MONTGOMERY—Students who completed the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) and have applied or enrolled in an Alabama community or technical college should begin receiving notification this week of their eligible aid.
The notification is traditionally known as a financial aid “award letter” that documents all funding in which a student is eligible. The letters are coming after months of extensive efforts by higher education institutions to navigate changes made through the federal FAFSA Simplification Act, which aimed to simplify the FAFSA application but resulted in widespread delays.
“The benefit Alabama has of an entire community college system is that there’s a team of individuals, all over the state, who are less focused on the problems and more focused on the solutions that help students and their families reach their goals in higher education,” said Jimmy H. Baker, Chancellor of the Alabama Community College System. “I applaud the efforts of our System Office and our colleges to ensure that students who are eligible for aid now have the notification they need to effectively plan their academic schedules for the fall.”
Each of the 24 colleges’ financial aid packages were assembled by the System Office’s Reporting and Enterprise Application Support team, allowing local financial aid offices more time to serve students and host community outreach.
Alabama’s community and technical colleges offer the lowest public tuition in the state at an average cost of $129 per credit hour in the fall.
“Our goal of serving the community is truly achieved by all efforts on our campuses, and we appreciate the support from the System Office when it came to handling the FAFSA process in a way that helped us keep our focus on the students,” said Laticia Dubose, Director of Financial Aid for Enterprise State Community College.
“This reinforces our system’s goal to serve the whole state with the same high standard of excellence, no matter where the college or the students are located.”
The students who are notified this week have already applied to the local community college and listed the college on the FAFSA. Students should receive the information via their student portals and/or email accounts.
Students who have yet to apply to a community college for the fall semester will receive their award letters after they complete the college application of their choice and add the college to the FAFSA form.
High school seniors in Alabama are now required to complete the FAFSA or a waiver prior to graduation. According to the Alabama Commission on Higher Education, 52% of Alabama’s high school seniors had completed the FAFSA as of July 1.
Adults seeking to apply to college for the fall semester can do so by visiting a local campus or applying on the college’s website. The FAFSA can be accessed by visiting www.fafsa.gov
Residents who wish to take skills training courses that are not eligible for federal aid can apply for funds through the Paths for Success Foundation at www.pathsforsuccess.com
ABOUT THE ACCS
Alabama’s community and technical colleges were merged into one system May 3, 1963, when legislators laid the groundwork for a unified system of institutions to focus on accessible training in “arts and sciences and in useful skills and trades” for current and future labor needs. Sixty years have passed, but that important cause remains the singular purpose of the Alabama Community College System (ACCS). With 24 community and technical colleges in more than 130 locations and an economic impact of $6.6 billion, the ACCS is Alabama’s gateway to first-class, affordable education and technical training to compete in a constantly evolving workforce. An estimated 155,000 Alabamians benefit from the various certification, credential, dual enrollment and degree programs the ACCS offers alongside leading industry partners. The System includes the Alabama Technology Network, which provides extensive training and service offerings directly to business and industry, and the ACCS Innovation Center, which provides rapid skills training through its Skills for Success program. The ACCS is governed by the Alabama Community College System Board of Trustees.
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