Eligibility for Financial Aid

Eligibility Requirements Eligibility for federal, state, and VCCS programs is based on financial need and several other factors, as determined by responses on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The Financial Aid Office staff at the College will determine eligibility.  Many financial aid programs are awarded on a first-come, first-completed basis so it is important to apply early. A glossary of federal financial aid terms is available at: https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/glossary. Basic eligibility requirements require that students:

• Demonstrate financial need (except for certain loans - see Financial Need, below)
• Have a valid high school diploma or a General Education Development (GED) certificate or complete a high school education in a home school setting that is treated as such by state law (see High School Diploma, below, for exceptions)
• Be enrolled or accepted for enrollment as a regular student working toward a degree or certificate in an approved program (see Approved Program of Study, below)
• Be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen
• Have a valid Social Security Number
• Register with the Selective Service (if male, for state grant only)
• Maintain satisfactory academic progress once in school
• Certify that they are not in default on a federal student loan and do not owe money on a federal student grant
• Certify that they will use financial aid only for educational purposes

Details about specific eligibility factors include, but are not limited to:

Approved Degree Program

• Undergraduate students must be in an approved degree- or certificate-seeking program, also known as a "major".
• An approved program usually has at least 16 credit hours.
• Students may be in more than one major, and generally the largest program from which a student has not graduated will be considered for financial aid purposes.

Attendance

• Students must attend each of their courses at least once by the published last day to drop with a refund for the semester.  This is usually the first two weeks of the semester.
•  For online classes, consult your course syllabus for the definition of attendance.
• Financial aid may only be paid to a student from one college per term, by federal regulation. Contact your Financial Aid Office to inquire about a consortium agreement before enrolling at a second school.
• Important note for class attendance: Financial Aid can ONLY pay for the classes that have been attended by the refund deadline (see Enrollment, below). Not attending by this date may result in being dropped for non-payment and owing back unearned aid. 

Bookstore Purchases

• Students may use excess financial aid in the College Bookstore to purchase required books and supplies for registered courses deemed eligible for financial aid for the term.
• Bookstore charge and refund period is generally 10 days prior to the start of a term through the end of the main drop period (usually about two weeks into the semester) and at other times, if the Financial Aid Coordinator re-opens the charge period.
• See Bookstore Charge and Refunds policies.

Citizenship Status

• The Financial Aid Office cannot award federal aid to international or foreign students, even if the student meets DACA.
• Students in the country on most types of visas, including student visas, are not eligible for most types of financial aid.
• State aid may be available. Instructions, FAQs, and qualifiers can be found at www.vasaapp.org. Call us at 757-569-6715 after applying.

Class Applicability

• Financial aid is only available for required courses for graduation when a student is enrolled in a financial aid eligible program of study. A course would be deemed eligible for financial aid if all of the four following circumstances exist--
  • The course is required for graduation from your current academic program;
  • The course has not already been repeated once after having been successfully completed (with any grade other than an F, I, U, R, or W) ;
  • You have not already attempted 30 or more developmental credits (only applies if class is developmental, such as MTT 1) ; and
  • The course is not a BSK (basic skills class) that is below the post-secondary level.
• Classes taken that are not required for graduation can only be considered for financial aid purposes with written documentation noting a substitution for other courses and for developmental courses. Otherwise, classes that do not meet the terms above must be paid for out-of-pocket.

Cost of Attendance

• Students who apply for Financial Aid and are in an approved degree program will have a cost of attendance computed, using budgeted costs that a student can reasonably expect to incur during the 9-month academic year.
• The current 2026-27 Cost of Attendance (COA) for students at Camp are used to determine unmet need.  Any student whose Student Aid Indicator (SAI) is higher than the COA will not be eligible for federal or state need-based aid.
• Actual per-credit tuition are located here: Tuition Rates.

Default or Owe Debt

• Students must not be in default on a Federal Perkins Loan, Stafford Student Loan, Supplemental Loan for Students, or any Ford Direct Loan.
• A student cannot owe any debt on a Federal Pell Grant or Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant previously awarded at any post-secondary institution.
• Additionally, Camp is part of the Virginia Community College System (VCCS) and will require a student who owes a Title IV aid debt to any other VCCS school to make restitution to that college prior to enrolling.

Enrollment Status

• Students must register for at least twelve credit hours each semester by the "last date to receive a refund" in order to receive the full financial aid award package shown on the Financial Aid Notice.
• Students who register on a part-time basis may have their financial aid award reduced proportionally to remain in compliance with federal regulations and institutional policies.
• Some aid requires a minimum number of credits to receive, and therefore is not available if a student drops below that level. Please see Types of Aid for details.
• Enrollment status is established as of midnight on the published last date to receive a refund each semester.
• Additional classes added after the last date for a refund cannot be used to increase financial aid grants, but may count toward student loans.
• Classes withdrawn from after the "last date to receive a refund" will still count toward aid eligibility, as long as attendance was established, unless the student does not complete at least one full semester class (see Return of Title IV aid, below).
• Financial Aid grant eligibility is locked in at the census date for the semester.  Classes added after this date may be eligible for loan only.

Financial Need

• Students must meet Federal eligibility requirements to receive financial aid, including "financial need" except if a student has only scholarships or Unsubsidized Loans.
• Need is defined as the difference between the cost of attending the college and the total Student Aid Indicator (SAI).
  • The SAI is determined when a student files a FAFSA and a zero SAI is best.
  • The SAI is then subtracted from the student's budget or cost of attendance (COA), to determine eligibility for other awards.
  • If the COA minus SAI results in a zero or negative number, then the student has not demonstrated financial need.
• For more information on the COA, see Cost of Attendance definition above and please visit our Net Price Calculator tool.
• If a significant change in the family has occurred, students should discuss them with a financial aid administrator and/or file an appeal for unusual circumstances.

High School Diploma

• To be eligible for aid, students must have a high school diploma or its equivalent (GED is eligible, but not Certificate of Completion).
• Ability-to-benefit (ATB) alternatives may qualify students without a valid high school diploma or its equivalent. Alternatives for Camp students enrolled prior to July 1, 2012 include:
  • passing an ability-to-benefit test approved by the U.S. Department of Education,
  • meeting other standards, the state established that the Department approved,
  • satisfactorily completing six credit hours or the equivalent course work toward a degree or certificate.
• Enrollment in an eligible career pathways program. Camp does not currently have any eligible career pathways programs.

Refund Eligibility

• Students must generally be enrolled in, and attending classes as well as meeting satisfactory academic progress to be eligible for a refund.  The refund process begins after the Last Date to Drop with a Refund for the full semester, and most refunds are issued within 40-60 days of the start of the term.
• Be careful not to count on getting your refund by a certain date to make major purchases or pay other financial obligations. Even though we issue most refunds early, it’s possible your refund may require additional review and take longer. Many different factors can affect the timing of your refund after we process it. Also, if you are anticipating a refund, take into consideration the time it takes for your financial institution to post the refund to your account, or for mail delivery.
• Calling us will not speed up your refund. Our phone and walk-in representatives can only research the status of your refund if it has been 21 days or more since your refund has been posted to your student account or if you get an email that directs you to contact us. If we need more information to process your refund, we will contact you by email in your student account. Otherwise, the Student Information System (SIS) has the most up-to-date information available 24/7/365.

Repeated or Audited Courses

• Financial Aid will not cover audited or non-credit classes, other than required developmental courses.
• Developmental credits are limited to 30 credits total that financial aid may cover.
• Aid is not available for classes in which a student carries an incomplete "I" grade for the same class in a previous term. The student must contact the instructor to complete the class without re-enrollment.
• Financial Aid will pay for repeated classes until a student passes, and then may pay once more only.  The college may also limit enrollment to three attempts total.
• Repeated courses are always counted in the Standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) calculation, and may negatively affect the student's completion rate.

Return of Title IV Aid (R2T4)

• Federal Title IV financial aid is based on a paycheck theory. You only earn the full amount of aid by completing a minimum amount of each term, or must repay the unearned portion of the aid.
• If you do not satisfactorily complete the term, you may owe unearned aid back to the College, and will not be eligible for re-enrollment until satisfactory repayment arrangements have been made.
• Please see the Return of Aid Policy (Title IV) in the College Catalog.
• After you withdraw, you may not meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (see below).
• R2T4 debts are not subject to appeal, even if you withdraw for a good reason such as an illness or injury.

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

• To remain eligible for any grant, loan, or work assistance, students must maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP).
• Students who fail to maintain SAP may not receive any Federal or State aid except for one warning semester and/or if a student files a successful appeal.
• Satisfactory Academic Progress is not the same as Academic Standing.
• Visit our Forms for Financial Aid Students page at right to sign up for a workshop and print an appeal form.

Social Security Number

• Students must have a valid Social Security Number to receive federal financial aid, see Citizenship Status for state aid information, above.
• Exceptions to this rule are students from the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, or the Republic of Palau.
• The name on file at the Social Security Administration MUST match the name used to file the FAFSA.
• Students must also include the Social Security Number on the College application.

Special Circumstances

• Requests to appeal special financial circumstances, such as loss of income, and are considered on a case-by-case basis with adequate documentation.
• Forms are available online under the Appeals section of the Forms page at right.
• Decisions made by financial aid administrators at other institutions are not accepted automatically and require additional

Unusual Circumstances

• Requests to appeal unusual circumstances for dependency overrides are considered on a case-by-case basis with adequate documentation.
• Forms are available online under the Appeals section of the Forms page at right.
• Decisions made by financial aid administrators at other institutions are not accepted automatically and require additional

Withdrawals

• Students who do not wish to have their Financial Aid eligibility affected in either the current or future terms must drop by the published last date to receive a refund.  The student will not get aid for, nor owe tuition for, classes dropped in this way.  The student will owe for any un-returned books.
• The refund date for full term courses (16 weeks in Fall/Spring and 10 weeks in Summer) occurs approximately 14 days into the semester and is not the same as the last day to drop without academic penalty, which is at the 60% point.
• Short session classes will have different deadlines, as published in the class schedule.
• Withdrawals after the refund date carry one or more penalties such as those found in the Return of Title IV (R2T4) and Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) policies.
• See Return of Title IV Aid, Satisfactory Academic Progress, and Enrollment Status, above, for more details.