How to Apply
Applying for financial aid is easier than you think – and the HCC Financial Aid Office is here to help! Now is the time to fill out the 2023-24 Free Application for Financial Aid (FAFSA). Ready to start?
1. Fill out a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid): Your FAFSA is the key to all financial aid. It doesn't matter whether the aid is state or federal, a grant, loan, student employment, or a combination of these – HCC will use the information on your FAFSA to determine what type of and how much aid you will receive. All financial aid applicants must submit a properly completed FAFSA every year. The FAFSA is submitted electronically through FAFSA online. HCC's Federal School Code 002170 must be included on the FAFSA. You can complete your FAFSA on-campus or virtually! Here are some helpful tips to get started:
- Email, call, or chat with us to set up an appointment. Appointments are first come, first serve and are only in-person on Mondays. Virtual appointments are available Monday through Friday.
- Click here to sign up for a FAFSA lab, where our staff can help you with any FAFSA questions.
To access information on studentaid.gov, you and a parent must create FSA User IDs and passwords. This process takes about 15 minutes, and is required to electronically sign the FAFSA. (For students and parents who already have electronic PINs, doing this will link your PIN to your FSA User ID and password. For step-by-step instructions on how to create FSA User IDs, please click here.)
2. Meet Deadlines: In order to meet both HCC's priority deadline and the state MASSGrant deadlines, your FAFSA must reach the federal processor before May 1, 2023 for the school year starting in Sept. 2023. In addition to meeting the May 1 deadline, to receive the most possible aid, you should also submit all other required documentation to the Financial Aid Office by June 30, 2023. Students who miss the May 1 FAFSA deadline should apply as soon as possible to receive the best possible aid package!
3. Don't Forget! Promptly respond to all requests for additional information; make sure you apply for admission and are accepted to a degree or certificate program; preregister for your classes as early as possible; answer award offers by accepting or declining awards on the HCC Online Services page; and notify the Financial Aid Office about any funding from another source (like a scholarship organization).
4. Incomplete Applications: If your application is selected for verification, you will need to provide additional documentation, like verification worksheets. These need to be submitted to the Financial Aid Office within two (2) weeks of the date that you find out you need to send them. If we do not get the documents within that time frame, the file is incomplete and we can't take further action on the application until the documents are provided. If the documents are submitted after the two-week period, it's possible we may be able to take action on the application. If corrections to the application are needed, HCC will make the corrections on our computer system and submit the corrections to the federal processor.
5. Additional Application Requirements:
- Entrance Counseling: All first-time loan borrowers at HCC are required to do a student loan entrance interview. To complete this requirement, we use the online entrance counseling tutorial at studentaid.gov. First-time borrowers are also required to complete an electronic Master Promissory Note (MPN) at the studentaid.gov website.
- Exit counseling – Prior to finishing your HCC education (or dropping below half-time), all borrowers must also do a loan exit interview. This can also be done on the studentaid.gov website.
