Since its founding, Northampton Community College has been committed to offering excellence in education at a moderate cost. While NCC adheres to the principle that students and their families have the primary responsibility to pay for college costs as their means permit, financial assistance programs represent a bridge between a family's ability to pay and the cost of higher education. Last year, the College awarded over $46 million in financial assistance to approximately 7,220 full and part-time students. The NCC Financial Aid Office administers many types of financial assistance including federal, state, private and institutional financial aid programs to help students meet their educational costs.
Most financial aid awards are made on the basis of financial need. A student's financial need is determined by deducting the student's expected family contribution (EFC) from the cost of education. To qualify for financial aid, you must demonstrate financial need while maintaining academic progress. Financial aid awards must be applied to educational expenses such as tuition, fees, books, room, board, supplies, transportation or other educational costs.
Financial aid awards may consist of grants and/or scholarships (funds which do not have to be repaid), loans (low interest loans which require little or no payment while a student is attending college on at least a half-time basis), employment (money which a student earns through work either on or off-campus) or a combination of these sources.
Foundation Scholarships
To encourage and assist students, NCC also offers scholarships from over 200 different scholarship funds for students who meet the awards' requirements. Funds for scholarship assistance are provided through the efforts of the Northampton Community College Foundation and the generosity of alumni, community leaders, local employers and friends of the College.
The NCC Foundation, established in 1969 as a private, non-profit corporation to support educational programs and activities that cannot be funded through the College's regular income sources, enables NCC to provide more private scholarship support than any other community college in Pennsylvania.
Students must complete the financial aid application process to be considered for scholarship support
How to Apply for Financial Aid
To apply for financial aid at Northampton Community College a student must:
- Complete and submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) via the Web at www.fafsa.gov. A student and parent can create an FSA ID to electronically sign the FAFSA.
- NCC's Federal Code for the FAFSA is 007191
New students should not wait to be admitted to NCC before applying for financial aid. Returning students must annually reapply for financial aid for each academic year a student wants to be considered for financial aid.
The Northampton Community College financial aid priority application deadline is March 31st. Students who complete their financial aid application by the priority deadline will be notified of their eligibility for aid before tuition is due for the following Fall semester. The priority application deadline for the Spring semester is October 1st of the previous year. While financial aid applications are accepted throughout the year, it is important to meet the priority application deadlines if a student expects financial aid to help pay his/her semester tuition and fee charges by the tuition due date.
Eligibility
To receive aid, a student must meet the following eligibility requirements:
- Be a United States citizen or eligible non-citizen with a valid social security number;
- Be enrolled in an eligible academic program;
- A high school graduate or have a recognized General Equivalency Diploma (GED);
- Be an undergraduate student who has not previously earned a bachelor's degree (for most types of aid);
- Not be in default on any previous student loan nor owe a repayment on an adjusted federal grant;
- If male and age 18-25, be registered for Selective Service
- Comply with Northampton Community College's Academic Progress Policy requirements.
Student Employment
NCC offers on and off-campus jobs to students who have financial need through the Federal Work Study Program. A student's earnings under this program are not credited to the student's account, but are paid to the student every two weeks. Students are responsible for securing their job by interviewing with the job's supervisor. A list of available positions can be found on the Work Study link on the Financial Aid page of the NCC Web site. Students who are interested in community service positions should contact the Work Study Coordinator in the Financial Aid Office.
Veteran's Benefits
We are proud to be a Veterans Administration (VA) approved Institution of Higher Learning (IHL). All associate degree, specialized diploma, and certificate programs listed in the NCC College Catalog are deemed approved by the VA for receipt of education benefits. Our Student Veterans Services Office offers assistance as a resource for VA, military funding for education, EAP, FTA, MYCAA and handles certification of enrollment to the VA for Montgomery GI Bill, Post 9/11 GI Bill, and other VA education benefit programs. It is the student’s responsibility to notify the Student Veterans Services of enrollment, changes in enrollment, termination of student status or changes of address and phone number. Failure to do this could delay or jeopardize current or future benefits. A Military Veterans and Service Members Student Checklist and Veteran’s Benefits Request Form (VBRF) are available online at www.northampton.edu/academics/veterans.htm. Questions may be directed to the Student Veterans Services Office at 610.861.5508.
Federal Financial Aid Academic Progress Policy
All students must be making satisfactory academic progress toward a degree, certificate or specialized diploma in order to establish or renew eligibility for participation in any of the Federal or State financial aid programs. The Higher Education Act requires institutions to establish academic progress standards that contain qualitative and quantitative measurements of progress. The act also requires a maximum time frame for completion of the program.
The provisions included in Northampton's academic progress policy are based on federal requirements and are applicable to all students applying for federal aid including the Federal Parent Loan (PLUS). Copies of the policy and the appeal procedure are available at the Financial Aid Office and are distributed to all financial aid recipients with their financial aid award letter.
This policy applies to any student entering or returning to NCC. A student's entire academic record is reviewed even when a student was not a financial aid recipient during prior enrollment. College approved academic restarts are not considered when computing financial aid satisfactory academic progress. The following requirements must be met for eligibility for federal financial aid (grants, loans, and work-study).
Only courses required for your current major are eligible for financial aid consideration.
I. Completion Rate
A student must successfully complete sixty-seven percent (67%) of all credits attempted at NCC.
Financial aid can be applied only once to repeat any course where the student received a passing grade, including a "D". Although students may receive financial aid for repeated courses, credit for a course is given only once.
II. Grade Point Average
A student must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average based on the total number of credits attempted including transfer credits. Total credits attempted include courses in which a student receives a passing grade or F, W, WP, WF, N, or I.
| Total Credits Attempted Including Transfer Credits |
Minimum Cumulative GPA Required |
| 9-25 |
1.50 |
| 26-40 |
1.75 |
| 41+ |
2.00 |
III. Maximum Time Frame
For federal financial aid eligibility students must complete their program within a maximum time frame not to exceed 150% of the length of the educational program. This includes all semesters of enrollment even if no aid was received. Once a student attempts more than 150% of the credits that it normally takes to complete his/her program of study, he/she is no longer eligible for financial aid.
| Example: |
Length of Program |
Maximum Time Frame |
|
60-credit program |
90 credits attempted |
|
30-credit program |
45 credits attempted |
Questions about this policy should be directed to the Financial Aid Office (610.861.5510).
Appeal Process
Students who do not meet the Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements have the right to appeal. All appeals must be in writing and must be submitted within 45 days of the date of the notice of denial. Appeal forms should be submitted to the Financial Aid Office at Northampton Community College, 3835 Green Pond Road, Bethlehem, PA 18020.
An appeal should include an explanation of the extenuating circumstances which resulted in the student's inability to meet the requirements. Information about the student's plan to make up any deficiencies should also be included.
Note: State grant eligibility is based on standards set by the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA). Institutional appeals do not cover State grants. Loss of State grant eligibility may be appealed directly to PHEAA in cases of illness or death in the family.
Evaluation
An evaluation of academic progress will be done after the end of the Spring semester or when students reapply for financial aid. Students who do not meet the requirements will be notified within ten days of the completion of the evaluation.
Note: An evaluation will be done at the halfway point of the program for students enrolled in one-year programs.
Federal Financial Aid Recipients Who Withdraw
The 1998 Reauthorization of the Higher Education Act requires the College to calculate a return of federal student aid funds for students who withdraw (officially or unofficially) from all classes on or before the 60 percent attendance point of the semester. Using the Federal formula, the percentage of the semester attended is used to calculate the amount of the student's earned versus unearned federal student aid funds. The number of calendar days spent attending classes is divided by the number of calendar days in the semester. The unearned portion of federal student aid funds will be returned to the appropriate aid program. Funds are returned in the following order:
- Unsubsidized Direct Loan
- Subsidized Direct Loan
- Perkins Loan
- Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students (PLUS)
- Pell Grant Program
- Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG)
Students receiving financial aid who withdraw from all of their classes may not receive further financial aid disbursements, may lose some or all of the aid that has already been disbursed to their account and are responsible for payment of any balance due after the required return of unearned federal student aid funds. Students who stop attending all classes without officially withdrawing will be subject to the return of federal funds at the end of the semester based on the 50 percent point of the semester.
Notification of Award
Students who have their financial aid applications completed by the priority application deadline will be notified of their eligibility for aid by the tuition due date. They will receive a financial aid award letter. Included with the award letter are instructions, conditions governing awards and disbursement information about how and when students will receive financial aid funds.
Financial Aid Information
Financial aid forms and information are available from the NCC Financial Aid Office in the Student Enrollment Center at the Main Campus, the Enrollment Office at the Monroe Campus, the Fowler Family South Side Center, and on the Financial Aid page of the NCC Web site at http://www.northampton.edu/admissions/tuition--financial-aid-scholarships/financial-aid.htm. You can call the NCC Financial Aid Office at 610.861.5510.