Financial Aid FAQs

Any type of financial assistance that students use to fund higher education. Financial Aid usually comes in the form of grants, loans, scholarships, sponsorships, and/or work study.

For federal financial aid, you simply apply for an FSA ID online at https:/fsaid.ed.gov. Three days after you apply for the FSA ID, file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online at www.fafsa.gov. If you experience difficulty with these two steps, call 1.800.433.3243 for assistance.

View Filling Out Your FAFSA Tutorial - Seven Easy Steps to the FAFSA.

Apply for Financial Aid

ACC will mail you a Financial Aid Award letter that outlines your eligibility for federal grants, scholarships, and work study. This letter will direct you to our loans page if you feel you need additional funds to cover tuition, fees, books, and additional expenses while enrolled.

• Grants are monies that are awarded and do not have to be paid back as long as the recipient adheres to the terms of the grant. 
• Loans are monies that are borrowed during the time the recipient is enrolled in college and they do have to be paid back.
• Scholarships are monies that are awarded to specific groups or for specific achievements.  These largely do not have to be paid back as long as the recipient adheres to the terms of the scholarship.
• Sponsorships are outside bodies that pay tuition for the recipient.  For example, if a student's employer agreed to pay his/her tuition, this would be a sponsorship.  These do not have to be paid back as long as the recipient adheres to the terms of the sponsorship.
• Work study is a program where eligible students actually apply for a job, get hired, work a set number of hours a week at a set wage for the college to earn money for their education & personal expenses.