Financial Aid

Before accepting a student loan, know how much you can borrow and what borrowing will cost.

Your loan amount may depend on:

• Your grade level
• Whether you are a dependent or independent student
• Your financial need
• Your enrollment
• Other financial aid you receive
• How much you have already borrowed

The amounts listed on this page are maximums. Your actual loan offer may be lower.

CCC students are generally considered first-year or second-year undergraduate students based on the number of credits they have completed.

These are annual limits, not amounts you automatically receive.

Beginning with the 2026–27 award year, federal rules require Direct Loan limits to be reduced when a student is enrolled less than full-time. This is called the Schedule of Reductions.

For undergraduate students, 12 eligible credits is full-time enrollment. You must be enrolled at least half-time to receive a Direct Loan. At CCC, that generally means at least 6 eligible credits.

Your annual loan limit is based on your enrollment across the academic year, not simply whether you reached 6 credits during one semester.

For example, consider a first-year dependent student whose full annual limit is $5,500.

If the student takes:

• 12 credits in fall and 12 in spring: the student is enrolled at 100% of full-time and may qualify for up to the full $5,500 annual limit.
• 9 credits in fall and 9 in spring: the student is enrolled at 75% of full-time and the annual limit may be reduced to about $4,125.
• 6 credits in fall and 6 in spring: the student is enrolled at 50% of full-time and the annual limit may be reduced to about $2,750.

These examples show how the federal calculation works. Your actual eligibility may be different based on your enrollment pattern, financial need, cost of attendance, other aid, and previous borrowing.

Federal rules also limit how much you can borrow during your undergraduate education over the course of your life. 

Dependent undergraduate students: Up to $31,000 total, with no more than $23,000 in subsidized loans.

Independent undergraduate students: Up to $57,500 total, with no more than $23,000 in subsidized loans.

Interest

Federal student loan interest rates are fixed for each loan, but new rates are set each year. A fixed rate means that your interest rate will always stay the same over the lifetime of your loan. Your rate depends on when your loan is first paid out.

Federal loans have much lower interest rates than private student loans, bank loans, and credit cards. If you need to borrow, it is a good idea to start with federal loans first.

Check Federal Student Aid for current interest rates and loan fees before you borrow.

Loan Origination Fees

An origination fee is a fee charged by the U.S. Department of Education to process your federal student loan.

The fee is a percentage of the amount you borrow. It is taken out of your loan before the funds are sent to CCC, so the amount applied to your student account will be slightly less than the amount you borrowed.

You are still responsible for repaying the full amount you borrowed, plus any interest that applies.

For loans first paid out on or after October 1, 2020, and before October 1, 2027:

• Direct Subsidized and Direct Unsubsidized Loans: 1.057% origination fee
• Direct PLUS Loans: 4.228% origination fee

For example, if you borrow $1,000 in Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans:

• Your loan amount is $1,000
• The origination fee is $15.70 ($1,000 x 0.0157 = $15.70)
• About $984.30 is paid out to your account.
• You are responsible for repaying the full $1,000 plus any interest that applies.

If your loan is paid in more than one disbursement, part of the origination fee is deducted from each payment.

Origination fees can change. Check Federal Student Aid for the current fee before borrowing.

CCC releases student loan funds after your enrollment, attendance, and participation in your classes have been confirmed.

For most students, the first loan payment is about three weeks after classes begin.

If you are a first-time, first-year borrower, federal rules require CCC to wait at least 30 days after the first day of classes before releasing your first loan payment.

Student loans are paid in more than one disbursement, or payment.

If your loan covers Fall and Spring, it is generally divided between the two semesters.

If you borrow for only one semester, including Fall, Spring, or Summer, your loan is divided into two payments. One is paid near the beginning of the semester, and the other around the middle of the semester.

A Parent PLUS Loan is a federal loan that a parent may use to help pay education costs for a dependent undergraduate student. The parent is the borrower and is responsible for repaying the loan.

Parents apply through StudentAid.gov using their own StudentAid.gov account.

Approval of this loan is dependent on your parent’s credit score. CCC generally receives the results of the required credit check within 5 to 7 business days.

Parent PLUS Loan Limits

For new Parent PLUS borrowing beginning July 1, 2026, parents may borrow up to:

• $20,000 per dependent student each year
• $65,000 per dependent student over the student’s lifetime

Different rules may apply to parents who borrowed Parent PLUS Loans before July 1, 2026, while their student remains in the same program.

What If My Parent Is Denied a PLUS Loan?

If a parent is denied because of their credit history, they may be able to apply with an endorser. An endorser is someone who agrees to repay the loan if the parent applicant does not.

The student may also contact CCC Financial Aid to ask whether they qualify for additional Direct Unsubsidized Loan funds.