Financial Aid FAQ

The Pell Eligibility Date is the day that the Office of Financial Aid takes a “snapshot” of your total enrollment. This “snapshot” locks in how many eligible credit hours your Pell grant enrollment intensity will be based upon. The Pell Eligibility Date applies to all courses, even those beginning later in the semester.

When is the Pell Eligibility Date?

Upcoming Pell Eligibility Dates are:

• Summer 2026 semester – June 11, 2026
• Fall 2026 semester – Sept. 4, 2026
• Spring 2027 semester – Jan. 29, 2027
• Summer 2027 semester – June 10, 2027

What does the Pell Eligibility Date mean to me?

When you finalize your schedule by the Pell Eligibility Date, you receive the most aid possible. All enrollment changes (adding, dropping, or withdrawing a class) before the Pell Eligibility Date affect your Pell grant enrollment intensity and consequently your award amount.

• If you drop/withdraw courses before the Eligibility Date: Your Pell grant enrollment intensity will be recalculated to exclude those courses.
• If you add courses after the Eligibility Date: The new classes will not be included in your enrollment intensity calculation. This means your Pell grant will NOT increase.

Are exceptions ever made to the Pell Eligibility Date policy?

Yes, exceptions may be made under certain circumstances, such as a course cancellation, if you were not awarded until after the Pell Eligibility Date, or if you registered after the Pell Eligibility Date. See the Office of Financial Aid to see if you are eligible to complete a Pell Eligibility Date appeal.

• Financial aid can only be awarded for courses that are required in your academic program.
• Financial aid is calculated based on enrollment status. Enrollment status may also be affected by limitations on repeated or remedial coursework.
• Attendance is mandatory for Title IV* financial aid eligibility.
  • You must be enrolled and attending each course by the posted refund date. Your registration statement has course refund dates.
  • By itself, logging in to an online course is not sufficient to demonstrate attendance. You must show participation, such as submitting an assignment or contributing to a discussion board.
• A failed or withdrawn course will negatively affect your financial aid completion rate and you may be required to pay back a portion of your aid.

* Title IV financial aid includes Pell Grant, Federal Direct Stafford Subsidized Loans, Federal Direct Stafford Unsubsidized Loans, Federal Direct PLUS Loans, Federal Work Study and the Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant (SEOG).​​

• On or after October 1^st every year (Encouraged to be completed as soon as possible)
• Use PRIOR-PRIOR-YEAR tax information (Example: for 2026-2027 FAFSA, use 2024 income information such as tax returns and W2s)

• Go to studentaid.gov/fsa-id/create-account/launch (opens in new window) and create a user ID
  (For dependent students an ID needs to be created for both parent and student - using separate email addresses.)
• Log in to studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa (opens in new window) and complete the financial aid application.
  KCC’s school code: 007690
• Complete an admissions application for KCC at kcc.edu/apply and ensure that you provide your social security number on the application.

• The federal processor will process your application and email you once it is done (This means it has been processed by the federal processor, but may have not been processed through the school.)
• Once KCC receives your application we will mail you an initial letter with guidance on what needs to be done next.
  • If you are selected for verification this means that the Office of Financial Aid needs additional information to make sure there are no errors. Specific information needed will be sent in the letter. Note that financial aid applications cannot be complete until all steps are completed.
• If all steps have been completed you will then receive a Financial Aid Award Letter with your qualifying award amounts.

It may take between 2 weeks and 2 months from the time we receive your FAFSA to have your awards processed. Apply early!

• You must register by the Pell eligibility date for the semester
  • The financial aid eligibility date is the day that the Office of Financial Aid takes a “snapshot” of your total enrollment to determine your Title IV* federal award eligibility for the semester. This “snapshot” locks in the number of eligible credit hours upon which your financial aid award is based.
  • The eligibility date applies to all courses, even those beginning later in the semester.
  • Courses added after, or dropped before, the eligibility date will not count towards your financial aid enrollment

* Title IV financial aid includes Pell Grant, Federal Direct Stafford Subsidized Loans, Federal Direct Stafford Unsubsidized Loans, Federal Direct PLUS Loans, Federal Work Study and the Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant (SEOG).​​

• You can charge books at the KCC Bookstore to your student account.
• Charges will be taken from the estimated aid you receive.
• Registration statement and photo ID are required to charge in the bookstore.
• Purchase books/supplies by the financial aid bookstore deadline each semester. Refer to your financial aid calendar for deadlines.

• Be a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen.
• Be a high school graduate or GED graduate. Documentation to verify that status must be on file in KCC’s Office of Admissions and Registration.
• Have selected and be admitted to an eligible curriculum. An eligible curriculum is one that leads to an associate degree or to an advanced certificate and requires at least 16 semester hours to complete. However, there are some exceptions. Verify eligibility of programs for Title IV aid with the Office of Financial Aid.
• Meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards.
• Have financial need (except for Unsubsidized Stafford Loans).
• Enroll for courses by the Pell Eligibility Date.
• Be enrolled at least half-time (at least six credit hours) per semester for most aid.
• Attend all classes to be considered enrolled.
• Not owe a refund on a federal grant or be in default on a federal educational loan.

To maintain your eligibility to receive financial aid once you are enrolled at KCC, you must:

• Maintain the grade point average specified in the academic regulations in KCC’s college catalog. The required GPA is based on the number of credit hours you have attempted.
• Maintain a completion rate of 67% for all hours attempted.
• Complete the program you started before attempting more than 150% of the hours required to complete that program.

This 150% is determined through the calculation of “attempted hours.” They include:

• All courses taken at KCC and all transfer courses credited at KCC. Transfer hours that do not count toward completion of your program of study at KCC may be excluded from the calculation of attempted hours if an appeal is approved.
• Courses in which you remain enrolled at the end of the tuition refund period each semester, even if you later withdraw from these courses.
• Courses which are of a remedial or prerequisite nature, unless excluded through an approved appeal.
• If you change your program of study at KCC, you still will be judged under the 150% time frame established for your original program unless a Financial Aid Satisfactory Progress Appeal is approved. Consult a KCC advisor.

For further information, please refer to the Financial Aid Satisfactory Progress Guidelines (PDF, 184KB) (open in new tab/window)

• Funds are disbursed well into the semester on designated dates located on Financial Aid Calendar
• Total eligible aid based on eligible credit hours minus student account charges

Refer to the financial aid calendar for the current award year disbursement dates.
You can view your “anticipated” refund in Student Self-Service, after signing in.

• Repeating a class more than once
• An excess of 30 remedial credit hours-attendance in a course
• Registering for a course after the Pell eligibility date
• Registering for a course that is not required for program

Three types of financial assistance make up the majority of aid provided by the federal government and the state of Illinois: grant assistance, loan assistance and work study assistance.

Yes. Summer Pell Grant is awarded at the time the FAFSA is received. If you do not see Pell Grant awarded for summer or if you have any questions, please contact our office at 815-802-8550 or finaid@kcc.edu.

You must use your FSA ID to complete the FAFSA each year.

If you have forgotten your FSA ID ​username or password, you can visit the I need help accessing my StudentAid.gov account for help.

You can also call the Federal Processor at 1-800-4-FED-AID.