Understanding the Financial Aid Process

All Chesapeake College students are encouraged to apply for Federal Grant funding by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid each year. Fill out your FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) at studentaid.gov.
- Students should complete their FAFSA as soon as possible after October 1st for the upcoming academic year. To be considered for Maryland State Scholarships, students must complete their FAFSA by March 1st, each year.
- In additional to the FAFSA, students are encouraged to apply for all of our Institutional Scholarships that we offer here at Chesapeake College. Complete the Chesapeake College Institutional Scholarship application, each year that you will be enrolled as a Chesapeake College student and maintaining at least a 2.5 GPA. The application can be found under "What Funds are Available" at www.chesapeake.edu/finaid by February of each year.
Review your Student Aid Report (SAR)

All students who complete a FAFSA will receive a SAR, either in the mail or via e-mail. The SAR will have a summary of all information submitted on the FAFSA. The student can make any necessary corrections by visiting the FAFSA website and clicking on “Make Corrections to a Processed FAFSA.” Alternately, students may make corrections directly on the SAR and mail it back to the Department of Education, not to the school.
Financial Aid receipt of the Institutional Student Information Record (ISIR)
- Beginning in early Spring, for the upcoming Academic school year, the Financial Aid Office will start to download the electronic version of the processed FAFSA, called the Institutional Student Information Record (ISIR). The ISIR contains the same information as the SAR. The ISIR is electronically received from the Federal Processor, usually within 3-5 business days.
- Once your ISIR has been received, the Financial Aid Office will send an email to the email address provided on the students’ FAFSA requesting any additional documentation and/or forms, if needed to complete your financial aid file.
Required Forms: Students must submit all requested documentation before receiving financial aid.

All students who submit a FAFSA could be subject to verification. Verification is a process in which the Financial Aid Office must obtain additional documentation to ensure that the information you provided on your FAFSA is accurate. If a student is selected for verification, he/she will be required to provide a variety of documents in order to complete the verification process. The student will be sent an email notification to the email address provided on the students FAFSA, if you are selected for verification. Additional documentation may be required, after the initial verification documents are submitted, on a case-by-case basis.

If the student and/or parent has a Special Circumstance based on loss of income, medical expenses, death in the household, etc. the student will need to provide the Financial Aid Office with a written, detailed explanation, with documentation, of the Special Circumstance once their FAFSA has been received and reviewed by the Financial Aid Office.
Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)
- Federal regulations require that Chesapeake College establish policies to monitor the academic progress of students who apply for and/or receive federal financial aid. For more information about SAP please visit the “Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy” link on our website.
- If you are not meeting the SAP requirements, you may be eligible to submit an appeal before your aid can be processed.
Financial Aid Award Notification

Offered Award notifications are emailed to students throughout the year beginning in May for the upcoming academic year. Offered Award notifications show the financial aid that has been offered to the student based on the students currents enrollment, financial need and/or merit.
Student Account

All financial aid is disbursed into the student's account and maintained by the Business Office of the college. Any charges, credits, payments, etc. are received and processed only by the Business Office.
Secure Your Courses
- Students are responsible for their tuition/fee bill by the payment deadline, each semester. The semester payment deadline can be found on the “Academic Calendar” on our website. Once the semester payment deadline has passed, tuition/fee bills are due within 48 hours of registration.
- Financial Aid recipients that have sufficient funding on their account by the payment deadline will receive an automatic hold to secure their courses each semester.
- If the student does not have sufficient funding on their account by the payment deadline, they are responsible for the remaining balance. Failure to pay this balance will cause students courses to be dropped for non-payment.
Book Credit
- Prior to the start of the semester, the Business Office will release Bookstore credits to the Chesapeake College Bookstore for students that have sufficient financial aid funds remaining after their tuition/fees are paid for. This information will be sent to the campus Bookstore daily. Students may make their purchases with the Bookstore for required books and/or supplies. Non-Educational items (such as AirPods, Smart Watches, etc.) are not approved to be purchased with financial aid funds.
- The Book Store receipt will show the estimated amount of financial aid the student has left after purchasing books and supplies. This is not necessarily the total financial aid amount and is subject to change based on the students adding/dropping courses, attendance issues, withdraws, etc.
- Students who do not have sufficient financial aid to cover their tuition and fees will be responsible for buying their own books.
Attendance

Per Federal Regulations, students required to participate their enrolled courses, each semester. If a faculty member reports that the student has ceased participation in Academic Related Activities, the student could be dropped/withdrawn from their course(s) and their financial aid could be reduced or rescinded. Participation is reported three times a semester including, the conclusion of the third week of the semester, midterms, and finals. Examples of Academic Related Activities Include but are not limited to: Tests, Quizzes, Discussions, Projects, etc. Simply logging into a course or appearing in a face to face course is not considered an academic related activity.
Refunds

If a student has financial aid funds remaining in his/her account after all debts to the college have been paid, the Business Office will issue a refund check to the student. Refunds are typically available approximately 10-days prior to the last starting term of the semester. Checks will be mailed to the address on the students account at the time checks are printed.