Del Mar College

General Information

Financial aid is available for students who, without assistance, would not be able to afford college. While the family and student are expected to assume a major responsibility for the costs associated with attending a degree or certificate program at Del Mar College, there are resources available to supplement their efforts. The role financial aid plays in paying for a student's higher education exists only when there is a gap between school costs and the ability of the family to pay - not their willingness to pay. Financial aid programs can be placed into four categories:

Funding for these programs comes from the federal and state governments, college, and private sources. Most financial aid is awarded on the basis of need, which is the difference between the student's resources and the cost of education. A student must specify an educational goal on the admission application in order to receive financial aid while attending Del Mar College.

How Financial Aid is Applied

If the student has received and award letter and has accepted the awards prior to or during registration, grants, loan (see below for loans) and scholarships may be used to cover tuition and fees up to the amount of your eligibility. Financial aid awards bust be accepted by census date (12th Class day) in order to cover tuition and fees. The student will be dropped if the award is not accepted or payment is not made.

NOTE: All disbursements require an accepted award on file (i.e. paper award) or acceptance on the web)

Federal Pell Grant Recipients - Disbursement balances for eligible recipients will be applied to their DMC Debit Card.

DMSG, DMSGN, and FSEOG Recipients - Disbursement balances for eligible recipients will be applied to their DMC Debit Card.

Texas Grant /TEOG - Disbursement balances will be applied to their DMC Debit Card after September 1st.

Loans - Loans have very specific requirements before being disbursed. Instructions and detailed information will be mailed once the award is accepted. Should you not comply with specific requirements, the loan will be canceled and you may owe money to the College. Disbursement balances for eligible recipients will be applied to their DMC Debit Card.

Scholarships - Disbursement balances for eligible recipients will be applied to their DMC Debit Card.

LEAP recipients - will be notified by mail when the disbursement has been applied to their DMC Debit Card.

PELL Grant Recipients - Students who register and pay during the regular registration process will have their refunds applied to their DMC Debit Card sometime during the first week of classes.

Students enrolling during late registration/schedule changes will have their refunds applied to their DMC Debit Card sometime during the second week of classes.

Students must not have any holds on their records and must be meeting the minimum satisfactory academic progress requirements .

Students who are awarded after the semester begins should contact the Financial Aid Office for disbursement dates.

Students who receive Pell Grant for 12 or more hours both Fall and Spring semesters will not be eligible for Pell Grant during the following Summer semester. You may be considered for alternative funding after completing a Resource Application for summer. All grant and loan balances will reflect your eligibility based on your actual enrollment level at the time of disbursement.

Students who owe special fees, such as insurance and lab fees, must clear their accounts in order for a disbursement to be processed.

GENERAL RULES

Applying for financial aid is not always a simple process, but if you follow the instructions you should have no problems. When in doubt ask, there are no dumb questions!

Always keep copies of forms you submit to the college and/or governmental agency during the financial aid process. This helps you keep track of what you have done and will make it easier for you to replace a form, should it be misplaced or lost.

Keep in touch with the Financial Aid Office to check on deadlines or the status of your financial aid application. We are here to help you!

If you do not qualify for aid one year, you should apply the next year. Family circumstances change that may now qualify you for consideration.

Apply early, do not wait till the end. Applying late may cause you to lose money that you may have been eligible for.

You must apply for financial aid every year. Applications do not carry over from year to year.

Follow up on any notice or communication from the Financial Aid Office. Should you not respond to their inquiries, your file will never be complete or be ready for awarding.

Never reject any aid offered through the College until you are sure that you do not want or need it. Rejecting aid early in the process may result in it not being available when you need it later. This is particularly true when it comes to work study and student loans.