Summer Financial Aid

Federal PELL grants for summer study may be available to continuing JCC students who were accepted and enrolled in spring courses immediately prior to the summer study and are eligible to receive PELL during the academic year. You must be in good academic standing and enroll in imputed or college level courses necessary for your degree/certificate to receive PELL grant funds.

The amount you can receive is determined by your FAFSA results, your remaining lifetime PELL allowance, and the number of credit hours you enroll in. PELL will automatically be awarded to your summer student bill after you register for summer courses for the amount you are eligible to receive.

• If you were enrolled full-time for the entire academic year, you can receive a summer PELL grant if you enroll in at least 6 credit hours of summer study that meet requirements for your current JCC degree/certificate. You may enroll in 6 hours in either session, or 3 hours in one session, and 3 in the second. If, for any reason (such as class cancellation or a change in your schedule), you cannot participate in 6 credit hours, you will not be eligible for any summer PELL for credits taken, and you will be responsible to pay for courses with other resources.
• If you enrolled less than full-time during the academic year, you may be eligible to receive a summer PELL grant if you enroll in a course of summer study necessary for your current JCC degree/certificate.

Student loans may be an appropriate option to consider if you are not eligible for other aid.  To receive a summer student loan, you must:

• Be enrolled and pursuing a JCC degree or certificate in the spring semester immediately prior to the summer study.
• Be eligible for federal student aid by meeting both financial and academic progress requirements.
• Have a completed and correct Student Aid Report (SAR) on record with JCC.
• Have remaining student loan eligibility for the academic year.
• Submit a student loan acceptance form (available in BANNER under financial aid eligibility requirements) to the financial aid office.
• Enroll and participate in at least 6 credit hours of summer study needed for your degree. There are no exceptions to this requirement. You may enroll in 6 hours in either session, or 3 hours in one session, and 3 in the second. If, for any reason (such as class cancellation or a change in your schedule), you cannot participate in 6 credit hours, you will not be eligible for any part of a summer loan to pay for credits taken, and you will be responsible to pay for courses with other resources.

New York State resident students may be eligible to receive a TAP award for summer study. JCC will not receive notice of summer TAP funds until after the NYS budget is passed, and therefore require that students pay for their summer student bill according to published due dates. After eligibility is certified and confirmed by the state, JCC will advance summer TAP awards to student accounts and forward refunds at that time.

To be eligible for summer TAP, you must:

• Be accepted by JCC into a matriculated degree program.
• Have earned 24 credits applicable to your degree in the prior two semesters at JCC; 18 must be college-level credits.
• Be enrolled as a full-time JCC student during the spring semester immediately prior to the summer study.
• Be eligible for state student aid by meeting both financial and academic progress requirements.
• File a FAFSA application, and indicate summer enrollment at JCC on your NYS Express TAP Application or TAP Change form. We recommend that you file your FAFSA online at https://studentaid.gov.
• Enroll and participate in at least 6 college-level credits of summer study needed for your degree that you have not previously passed. There are no exceptions to this requirement. You may enroll in 6 hours in either session, or 3 hours in one session, and 3 in the second.  If, for any reason (such as class cancellation or a change in your schedule), you cannot participate in 6 credit hours, you will not be eligible for any part of a summer TAP award.

*We recommend that you consider your future academic plans when considering use of summer TAP awards. NYS tracks state aid eligibility by assigning points for each semester a student receives an award. One semester of full-time study=6 points, part-time study=3-5.5 points/semester. Undergraduate students are eligible to receive TAP for a maximum of 48 points (8 FT semesters) while they study for a bachelor’s degree, the first 36 (6 FT semesters) of which they can use at community colleges, such as JCC. Summer TAP counts as 3 points. Because summer tuition is usually less than fall or spring full-time tuition, students typically receive smaller TAP awards for summer study than for other semesters. Students should carefully evaluate their long-term academic plans to determine whether using their summer TAP is to their best financial advantage.

The PEP grant for high school juniors and seniors pays half the tuition for summer courses, up to a maximum award of $500. Funds are available on a limited, first-come-first-served basis to eligible students. Apply for the PEP grant »

Local agencies can assist qualifying students with summer session expenses. Students can contact agencies such as ACCES-VR or Chautauqua Works for information regarding these programs.

If you are pursuing a degree at another college and want to take summer courses at JCC, you are not eligible for financial aid through JCC. However, you may have eligibility for summer funding from your home college for JCC courses through a financial aid consortium agreement. Contact your home college financial aid office for information regarding your eligibility for aid for JCC summer classes.