Fall is Free FAQs

Call our Fall is Free Helpdesk at (510) 255-3507 on Monday, Wednesday or Thursday from 9:00am – 11:00am or 1:00pm – 5:00pm. Or call on Tuesdays from 3:00pm - 6:00pm. Phone calls will be answered in the order they are received. 

Yes. However, you are still required to complete a FAFSA or CA Dream Act Application to be eligible for the Fall for Free program.   

1-18 units. Part-time and full-time students are all eligible. 

If you want to take more than 18 units, you need approval from an academic counselor.  Counseling is available on campus, on the phone, and online. Make an appointment at https://laney.edu/counseling/. 

• 18-21 units, students need clearance from a general counselor 
• 22-24 units, students need clearance from the VPSS 
• Please refer to college catalog, pages 23-24 under Study Load and Excess Units 

YES! You can add as many as you would like to take, up to 18 units. If you want to take more than 18 units, see the previous question above for information. 

Yes!

No.

Yes. Out of state tuition and fees are covered if you complete your FAFSA.

International student tuition and fees are not covered. International students textbooks and required supplies from the Bookstore will be covered. International students are eligible for free lunch, free produce pantry, free protein pantry, free A/C transit pass if enrolled in six or more units, free wi-fi hotspot checkout, and free Chromebook checkout.

No, you will not have to pay anything back.

Yes! As long as you complete a FAFSA or California Dream Act application you will receive all of the free items.

What perks you are eligible for depend on what location you have declared as your home college in the FAFSA or the CA Dream Act application. To see what you are eligible for if your home college is another Peralta college, see:

• Berkeley City College https://www.berkeleycitycollege.edu/
• College of Alameda https://alameda.edu/
• Merritt College https://www.merritt.edu/

Yes. When you are filing out your form, be sure to pick Laney as your college.

Click “Log In” on the home page of fafsa.gov and log in. You’ll have the option to “Add/Update Schools.” Add Laney College's school code (001266) and then submit the corrections for processing by Department of Education. The school code is 001266.

The Financial Aid Office offers weekly FAFSA/CA Dream Act Workshops on Thursdays from 1:30pm-3:00pm. You may attend the workshop in-person in A-201 or via ZOOM. Visit Https://Laney.Edu/Financial_aid/ to register for a ZOOM workshop.

• The Financial Aid Office can be reached at (510) 464-3414 and chat is available at https://laney.edu/financial_aid/
• The Financial Aid Office is open on campus from 9:00am – 3:00pm on Monday – Thursday in A-201. If you prefer remote interaction, you can sign up for a zoom appointment at Https://Laney.Edu/Financial_aid/

Counseling is available on campus, on the phone, and online. Make an appointment at https://laney.edu/counseling/. 

https://laney.edu/classes/

Attend one of our Information Sessions in the Laney Tower Lobby on one of the following days/times. The Information Sessions will tell you about the programs and offerings available at Laney.   

• Wednesday, August 10th at noon and 6pm 
• Thursday, August 11th at noon and 6pm 
• Friday, August 12th at noon 
• Monday, August 15th at noon 
• Tuesday, August 16th at noon 

Lunch or dinner will be provided, and we will be there to answer all your questions.  

Attend one of our two One-Stop events on either of the following Saturdays at the flagpole on Fallon Street:    

• August 13 from 10:00-1:00pm   
• August 20 from 10:00-1:00pm  

Light refreshments will be served, and we will have staff and counselors available. 

Call our Fall is Free Helpdesk at (510) 255-3507 on Monday, Wednesday or Thursday from 9:00am – 11:00am or 1:00pm – 5:00pm. Or call on Tuesdays from 3:00pm - 6:00pm. Phone calls will be answered in the order they are received 

ID cards are printed in the Welcome Center in A 102. Until the start of the fall term on August 22, the Welcome Center is open Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 9:00-3:00. It will also be open on Saturday, August 13 and Saturday, August 20 from 10:00-1:00pm.

Students who have completed a FAFSA and already paid tuition and fees will be refunded after the beginning of the semester via check. All refund requests must be signed off by the Vice President of Student Services prior to submission to the Bursar’s Office for check issuance.  The refund will be issued after the semester begins, most likely sometime around the second week of the semester (on or around September 5). 

Yes. Even though your tuition is covered, you still should complete your FAFSA or California Dream Act application to receive coverage of your other fees and needs this semester, including student health fees, books, food, technology, and transportation.  

All students can enroll for free during the Fall semester. Currently, there is no hold on the student accounts who have outstanding fees. If there is, the Bursar’s Office and the Vice President of Business and Administrative Services will handle the case. Call (510) 464-3131 or Laney Business Office at (510) 464-3228.

Students will see a balance due on their account until it has been verified that they have completed the required financial aid application(s) to qualify for free tuition. Once verified, the account balance will be waived. Payment is not required to register for classes, however, if you do not submit a completed financial aid application by September 30, 2022, you will be responsible for any outstanding tuition or fees for the Fall 2022 semester.  

No.

Go to the Laney Bookstore in the basement of the SSC (cafeteria) building. Show them your schedule of enrolled courses and they will give you the required books and instructional materials.

For quicker pickup, order your books online, click “contactless pickup” as your delivery method and your order will be bundled and ready for you to pick up at the bookstore. To order online go to  https://www.bkstr.com/laneystore/home.  When ordering online, at the last step on the payment screen, check the box for “Financial Aid”. This will populate the Fall is Free program as the funding source so you will not have to pay. When you go for pickup, you will have to show your schedule of enrolled classes.

If you are taking online classes and are unable to come to campus for pickup, you can order your books online to be delivered to your home. This may take up to a week before you receive them. To order online,  https://www.bkstr.com/laneystore/home. When ordering online, at the last step on the payment screen, check the box for “Financial Aid”. This will populate the Fall is Free program as the funding source so you will not have to pay.

If you are renting a book, you will have to provide a credit card as collateral for book. The card will not be charged unless you do not return the rented book at the end of the term.

If you have further questions, you can call the bookstore at (510) 464-3349.

Since these are required instructional supplies, they will be provided for free. These items must be picked up in person at the Laney Bookstore, they cannot be mailed. You will have to show your schedule of enrolled classes when you pick up your books and materials.

Until August 18^th

• Monday-Thursday 10:00-2:00
• Saturday, August 13^th 10:00-2:00
• Saturday, August 20^th 10:00-2:00

Beginning August 22^nd

• Monday-Friday 9:00-3:00
• Saturday, August 27^th 10:00-2:00

Saturday, September 3rd

• 10:00-2:00

Books can be ordered or received in-person beginning on August 22^nd.

Yes, we are asking you to return books if you do not need them.

Bring your student ID card to the Cashier’s Office in A-201.

Academic accommodations can be given to students with learning challenges via Student Accessibility Services: SAS application Click here. Their phone number is (510) 464-3428. Information is available at SAS.Laney@peralta.edu.

Laney College follows the Perlata Community College District’s COVID-19 policy. As of July 20^th  all students are required to wear a mask while on campus and upload proof of vaccinations or receive an exemption to the policy if you are coming to campus. Details can be found at https://safe.peralta.edu/
On a daily basis, if you are coming to campus, please complete a daily health screening. To do so, use the Campus Shield app to answer screening questions for campus access. Instructions for downloading and using the mobile app are at https://web.peralta.edu/files/2021/08/Campus-Shield-setup-mobile.pdf. If you do not have a smart phone, you can stop by the Tower lobby to use the computer and printer that are there.