The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is available for U.S. Citizens, U.S. Nationals, U.S. Permanent Residents, individuals who have an Arrival-Departure Record (I-94)*, hold a T nonimmigrant status, or are a battered immigrant-qualified alien.

The FAFSA will open in October and should be completed by March 1 for students who wish to be considered for state financial aid from the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA).

The FAFSA should be completed annually by Maryland’s priority deadline of March 1. Students can submit a FAFSA after March 1, but they may not be considered for state aid programs offered by the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC).

*Only those with “Refugee,” “Asylum Granted,” “Indefinite Parole,” and/or “Humanitarian Parole,” or “Cuban/Haitian Entrant” on their I-94 are eligible to complete the FAFSA.

Application Process for Students that are eligible to complete the FAFSA

1. If you are a new student, complete the FCC Admissions Application.  In order to receive financial aid, you must be pursuing an approved academic degree or certificate program at FCC.  More information about the admissions process can be found here.
2. Complete the FAFSA for the school year you are planning to attend. Learn more about the FAFSA. 
3. Your FAFSA will be processed in approximately one week (if you apply online) and you will receive a Student Aid Report. If you listed FCC in Step 6 of the FAFSA, we will receive your information electronically. Please contact the Financial Aid Office if you receive any emails indicating that your FAFSA could not be processed.
4. Students wishing to receive Federal Direct Loans must accept their offered student loan amounts in PeopleSoft by selecting the “Financial Account” tile and navigating to “Accept/Decline.” Keep in mind that loans must be repaid with interest, so you should limit your borrowing when possible. More information about loans can be found here.
5. All FCC students should consider applying for the FCC Foundation Scholarships.

The MSFAA is available for students who are undocumented and qualify for in-state tuition under §15–106.8 of the MD Education Article. 

Application Process for Students that are eligible to complete the MSFAA:

1. If you are a new student, complete the FCC Admissions Application. In order to receive financial aid, you must be pursuing an approved academic degree or certificate program at FCC.  More information about the admissions process can be found here.
2. To complete the MSFAA, you must start by creating an account for the Maryland College Aid Processing System (MDCAPS). PLEASE NOTE: if you do not have a Social Security Number (SSN), you will enter nine zeros. You will need specific income information, such as completed tax forms, to complete the MSFAA. If you have questions or need assistance, contact the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) at 410.767.3300 or FCC Financial Aid Office at 301.846.2620 (option 1). If you are a dependent student you will need to print the signature card after submitting your MSFAA, have your parent sign it, and then you can upload the signed signature card using the Electronic File Upload Tool within MDCAPS. The signature card can be downloaded from MDCAPS 24-48 hours after the MSFAA is submitted. The link to download the signature card will be under the “Check Your Application Status” option.
3. Students who are eligible to complete the MSFAA must also apply for the Dream Act.
4. MHEC will notify applicants via email if they are awarded. Upon receiving the award notification, applicants will be required to log into MDCAPS to accept their award within six weeks of the date of the award notification. Failure to accept the award within the six-week timeframe provided by MHEC will result in cancellation of the award(s).
5. All FCC students should consider applying for the FCC Foundation Scholarships. 

Awards are adjusted each semester after enrollment is locked, that is the enrollment used to calculate certain Federal Student Aid, including Pell Grants and Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant. The lock date is the originally published 50% refund date for 15 week courses for fall and spring and the 50% refund date for 8 week courses for summer. Students enrolled on this date will not receive additional Pell Grant or SEOG for courses enrolled in after their enrollment is locked.

The first disbursement of the 2025-2026 aid year will occur:

• September 16, 2025 for Fall 2025 
• February 17, 2026 for Spring 2026 
• July 7, 2026 for Summer 2026

Disbursements occur weekly after this date, each Tuesday, as students are awarded/eligibility is confirmed. Aid is contingent upon students attending/performing academic activity for their classes. Courses that the student does not attend will not be included in the enrollment used to determine financial aid eligibility. Students who do not attend late start courses may have their aid reduced after receiving a student aid refund, and may owe money back to the College. All financial aid awards, including student loans, will be credited directly to your student account. The awards will be used to pay all outstanding balances owed to the College for the semester.

If you have a credit balance after all outstanding obligations have been met, you will be issued a refund via Nelnet Business Solutions (NBS) on behalf of FCC. The amount of Federal Student Aid (FSA) that you are eligible for is determined by your enrollment at the beginning of the semester. Refunds will be available within 14 days of the aid disbursement date that caused the student refund.

State aid from the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) is disbursed when the 100% refund period has passed for each course a student is enrolled in as long as all other eligibility requirements are met for that particular award.

Students are encouraged to monitor their myFCC email account for updates as the Financial Aid Office will send an email at the beginning of the semester that will cover specific processing and deadline information for that semester.