The RRCC Financial Aid Office can help you apply for grants, loans, and work-study to help you pay for college

Financial aid is money from the federal Department of Education and the State of Colorado to help students pay for educationally-related costs.  Federal financial aid eligibility is based on classes that are required to earn your declared RRCC degree or certificate.  Log into The Rock student portal and view your Degree Check, or work with your Pathway Advisor to make sure you are taking classes that count toward your program of study. The deadline to update your program of study is the posted Census date for each semester.  

How much will my Pell Grant be if am not enrolled full time?  View the Pell Grant chart here.

Has your income changed since the tax year you reported on your FAFSA or CASFA?  Talk to us about Professional Judgment to see if you can receive additional grant funding.  If you are required to provide parent information on your FAFSA but are unable to do so, please talk to our office.  

Financial Aid News

Fall 2023 financial aid is disbursed into eligible students' accounts on September 11, 2023.  Refunds are generally available electronically within 1 week after disbursement.  Paper checks can take up to 10 business days to be received.  To see if you have a refund on the way, use the Student Account link in The Rock student portal.  Contact the Cashier's Office if you have questions about your refund preference, or use the BankMobile button in The Rock student portal.

First time student loan borrowers will have fall loan funding disbursed into their student account on September 25, 2023.

Help with Books 
To use up to $750 of your expected financial aid refund at the campus bookstore before classes start, make sure you have the Bookstore Authorization Form (TIV) on file at the Financial Aid Office, available here.

Care Forward Colorado*

Students completing a certificate in high-demand healthcare fields may qualify to have their full tuition and course-related fees paid in full through the Care Forward Colorado initiative.  To qualify, be sure you have declared the correct certificate program and you are registered for the required classes to complete your declared healthcare certificate.  The deadline to update your program of study is the posted Census date for the semester (September 6th for the Fall 2023 semester).  If your tuition and fees have already been paid by another source of grant, scholarship, or benefit funding, you may not qualify at this time.  Funding is limited, and will be offered to students as long as funding is available.

After you've been admitted into an eligible academic program and are registered for the required courses, here are the steps to meet the funding requirements:

• Complete the FAFSA, or the CASFA for ASSET-eligible students
• Apply for and authorize the College Opportunity Fund (COF) Stipend (Colorado residents only)
• Complete the RRCC Scholarship Application.  New users, click "Sign Up."  Returning users, click "Sign In" in the upper right-hand corner of the page.
• Confirm that you were financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic by completing this brief online form

To check for an updated award on your financial aid file, use the Financial Aid Award button in the Rock student portal.

Career Advance Colorado*

Grant funding is available for certificates in the fields of Construction, Education, Firefighting, and Law Enforcement, as well as for the Associate of Arts degrees in Elementary Education and Early Childhood Education.  If your tuition and fees have already been paid by another source of grant, scholarship, or benefit funding, you may not qualify at this time.  Funding is limited, and will be offered to students as long as funding is available.

To qualify, students must:

• Be a Colorado resident for tuition purposes (students with ASSET status qualify)
• Complete the financial aid application (FAFSA or CASFA, depending on your citizenship status) 
• Declare an eligible certificate or degree program - the deadline to update program of study with the Student Records office is the posted Census date for each semester (September 6 for Fall 2023)
• Enroll in required classes for your eligible program of study. Your Pathway Advisor can help with this.
• Complete your file with the Financial Aid Office, including high school completion and Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirements 

*Chapter 33 Post 9/11 GI Bill® and Chapter 31 Veteran Readiness & Employment (VR&E) beneficiaries are ineligible for the Career Advance and Care Forward Colorado programs. All other VA education benefits are compatible with these programs.
          GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Further details about the education benefits provided by the VA can be found on the official U.S. government website at http://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.

Refunds

If your financial aid is more than your tuition/fees balance, you could qualify to receive some funding in the form of a refund. Refunds are typically made available via BankMobile the Friday after your aid has paid into your RRCC student account balance. To check your refund preferences, click on the BankMobile button in The Rock student portal.  Contact the Cashier's Office with questions about BankMobile. 

If you have childcare or computer purchase expenses, or if you need to request additional loan funds than you were initially awarded, please contact Financial Aid to discuss your options.

Student Resources

RRCC cares about your ability to thrive as a student and in your personal life.  We are committed to providing as many resources as possible to help you succeed and meet your highest potential.  Visit the Student Resources webpage for a comprehensive list of campus and community resources. 

Stop by Lakewood or Arvada to see a Financial Aid Advisor Monday through Thursday, 8am-5pm, or Friday 9am-5pm.  No appointment required.
 

Prefer to meet virtually (phone or video)?  Click here to schedule an appointment with a staff member through Navigate, or check in at the Navigate Virtual Front Desk:

Log into The Rock student portal, click the Navigate button, and then click on "Appointments." 
For virtual appointments, select the Student Affairs - REMOTE SERVICES location, or the VIRTUAL FRONT DESK - Financial Aid location to receive a phone call when an advisor is available.

In-person assistance with the FAFSA financial aid application is available on Mondays at Lakewood, and on rotating Thursdays at the Arvada and Lakewood campuses.  To request a virtual appointment for FAFSA assistance, click HERE.  Before attending your meeting for FAFSA assistance, complete this intake form online.

You may email documents to us at rrcc.financialaid@rrcc.edu.  Please use your student email account if you have one.  To avoid being charged a $40 late fee, be sure to submit documents at least 2 weeks before the payment deadline.  If you are completing your financial aid file during the month that classes start, we recommend that you set up a payment plan to ensure you are not charged late fees.  You will not be dropped from your classes due to non-payment.

You can also call us at 303-914-6256.  If you need to leave a voicemail, we will call you back as soon as possible, and we'll send you an email if we can't reach you over the phone.  Our call may come from an unknown number.

Student loan requests cannot be processed after the last day of classes/after you have stopped attending classes for the semester.  Submit all requested financial aid documents at least 2 weeks before the end of the semester to improve your chances of being offered aid.  You are not guaranteed to receive financial aid if you are completing your file after the semester has ended.

Financial aid process and timeline - most types of financial aid require that you take at least 6 credits that count toward your program of study at RRCC. 

Important Dates & Deadlines

You must submit all completed documents to the Financial Aid Office by the following dates to be considered for an offer. Don't delay! Submitting documents on or near these deadlines does not guarantee that aid will be available.
Fall deadline:  December 1
Spring deadline:  May 1
Summer deadline:  July 15

Fall 2023 classes start:  August 21
Fall tuition payment deadline:  September 6
Last day to drop full-semester classes:  September 6
Fall financial aid disbursement date:  September 11
Fall financial aid refunds released through BankMobile:  September 15
Loans for first-time borrowers disbursement date:  September 25

Job opportunities on campus - RRCC is now hiring student employees!

Contact the Financial Aid Office to find out if you are eligible for work-study. If you are not initially offered work-study, you may request a work-study award.

Click here to view on-campus student job listings

Payment Deadlines
If your financial aid is not enough to cover your tuition bill, you will need to establish a payment plan with the Cashier's Office by Census Date or you will be charged a late fee.

Fall 2023 payment is due by Wednesday, September 6.  If your authorized financial aid is not enough to cover your balance in full, and you have not set up a payment plan online through The Rock student portal or paid your balance in full, you will be charged a $40 late fee.  You will NOT be dropped from your classes due to non-payment.  To set up a payment plan, which requires a portion of your tuition to be paid, follow the steps listed here.

Click here to read RRCC's Payment Policy.

Estimated cost of attendance*

*Note: Tuition, fees, and books are direct costs and vary depending on the total number of credits you take. Other listed fees are estimates provided by the State of Colorado and the Colorado Community College System (CCCS) and are not paid directly to RRCC. The amounts above are based on approved budget parameters for the 2022-2023 aid year, for a student living with parents. Your financial aid offer cannot exceed your cost of attendance. However, you may request an increase of your cost of attendance if you have documented childcare expenses and for a one-time computer purchase.

Information on RRCC policies and procedures can be found throughout this website and in the Financial Aid Handbook. It is every RRCC financial aid applicant's responsibility to be familiar with the contents of this document.

Read the Terms and Conditions of receiving financial aid at RRCC

To be eligible to receive any type of federal student financial aid, you must:

• Be a U.S. citizen, U.S. Permanent Resident, or other eligible non-citizen.*
• Be working toward a degree or a financial aid approved certificate (click here for programs that are not eligible for financial aid).*
• Federal financial aid amounts are based on classes that are required to earn your declared RRCC degree or certificate. 
• Meet RRCC's Satisfactory Academic Progress policy.
• Not owe a refund on any federal grant, must not have borrowed federal student loans in excess of annual or aggregate loan limits, and must not be in default on any federal student loan.
• Most types of financial aid require that you take at least 6 credits that count toward your declared program of study to qualify to receive the funds.

*State financial aid is available for ASSET recipients and students enrolled in short certificates that don't qualify for federal financial aid.

All documentation requested by the Financial Aid Office must have been completed by the student and processed by our office by the published deadlines. Availability of funding is subject to state, federal, System, and institutional regulations, and many funds are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.  Financial aid cannot pay for a class that you have already taken twice if you passed the first attempt.

If you have a class canceled, your financial aid may need to be adjusted, and you may owe a balance to the college. 

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