Students will be awarded aid once all requested documents have been submitted and verified. Barstow Community College reserves the right to revise the student’s offer of financial aid after that date. Modification of this offer may be required due to lack of necessary state or federal funding, academic progress, corrections or changes in the data reported to the institution by parents and/or students, receipt of additional awards by non-college sources, unintended error, student changes in unit load, change in residency, or other reasons consistent with Barstow Community College’s procedures.
Students are required to report outside sources of college aid.
Regardless of the amount of financial aid awarded, students are expected to have a certain amount of cash to defray immediate expenses such as books, supplies, and personal expenses at the beginning of each semester. Deadline and disbursement dates are available here. All financial aid funds are mailed by check to the address on file with Admissions and Records. BCC does not currently offer any other method of disbursing financial aid. Financial Aid checks must be mailed out to the address on file with Admissions & Records. BCC does not allow for financial aid check pickup.
Disbursement Dates
Published on the Financial Aid website http://www.barstow.edu/fin_aid_forms.html are the deadline dates for each disbursement made during the semester. Students must submit any required paperwork to the Financial Aid Office by the deadline date to have aid disbursed on the following disbursement date. Checks are mailed out no later than two weeks after the disbursement date. The disbursement date is not the day checks are mailed out. If a student submits paperwork after the deadline date, the student will not receive aid until the following disbursement date.
Allowable Charges
When a school disburses FSA funds to a student by crediting the student’s account, it may do so only for allowable charges.
Allowable charges include:
- Current charges incurred by the student for tuition and fees;
- With written authorization from the student:
- other educationally related charges incurred by the student at the school;
- And prior-year charges not exceeding $200
Disbursement vs. Refund
Disbursement is when financial aid funds are first applied to the student’s college account to pay for any allowable charges the student owes to the College. Refund is any remaining funds which are due to the student after the disbursement.
Refunds
If a credit balance remains after the financial aid disbursement pays any outstanding tuition, enrollment fees, ASG fees, instructional material fees, Viking Shop Bookstore fees, or any other allowable charges posted to the account, a refund check will be mailed to the address on file with Admissions and Records no later than 14 days (two weeks) of the financial aid disbursement.
Disbursement Based on Attending Hours
Barstow Community College disburses aid for classes that begin at the start of the semester during the second week of the semester. Future disbursements are made approximately a week before the class begins. Disbursement Schedules are available here.
Disbursements are made once enrollment is set to begin in the course (disbursements will not be made for classes beginning more than 14 days from the date of disbursement). Awards are disbursed based on the start date of your classes.
Students who are enrolled in later starting courses will have their financial aid disbursements delayed until attendance is set to begin in those courses. Awards will remain on the accounts until the actual disbursement process.
Examples of awards/disbursements:
Example 1: Student’s award amount is $3000 for the semester if enrolled full time. Student is only enrolled in 6 units that start at the beginning of the semester and an additional 6 units in the second nine week courses.
For the first disbursement the student will be eligible for only a half time award in the amount of $1500. But because BCC disburses only 50% at the first disbursement, the student would only receive $750 (minus any allowable charges on the account). At the second disbursement the student would be eligible for the remaining $750 for the half time award calculation and if classes are beginning for the second nine week courses, an additional $750 will be disbursed as well. At the final disbursement the student will receive the remaining $750.
Example 2: Student’s award amount is $3000 for the semester if enrolled full time. Student is only enrolled in 3 units that start at the beginning of the semester and an additional 9 units in the second nine week courses.
For the first disbursement the student will be eligible for only a less than half time award in the amount of $500. But because BCC disburses only 50% at the first disbursement, the student would only receive $250 (minus any allowable charges on the account). At the second disbursement the student would be eligible for the remaining $250 for the less than half time award calculation and if classes are beginning for the second nine week courses, an additional $1250 will be disbursed as well. At the final disbursement the student will receive the remaining $1250.
