Financial Aid
ALERT: Financial Aid awards are based on full-time enrollment and actual Cost of Attendance (COA). Your disbursement will be based on the number of credit hours that you enroll in and may be less than your award if you do not enroll full-time.
Student Services Help:
Admissions (256) 306-2593
Advising (256) 260-4330
Financial Aid (256) 306-2628
The Student Financial Services (SFS) office at Calhoun Community College offers students financial counseling and assistance to help them pursue their educational goals. Financial aid is available in a variety of forms. Students needing assistance with college expenses should communicate with personnel in the Office of Student Financial Services
You may also correspond through traditional mail services at the following address:
Office of Student Financial Services
Calhoun Community College
P.O. Box 2216
Decatur, AL 35609-2216
Located on the second floor of the Chasteen Student Center on the Decatur Campus, room 206 .
Office Hours:
M-Th: 7:45 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
F: 7:45 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.
Student Financial Services also has an office at Calhoun's Huntsville campus in Cummings Research Park. Main Building, Room 110.
Office Hours:
M-Th: 8:00 a.m. – 5:45 p.m.
F: 8:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Whether you are planning for college, trying to pay for college, or graduating and thinking about your future, it has become clear that the financial decisions you make today may impact your financial livelihood well into your future.
Therefore, no matter what term you choose for money management, financial literacy, or budgeting it is important for you to know and understand your personal finances to ensure you are making good decisions for yourself and your future.
To help you navigate these decisions, Calhoun has partnered with CashCourse, which provides free financial educational resources for college students.
Use CashCourse to:
- Create a budget;
- Learn about the benefits of checking and savings account;
- Pay for college
- Survive in a tough economy
- Protect your credit;
- Deal with your debit and credit cards
- Prepare for success after graduation;
- Plan for retirement;
- Set financial goals;
- Spend wisely;
- Read more about financial aid; and
- Learn about so much more!
Calhoun Scholarships
Steps to Apply
In order to be considered for scholarships offered by Calhoun Community College and the Calhoun Foundation, students must do the following every year by March 1*:
- Have a completed Admissions Application on file with Calhoun Admissions.
This includes a submitted signature page and form(s) of ID.
- Have a completed FAFSA Application on file with Calhoun Financial Aid.
17-18 FAFSA required for Fall 17-Spring 18 awards
16-17 FAFSA required for Summer 17 awards
To have FAFSA automatically sent to Calhoun, enter Institution Code 001013 when completing the FAFSA
If needed tax returns are not completed by March 1, complete the FAFSA based on estimated information from the previous year's tax return in order to meet the deadline for scholarship eligibility.
FAFSA tips from Calhoun Financial Aid
- Have a completed Scholarship Application on file with Calhoun Scholarship Office.
Available November 1 through March 1
Applicants log in using their myCalhoun credentials provided after the Admissions Application process has been completed.
Apply For Scholarships
*To allow adequate processing time, it is recommended that students begin the process no later than two weeks before March 1.
Institutional Scholarships -- Awards sponsored by Calhoun
Eligibility Criteria:
- GPA of 3.0 or higher (Honors Program: 3.5 or higher)
- ACT of 20 or higher (Honors Program: 24 or higher)
- United States citizen
Presidential Honors Program Scholarship
The criteria for this scholarship is determined by the Honors Program coordinators in conjunction with the Scholarship Committee. This scholarship will cover tuition and fees up to 15 credit hours for fall and spring semesters. This scholarship is guaranteed for two years as long as the student remains in the Presidential Honors Program.
Academic Scholarship¹
This scholarship is available to any student (incoming or current). Awardees are selected by a multidisciplinary scholarship committee. Preference is given to students with GPAs of 3.0 or higher. ACT scores are taken into consideration when awarding high school seniors. This is a one-year scholarship for $2,000 ($1,000 per semester).
Principal’s Choice Scholarship¹
Each eligible high school in our service area receives two Principal’s Choice Award. This is a one-year scholarship for $1,500 ($750 per semester). Eligibility is contingent upon a 3.0 GPA and ACT score of 20 or higher.
Nominations from the high school principal/counselor must be submitted to the Scholarship Office by March 1st.
Summer Scholarships
Summer scholarships may be available based on forfeitures from prior recipients. Students interested in obtaining a scholarship for the summer term should complete the listed application requirements by March 1.
¹The institutional scholarships noted may be stacked to cover tuition and fees up to 12 credit hours. These scholarships can be stacked with other institutional scholarships, but cannot exceed the amount of tuition and fees. To be eligible for the spring portion of any award, students must maintain a cumulative 3.0 GPA and complete at least 12 credit hours.
Foundation Scholarships – Awards sponsored by donors
Eligibility criteria varies for each award. Eligible scholarship applicants will be matched with the available scholarships reflective of their scholarship application. To be eligible for the spring portion of any award students must write an acceptable donor thank you letter, attend the scholarship reception, maintain the required cumulative GPA, and complete at least 12 credit hours.
Notification of Award
All correspondence from the Scholarship Office is sent to the student’s @calhoun.edu email address. Applicants should have a working knowledge of how to check this email and should attend to it regularly. It is best practice to check clutter, junk, and spam folders to avoid missing important information.
If selected for a scholarship, the student will have two weeks to accept the offer and to complete the post-acceptance agreement. Failure to do so will result in revocation of the award offer.
Outside scholarships are recommended to students who fail to meet the requirements by the deadlines.
Calhoun Community College and Foundation awards are overseen by a multidisciplinary Scholarship Advisory Committee comprised of Calhoun faculty, staff, and Foundation Board members.