Financial Aid

College can be expensive, but there are funds available to help with costs including tuition, books, and living expenses. Financial aid loans and grants are available to help with college costs.

There are many steps in the financial aid process and it can take several weeks to receive financial aid.

The first steps are:
1. Submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
Fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Assistance (FAFSA) as soon as possible using OCCC's school code 042837. Students can submit their 2024-2025 FAFSA as early as December 31, 2023 using tax information from 2022, and their 2025-26 FAFSA as early as December 1, 2024, using tax information from 2023. The application can be accessed at studentaid.gov

2. Get admitted to OCCC. Apply for admission at https://oregoncoast.edu/apply/. Monitor email and submit any required admissions documents.

3. Students will receive an email with instructions how to create an account and login to the financial aid portal. Students should follow the instructions in the financial aid portal to complete financial aid requirements. Timely submission of required documents is critically important. Award processing can take several weeks. More on the portal here, Financial Aid - Oregon Coast Community College

4. Students are encouraged to carefully consider each type of financial aid available to decide what is right for them, including grants and loans awarded from FAFSA, and grants and scholarships from the Office of Student Access and Completion (OSAC), the OCCC Scholarship Foundation, and other sources. For more information or assistance, contact the financial aid specialist at 541-867-8501 or finaid@oregoncoast.edu.

5. Select your refund preference with BankMobile. Watch for a green envelope in the U.S. Mail or an email from BankMobile with your access code. Students who have a credit balance after their financial aid is applied to their student account will receive a stipend for the amount of the credit balance. These stipends are processed beginning week 3 of each term. Stipends will be distributed via the student's refund preference selected with BankMobile. Students should note that loan monies for first-time borrowers will not be available until 30 days after the start of the term. Students who need assistance regarding BankMobile should contact the student accounts office at 541-867-8551 or laura.rosborough@oregoncoast.edu.

6. Don't forget to fill out a free Office of Student Access and Completion (OSAC) scholarship application at https://oregonstudentaid.gov/. The OSAC application opens November 1 and the final deadline is March 1 of the following year.

7. Apply for Oregon Coast Community College Foundation Scholarships and other scholarships. When the scholarship application opens, the OCCC Foundation scholarship application is available at https://www.oregoncoast.edu/scholarships/. The general scholarship application usually opens late Winter or early Spring term, though it's never too early for students to begin a scholarship search and start preparing a scholarship essay. Other scholarships are posted as they become available.

Students expecting scholarship funds from an entity that is not OCCC or the OCCC Foundation, should follow up with the organization granting the scholarship to inquire how their funds will be disbursed and what the terms and conditions of their scholarship are.

8. Maintain eligibility for Financial Aid by maintaining Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP).