Quarterly Newsletter

Financial Aid Newsletter – Spring 2026

Winter quarter begins April 6, 2026. Please read important information about deadlines, dates, disbursement of your funds, and the steps you must take to ensure a smooth start to the quarter.

• We only disburse funds once per week each Thursday. Our first disbursement will start Thursday, April 2.
  
• Please check your status through the Student Center on ctcLink.

Payment of Tuition

Spring quarter begins April 6, 2026.

• We pay your tuition beginning April 2, 2026:
  • We hold you in your classes if you completed your financial aid file by February 1, 2026 and are registered. We prioritize review of files for students who met the deadline and are registered for Spring quarter.
  • An F02 hold from Financial Aid may be placed on your account if you met the financial aid file complete deadline of February 1 and have registered. (Holds are added weekly until the quarter starts). This hold is a positive hold and indicates that your classes are held and you are not dropped for nonpayment.
  • If you have outstanding documents required, you must submit these within two business days of request thereafter.
    • Documents can be brought to campus Monday through Friday, submitted by mail to the college or by using our online document upload site. Note: We are closed on Wednesdays in person for processing.
  • Enrollment Services also holds you in your classes if you obtained a deferment on payment of tuition (This may include Workforce Education, Veterans, Scholarship recipients, etc).
    • To avoid being dropped from classes for non-payment, check with the department you are working with to confirm your deferment status.
• If your aid does not cover the full cost of tuition, you must pay the balance by April 13, 2026.

Refund Disbursements

• We assume full-time enrollment. If you do not plan to register full time (12+ credits), you should have submitted a Change of Enrollment form to avoid delays in disbursing your aid. This should have been submitted a week before the start, and should be submitted no later than Friday, March 27.
• Refund disbursements begin on April 6, 2025 (your disbursement date may differ) by the BankMobile disbursement preference you selected. Expect delays due to the holidays.
  • If you expect to receive a check by mail, please make sure your address is up to date at Update Contact Information.
  • Want to change your disbursement method?  Visit the BankMobile web site

Confirmation of Academic Progress

For continuing students, we check prior quarter grades before we disburse Spring aid. Check your BC email for notification regarding your financial aid status and eligibility based on your prior quarter grades.

**Federal regulations require us to address grades regardless of circumstances affecting our campus.  During these uncertain times, we recognize that some students may be less successful for a variety of reasons.  If you are notified that you have lost your financial aid, you may follow the appeal process outlined below.**

• Review Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements.
• If your aid is canceled but you experienced a hardship or a mitigating circumstance, please file an appeal and ask for reinstatement of your aid.
  • File your appeal by Monday, April 6 if you plan to attend Spring quarter.
  • Submit an appeal online.
  • We hold you in your classes until we review your appeal if your appeal is submitted by Monday, April 6.

Census Repayment Date:

You must finalize your schedule by the Census Date, which is Friday, April 17 for Spring quarter. Please read our policies regarding adding and dropping classes.

Reminder:

If you plan to attend Spring 2026, make sure you have completed your FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) or WASFA (Washington Application for State Financial Aid) for 2025-2026.  Getting help completing your FAFSA is made easier by visiting this webpage https://studentaid.gov/apply-for-aid/fafsa/filling-out. Additionally, if you are a WASFA applicant, please visit https://wsac.wa.gov/wasfa to complete your application.

Additionally, the 2026-2027 FAFSA and WASFA are now available to complete if you will be attending Summer 2026 and beyond.

Another Important Reminder:

Your file must be completed by the date below for the quarter you plan to start:

2025-2026 deadlines:

Spring 2026: Feb. 1, 2026

2026-2027 deadlines:

Summer 2026: May 1, 2026

Fall 2026: June 1, 2026

Winter 2027: November 1, 2026

Spring 2027: February 1, 2027

We are currently working on getting offer letters out for Spring in the date order we received your FAFSA. Please continue to check your ctcLink account and our website for further financial aid communication.

Important News:

Beginning July 1, 2026, significant federal changes to Direct Loan programs—driven by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OB3A or OBBBA)—will take effect. These changes impact annual, aggregate, and lifetime borrowing limits for borrowers.

Notable changes:

The PLUS Loan Program will have caps beginning in 2026–27, Parent PLUS Loans will have: 

• $20,000 annual limit per dependent student 
• $65,000 aggregate limit per dependent student

Additionally, a new lifetime borrowing limit of $257,000 applies to all federal Direct Loans combined (excluding Parent PLUS).

Proration Requirements include students enrolled less than fulltime must have loan amounts proportionally reduced to match their enrollment level. 

Thank you and enjoy your studies!

BC Financial Aid Office