% Full-Time
11 11 ÷ 12 = 0.917 92% Three-Quarter Time
10 10 ÷ 12 =  0.833 83% Three-Quarter Time
9 9 ÷ 12 = 0.75 75% Three-Quarter Time
8 8 ÷ 12 = 0.667 67% Half-Time
7 7 ÷ 12 = 0.583 58% Half-Time
6 6 ÷ 12 = 0.50 50% Half-Time
5 5 ÷ 12 = 0.417 42% Less-than-Half-Time
4 4 ÷ 12 = 0.333 33% Less-than-Half-Time
3 3 ÷ 12 = 0.25 25% Less-than-Half-Time
2 2 ÷ 12 = 0.167 17% Less-than-Half-Time
1 1 ÷ 12 = 0.83 8% Less-than-Half-Time
Students are not permitted to receive both SCH and CEU funding within the same semester. This includes grants, loans, and scholarships. At HCC, students cannot receive SCH financial aid and CEU Connect2Work funds in the same semester because:
  1. Federal regulations prohibit double funding for overlapping enrollment.
  2. SCH (credit) and CEU (noncredit) programs operate under different funding rules.
  3. Combining them could result in over-awarding, which violates Title IV requirements.
  4. HCC enforces this as a long-standing institutional policy.

Courses Covered by FA

Make Sure Your Courses are Covered by Financial Aid:

When you enroll in a course that is not part of your active program plan, the course credits cannot be counted toward the enrollment status that determines the amount of financial aid awarded to you.

Your financial aid enrollment status will reflect the credits for all validated classes that are part of your active program plan. Classes that are newly validated will be adjusted during the nightly financial aid recalculation process. If your adjusted financial aid package is not enough to cover full cost of the courses that aren’t on your program plan, you will be responsible for any unpaid tuition and fees.

Connect with your assigned academic advisor to review which courses you need to complete your academic program plan and to ensure you are on the right track with your courses.