Financial Aid Forms
For security purposes, all PDF forms and accompanying documentation should be submitted in person or via UH FileDrop. Documents sent from a non-UH email address (anything other than @hawaii.edu) will not be accepted. Reporting false information is a violation of the law and may be considered a criminal offense. Students (and others, if applicable) are responsible for reading and understanding all information prior to signing.
To be eligible for financial aid, students must demonstrate they have the ability to benefit from a college education, which is defined as having graduated from high school or its equivalent. If we are unable to verify your ability to benefit, you will be required to complete the Ability to Benefit form so that we can determine your eligibility for financial aid.
The federal financial need formula requires dependent students to provide parent information in order to assess their family’s ability - not willingness - to pay for college. Dependent students for whom it is impossible or unsafe to contact their parents for information may submit an Appeal for Unusual Circumstances to request a dependency override based on their situation and supporting documentation. If approved, the student will not need to provide parent information on the FAFSA and instead may be awarded as an independent student. Decisions are made at the sole discretion of the Financial Aid Manager, or their designee, and are not subject to further review. All appeal decisions are communicated via UH email.
Students can authorize other individuals, such as parents or family members, to speak with the Financial Aid Office (FAO) on their behalf. A new authorization is required every school year.
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) asks students about their grade level and the type of degree they are pursuing. Some students mistakenly answer that they have already obtained a bachelor’s degree, or that they are pursuing a graduate or professional degree. This form may be required to verify that the information provided on the FAFSA is correct so that the student can be packaged for financial aid.
Federal Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans are student loans available to most FAFSA-eligible students to help cover the costs of higher education. Student loans are subject to interest and loan fees, and both annual (school year) and aggregate (lifetime) limits. Additional information regarding Federal Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans is available on the Financial Aid Types web page.
Loan requests may take up to six weeks to process (submitting multiple loan requests will cause processing delays). The deadline to submit a loan request is two weeks prior to the last day of instruction for the semester of the loan, but requests should be submitted as soon as possible because loans cannot be awarded once the applicable payment period is over.
Accepted Federal Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans may be canceled before the loan disburses or up to 14 days after the disbursement notification. After 14 days, recipients must work with their loan servicer to cancel or repay their loans. To cancel or reduce your accepted student loan, email hawccfao@hawaii.edu.
Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loans are education loans available to biological or adoptive parents of dependent undergraduate students to help pay for education expenses not covered by other financial aid, up to the student’s cost of attendance budget. Eligibility is not based on financial need, but a credit check is required. If the parent’s PLUS Loan application is denied, the student can request additional unsubsidized loan funding, or the parent can add an endorser (co-signer) to their application.
The following requirements must be completed before a Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loan can be awarded.
- The student must submit a FAFSA for the applicable school year and complete any additional financial aid requirements.
- The parent must complete the Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loan application online at https://studentaid.gov/plus-app/.
- The parent must complete a Master Promissory Note online at https://studentaid.gov/mpn/.
- The parent and the student must complete a Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loan Request (wet signatures required) and FileDrop it to hawccfao@hawaii.edu, along with a copy of both the student’s and the parent’s driver’s licenses or other legal identification documents.
Loan requests may take up to six weeks to process (submitting multiple loan requests will cause processing delays). The deadline to submit a loan request is two weeks prior to the last day of instruction for the semester of the loan, but requests should be submitted as soon as possible because loans cannot be awarded once the applicable payment period is over.
Accepted Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loans may be canceled before the loan disburses or up to 14 days after the disbursement notification. After 14 days, recipients must work with their loan servicer to cancel or repay their loans. To cancel or reduce your accepted loans, email hawccfao@hawaii.edu.
Federal Work-Study (FWS) is a student financial aid program that provides funding for part-time employment to cover the costs of education. The primary benefits of FWS for students include on-campus employment that does not interfere with course schedules, wages that are not counted against future financial need, job experience, and networking opportunities. The primary benefit of work-study for employers is access to funding in addition to, or in lieu of, the department's student employment budget. Additional information regarding Federal Work-Study is available on the Financial Aid types web page.
To qualify for work-study at Hawai’i CC, students must:
- Enroll in at least 6 degree-applicable credits,
- Apply for eligible jobs (FWS) in the University of Hawai’i Student Employment and Cooperative Education (SECE) system,
- Receive a job offer from an eligible employer, and
- Complete all additional requirements for student employment.
To pay students using work-study funds, employers must:
- Submit a Federal Work-Study Request,
- Upon approval, add the applicable work-study account code to the student's placement in SECE, and
- Select the FWS account when approving the student employee's timesheets.
Students who indicate they were in a legal guardianship on the FAFSA must provide a copy of the court’s decision that shows that they were in a court-ordered legal guardianship at the time of FAFSA completion, or at the time they reached the age of adulthood in their state. If you answered the FAFSA question incorrectly, you must correct your FAFSA and resubmit.
Hawai’i Community College has an agreement with Oregon State University (OSU) to allow certain courses taken at OSU to count toward a student’s enrollment level for financial aid funding. Additional requirements apply - see the form for details.
Oregon State University (OSU) Request for Funding for Consortium Classes (PDF form)
When a student’s parents do not support them and refuse to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), the student may still be eligible to accept Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans, which are not need-based and accrue interest from the date of disbursement. To be eligible, the student’s parents must first complete the parent refusal form to certify they do not provide financial support and refuse to complete the FAFSA. If the student’s parents also refuse to complete the parent refusal form, the student should contact the Financial Aid Office.
Completing this form does not make the student independent for financial aid purposes.
2024-2025 Parent Refusal to Complete the FAFSA (online PDF form)
The federal formula for determining financial need, based on Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) data, does not account for special circumstances that may affect a family's ability to pay for college. While the Financial Aid Office cannot change the federal formula or make direct adjustments to a student’s financial need, it may be possible to make adjustments to individual FAFSA data elements based on the student’s situation and supporting documentation. Decisions are made at the sole discretion of the Financial Aid Manager, or their designee, and are not subject to further review. All appeal decisions are communicated via UH email.
2024-2025 Petition for Special Circumstances (online PDF form)
If a student has had previous student loans discharged due to a total and permanent disability (TPD), that student is not eligible to accept new student loans, unless their physician certifies that they are able to attend school and engage in substantial gainful activity (employment). Additionally, the student must acknowledge that future loans cannot be discharged based on present conditions, unless those conditions deteriorate to the extent that the TPD definition is met. The Physician's Certification and Borrower’s Acknowledgement of Obligation form allows students to either indicate that they do not wish to accept new student loans, or to obtain a physician’s certification and acknowledge their repayment obligations so that they can accept new student loans.
Physician’s Certification and Borrower’s Acknowledgement of Obligation (PDF form)
A student’s maximum total financial aid is limited to the student’s Cost of Attendance (COA) budget. The Request for Cost of Attendance Adjustments form allows students to request an increase to their COA for certain costs not already included in the budget, such as childcare expenses or unusually high medical costs not covered by insurance. Processing time is 4 to 6 weeks, and requests will not be accepted later than 30 days before the last day of instruction.
2024-2025 Request for Cost of Attendance Adjustments (online PDF form)
Students on financial aid suspension, who fell below SAP requirements due to extenuating circumstances, have the option to submit a SAP appeal. At a minimum, students must explain 1) why they fell below SAP requirements, and 2) what has changed so they will be able to meet requirements moving forward. Where possible, students must also provide supporting documentation.
Some examples of extenuating circumstances that may be considered include: illness, divorce, death, difficulty balancing family and school responsibilities, and financial difficulties.
When a student’s SAP appeal is approved, the student is placed on financial aid probation and given specific requirements to meet each semester. Students who meet their probation requirements will continue to be approved for aid on probationary status until they have remedied all SAP deficiencies or graduated. Students who do not meet all probation requirements each semester will revert back to financial aid suspension.
SAP appeals may take up to 6 weeks to process and cannot be approved after the applicable semester has ended. Appeals should be submitted no later than 30 days before the last day of instruction to ensure that there is enough time for review. Appeal approval is at the discretion of the Financial Aid Manager, or their designee, and is not subject to further review. All appeal decisions are communicated via UH email.
The Summer Financial Aid Application is to notify the Hawai'i CC Financial Aid Office (FAO) that you are enrolled, or intend to enroll, in degree-applicable summer coursework so that your account can be reviewed to determine your eligibility for Summer Pell Grant. After the summer Pell Recalculation Date (PRD), the FAO will review all student accounts and make adjustments to awards based on current eligible enrollment. This review process will also capture any students who are eligible for Summer Pell Grant but did not submit this application.
Students who have attended and received financial aid at multiple institutions within the last four award years may be selected for review by the US Department of Education. These students must complete and submit the Unusual Enrollment History form so that the Financial Aid Office can determine their eligibility for federal student aid.