Financial Aid General Information

Basics

The ARC Financial Aid Office administers financial aid (including loans). Please note that financial aid is handled in accordance with federal and state regulations, and rules are not set by the college. Funds are distributed to students who have documented financial need determined by the total resources available to them. For more information, phone (916) 484-8437.
Parents are considered to have the primary responsibility for assisting the dependent student in meeting the cost of education. Financial aid is available along with parental contributions to meet the student's academic expenses.
Aid for independent students is available based on student contribution and the student's academic expenses.
Use the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online to apply for campus-based aid and the Pell Grant/Student Loans. List American River College as the college of choice. ARC's federal code number is 001232.
Once the ARC Financial Aid Office receives an Electronic Student Aid Report (SAR) from the Federal Processor, you will be notified (by e-mail or U.S. Mail) of the required documentation needed to complete your file. Documentation requested is confidential and must be furnished in order for you to receive aid.
The priority date for funding is March 4. Applications dated after this date will be funded as long as funds are available. Students awarded financial aid are notified by e-mail or U.S. Mail. Average processing time of Federal Student Aid is eight to twelve weeks.
Financial aid workshops are listed under the Financial Aid Workshops link on the right side of the Financial Aid Web site homepage.
Enrollment status is based on the number of units taken during a particular semester. For the Fall and Spring semesters, the following criteria are used: Full time = 12 or more units; Three-quarter-time = 9.0 units - 11.9 units; Half-time = 6.0 units - 8.9 units; Less than half-time = .1 units - 5.9 units. For students attending the summer session, the following criteria are used: Full time = 6 or more units; Three-quarter-time = 4.5 units - 5.9 units; Half-time = 3.0 units - 4.49 units; Less than half-time = .1 units - 2.9 units.

Cost of Education

Cost of attendance budgets include average costs associated with all of the educational expenses a student will incur during the academic year. This includes tuition and fees, room and board, miscellaneous personal expenses, books and supplies, local transportation costs. While students must determine their own budget, in keeping with needs and resources, the following is an approximate annual cost of education for financial aid students attending American River College:

	2012-2013
.	Living with parents	Living on own
`Room/Board`	`$4,346`	`$10,863`
`Books/Supplies`	`$1,656`	`$1,656`
`Transportation`	`$1,206`	`$1,206`
`Personal/Misc.`	`$`3,114	`$2,583`
`Fees` `($46/unit)*`	`$1,104`	`$1,104`
`Total` `(approximate)`	`$11,426/yr`	`$17,412/yr`
*`The fees are based on the average units for a full time of 12 X $46/ unit`**

	2013-2014
.	Living with parents	Living on own
`Room/Board`	`$4,346`	`$10,862`
`Books/Supplies`	`$1,656`	`$1,656`
`Transportation`	`$1,206`	`$1,206`
`Personal/Misc.`	`$`3,114	`$2,854`
`Fees` `($46/unit)*`	`$1,104`	`$1,104`
`Total` `(approximate)`	`$11,426/yr`	`$17,682/yr`
*`The fees are based on the average units for a full time of 12 X $46/ unit`**

Federal Education Tax Credits

You may be able to obtain federal tax credits for enrollment fees you pay if you are enrolled in at least six units during any semester including summer and meet the other conditions prescribed by federal law. These tax credits can be taken by the student, or the student's parents if the student is a dependent. The Los Rios Community College District will automatically mail an IRS Form 1098 to each student so that students can claim any credits on their federal tax return. More information on the Hope Credit or Lifetime Learning Credit is available in IRS Publication 970. The following IRS websites are helpful:

Dropping Classes

Students who receive Pell Grant and withdraw or stop attending classes that they received the grant for may be required to repay some or all of the funds. Failure to repay the amount within 45 days will result in future aid being canceled/denied.

Additionally, students who receive any type of federal student aid and drop and or stop attending all their classes will be responsible to repay any portion of aid the college is required to return to the Department of Education as a result of them withdrawing or stop attending from classes.

Click here to check what happens with financial aid when students withdraw from college.