Frequently Asked Questions

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The State of California establishes the Cost of Attendance. Each student is assigned a budget based on the Cost of Attendance. Room & Board is a required component of the Cost of Attendance budget. Each student would have Room & Board costs regardless if you are living on campus or not (i.e. mortgage payment, rent, utilities, etc.)

Pell Grant awards are initially calculated assuming a full-time enrollment status (i.e. 12 or more units.) After disbursement the award amounts re-calculate based off of the actual enrollment status at the time of disbursement.

You can access your student account by going to www.barstow.edu and clicking on the mybarstowportal option. through the Barstow portal by clicking on student services and then student account. For assistance with navigating through your mybarstow portal, please visit the Student Services Tutorials page at http://www.barstow.edu/student_services_tutorial.html.  

Financial Aid checks are mailed out after classes start because it allows students to adjust their class schedules if needed and avoid going into a potential overpayment status.

No. Financial Aid checks must be mailed out to the address that is on file with Admissions & Records. However, if you have an extenuating circumstance such as housing insecurity, please contact the Financial Aid Office. We may be able to grant an exception and allow you to pick up your check.

Currently, Barstow Community College does not offer any other form of financial aid refund aside from paper check.  

The amount of financial aid you qualify for depends on how many units you are enrolled in for the semester and what your EFC (Estimated Family Contribution) number is. Every student account is unique. Please do not compare your account to another student’s. For questions specific to your student account always contact the Financial Aid Office for assistance.

Cal Grant is a California state grant. Cal Grants are competitive. Just because you qualified for the Pell Grant does not mean you will automatically be selected for a Cal Grant. The California Student Aid Commission determines Cal Grant eligibility. For additional information regarding Cal Grants, please visit https://www.csac.ca.gov/.

The first step in applying for both federal and state financial aid is by either completing the FAFSA application or the Dream Act application. Second, you will want to create a Web Grants 4 students account. You can create an account online at https://mygrantinfo.csac.ca.gov/.

You must have completed 15 or more units (if you are not a high school senior) before the California Student Aid Commission can determine you Cal Grant eligibility. You must also be in good SAP standing with Financial Aid to qualify.

If you have a bachelor’s or Graduate degree, then you no longer qualify to receive Pell Grant at the Community College level. If you already have an associate degree, but you still have classes needed for transfer, then you can file an appeal. This requires the Suspension of Financial Aid Eligibility Appeal form and a recent Education Plan from one of our Academic Counselors. If your appeal is approved, then you will only be approved for the classes on your Education Plan.

The Financial Aid Office submits GPA’s to the California Student Aid Commission electronically two times a year: March 2 and September 2. You must have completed 15 or more units for us to be able to submit your GPA.

Yes! The FAFSA or Dream Act application is completed entirely online. You can complete either application from wherever you have Internet access. Be sure to use Barstow Community Colleges Federal School Code when completing the appropriate application. You can complete the FAFSA application at https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa. You can complete the Dream Act (if applicable) at https://dream.csac.ca.gov/.

The CCPG is the California College Promise Grant. Formerly known as the BOG Fee Waiver. The CCPG covers enrollment fees for eligible students.

Your Financial Aid can be suspended for a couple of different reasons. The first is having a GPA below 2.0 for two or more semesters.

The second reason is attempting more units than you are passing. Federal regulation requires students to pass 67% or more of all attempted units.  For example, if you have attempted 36 units and only passed 22 units then your SAP will be 61%. If you do not meet the 67% for two semesters, then your aid will be suspended. Attempted units include all units attempted at Barstow Community College and transfer units.

Your Financial Aid can also be suspended if you have attempted more than 90 units or if you have already completed a degree.

Yes, you can appeal your financial aid suspension status. You will need to complete the Suspension of Financial Aid Eligibility Appeal form found on our web site at http://www.barstow.edu/fin_aid_forms.html.

The form must be accompanied by a typed statement explaining the circumstances that led to your suspension as well as an updated Education Plan from one of our Academic Counselors. If you have extenuating circumstances (i.e. medical problems/procedures, death in the family, accident, etc.) you will need to also attach documentation verifying those extenuating circumstances

If your GPA is below 2.0 then you will be  required to complete the Academic Probation online workshop at http://www.barstow.edu/pdf/Student_Services/Financial_Aid/suspensionaideligibility2.pdf.

Scholarships are competitive. Applying for a scholarship does not guarantee an award. With that being said, the main reason why one student’s application gets selected for a scholarship over the other is the quality of the essay responses. It is recommended you type your essay responses into a Word document in order to proofread them for spelling and grammatical errors before pasting them into your Award Spring scholarship application

It is also a good idea to have someone else proofread your essay responses before you submit your scholarship application. You can receive assistance with this by contacting the Teaching and Learning Support Center (TLSC). You can also contact the Financial Aid Office for assistance with this as well. Make sure you highlight your accomplishments, academic and career goals, and any hardships you have had to overcome in your essay responses. Make sure your scholarship application stands out!

Do not leave any portion of the scholarship application blank!

If you have an account balance part or all your financial aid funds will be applied towards the balance that you owe. For example, if you are an out-of-state student who owes tuition then your financial aid will be applied towards your account balance. Any remaining funds would be refunded to you during the financial aid disbursement process.

You may lose your CCPG eligibility if you are not maintaining Academic Standing standards. If you have two or more semesters where your GPA is below 2.0 and/or you are not completing at least 50% of your attempted units then you could potentially lose your CCPG. If you lose the CCPG there is an appeals process.

The Loss of Priority Registration and/or BOGW Fee Waiver Appeal form must be submitted the Financial Aid Office. The form can be found online at http://www.barstow.edu/Admissions-and-Records-Forms.html. The form must be accompanied by a typed statement explaining the circumstances that led to dismissal as well as an updated Education Plan from an Academic Counselor. Documentation should be attached as well when applicable.

If your appeal is denied or if you do not appeal by the required deadline then you will be responsible to pay whatever enrollment fees have accrued on your account.

The Department of Education considers you dependent of your parents until you have reached the age of 24 or until you are married or have children and/or dependents who receive more than 50% of your financial support. If you are an active duty military member or a military Veteran, you are also considered independent. There are also some special circumstances such as having a Foster Youth status that could qualify you as independent. Please speak with the Financial Aid Office if you believe you have a special circumstance that qualifies you to be considered independent or if you have zero contact with both of your parents.

Yes, if you are currently legally married then you would need to include your spouse’s tax information on your application regardless if you were not married during the tax year in question.

If you cannot remember your FSA ID username and/or password, then you should first try resetting it by using the “Forgot my FSA Username or Password” options on the FAFSA web site. If you are unsuccessful in doing that then you will need to call the FAFSA Information Center at 1-800-433-3243 for assistance. The Financial Aid Office does not have the ability to reset FSA Usernames or Passwords. it yourself through the website, then you will have to contact FAFSA at 1-800-433-3243.