Financial aid is available to eligible students who enroll in certificate and degree programs; but not all programs are eligible. Apply early and meet priority dates to have the best likelihood of being eligible for maximum funding each year.
You must demonstrate financial need to be eligible for most assistance. Financial aid is designed to cover the gap between your own financial resources (savings, income, help from parents or guardians, etc.) and school expenses. Financial Aid can be grants, scholarships, low-interest loans, and student employment.
Apply between October 1 and May 15 each year that you are enrolled at BTC. Please be sure to activate your BTC email. BTC - Student Financial Resources correspondence will be sent to the email address that you listed on the FAFSA.
Submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online. It’s easy, and should take only about 30 minutes to complete online.
You’ll need:
A FSA ID from the Department of Education site. This helps them identify you when accessing your information, and acts as your electronic signature. If you are a dependent of your parent or guardian, they will need their own FSA ID. Get your FSA ID here.
Income records, such as W2s, copies of federal tax returns, and SSI benefits for the previous year. Dependent students will need their parents’ or guardians’ income records.
BTC College Code 016227.
You’ll receive a Student Aid Report (SAR) form the Department of Education. This is a summary of the information you provided. Review the SAR carefully. Make any necessary corrections on the FAFSA website or contact Student Financial Resources for help. Learn everything you need to know about Federal Student Aid and FAFSA.
After about a week, BTC will receive your FAFSA information. You’ll also be notified by email. You will need to complete a BTC Financial Aid Data Sheet to let us know which quarters you will be attending. You may also have additional paperwork to complete, which you can do through the Financial Aid Portal.
BTC reviews your application and worksheets. This process takes six to eight weeks. (For this reason it is important to apply early!)
The Award process usually takes about three to four weeks:
Go to the Financial Aid Portal to check on awards left after tuition and fees are paid. Awards will be released to you after the quarter has begun.
Learn more about a variety of ways to finance college through grants, scholarships, and FAFSA by activating your free ionTuition account! Go to https://portal.iontuition.com/Login
Pell Grants are awarded to help with educational expenses. Like all grants, Pell Grants do not have to be repaid.
The Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant is awarded to high-need, Pell Grant-eligible students who apply early, as funds are limited. It does not have to be repaid.
Available for Washington residents only, eligibility for this grant is determined by FAFSA or WASFA information and is adjusted for less than full-time enrollment. It will not exceed tuition and fees for each quarter, and does not have to be repaid.
Scholarships are provided by Bellingham Technical College Foundation, and other organizations and donors, based on certain criteria.
Washington residents who are enrolled at least half time can pay for education-related expenses through the Work Study program. On-campus, part-time positions are available through the Student Financial Resources office finaid@btc.edu. Call 360.752.8351 for details.
Money students may borrow to finance their education. Loans accrue interest and must be paid back. Students begin to pay back their loans after graduation or after reducing their enrollment to fewer than six credits. There are flexible repayment options available.
Scholarships are another source of free money to help pay for school. They are provided by Bellingham Technical College Foundation, and other organizations and donors, based on certain criteria. The BTC Foundation receives donations from generous individuals, businesses, and organizations throughout the year to give as scholarships just for BTC students.
Learn more about BTC Foundation Scholarships
Funding for high wage/high demand programs Opportunity Grant Scholarship
Find a variety of scholarships on theWashBoard.org, the Washington Scholarship Coalition’s website.
Apply for need and merit-based scholarships for Washington State residents from the Washington Student Achievement Council (WSAC)
SallieMae - Scholarship Search - College Answer features over 600,000 scholarships, grants, tuition waivers, internships and fellowships.
Federal Student Aid - US Department of Education financial aid and scholarship information.
College Board Scholarship Search - Locate scholarship and other information that matches your educational level, talents, and background.
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