It depends on the individual student’s eligibility index (EFC or Student Aid Index number). You may be eligible for most federal and state financial aid programs if you attend school at least half-time (6 units or more); however, the amount of financial aid received may be prorated according to the number of units a student is enrolled in at the time of the disbursement of aid.
Yes, the amount of financial aid will be decreased accordingly.
Provided that you maintain satisfactory academic progress, you may receive federal financial aid until you exceed 150% of the published length of an eligible program in which you are enrolled. Students in a 60-unit AA/AS programs or planning to transfer to a four-year college or university will need to complete their studies by the time they attempted 90 units.
Generally, Pell Grant recipients receive two direct deposits or checks each semester. One deposit or check comes at the beginning of the term and one approximately half-way through the term. Other grant aid is disbursed once each semester. Work-Study students are paid once a month via a paycheck. For more information on disbursements, please visit the "Disbursement Information" webpage.
The financial aid office cannot provide an estimate of how much aid you may qualify for until the application has been completed and submitted.
Usually 2 – 4 weeks depending if no additional information is needed to complete your file, such as verification and/or any appeals.
Disbursements at IVC only occur every 2 – 3 weeks, and students’ files must be completed at least 2 weeks in advance to be added to the next scheduled date. So depending on when your file completed its review, it could take at least 2 – 4 weeks for you to be disbursed any funding, if eligible.
Other times, delays are expected if you have late-start classes as financial aid cannot be paid out if classes have not yet started. Or, we are unable to schedule any payment for students with SAP Warning, Probation, or (Maximum Time Frame) MTF Probation as grades from the previous semester must be posted and academic standing calculated prior to any disbursement.
Yes, and no. You can attend both IVC and other colleges, however, students cannot receive federal financial aid at two different colleges at the same time. If attending another community college, make sure to add the other college (and IVC) to your FAFSA (or CADAA for AB 540 eligible student) so each college can determine your eligibility or the CCPG tuition fee waiver to help pay for your classes.
Ideally, you would receive financial aid at the college where you are taking the most credits. Or, if you take at least 6 units at IVC and choose to receive financial aid through IVC, IVC participates in Financial Aid Consortium Agreements with other community colleges where the credits you’re taking at another college can be counted toward your financial aid award here at IVC (e.g. Federal Pell Grant, Cal Grant). You will have to have the Consortium Agreement form filled out by the host campus and returned to the IVC Financial Aid Office.
If a student’s financial aid file is completed and it’s determined that student is eligible for any financial aid grant(s) or approved for any loan, payments will be issued in accordance with the schedule listed on "Disbursement Information" webpage.
No. Students can only receive financial aid from one school at a time; however, if you enroll in courses at other colleges, those units may count towards your enrollment status at IVC through a Consortium Agreement to qualify you for more Pell Grant (and Cal Grant) if you’re only in at least 6 units at IVC. Those units taken at Saddleback College are already counted towards your enrollment status for the calculation of financial aid award amount. The Consortium Agreement can be downloaded from the Student Forms website.
The Disbursement Schedule is updated each award year on the "Disbursement Information" webpage.
You should be able to view your award amounts under Menu > “ Award” through My Financial Aid Portal if your financial aid file has been completed and your award has been posted. Any award amount listed may be adjusted anytime your enrollment status changed.
Default refund method is via a check sent to your mailing address on file with Admissions & Records and as reflected on MySite.
- Check: Delivery takes about 7 – 10 business days from disbursement date.
- Direct Deposit: Posted to your account in about 3 – 5 business days from disbursement date.
To set up direct deposit for your financial aid disbursements, please follow the steps below:
- Log in to MySite 3.0.
- Click My Information à Financial Aid Status.
- Click on Financial Aid Disbursement Method and Create your Nelnet account.
- If you’re not redirected to NelNet, make sure your web browser’s pop-up blocker is disabled.
- Click on Manage Refund button on the homepage to select how you want to receive your refund.
- Fill in the necessary information. Your refund will then be sent using the option you selected.
Below are the disbursement timeframes depending on which method of payment you chose:
- Check: Delivery takes about 7 – 10 business days from disbursement date.
- Direct Deposit: Posted to your account in about 1 – 3 business days from disbursement date.
The list for the disbursement date is generated at least 2 weeks before the actual disbursement date, so by the time IVC requested your fund from the U.S. Department of Education, things may have changed, which may affect your financial aid eligibility or award amount.
We recommend students to follow up to check on their financial aid status if they have yet to receive their financial aid disbursement or if they didn’t receive the disbursement when expected so we can discuss what may need to be done.
No, as the fund needs to be requested from the U.S. Department of Education. The list for the disbursement date is generated at least 2 weeks before the actual disbursement date because our specialists need to finalize your file, run final eligibility checks, request your funding, prepare checks and/or direct deposits, and only then can we send out your disbursement either by mail or through electronic bank deposits.
The amount of your financial aid award depends on the number of units that you’re enrolled in and your maximum financial aid eligibility. To receive the maximum financial aid offered to you, you will need to enroll in at least 12 units or more. If you add more classes after your “first disbursement” for the semester or if your classes won’t start until later in the semester (e.g. second 8-weeks classes), you won’t receive the disbursement for those late-start units until your “second disbursement” which occurs a little more than half way through the semester.
There could be one or more reasons that you have not received your financial aid, and that may be any one or a combination of the following:
- IVC did not receive your FAFSA because either 1) the wrong FAFSA year was submitted and/or 2) IVC was not listed on the School Selection section of the FAFSA or
- your financial aid file is incomplete or
- you have not been admitted to IVC, or you have not enrolled, or your classes have not started yet; or
- you’re not eligible for any financial aid due to having high income and/or assets.