A college education is a major investment. However, it is an investment of time, dedication, and money that will seem small when you calculate the “profits” such an education makes possible.

The Financial Aid Office helps students with grant and scholarship applications. All students receiving financial aid must maintain satisfactory progress in their programs. Federal financial aid recipients (Pell, FSEOG, NCSIG) who withdraw or cease to attend classes before the 60 percent point of the term are required to pay back a portion of their award.

All students are encouraged to apply for aid. Eligibility is based on:

Financial need;
The number of credit hours being taken; and
In some cases, the program of study in which the student is enrolled.

Durham Tech disburses financial aid in the forms of scholarships, grants, and employment opportunities within the college.

A grant is money which does not have to be repaid. A scholarship, which does not have to be repaid, is money awarded under special conditions — usually in recognition of outstanding achievements. Work-study provides the opportunity to work part time in administrative or departmental offices, the library, laboratories, and other sites on or off campus.

Applications or renewal applications for financial aid must be submitted for each academic year. The FAFSA form is usually available for the upcoming academic year after January 1 at the reception desk or apply online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. Students are encouraged to apply early. Durham Tech's Title IV Code is 005448. The correct Title IV school code must be listed on the application for Durham Tech to be able to electronically access the application information.

Ordinarily, students should apply for financial aid prior to enrolling; however, the FAFSA form may be mailed through April 30 of the academic year in which the student is enrolled, and the completed Student Aid Report must be received by the Financial Aid Office by June 15.

Federal aid may be received retroactively for previous enrollments during the current academic year if the student is otherwise eligible.

Occasionally a student has "special circumstances" that create an uncontrollable and significant negative impact on financial resources (such as the loss of a job, single parent status, etc.) which will change the student's financial status. Any student who has "special circumstances" should discuss their individual situation with a member of the Financial Aid staff.

Initial FAFSA applications are mailed to the central processing center by the student or submitted via the Internet at www.fafsa.ed.gov by the student. If corrections are necessary to the original application, the Financial Aid Office can assist by filing the corrections electronically. Students will receive their student aid report (SAR) in the mail from the U.S. Department of Education, which is a federal agency. The SAR and any supporting documents should be turned in to the Financial Aid Office as soon as possible for award processing.

What are the deadlines for Financial Aid?

All Financial Aid files must be completed by July 28 to charge tuition and books for TECHLINE (Telephone) General Registration and by Aug. 7 to charge tuition and books for Late Registration. Start the Financial Aid application process early.

If I'm using financial aid to pay for my classes, how does my bill get paid?

Students with a Pell Grant award will have tuition fees automatically deducted from their account. Students must complete the ENTIRE financial aid process prior to registering for courses or their classes will be dropped. Failure to formally withdraw from classes will result in you owing money back to Durham Tech. Students whose tuition and fees will be paid by other programs or agencies must take their bill to the Business Office on or before the due date. Documents that authorize charging tuition to a third party must be on file with the college before registration charges can be transferred to the sponsoring agency.

What do I need to do to maintain satisfactory progress with Financial Aid?

To maintain satisfactory progress, students receiving financial aid must have an overall 2.0 grade point average (GPA) and have a 67 percent cumulative credit hour completion rate. This information is listed above in the Satisfactory Progress for Financial Aid section.

What happens to my financial aid if I have to withdraw from classes?

Withdrawing from classes negatively impacts the 67 percent satisfactory progress completion rate. Failing to formally withdraw from a class will result in an F2 grade, which negatively impacts satisfactory progress.

Durham Technical Community College applies its fair and equitable refund policy to all students. This institution follows the refund requirements as prescribed by federal regulations. All financial aid recipients who withdraw or cease to attend all classes before the 60 percent point of the term must pay back part of the unearned portion of their reward.

Copies of these policies and sample refund calculations are available in the Financial Aid Office upon request. The Business Office is responsible for accepting and documenting repayments to ensure the return of the refund to the proper agencies. (Students who do not repay the funds are referred to the U.S. Department of Education for collection.)

Questions about financial aid should be directed to:

Financial Aid Office
Durham Technical Community College
1637 Lawson Street
Durham, NC 27703
919-536-7209

The Durham Tech refund policy for tuition and fees is available on the Tuition and Fees page of the web site.