You don't have to be a full-time student to receive financial aid:
Full-Time:12 or more units - You will receive 100% of your financial aid.
Three-quarter-Time:9 to 11.5 units - You will receive 75% of your financial aid.
Half-Time:6 - 8.5 units - You will receive 50% of your financial aid.
Less-Than-Half Time:0.5 - 5.5 units - You will receive 25% of your financial aid if eligible.
Please Note: Your enrollment (the number of units you are enrolled in) is checked by our automated system each time a disbursement is made. Your disbursement will be adjusted as you drop or add units.
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is a federal application and the primary means of applying for financial aid at colleges and universities in the United States. It is completed by students each year they want to be considered for financial aid. Applications are available every October for the upcoming academic year.
Many colleges use the FAFSA to award federal aid like:
- Pell Grants
- Federal Work-Study
- Federal SEOG
- Direct Student Loans, etc.
California also uses information found on the FAFSA to award state grants like Cal Grant.
To begin the application process for grants, loans and work-study, your first step is to complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
The easiest (and most secure) way to update your FAFSA is to do it online.
- Go to Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
- Enter your login information using your FSA ID.
- Select "Make FAFSA Corrections" and navigate to the section where you've listed your colleges.
- Add Delta College as one of your schools - school code 001280.
If you feel you need additional assistance, come to Delta College and receive help in our DeRicco Student Services center. We'd be more than happy to help you complete your FAFSA and answer any questions.
You can also call the Federal Student Aid at 1-800-433-3243 for more help. Please keep in mind you may need to have your Student Aid Report (SAR) on hand if you do.
If you listed Delta College on your FAFSA, we will receive your information electronically about 2 weeks from the date you completed your online application. (Note: Paper FAFSA submissions to the FSA will take longer.)
Once your FAFSA is received, an e-mail will be sent to your Delta College E-mail account, to login to your MyDelta Student Portal and check your Financial Aid tile. From here, you will be able to check your financial aid status and find your Financial Aid Specialist, who will serve as one your main point of contact.
If you find you do not see any Financial Aid information in your MyDelta Portal, it's likely that the College hasn't received your FAFSA yet. Feel free to call (209) 954-5115 to check.
You can find your Specialist's contact information in your MyDelta Portal under tasks. Can't find it? View our MyDelta Guides to learn more.
You don't have to come from a low-income family to qualify for financial aid. Showing sufficient evidence that you'll need help with the costs of attending college is sometimes enough to qualify for some type of aid. Assume you are eligible and complete a FAFSA today!
Most financial aid offered at Delta College (or any other public college) is money that doesn't have to be repaid. Grants, part-time employment and scholarships make up 90% of the approximately $30 million annual aid received by Delta students. Only a small percentage of students take out student loans. If you apply early, chances are that all or most of your financial need can be met with aid that doesn't need to be repaid.
We understand that filling out your FAFSA can be a daunting process. As a result, we have a number of options to help students complete their FAFSAs.
You can get your transcripts immediately online! Go to IRS.gov and use the Get Transcript Tool.
Other options to get request your tax transcripts include:
For more information, visit the IRS Get Transcript FAQ.
For general questions, you can reach us at financialaid@deltacollege.edu. Or, if you already know who your Financial Aid Specialist is, you can to our go Contact Us page to contact him/her.
It's true, many students do apply for financial aid during the course of a school year. To make sure you receive the best possible consideration, we encourage our students to apply as early as the FAFSA application becomes available on October 1st. Not only will this give you the best opportunity to receive financial aid, it will also allow you more time to have your financial aid file fully completed before you begin attending classes.
For Cal Grants, we urge our students to complete their application by March 2nd for the best possible chance to receive Cal Grant consideration. (Tip: You'll be considered for Cal Grants as soon as you submit your FAFSA.)
For other Delta College aid like Federal SEOG or Federal Work Study, funds for these awards are extremely limited so completion of your entire financial aid file is highly encouraged. We generally recommend that your financial aid file is completed by early Spring to guarantee the best possible funding for the following academic year.
A completed financial aid file means:
- A valid FAFSA which has been submitted to Delta College by the FSA (Federal Student Aid)/Department of Education
- All required supporting documents requested via the Delta Online Financial Aid System
Students with a G.E.D. or other high school proficiency certificate should still apply for financial aid.
Students without a high school diploma, GED, or equivalent, can still qualify for financial aid in the form of a California College Promise Grant.
What's more, potential students can demonstrate readiness for college by taking a standardized test if - and only if - they've attended a post-secondary institution prior to July 1st, 2012. The standardized test is available in the Delta College Assessment Center, located in the northern end of the DeRicco Building.
High School Graduates: If the potential student has graduated from high school, they must provide one of the following documents indicating their high school completion
- The student's original high school diploma
- The student's final, official high school transcript that clearly shows the date when the diploma was awarded
- The student's original General Educational Development (GED) certificate or GED transcript
- The student's original academic transcript that indicates the student successfully completed at least a two-year program that is acceptable for full credit toward a bachelor's degree
- California state law does not require a homeschooled student to obtain a secondary school completion credential for homeschool (other than a high school diploma or its recognized equivalent). An original transcript or the equivalent - signed by the student's parent or guardian - shall be submitted. The transcript will list the secondary school courses the student completed and will document the successful completion of a secondary school education in a homeschool setting. Validity of the transcript will be determined by the Financial Aid office.=
You're not alone. Help is available!
Financial Aid processing could easily take up to 4 weeks from the time your financial aid file is fully completed to actual disbursement of your funds.
As a result, Delta College is committed to giving you as many possible solutions as we can to help you succeed as one of our students:
- Book Advance Voucher: If you've been informed that you'll be receiving financial aid, you may qualify for the Book Advance program. For more information, go for a full overview or check with your Financial Aid Specialist today!
- Textbook Rental: You may be able to rent textbooks, which may cost significantly less than actually buying your textbooks for your classes.
- Library Reference Desk: Check with your instructor to find out if a class textbook is located at the Library Reference Desk. If yes, you may even be able to use the textbook there.
Satisfactory Academic Progress (or 'SAP' for short) is a set of academic guidelines which every student receiving (or wants to receive) financial aid must adhere to. Three primary guidelines make up the groundwork of an SAP policy:
- GPA
- Progression Rate
- Maximum Time Frame
These guidelines are set in place by both the Department of Education and Delta College in order to ensure that:
- Our students actively monitor their academic progress while they're enrolled so they may achieve their educational goals on time, and
- All federal financial aid monies are disbursed responsibly
Every post-secondary school that participates in disbursing federal financial aid (Title IV aid) has an SAP policy.
You can find your Financial Aid Academic History under the Registration portal.
If you find yourself disqualified from receiving financial aid because you did not meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP), and believe you have extenuating circumstances which prevented you from meeting Progress, you may file a Financial Aid Appeal. To begin, click Financial Aid Appeal Policy for more information and to review the process.
Note that submitting an appeal does not guarantee financial aid eligibility.
