Financial Aid at Durham Technical Community College

Financial Aid

Please Note: 2012-2013 Changes to Financial Aid

Am I eligible?

Financial Aid Forms

Frequently Asked Questions

Refunds for Financial Aid Recipients

When do I apply?

Satisfactory Academic Progress

Sources of Financial Aid

The primary goal of Durham Tech's Financial Aid office is to provide financial assistance to students who, without such aid, would be unable to attend college. The key to financing your education is to start planning early. The more you know about how financial aid works, the better prepared you will be to pay for college. Take time to learn about your options and the multi-step application process as outlined below.

All students are encouraged to apply for aid. Students are required to meet the following:

Financial Aid office hours:
Monday: 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Tuesday: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Wednesday: 8 a.m - 6 p.m.
Thursday: 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Friday: 8 a.m - 5 p.m.

Admissions Office closes at 5 p.m. when credit classes are not in session.

Demonstrate financial need;
Have a high school diploma or a GED certificate;
Admitted to an eligible program of study at Durham Tech;
Are a current US citizen or current eligible non-citizen;
Have a valid Social Security Number;
Registered with the Selective Service, if required;
Maintain satisfactory academic progress at Durham Tech;
Not currently in default on a federal student loan and/or does not owe money on a federal student grant;
Certify that you will use federal student aid for educational purposes only.

Submit your FAFSA online. If you are interested in applying for financial aid, complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. Make sure you include Durham Tech’s school code (005448), so the college will receive your information. The application process can take more time than you expect, especially during registration periods. Start now.

Complete the admissions process. You must be fully admitted to an eligible program of study in order to be eligible to receive financial aid. Review admissions information for more details.

Complete any additional steps and submit your documentation. If you receive a notice from the federal government that you are qualified for financial aid, you still may have additional steps to complete the process to receive this money. You will receive an email and a letter from the Financial Aid office if there is additional paperwork you need to complete. Submit all documentation by the priority deadline, or you will not have the option of using your financial aid to pay for tuition and books. For more information, call 919-536-7209.

Applications or renewal applications for financial aid must be submitted for each academic year. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form is available for the upcoming academic year after January 1 online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. Students are encouraged to apply as early as possible for the next academic year, preferably no later than April 15. Durham Tech's Title IV school code is 005448. The correct Title IV school code must be listed on the application for Durham Tech to be able to electronically access the application information.

Priority Deadlines
Students who submit paperwork by these deadlines and who are eligible to receive financial aid will be able to charge tuition, fees, and books to their financial aid award during registration. The college will continue to process paperwork after these deadlines; however, due to the high volume of requests, we cannot guarantee that your paperwork will be processed in time to complete everything prior to registration for classes.

Summer Term 2013
February 15 - Submit your Admissions Application, and FAFSA form.
March 15 - Complete all corrections to your FAFSA. Submit all remaining financial aid verification documents. Submit high school and/or college transcripts.

Fall Semester 2013
April 15 - Submit your Admissions Application, and FAFSA form.
June 15 - Complete all corrections to your FAFSA. Submit all remaining financial aid verification documents. Submit high school and/or college transcripts.

Spring Semester 2014
August 15 - Submit your Admissions Application, and FAFSA form.
October 15 - Complete all corrections to your FAFSA. Submit all remaining financial aid verification documents. Submit high school and/or college transcripts.

Late Processing Deadlines
If you miss these deadlines, you may still complete the steps or submit paperwork up until the final deadlines. However, if you miss a priority deadline, you should be prepared to independently pay for your tuition, fees, and books by the normal payment deadlines during registration.

It is important for you to understand the financial obligations you will incur while attending college. Use the Net Price Calculator (opens in a separate window) to get a general estimate of the full cost of attending and how much federal financial aid you might be eligible to receive at Durham Technical Community College.

Federal law now requires all colleges and universities to provide this tool so that you can use it to compare costs at a variety of colleges. By providing some of your basic financial information, the online tool can give you an estimated cost of tuition and fees, estimated book expenses, living expenses (rent, housing, food, otherwise known as “room and board” even though you will live off-campus if you attend Durham Tech), and transportation expenses.

Note that these estimates are based upon 2009 data. The Net Price Calculator does not calculate scholarships and other state-based awards. This is only an estimate. You must complete your FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) and complete the financial aid application process at Durham Tech for the college to determine your actual eligibility for assistance.

As your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is processed, you may be selected by the federal government to verify the accuracy of your information. Additional forms may need to be completed. Financial Aid staff will need to receive and verify this additional documentation from you before an award can be made. It is very important that you submit any required documentation as soon as possible to avoid delays in processing time. You may review the status of the submission of these forms using the "My Documents" screen in your WebAdvisor account.

2012 – 2013 Forms: Use the appropriate forms below if you have been asked by Durham Tech's Financial Aid office to submit additional documentation to apply for Summer Term 2013 financial aid.

2013 – 2014 Forms: Use the appropriate forms below if you have been asked by Durham Tech's Financial Aid office to submit additional documentation to apply for Fall Semester 2013, Spring Semester 2014, or Summer Term 2014 financial aid. The notification email will include the verification group number you are assigned. You only need to fill out the forms for that verification group.

Verification One Dependent Verification Income Verification (if parent did not file taxes) or Independent Verification Income Verification (if student did not file taxes)	Verification Two Independent SNAP Verification or Dependent SNAP Verification	Verification Three Independent Child Support Paid or Dependent Child Support Paid
Verification Four Statement of Educational Purpose	Verification Five Dependent Verification Income Verification (if parent did not file taxes) Statement of Educational Purpose or Independent Verification Income Verification (if student did not file taxes) Statement of Educational Purpose	Other Financial Aid Forms Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal Signature for Corrections Unusual Enrollment History Verification Verification of Bachelor's Degree

If you are selected for verification, you are not alone. About 40 percent of all FAFSA filers are selected for the verification process, which requires us to collect documentation to check the accuracy of your FAFSA information. The documents that we can now accept to verify your tax information have changed based on policy changes from the US Department of Education. Please note that either a tax transcript from the IRS or an updated FAFSA using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool are the only two ways to verify tax data starting with the 2012-13 academic year. If you do not, or cannot, use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool, you will be required to obtain a tax transcript from the IRS. Using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool to populate your FAFSA tax information will make the verification process more efficient because the tax information will be verified by the IRS Data Retrieval.

Federal regulations require students receiving Title IV financial assistance to maintain satisfactory academic progress. In general, satisfactory academic progress includes maintaining a 67 percent completion rate and a 2.0 cumulative grade point average. Failure to maintain satisfactory academic progress will result in the suspension of aid. Students must maintain satisfactory academic progress regardless of enrollment status (full-time, part-time) or admitted program.

Consult the Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress document to review the methods of assessment, time limitations, various statuses, consequences, grades, program requirements, and appeals procedure for satisfactory academic progress. Students who wish to appeal suspension of financial aid due to failure to meet satisfactory academic progress must complete the Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal and submit it to the Financial Aid office.

How do I use financial aid to pay for my tuition, fees, and books?

Students who have completed the entire application process by the priority deadlines for each term and who have been awarded financial aid (grants or loans) prior to registering for courses will have tuition and fees automatically deducted from their account and will have the option to charge books and required supplies at Durham Tech's bookstore. Students who have not completed the entire application process by the priority deadlines must be prepared to pay for tuition, fees, books, and supplies independently.

Students with financial aid awards may begin charging books and supplies at Durham Tech's bookstore on the following dates:
Summer Term 2013: Friday May 10 – Friday May 31

Students whose tuition and fees will be paid by other programs or agencies must take their bill to the Business Office cashier before the payment deadline. Documents that authorize charging tuition to a third party must be on file with the college's Business Office before registration charges can be transferred to the sponsoring agency.

Effective Spring 2013, a limit of $1,200 is the maximum amount that can be charged to a student's account per term. Additionally, the following items have been excluded and may not be charged at the bookstore using financial aid funds:

Gift cards of any kind
Mobile phones
Clothing

Students may request an increase in the limit, not to exceed a total of $1,800 (initial $1,200 plus up to $600), by completing the Bookstore Limit Request form.

When will I receive the semester disbursement of my financial aid award funds?

If you have award funds remaining after your tuition, fees, and bookstore charges have been paid, these funds will be disbursed to you about six weeks after the beginning of the term. The college's anticipated disbursement release dates (the day the checks are scheduled to be mailed from Durham Tech) are as follows:

Spring Semester 2013: February 20
Summer Term 2013: July 2

It is important to note that any student taking a combination of regular length and second mini-session courses in the same semester will receive two disbursements of funds in the same semester. The college cannot disburse funds for classes that have not yet started.

Why does it take six weeks to disburse my financial aid funds?

Durham Tech, like all other North Carolina community colleges, must disburse funds differently from North Carolina universities and private colleges. We disburse funds (grants and loans) later than these other institutions because we are required by the state to verify your attendance in all classes prior to releasing any funds to you.

Currently, there are three steps to verifying attendance. First, the college creates rosters after the 10% period of the semester (which occurs about two weeks past the first date of the term). Then, after all of our faculty have recorded attendance data on these official rosters (due about four weeks after the term), we enter the individual data for each student in our student information system. Once this manual data-entry process is complete, the Financial Aid office works with the Business Office to authorize funds and to prepare checks. As such, the entire process takes about six weeks given the large volume of students with awards.

This attendance check is in place to ensure that no fraud occurs for someone that tries to get federal financial aid funds without actually attending or completing college classes. The federal government has established rules for verifying attendance that Durham Tech must follow.

As such, it's important to plan ahead for your immediate financial needs during the first six weeks of the term. If funds are due to you after your tuition, fees, and bookstore charges are paid, they will be disbursed to you, but not at the beginning of the semester.

Can I receive financial aid for the summer term?

If you plan to enroll in summer term classes and requesting financial aid support, complete the Summer Term Financial Intent Form so the Financial Aid office may review your aid eligibility. Please note that students who qualified for and received full-time financial aid disbursements during both the fall and spring terms are generally not eligible for aid in the summer term.

What do I need to do to maintain satisfactory progress for my financial aid?

To maintain satisfactory progress, students receiving financial aid must have an overall 2.0 grade point average (GPA) and have a 67 percent cumulative credit hour completion rate. This information is listed below in the Satisfactory Progress for Financial Aid section.

If I decide to not attend Durham Tech after I have registered and been awarded financial aid, what do I do?

You must officially withdraw from all courses for that semester. Failure to formally withdraw from courses will result in you owing the full amount of tuition and fees to Durham Tech, and your financial aid award cannot be used to pay for that bill.

What happens to my financial aid if I stop attending or have to withdraw from classes?

Withdrawing from classes negatively impacts the 67 percent satisfactory academic progress completion rate you must maintain to keep your financial aid award. If you stop attending class, you may receive a failing grade ("F") for lack of attendance. This failing grade negatively impacts your completion rate and your grade point average. If you cannot continue a class, make sure that you complete the official withdraw process.

Do I have to be enrolled full time to receive federal financial aid (Pell Grant)?

In most cases you do not have to be enrolled full time. Students are eligible for different amounts of Pell Grant awards based on household income. Occasionally a student is only eligible for a small amount of Pell because the household income is higher. The amounts are determined by federal formulas. All Pell Grant awards are adjusted according to the number of credit hours the student registers for each term. For instance, if a student registers half time, their award will be adjusted to half time. If you have questions about your financial aid award, please visit the Financial Aid office in the Wynn Center.

For how many hours must I be enrolled to receive my full-time federal financial aid award?

You must be registered for at least 12 credit hours in each semester to receive a full-time award for that semester. The 12-hour requirement for full-time status also applies to the summer term.

What do I need to do to receive money from the North Carolina State Community College Grant and the North Carolina State Education Lottery Grant?

If you have completed your federal financial aid application (FAFSA) and entered Durham Tech’s school code (005448) on the application, the Financial Aid staff will automatically evaluate the results of your application to see if you qualify for any of these state funds. To receive any state funds, you must register for at least 6 credit hours in the fall or spring semester. Money is not available from these two state grants in the summer term.

Have any federal financial aid eligibility rules changed from last year?

Yes. Take time to learn about the new 2012 - 2013 federal financial aid requirements as they might impact your eligibility for aid. Read more.

Durham Technical Community College applies its fair and equitable refund policy to all students and the refund requirements as prescribed by federal regulations. All financial aid recipients who withdraw or cease to attend all classes before the 60 percent point of the term must pay back part of the unearned portion of their reward. Copies of these policies and sample refund calculations are available in the Financial Aid office upon request. The Business Office is responsible for accepting and documenting repayments to ensure the return of the refund to the proper agencies. (Students who do not repay the funds are referred to the U.S. Department of Education for collection.)

Questions about financial aid should be directed to

Financial Aid Office
Durham Technical Community College
1637 Lawson Street
Durham, NC 27703
919-536-7209

The Durham Tech refund policy for tuition and fees is available on the Tuition and Fees page of the website.

Durham Tech disburses financial aid in the forms of scholarships, grants, loans, and work-study opportunities within the college.

A grant is money which does not have to be repaid. A scholarship, which does not have to be repaid, is money awarded under special conditions — usually in recognition of outstanding achievements. A loan is money that you must repay. Work-study provides the opportunity to work part time in administrative or departmental offices, the Library, laboratories, and other sites on or off campus. For more information about the process for applying for a student loan, consult the loan application information and steps.

Outside full-time and part-time employment opportunities and internships are listed on the student employment page.

Program	Eligibility	Benefits	Applying
Federal Pell Grant	A U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen who has not received a bachelor’s degree; is enrolled in an eligible program; and shows financial need according to the Federal Pell Grant formula.	Grants range from $400 to $5,550 per year. Before receiving any Federal Pell Grant funds, selected students must give the Financial Aid office acceptable verification of all taxable and nontaxable income. Students who have all paperwork cleared by the beginning of the semester may be eligible to charge tuition, fees, and books.	Students must complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The application form is available in the Admissions and Financial Aid offices at Durham Tech, from high school guidance counselors, or online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. Durham Tech’s school code is 005448. You must be accepted into a program of study in order to receive Financial Aid, even after you have been approved for aid.
Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)	Students are considered for this funding based on student applicants with the lowest Expected Family Contribution (EFC) who have the highest Grade Point Average (GPA) in Durham Tech’s federal applicant pool.	The number of students and amounts of the grants awarded are contingent upon Durham Tech’s federal allocation of funds.	All students who apply for federal financial aid are automatically considered for an additional FSEOG grant.
North Carolina Community College Grant	North Carolina residents who meet need-based criteria and are registered for at least six credit hours.	Grants range from $100 to $1,900 per year.	The Financial Aid office certifies eligible students on a monthly basis depending on the completion of their financial aid file. In order to receive the grant, a student must have a complete financial aid folder and meet all general Pell requirements (satisfactory progress, accepted into a degree program, etc.).
North Carolina Education Lottery Scholarship	A U.S. citizen or permanent resident who has not received a bachelor's degree and is enrolled in an eligible program.	Grants range from $100 to $2,500 per year.	Complete the free application for Federal Student Aid. Students are automatically evaluated for this grant based on their federal application.
Federal Work Study	Students who are enrolled at least part time and who have financial need.	Work-study involves part-time employment on-campus or off-campus in offices, labs, library, or community service agencies.	Complete free application for Federal Student Aid. Notify the Financial Aid office of your interest in the program.
Durham ConnectFunds	Must be a Durham County resident, graduated from a Durham high school, and apply funds to one of the identified programs.	Work-study involves part-time employment on-campus or off-campus in offices, labs, library, or community service agencies. Grants range up to $2,500 per year.	Complete the grant application, program course registration form, and required prerequisite documents as outlined under each progam. More information
Nurse Education Scholarship Loan Program (NESLP)	Students enrolled in North Carolina postsecondary institutions that offer nurse education programs which prepare students for licensure as a practical nurse or registered nurse in North Carolina.	Awards range from $400 to $5,000. Persons fulfilling employment contracts qualify for loan cancellation.	Interested students should contact the Financial Aid office. Students who qualify based on need are automatically considered and offered the opportunity to accept an NESLP loan.
Nurse Scholars Program	This scholarship is based on academic performance.	Typically, one to three students receive the scholarship each year.	Interested persons may contact the Financial Aid office for more information.
DTCC Institutional Scholarships	Students enrolled at least half time with a GPA of 2.0 or higher who meet the criteria specified by the scholarship.	Amounts vary.	Information about scholarships and application procedures is available from the Financial Aid office.
Single Parent Grant	Applicants are awarded funding based on need, academic standing, and availability of funds. Students must have completed a minimum of one semester and meet satisfactory academic progress.	Students receive assistance with childcare expenses. Awards vary according to a student's individual situation, including course load and child care needs.	Applications are available in June, October, and March for fall, spring, and summer semesters, respectively, in the Financial Aid office.
Carolina Student Transfer Excellence Program (C-STEP)	High-achieving, low-to moderate income students who wish to enroll in the Associate in Arts/Science program at one of the partnering community colleges.	Dr. Phail Wynn, Jr. has established annual scholarship opportunities for participants accepted into C-STEP. Assistance ranges from $500 to $750 per semester to qualifying students already accepted into C-STEP while they pursue an associate’s degree at Durham Tech.	Read more about C-STEP and the application process on the C-STEP web page.
A list of outside scholarships can be found in the Durham Tech Scholarship blog. A comprehensive list of NC scholarships and grants based on need, merit, or vocational interest can be found on the College Foundation of North Carolina (CFNC) website.

Durham Technical Community College
1637 Lawson Street
Durham, NC 27703
919-536-7200