PCC's Financial Aid Office provides assistance to all students planning to fund their college education. Special attention is given to those students who have a demonstrated financial need as determined by an approved need-analysis system or who show academic or special talent.

Polk Community College's Financial Aid Office is available to direct each student to potential financial assistance which will bridge the gap between the cost of his/her education and the money available to the student from family, job income, savings, and other resources; the Advisors will also direct students to applications for appropriate academic scholarships and scholarships awarded for special talents.

The Financial Aid Office assists the student by providing information about loans, grants, scholarships, and employment. Financial support is available through private scholarships, Pell Grants, Stafford loans, Veterans' benefits, and loans through the Financial Aid office as well as through the PCC Foundation.

Some loans are interest-free.

These financial awards may come from one or any combination of grants, scholarships, loans (including short-term loans), or part-time employment. The aid administered to each student may be from federal, state or local funds.

If a student is awarded financial assistance, it is his/her responsibility to adhere to the Standards of Academic Progress Requirements and to monitor and adhere to, any changes made in the policy. This Standards of Academic Progress dictates the percentage of hours a student receiving financial aid must pass. In addition to other requirements, you are required to maintain at least a 66 2/3% cumulative completion of all attempted student semester hours (SSH) at Polk Community College.

Ability to Benefit - Students with a Certificate of Completion:
Students who did not earn a “standard” high school diploma or GED are required to pass an approved Ability-to-Benefit test to qualify for Federal Financial Aid Programs under the U.S. Department of Education “Ability-To-Benefit” guidelines.  Students who do not have a high school diploma or equivalent and were not home-schooled may qualify for federal financial aid by passing an approved ATB test. These Students should be referred to the campus testing office.

The following are guidelines for using the CPT for ATB qualification scores.
 
COMPUTERIZED PLACEMENT TEST (CPT)
Reading 55 52
Sentence Skills 60 60
Arithmetic 34 36

Apply Early.
(File must be completed prior to May 15th of each year). Completing your financial aid forms correctly and getting them in early directly affects the amount and types of financial assistance you receive.

Complete The Free Application For Federal Student Aid Form (FAFSA) Prior To Deadline Dates.
Information should be taken directly from completed tax form. Do not estimate or use W-2 forms.

Copy Records.
Keep photocopies of all tax records. Your FAFSA may be verified.

Keep Good Records
Make a file for photocopies of your financial aid forms and correspondence. Keep a log of the dates you mail forms and other documentation.

Read Instructions
Completing your FAFSA incorrectly can delay your financial aid and cause your file to be verified. Read your FAFSA instruction booklet carefully.

Respond Quickly.
Respond quickly to all requests from our office.