Financial Aid Application Procedures and Deadlines for Students

To be considered for financial aid, students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or the renewal application at www.fafsa.gov. These applications are usually available beginning in January for the following academic year. If a student is interested in a State of California Cal-Grant, the FAFSA and a GPA verification form must be completed. It is important that California Community College students apply by the March 2nd Deadline or the September 2nd Deadline for the Cal-Grants. Additional information and eligibility requirements are available at the Financial Aid Office.  By filing a complete application with all required documentation, students will have priority in the awarding of Federal Work-Study and Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants if eligible, based on the submission date.

The information reported on the FAFSA may be verified by the Financial Aid Office using the parents’ and/or the student’s Internal Revenue Service tax transcript.

Students must be able to provide a copy of their Social Security Card, Alien Registration Card (if applicable), and Photo ID for identification purposes.

IMPORTANT Deadlines:

• Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG): apply by April 1*
• Federal Work Student (FWS): apply by April 1 *
• California Dream Act: apply by March 2
• Cal Grant Competitive and Entitlement: apply by March 2, or Cal Grant Competitive only by September 2
• Pell Grant and Direct Loans – These funds are not limited; you can apply at any time through the Spring term of the award year.  The absolute deadline for filing a FAFSA for Pell Grant for the 2024-2025 award year is June 30, 2025.

*  SEOG and FWS funds are limited and may be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.

For your application to be processed in a timely manner, all required documents must be submitted to the Financial Aid Office by June 30, 2025.  Due to the 2024-2025 year-end closure, all financial aid supplemental paperwork must be submitted to the financial aid office by July 15, 2025. Late submissions will not be accepted.

Most Financial aid is based on need. However, recipients must also meet the following criteria.

• Be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen
• Demonstrate financial need for need-based federal student aid programs;
• Have a valid Social Security number (except students from the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, or the Republic of Palau);
• Be enrolled or accepted for enrollment as a regular student in an eligible degree or certificate program;
• Maintain satisfactory academic progress in college or career school
• Provide consent and approval to have your federal tax information transferred directly into your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA^®) form, if you’re applying for aid from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025;
• Sign the certification statement on the FAFSA form stating that you’re not in default on a federal student loan, you do not owe money on a federal student grant, and you’ll only use federal student aid for educational purposes; and
• Have a high school diploma or GED
• Submit the required applications
• AB540 students may qualify for state aid and will need to complete the Dream Act Application

Most students must complete the Free Workshops on Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Click here for the FAFSA website.

The FSA ID is a username and password combination you use to log in to the U.S. Department of Education (ED) online systems. The FSA ID is your legal signature and shouldn’t be created or used by anyone other than you, not even your parent, your child, a school official, or a loan company representative. You’ll use your FSA ID every year you fill out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form and the lifetime of your federal student loans.

All students who have filed or will file for Federal Financial Aid must create an FSA ID

**FOR Dependent Students – A Parent must also file for a FSA ID **

• Step 1:  When logging into FAFSA.gov or StudentLoans.gov, click the link to create an FSA ID.
• Step 2:  Create a username and password, and enter your e-mail address.
• Step 3:  Enter your name, date of birth, Social Security number, contact information, and challenge questions and answers.
• Step 4:  If you have a Federal Student Aid PIN, you will be able to enter it and link it to your FSA ID.  You can still create an FSA ID if you have forgotten or do not have a PIN.
• Step 5:  Review your information, and read and accept the terms and conditions.
• Step 6:  Confirm your email address using the secure code, which will be sent to the email address you entered when you created your FSA ID. Once you verify your e-mail address, you can use your FSA ID username and password to log in to the websites.

We are currently accepting 2025-2026 financial aid documents. However, we are not processing documents at this time. Please check here for regular updates on when we will begin processing documents for the next school year. Thank you for your patience.

The new 2025-2026 FAFSA and CA Dream Act applications are now available for students to apply.

On November 22, 2022, President Biden announced an extension of the relief measures for federal student loans owned by the U.S. Department of Education. Borrowers will not be required to make monthly payments, and interest rates will be at 0% until the payment pause ends.

For the latest information, you can visit StudentAid.gov/coronavirus.

A suspension of Loan payments

A 0% Interest rate 

Stopped collections on defaulted loans

Have questions? Find out what loans qualify and get additional information about the COVID-19 emergency relief for student loans.

Log in to your Campus Solutions account and complete the required Financial Aid e-Forms.

OR

Via Email: merfinaid@peralta.edu

Please ensure that your PCCD student ID number is present on the top left-hand corner of each page of your document(s). To avoid processing delays, please ensure that your document(s) are legible. If you are submitting a photo of your document(s), all four corners of the page must be present. From the time we receive all requested documents/information, please allow 4-6 weeks for your financial aid specialist to process your file to determine your aid eligibility. During this time, it is imperative that you monitor both your Campus Solutions account and PCCD email for updates from your specialist if additional information/documentation is required.

• Student Financial Aid Handbook 2024-2025
• Online Form Submissions
• Financial Aid Overview Video
• BankMobile Disbursement Refund Choices
• I Can Afford College
• Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy
• Consumer Information