Financial Aid Updates for 2026-27
Important updates about financial aid
Congress recently passed new legislation, One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), which brings major updates to federal student aid starting July 1, 2026. Whether you are working toward an associate degree, a certificate, or planning to transfer, these changes could affect how you pay for your classes.
Below are specific details about these changes and how they might impact your financial aid. Please note that these changes do not alter what you need to do to access your aid.
Your next steps are:
- Fill out your 2026–2027 FAFSA as soon as possible!
- Meet with your academic advisor to determine your academic plan and register for classes.
- Complete the CGCC Global Financial Services process.
Navigating financial aid can be stressful, and we are here to help. Due to these federal changes, we anticipate that aid distribution may be delayed. If you have any questions, please contact financialaid@cgcc.edu.
If you have an SSN and plan to use federal or state financial aid, you must provide your SSN to Student Services so your financial aid application can be matched and processed.
If you choose not to provide your SSN, you will not be denied any rights as a student, although you may be unable to receive financial aid if an SSN is required for aid processing.
For more about how CGCC uses student Social Security Numbers, see the section "Use of Social Security Number" on the Consumer Information and Disclosures page.
If you plan to use financial aid, you must provide proof of high school completion. Acceptable documentation includes a high school diploma, GED®, or a superintendent's letter verifying completion of a homeschool program that met Oregon high school graduation requirements.
Students who are not applying for financial aid are not required to provide proof of high school completion for admission.
The minimum enrollment required to receive federal student loans is 6 credits (half-time enrollment). Full-time enrollment is 12 or more credits and qualifies students for the maximum available loan amount.
If a student's enrollment changes before financial aid is disbursed, the loan amount will be reduced to reflect the student's actual enrollment level.
If a student withdraws from a course during the withdrawal period (after Week 1 and before the Friday of Week 8), they will retain the aid disbursed based on their enrollment for that term. However, an equivalent adjustment will be deducted from the next term in which the student enrolls, regardless of their enrollment level in that term.
This adjustment does not carry over from one academic year to the next.
If a student receives financial aid and other funding that meets or exceeds their cost of attendance, Pell Grant funds may be reduced or returned to the U.S. Department of Education as required by federal regulations.
We recommend having a valid, unexpired government-issued photo ID available when completing the FAFSA. The U.S. Department of Education may require identity verification before your application can be processed.
Non-Driver Identification Cards
Oregon residents who do not have a driver's license may obtain an Oregon Identification Card from the Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) for a fee.