How award amounts are calculated
Most aid is awarded based on financial need. To determine financial need, we subtract from the cost of attendance the following amounts: your student aid index (SAI) number, any Pell Grant amount you’re eligible for, and any other financial aid you’ll receive. If anything is left over, you’re considered to have financial need for additional federal aid.
Financial aid funds are limited, so the total amount you receive might be less than the amount you’re eligible for.
What is the “Student Aid Index”?
The Student Aid Index (SAI) number is a measure of your family’s financial strength used to determine your financial aid eligibility. It is calculated from the information reported on your FAFSA, such as your family’s income, assets, benefits and family size. The SAI is not the amount of money a family will have to pay for college or the amount of federal student aid the student will receive. Your SAI will appear on your FAFSA submission summary. The SAI is calculated according to a formula established by law and is subject to change with updates or corrections to the FAFSA form.
How is family defined?
This depends on if you’re a dependent or independent student. Read more: Am I dependent or independent?.
- If you’re a dependent student, you will report your and your parents’ information.
- If you’re an independent student, you will report your own information (and, if you’re married, your spouse’s).
Cost of attendance
Cost of Attendance is PCC’s estimate of how much it costs to attend for one academic year. PCC will not bill you for these amounts, other than Tuition & Fees, and in some cases Books & Supplies, but we are required to disclose these estimates to you and we hope they help as a planning guide.
Certain costs may not apply to you or your individual circumstances. Certain programs, such as aviation, nursing, or auto repair, may have additional costs for additional equipment or flight time which would be noted in more detail on the program website.
See Cost of Attendance budgets »
How enrollment affects your aid
In most cases, your original financial aid award will reflect full-time resident enrollment for the full academic year. Waitlisted, audited, or other ineligible classes do not count toward your enrollment status. Read more about waitlists for classes.
Your actual Cost of Attendance will be updated based on your enrollment at the end of the 2nd Tuesday of each term based on your actual enrollment and residency (or at the time of disbursement, if you accepted your award after that). Enrollment less than full-time may cause financial aid funds to be reduced or canceled.
| Enrollment status | Credits per term |
|---|---|
| Full time | 12 or more |
| ¾ time | 9 to 11 |
| Half time | 6 to 8 |
| ¼ time | 1 to 5 |
Minimum enrollment for financial aid
You do not need to be enrolled full time to receive financial aid. This table shows minimum enrollment for different financial aid programs. (Enrollment levels aren’t the only thing that determine eligibility – you still have to demonstrate financial need.)
| Financial aid program | Minimum number of credits required |
|---|---|
| Direct loan, subsidized and unsubsidized | 6 |
| PLUS loan | 6 |
| Pell Grant | 1 |
| Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant | 1 |
| Oregon Opportunity Grant, Oregon Promise Grant | 6 |
| Work study | 6 |
Other factors that may affect award amounts
- One-term loan: one-term loans are split into two equal disbursements, one at the beginning and one at the midpoint of the term. See the disbursement schedule on the receiving your funds page for specific dates.
- Summer term: your financial aid is divided equally between terms. If your award is for four terms (Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring), your aid will be less per term than if awarded for three (Fall, Winter, Spring.)
- Additional resources: additional funds like scholarships or third-party payments may reduce your financial aid award.