Welcome to the financial aid process. The Financial Aid Office staff recognizes that education is an investment that will last a lifetime. We are committed to working with you to secure all eligible funding so that you can achieve your educational goals.

What is Financial Aid?

Financial aid is money to assist students and their families in paying for college.   Expenses can be direct (charged directly to your college student account such as but not limited to tuition and fees) and indirect (such as but not limited to books, supplies, and transportation to/from college). There are several types of financial aid including grants, scholarships, loans and work-study.

  • Grants: no repayment necessary; usually based on need
  • Scholarships: typically no repayment necessary; based on merit and/or need
  • Loans: repayment is required; loan type is based on need
  • Federal Work-Study: work for an hourly rate; based on need

Financial aid offers may include a combination of the various types of aid.

Who is Eligible?

To receive federal, state, or college funds administered by CCSNH Financial Aid Offices, you must:

  • demonstrate financial need (for most programs);
  • be a U.S. citizen or an eligible noncitizen;
  • have a valid Social Security number (with the exception of students from the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, or the Republic of Palau);
  • be registered with selective service, if you’re a male (you must register between the ages of 18 and 25);
  • be enrolled or accepted for enrollment as a regular student in an eligible degree or certificate program;
  • be enrolled at least half-time to be eligible for Direct Loan Program funds;
  • maintain satisfactory academic progress in college or career school;
  • sign the certification statement on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) stating that
    • you are not in default on a federal student loan and do not owe money on a federal student grant and
    • you will use federal student aid only for educational purposes; and
  • show you’re qualified to obtain a college or career school education by
    • having a high school diploma or a recognized equivalent such as a General Educational Development (GED) certificate; 
    • completing a high school education in a homeschool setting approved under state law (or—if state law does not require a homeschooled student to obtain a completion credential—completing a high school education in a homeschool setting that qualifies as an exemption from compulsory attendance requirements under state law); or
    • enrolling in an eligible career pathway program and meeting one of the “ability-to-benefit” alternatives described below.

Students who have a Bachelor’s degree may be eligible for student loans, but not eligible for Federal Pell Grant or Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant (FSEOG).

An eligible certificate program requires 16 or more credit hours for completion. Federal loans are prorated for programs requiring 16 to 23 credits for completion. Students in certificate programs requiring less than 31 credits are only eligible to receive first year level loan limits.

To qualify for Direct Student Loans (DL) students need to be enrolled in 6 eligible credits Audited courses, Transfer Credits, Credit by Exam and Experiential Learning Credits do not count towards eligibility.

Consortium Agreements are available at the home college Financial Aid Office if a student wants to use financial aid to pay for courses at more than one CCSNH College.

To maximize Pell grant eligibility a student must be registered for all courses prior to the primary census date within that semester.  Students may contact the Financial Aid office for clarification.

Summary of HEA Section 484 Eligibility Requirements

A PDF of HEA Section 484 Eligibility Requirements is available.

Scholarships:

There is an online application for scholarships available through the individual Colleges and/or The Foundation for New Hampshire Community Colleges at https://ccsnh.awardspring.com.

Additional scholarships may be available in your College’s Financial Aid Office.