Where we foster excellence in education that challenges students of every background to develop their intellect, character, and abilities; to assist students in achieving their educational and career goals; and to be responsive to the greater community.
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No, you should never have to pay for financial aid information. It’s free to apply for financial aid and scholarships. Watch out for scams that ask you to pay for this information—they are not real. If someone asks you to pay for help with financial aid, talk to the Financial Aid Office first.
To learn more, visit on the Federal Student Aid website.
IVC participates in most of the Federal and state financial aid programs such as the Federal Pell Grant, Federal Work-Study, Federal SEOG, Cal Grants, California Chafee Grant, the Student Success Completion Grant, and the California College Promise Grant (CCPG).
IVC does not participate in the Federal Direct Student Loan program.
Please visit our Financial Aid Programs page to learn more about each of the different awards.
Some programs such as Cal Grant have additional requirements needed to apply. For detailed step-by-step instructions for the different financial aid programs, visit our How to Apply page.
Note: Some scholarships may require the completion of the FAFSA or CADAA and may also have their own applications and requirements. Please the “How do I apply for scholarships?” FAQ on this page.
To complete your financial aid application, you’ll need the following:
Yes, to get federal financial aid, you must submit your 2025–26 FAFSA by June 30, 2026.
Your application also needs to be complete and correct before your last day of classes, which could be earlier. For example, the last day of classes for Spring is June 12, 2026.
Some programs like FSEOG and Work-Study have very limited money, so it’s best to apply early.
For state aid, like the Cal Grant, the deadline is March 2, 2025.California Community Colleges like IVC have a second deadline of September 2, 2025.
If you meet AB 540 criteria as determined by Admissions and Records, you may complete the .
If you are under 24 years old, the federal government usually considers you a dependent of your parents—even if you don’t live with them or they don’t claim you on their taxes.
There are a few exceptions. You may be considered independent if you are:
When you fill out the FAFSA, it will tell you if you need to include your parents’ information.
If there’s a special reason that makes it impossible for your parents to fill out their part of the application, talk to a staff member in the Financial Aid Office to discuss your situation.
IVC has many scholarships you can apply for through the IVC Foundation. You can find a on their website.
The Financial Aid Office periodically updates its scholarship page with new opportunities and includes helpful links for students to explore more scholarships online.
Yes. You can get the California College Promise Grant (CCPG) for summer. The Pell Grant is also available.
Winter classes count as part of your Spring semester for financial aid. Only 25% of your Pell Grant will be paid during the winter session. The rest will be paid according to the Spring payment schedule
It can take up to 6 weeks to process your financial aid after you turn in all required documents.
Processing times depend on the time of year and whether your application is chosen for verification.
IVC is busiest between June and September, so it’s best to complete your FAFSA and
submit everything early for faster results.
You’ll get updates about your application, awards, and any messages through your WebSTAR account. You’ll also get emails sent to your IVC email. Make sure to check your IVC email and WebSTAR often so you don’t miss anything important.
The Department of Education picks some student applications for a process called verification. If your application is selected, you will need to complete the verification steps using our online system. You’ll find the link to the verification system[NB13] [LS14] to complete the verification process in .
You can turn in your completed forms and documents in the following ways:
IMPORTANT NOTE: We do not accept documents by email. Be sure your name and student ID number are on every page you send. Keep a copy of everything for your own records.
If your income or your family’s income has changed, you can ask the college to take another look at your financial aid. You can ask for a online.
Yes, you need to apply for financial aid every year. To do this, fill out the FAFSA or California Dream Act Application (CADAA) and turn in all required documents.
The And become available every October for the next school year.
Example: If you plan to start college in Fall 2026, you can start filling out the FAFSA in October 2025.
No. Most students can get financial aid even if they are taking less than a full-time courseload. However, some programs—like Work-Study and Cal Grants—require you to take at least 6 units.
If you went to another college and want those units to count toward your goal at IVC, you need to ask that school to send your official transcript to IVC.
Once your classes are reviewed and accepted, they can be used to help figure out your financial aid eligibility.
You can receive a Pell Grant for up to 12 full-time semesters total across all colleges you attend. You cannot get a Pell Grant once you’ve earned a Bachelor’s degree.
You can only get federal financial aid from one school each term (semester or quarter).
If you’re going to two schools at once, you’ll need to pick which school you want to get financial aid from and tell the Financial Aid Office at IVC.
You may still be able to get the California College Promise Grant (CCPG) at IVC, even if you’re getting federal aid at another school.
Your financial aid is based on how many classes you’re taking as of the semester Freeze Date. If you drop a class before this date, your financial aid will be recalculated, and you might have to pay some money back.
If you drop a class after the freeze date, your payment usually won’t change.
If you drop all your classes before you finish 60% of the semester, you may also have to return some of your financial aid.
You can find the freeze date on the Important Dates and Deadlines page.
If you fail or withdraw from classes, it can negatively affect your Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) status. You must meet SAP rules to keep getting financial aid.
To keep getting financial aid, you must meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) by doing the following:
1. Keep a 2.0 GPA or higher (that’s about a C average).
2. Pass at least 67% of all the classes you’ve tried to take. Grades that count as passing are: A, B, C, D, CR, and P.
3. Finish your program within the Maximum Timeframe (MTF), which is 150% of the program length.
Visit the Satisfactory Academic Progress page for more details.
If you don’t meet any of the three SAP rules by the end of the Summer term, you will
be disqualified from getting financial aid for the upcoming fall and spring semesters.
If you’re in a short-term program, SAP is checked every semester to ensure you remain eligible for financial aid.
If you had a serious reason that stopped you from meeting the requirements, you can
ask for an appeal. Check out our SAP Appeal Process pagefor more information on appealing
your SAP status.
If you don’t appeal, you can still get your financial aid back later by meeting the
SAP rules by the next annual review.
To see when your financial aid will be paid, check the Award Payment Schedule in WebSTAR.
You can also visit our Financial Aid Payment page for more information.
The amount on your award letter is based on you taking 12 or more units (full-time). If you’re taking fewer units, your payment will be smaller. For example, if you’re only taking half-time, you’ll get half of the award amount.
Any fees you owe to IVC will be taken out before the rest is paid to you.
The Authorization Date on WebSTAR is when your financial aid is approved for payment. The money will be sent to you the following week. Check the payment schedule for the exact dates.