Financial Aid Programs:
Pell Grants
Federal Pell grants are gift aid that do not have to be repaid. Pell grants are awarded only to students who have not received a bachelor's degree. The maximum Pell grant for the 2007/2008 award year is $4,310. The amount of a Pell award will depend on a student's expected family contribution and enrollment status.
Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (S.E.O.G.)
SEOG is a campus-based form of financial aid for undergraduate students with exceptional financial need. Like the Pell grant, SEOG is federal gift aid that does not have to be repaid. The amount of a SEOG award will depend on a student's financial need and enrollment status. The minimum SEOG grant is $200. Priority for SEOG is given to students who apply by the NCC priority application deadline of March 31st.
Pennsylvania State Grants
Pennsylvania State grants are gift aid that do not have to be repaid. A student must be enrolled in at least six credits per semester to possibly qualify for a State grant. The amount of a State grant award will depend on a student's financial need, program of study, housing, residency and enrollment status.
The Pennsylvania State grant deadline for filing the FAFSA is May 1st for most students.
Federal Stafford Loans
Federal Stafford (i.e. student) loans are loans a student may receive to pay for educational expenses. A student must be enrolled in at least six credits per semester to qualify for a Stafford loan. There are two types of Stafford loans; subsidized loans and unsubsidized loans. Students can qualify for a subsidized loan if they demonstrate financial need. The federal government will pay the interest on a subsidized loan while a student is in school and during any grace periods. Students who do not qualify for a subsidized loan can receive an unsubsidized loan. Under an unsubsidized loan, a student is responsible for all interest that accrues on the loan. A student may choose to make interest payments while in school or defer interest payments by capitalizing accrued interest onto the principal balance of the loan.
Students who would like to be considered for a Stafford loan will need to complete and submit a Stafford Loan Master Promissory Note (MPN). The MPN may be completed either via paper or on-line at American Education Services. Students who are borrowing for the first time while at NCC are also required to complete entrance counseling before a Stafford loan can be granted. Students applying for Stafford loans who need to do entrance counseling will receive information from NCC on how to complete this requirement once their promissory note is submitted. Additional information about Stafford loans is available here.
Federal PLUS Loans
Federal PLUS loans are loans a dependent student's parent may receive to pay for the student's educational expenses. As with Stafford loans, a student must be enrolled in at least six credits per semester for his/her parent to apply for a PLUS loan. However, unlike a Stafford loan, a PLUS loan is approved based on the borrower's (i.e. parent's) credit rating.
Please note that all financial aid awards are subject to adjustment and may increase or decrease as a result of changes to a student's program of study, enrollment, housing or residency.
