Financial Aid

Information and policies

Financial Aid Information & Policies

In order to comply with federal, state, and institutional regulations and guidelines, the LMC Financial Aid Office is outlining the policies that apply to all students applying for and receiving financial aid. Students are expected to read and understand the Contra Costa Community College District (CCCCD)  Financial Aid Terms of Agreement

  • Consumer Information

    LMC Financial aid, graduation, transfer, and retention rates

    1. Go to the IPEDS COLLEGE NAVIGATOR
    2. Type "Los Medanos College" in the Name of School Box
    3. Click on the Los Medanos College link
    4. Click on Retention and Graduation Rates for expanded information 

     

    Cal Grant Qualifying Institution Disclosure

    Per California Assembly Bill (AB) 2086, the following information is made available to provide access to California license examination passage rates for graduates of Los Medanos College programs that require California licensure. Data will continue to be updated as California licensing and/or regulatory agencies make the data electronically available.

    Nursing Programs

    *The Registered Nursing Program is designed to provide the education necessary for licensure eligibility and practice as a Registered Nurse (RN).  You can view the Board of Registered Nursing NCLEX Pass Rates for Los Medanos College: NCLEX Pass Rates

    **The Vocational Nursing program is designed to provide the education necessary for licensure eligibility and practice as a Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN).  You can view the Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians NCLEX/PN Pass Rates for Los Medanos College at: NCLEX/PN Pass Rates

     

    Emergency Medical Services

      The EMS Program is designed to provide the education necessary for licensure eligibility and practice as an EMT-1.

    You can view Pass Rates for the EMT-1 California State Certification through the National Registry of EMTs for Los Medanos College at: EMT Pass Rates

     

    Blackboard Pay Cash Management Reporting

     In accordance with U.S. Department of Education regulations governing Title IV disbursements, the institution is required to disclose the number of students who had financial accounts under the contract with Blackboard at any time during the most recently completed award year. In addition, we must disclose the mean and median of the actual costs incurred by those account holders, and the monetary and non-monetary, payments or receivables by the parties under the terms of the contract with Blackboard.

    2017-2018 Award Year - Blackboard Pay
    Number of active cards*
    1,162
    Mean of Fees Charged to Cardholders
    $14.06
    Median of Fees Charged to Cardholders
    $2.50
    Monetary/non-monetary, payments/receivables by parties under the Blackboard contract
    $18,480.15 

    *Active cards are defined as any account that had a deposit transaction within the award period regardless of enrollment status.

     

  • Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

     

    Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) refers to the Contra Costa Community College District policies and requirements that all financial aid students must meet every semester in order to be eligible for financial aid and remain in good standing.

    All students must meet the following SAP requirements to be eligible for financial aid:

    Contra Costa Community College District (CCCCD)
    Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy
    Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy CARES Act Addendum

    Failure to meet ANY of the requirements above can result in being placed on a Financial Aid Warning or Suspension status, which can negatively affect your financial aid.

    For more detailed information regarding our SAP policies, please refer to the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy above.

     

  • Return of Financial Aid Funds

    Because Title IV financial aid funds are disbursed to a student under the assumption that the student is eligible to receive the funds or will attend school for the entire period for which the assistance was awarded. Any students who do not attend or satisfactorily complete courses for which they receive financial aid payments, officially withdraw from courses for which they received financial aid payments, or are determined ineligible for the funds received may be required to return all or a portion of the financial aid funds disbursed to them. This is otherwise known as financial aid repayment.

    Withdrawals

    Any student who completely withdraws from all classes prior to completing 60 percent of the semester will be subject to financial aid repayment. At Los Medanos College, the Federal Pell Grant Program, the Federal Supplemental Opportunity Grant, and Direct Loans are subject to these repayment provisions. Any student who attends the semester passed the 60 percent point and then completely withdraws is considered to have earned 100 percent of the financial aid disbursed to them and no repayment occurs.

    Students who receive federal financial aid for the 2023-2024  academic year and withdraw prior to the following dates may be subject to repayment:

    Fall 2023 full term course 60% date: October 25, 2023

    Spring 2024 full term course 60% date: April 3, 2024

    Summer 2024:  Varies based on student enrollment activity

    Students subject to repayment have 30 days from the date of notification to return the amount owed to Los Medanos College.  If the repayment amount is not made in full, the amount owed will be reported to the U.S. Department of Education for the student to make satisfactory payment arrangements after 45 days.

    Please note that a student that owes repayment of federal Title IV aid will NOT be eligible to receive financial aid at any postsecondary institutions until the repayment conditions above are met. 

    Failing to Earn a Passing Grade

    Any student who fails to earn passing credit in ALL of their classes during a term in which financial aid was disbursed is also subject to financial aid repayment. If the student cannot document their last date of attendance, our office will make the determination that the student unofficially withdrew at the 50 percent point of the semester. If the student is able to document that they attended class past the 60 percent point of the semester, then no repayment will occur.  The student must submit written documentation verifying attendance within 30 days of repayment notification.

    Failing to Begin Attendance (No Show)

    If financial aid is processed for a student that never begins attendance in any of the classes for which they registered in the term, the student is not eligible for award and all aid will be canceled. A financial aid hold will be placed on the students record and the student will be responsible for repaying the funds to the college.

    If financial aid is processed for a student that does not begin attendance in a portion of the classes for which aid has been processed, the original award will be adjusted. If it is determined that the student has been overpaid financial aid, a financial aid hold will be placed on the students record and the student will be responsible for repaying the college.

    Changes in Enrollment Status

    Students receiving Pell Grant at LMC will generally receive two payments per semester.  At about the mid-point of the term, the Pell Grant award will be re-calculated to lock Pell Grant eligibility based on the student's adjusted enrollment status.  The Pell Grant award will be automatically increased or decreased according to the enrollment status on this date. For the current academic year these dates are: 

     Fall 2023: October 16, 2023

    Spring 2024: March 18, 2024

    If it is determined that the student has been overpaid, the student will be responsible for repaying the overage to the Pell Grant program.  The student will be notified of the overpayment and be given 30 days to pay the debt owed to LMC.  The amount owed will be reported to the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) and the student will not be eligible to receive additional federal financial aid at any postsecondary institution until satisfactory payments arrangements are made.  If the overpayment amount is not repaid to LMC within 30 days of notice, the debt will be referred to the Department of Education for collection.  Do not contact Department of Education about the collection until at least two weeks from the original repayment due date. 

    Receiving Federal Financial Aid from Multiple Colleges

    A student cannot receive aid from more than one college for the same period of enrollment.  Students that are found to have received aid from multiple colleges for the same term will be subject to repayment.  If this occurs, the student will be notified in writing of the amount owed and repayment options.

    Financial Aid Application Changes after Disbursement

    Students will be subject to repayment of grant awards disbursed if it is determined that the student made an error on the financial aid application that decreased the students aid eligibility.  Moreover, if the student is initially disbursed aid but later makes a correction to the FAFSA that results in selection for verification, and the student does not submit the required documents, the student may be subject to repayment of grant funds received.

  • Repeated Coursework
     

    Federal regulations limit to the number of times a student can repeat a course and receive financial aid for that course. Once a student earns a passing grade for a course the student can only repeat the course one more time and still receive financial aid. A passing grade is defined by the college as a D or better. If a student enrolls in a previously passed course for a third time, this course will not count for financial aid purposes. A repeated course can be included in a student's enrollment level for financial aid payments if the course is retaken:

    • To repeat any failed/non-passing course until a passing grade is received, OR
    • To repeat one time any course in which you previously received a passing grade.

    To read the policy in its entirety, please review to the Contra Costa Community College District (CCCCD)  Financial Aid Repeat Coursework Policy.

    Please note that the repeat course policy for financial aid is separate from institutional academic policies regarding repeat courses. Please review this policy in the LMC catalog.**

  • Pell Lifetime Eligibility Limit
     

    The duration of a student’s eligibility to receive a Federal Pell Grant is limited to 12 full-time semesters (or its equivalent). The calculation of the duration of a student’s eligibility will include all years of the student’s receipt of Federal Pell Grant funding. Once a student has received a Federal Pell Grant for 12 full-time semesters (or its equivalent) the student will no longer be eligible for a Federal Pell Grant for future semesters. 

    A student Pell Lifetime Eligibility Usage (LEU) is tracked by the U.S. Department of Education. Each time a student receives a Pell Grant award, the amount used in recorded in percentages. For example, a student is entitled to $4000 in an academic year and receives $2000, then the student is considered to have used 50 percent of the award. A student's total Pell Grant eligibility is 600 percent if qualified for the award. The maximum Pell Grant award a student can receive in an academic year is 100 percent. Students can track their own Pell Lifetime Eligibility Usage (LEU) by logging into the

     

  • Students Rights and Responsibilities
     

    Student Rights

    As a student at LMC you have the right to:

    • Know what financial aid is available, including information on all federal, state, and institutional aid programs.
    • Know the priority dates for submitting applications for each financial aid program available.
    • Be informed of financial aid policies and procedures.
    • Review and understand the cost of attendance and the Refund Policy for Los Medanos College.
    • Know the criteria used by the Financial Aid Office to award financial aid funds and how your financial need is determined.
    • Know the type of financial aid you have been packaged, as need-based or non need-based, and if it is gift aid, requires work, or needs to be repaid.
    • Know how and when you will be paid a financial aid refund.
    • Know the financial aid policies for satisfactory academic progress and the consequence for not meeting the minimum requirements.
    • Know the terms of any loans received, deferment and forbearance topics, and your right to cancel a loan request.
    • Request an explanation of your financial aid and how much of your financial aid eligibility has been met as determined by the Financial Aid Office.
    • Request a re-evaluation of your application based on special circumstances.

    Student Responsibilities

    As a student at LMC you have the responsibility to:

    • Complete all application forms accurately and submit them by advertised deadlines.
    • Provide correct information to the Financial Aid Office.  Intentional misrepresentation on your financial aid application is a violation of federal law and may be a criminal offense.
    • Return all documentation, verification forms, corrections, and/or new information requested by the Financial Aid Office in a timely manner.
    • Read and understand all forms that you are asked to sign and retain copies for your records.
    • Accept responsibility for all agreements your sign.
    • Repay all loans including the interest accrued on those loans.
    • Perform the work agreed upon in accepting a Federal Work-Study award satisfactorily.
    • Be aware of financial aid repayment policies.
    • Report any changes in the information used to determine your aid eligibility.
    • Understand LMC's refund policy.
    • Understand the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy for Financial Aid.
    • Make sure your mailing address is current at all times.  Failure to maintain an updated mailing address may delay receipt of your financial aids
  • FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act)

    The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a federal law that protects the privacy of student educational records, both financial and academic. For the student’s protection, FERPA generally limits, with certain exceptions such as law enforcement, the release of student information without the student’s explicit written consent. In order to release information concerning your financial aid, the student’s authorization is required. 

    If you want to give someone access to your financial aid records that are maintained by LMC, fill out a FERPA Release Form and submit the form electronically to the Financial Aid Office.  A new FERPA Release Form is required each academic year. 

  • Federal Financial Aid Consortium Agreement

    California Community College Online Education Initiative

    Federal Financial Aid Consortium Agreement

  • California College Promise Grant - Academic Standards (CCPG)

    The California College Promise Grant (formerly know as the Board of Governors Fee Waiver -BOG):

    Maintaining Academic Standards:

    Students must maintain academic standards for continued eligibility for the California College Promise Grant.  Note, these standards are different and separate from federal student aid's Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP).

    The academic and progress standards for the CCPG are:

    • Academic standards: Cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher.
    • Progress standards: Cumulative satisfactory completion of more than 50% of all coursework attempted.

    Students who do not meet the standards listed above for two consecutive primary semesters (fall and spring) will lose eligibility for the CC Promise Grant. If you become ineligible for the CC Promise Grant, you will be notified within 30 days after the end of the semester. The college will send a communication to those students who failed to meet the standards for two consecutive primary semesters and will include instructions on how to appeal loss of the CC Promise Grant. Please note that this appeal is separate from any appeal for federal student aid, and the approval of one appeal will not mean the automatic approval of the other.

    If you need more information, please contact the Financial Aid Office.