Reviewing and Acting on Financial Aid Offers

1 Watch for an 'Offer Notification'

We will communicate with you through your COCC email account. You will receive an "Offer Notification" email when your financial aid offer is complete and ready to accept or decline. Please read the entire "Offer Notification" email prior to accepting or declining the offer.

2Review your financial aid offer

Log in to your Bobcat Web Account
Click on the 'Student' tab
Click on 'Financial Aid and Funding'
Click on 'Financial Aid'
Select appropriate aid year
Click on the down arrow next to award offers with a 'Take Action' and 'Select' button
Scroll down and click on the 'Submit' button

3 Submit offer decision by clicking the 'Submit Decision' button

The amount of your financial aid offer is based on full-time enrollment (12+ credits) each term. Review each fund and accept the aid you need for educational expenses. It is wise to accept funds in this order:

Grants - COCC will accept the federal and state grants for you. Grant money does not have to be repaid and is the best option to pay for your education. What grants are available at COCC?
Work-Study - Federal work-study is money that can be earned through part-time work on the COCC campus. Got questions about work-study?
Student Loans - Accept loans only after all other types of aid have been accepted. Loans do have to be repaid with interest to the Department of Education. You may accept a portion of your loans if you do not need the full amount. Since loans must be repaid, ask a few questions before accepting: How much do I need to borrow? Can I borrow partial amounts instead? Learn more about student loans.

4 Did you accept any student loans?

If you are a first-time loan borrower at COCC, two additional requirements will be requested to complete at studentloans.gov.

Entrance Counseling - This counseling will explain the terms and conditions of your student loans and help you understand your rights and responsibilities.
Signing the master promissory note (MPN) - The MPN is a legal document in which you promise to repay your federal student loans and any accrued interest and fees. It is very important to read and save this document because you may need to refer to it later when repaying loans. One final note: Loans for first time loan borrowers will be delayed for 30 days from the start of term.

Other steps:

If you do not have enough financial aid to assist with all educational expenses, we encourage you to apply for scholarships.

Next: Receive Financial Aid Funds