General Terms

When you receive financial aid from Pasadena City College (PCC), you agree to fulfill the responsibilities associated with those awards. The information on this page summarizes the terms and conditions established by federal and state regulations for financial aid.

  • Reporting Additional Assistance - If you receive other types of financial assistance such as Non- Educational Veteran's Benefits, Vocational Rehabilitation Program Assistance, or scholarships, you must notify the Office of Financial Aid- L-114 immediately.

  • Use of Financial Aid Funds - PCC applies your financial aid awards directly to charges on your student account (including tuition, fees, and other charges). Funds in excess of these charges will be released to you through your refund preference with BankMobile Disbursements, a technology solution, powered by BMTX, Inc. (this is called a "refund"). If subsequent charges are made to your student account, it is your responsibility to pay them.

  • Cost of Attendance - The cost of attendance (COA) is an estimate of your educational expenses for the period of enrollment. Your COA is a sum of the following: enrollment fees and tuition, books and supplies, room and board, transportation, and miscellaneous and personal expenses. See Cost Estimates

  • Financial Aid Refund - The disbursement/refund process is used to issue refunds to students who are owed money from financial aid or other payments to the college.  Learn More

  • Satisfactory Academic Progress - To remain eligible for financial aid, you must make satisfactory academic progress (SAP). To make SAP, you must: maintain a cumulative (GPA) of 2.00, complete at least 67% of the units you attempt, and complete your educational program in a maximum timeframe of no more than 150% of the program’s actual length. Learn More

  • Treatment of Federal Student Aid When a Student Withdraws - When you withdraw during your payment/enrollment period, PCC uses a federal formula to calculate the amount of federal student aid you have earned to that point. If the amount disbursed to you is greater than the amount you earned, the unearned funds must be returned. This calculation is called Return to Title IV.

Privacy

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) requires the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid at Pasadena City College (PCC) to release detailed information to the student only. Parents may not receive any information regarding the student’s file, regardless of the age of the student. PCC cannot release any information regarding the amount of the financial aid check nor the exact date of check disbursement. Pasadena City College policies relating to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.

The FERPA also permits educational agencies and institutions to disclose – without the consent or knowledge of the student or parent -personally identifiable information from the student’s education records to the Attorney General of the U.S. FERPA permits educational agencies and institutions to disclose, without consent, information from a student’s education records in order to comply with a “lawfully issued subpoena or court order” in three contents:

  1. Grand Jury Subpoena
  2. Law Enforcement Subpoena
  3. All other subpoenas

A school cannot disclose “directory information” that is linked to other non-directory information.

SEC. 507. DISCLOSURE OF EDUCATIONAL RECORDS (j) Investigation and Prosecution of Terrorism (A) Collect education records in the possession of the educational agency or institution that are relevant to an authorized investigation or prosecution of an offense listed in section 2332b (g) (5) (B) of title U.S. Code, or an act of domestic or international terrorism as defined in section 2331 of that title.