Welcome to the Aviation Program!
COCC’s Aviation program offers you a quality education to pursue your career goals. The aviation program requires students to complete flight training. Flight training is expensive and the information provided below is available to help you prepare for these expenses.
Cost of Attendance: Your COA or budget includes tuition/fees, books/supplies, room/board (living), transportation, and miscellaneous expenses. As an aviation student, your COA will include your flight fee expenses as well. You may need to look for multiple types of funding to cover the cost of your program. |
 |
Funding Opportunities
Financial Aid: First, you should apply for federal financial aid, such as grants and Direct Stafford Loans by completing your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). You can complete this application online at www.fafsa.gov. The application is free to complete and does not obligate you to participate in student loans; however, federal student loans often have better terms and conditions than Alternative Education Loans. Please note that applying for financial aid is a process and it can take up to 8 – 12 weeks to process your FAFSA information.
Scholarships: Scholarships are available through private organization and can help cover some of your educational expenses. We have more information regarding general scholarship opportunities on our website at www.cocc.edu/Financial-Aid/Scholarships. In addition, there are many scholarship opportunities specific to aviation. For more information, please go to www.cocc.edu/Aviation/Scholarships.
Veteran Benefits: You should determine if you qualify for Veteran benefits. For more information regarding your benefits, please go to www.cocc.edu/Financial-Aid/Veterans/Veterans-Benefits or contact COCC’s Veteran’s Coordinator, Lynn McKoy at lmckoy@cocc.edu or 541-383-7264.
Alternative Education Loans: If you find that you need additional funding, you may need to apply for Alternative Education Loans, often referred to as private loans. You go directly to a lender to apply for these loans. Private loans are based on your credit and may require a cosigner. These are not guaranteed loans, so you need to apply with the lender of your choice to determine if you qualify. You must apply a minimum of 30 days prior to when tuition is due; however, you must not apply more than 90 days prior to the term as the lender may cancel your loan. You can apply for any amount up to your Cost of Attendance (COA or budget) minus your other financial aid. For more information regarding Alternative loans, please go to our website at www.cocc.edu/Financial-Aid/AlternativeLoans.
Tips:
Apply for one Alternative Loan for the full academic year, rather than applying for a new alternative loan every term. We recommend that you meet with your academic advisor and determine a tentative academic plan for the year and apply for the amount you need to cover your costs for the full year. We will disburse your loan funds based on the flight labs you register in each term. We have provided budget and academic planning worksheet to assist you in this process. Please be sure to provide the financial aid office with your academic plan so we can adjust your budget appropriately.
Alternative loans are based on your credit rating and debt to income ratio. If you have a low credit rating or a significant amount of outstanding debt, you should work on improving your credit score by paying your bills on time and reduce your debt by paying down your current loans. We cannot recommend a lender, but we do recommend that you shop around for the best interest rate.
Policies: Tuition and fees are due in full by the second Friday of the term. Students with any outstanding balances for classes that include flight fees will be dropped only from flight labs for non-payment. Please review the aviation policies at
www.cocc.edu/Financial-Aid/Policies for specific details and additional information.
If you have questions, please contact COCC’s Financial Aid Advisor, Tyler Hayes at thayes1@cocc.edu or 541-383-7410.