Financial Aid Census Date and Pell Grant
Pell Grant recipients who change enrollment status (adding or dropping classes) will have their eligibility recalculated based on their enrollment status as of the Financial Aid census date for each semester, typically on the last day to add/drop a class. Students who are enrolled less than full-time at the time of the initial disbursement and who later add classes prior to the enrollment census date will receive a subsequent disbursement based on the newly updated enrollment status to reflect the correct payment eligibility (3/4 time or full-time). Likewise, Pell Grant funds will be recalculated for students who drop classes before the census and the revised Pell Grant will be based on “census” enrollment status. In some instances, this recalculation may result in a repayment of funds already disbursed as a result of the reduction in units following the disbursement of Pell Grant funds.
Cal Grant Awarding and Disbursement
Cal Grants are generally disbursed in one payment per term. Students who are initially deemed eligible by the college for Cal Grant before the FA census date will be disbursed based on the student enrollment status as of the FA census date. Students who are initially deemed eligible by the college for Cal Grant after the FA Census date will be disbursed based on the recipient’s current enrollment status at the time of disbursement. Students who are initially deemed eligible for Cal Grant by the college after the term has ended will be disbursed based on the number of units completed for the term.
Adjustments can be made to initial Cal Grant disbursements based on increases in student enrollment load.
The first Cal Grant disbursement will occur the week of the FA census date for every term. After the first disbursement, Cal Grants are disbursed weekly throughout the term as students become eligible for the funds.
STUDENT AUTHORIZATION OF FINANCIAL AID DISBURSEMENT
Federal and State governments offer financial aid funding to those students who qualify. Disbursements of federal and state financial aid, (e.g. Title IV* funds and/or Cal Grants), are applied to a student’s account for allowable institutional charges. Allowable charges are tuition and fees. Various types of state aid, (e.g. Cal Grant B Access), allow a student the right to opt-out of having future state funds applied towards paying the student’s institutional charges and to have those funds be delivered directly to the student. To opt-out, students must contact the District Financial Aid Office.
** Warning: Choosing to “Opt-Out” may create a college debt/obligation for the student. If the student chooses to “Opt-Out” of having aid pay institutional charges, any balance owed to the college must be paid in full.
DISBURSEMENT INFORMATION &FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Disbursement Eligibility
You must meet all disbursement requirements in order for your aid to pay. Some of the general requirements to receive payment of funds include:
- Submission of all required documents.
- Meeting all satisfactory academic progress (SAP) requirements.
- Enrollment for term
Specific Disbursement Requirements:
Please note that certain student aid programs may have very specific disbursement requirements in addition to the general disbursement requirements. For example, Cal Grant recipients must be California residents whereas some scholarship programs require that students be enrolled full-time to receive any scholarship funds. These special requirements must be met in order for those funds to be disbursed
Attention Financial Aid Students!!!
How to Access your Financial Aid Funds
Laney College delivers your refund with BankMobile Disbursements, a technology solution, powered by BMTX, Inc. For more information about BankMobile Disbursements, visit this link: https://bankmobiledisbursements.com/refundchoices/
To view our third-party servicer contract for refund management, click here
