In an effort to enable all qualified students to attend GCC, the College offers assistance to students with demonstrated financial need and participates in all major federal and state financial aid programs. GCC’s Financial Aid Office can help students with a combination of three general types of financial assistance:

• Grants and scholarships from federal, state, and institutional sources, which students do not repay
• Loans backed by federal, state, or private sources, which students must repay, usually at long-term, low-interest rates
• Federal work-study, which provides part-time jobs during the summer or the school year, either on or off-campus

The following descriptions provide a general picture of most financial aid funds available through the College but do not include all eligibility requirements. Contact the Financial Aid Office at (413) 775-1109 with questions about specific grants.

Federal Direct (Subsidized and Unsubsidized) Loans

The Federal Stafford Loan Program enables students with financial need to obtain low-interest, deferred-payment loans directly from the federal government. Borrowers begin repayment six months after they graduate, fall below six credits, or withdraw from the College. Loan eligibility requires a FAFSA be filed for the academic year, and loans will not be processed until a student’s financial aid file is complete. Entrance and exit interviews are required. Students requesting an increase to the Federal Direct Loan are expected to complete a financial literacy exercise and budget worksheet.

Federal Pell Grants

The Pell Grant Program provides assistance to students with exceptional need. Pell Grant amounts awarded depend upon the information provided by students and their family on the FAFSA. If you’re eligible for a Federal Pell Grant, you’ll receive the full amount you qualify for based on enrollment. Students must be enrolled for a minimum of 3 credit hours in an eligible program.

Limitations: You can receive a Pell Grant only up to 12 semesters or the equivalent. Equivalency is calculated by adding together the percentage of your Pell eligibility that you received each year to determine whether the total amount has been exceeded. Students lose all Pell grant eligibility once they’ve exceeded 12 semesters, or 6 years of full-time college study. Please refer to the GCC Student Financial Aid Handbook for more information.

Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant

The Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant is a federally-funded, campus-based program that provides grants for exceptionally needy students, based on the student’s cost of education, the number of credits a student is enrolled, and the funds available to the College.

Federal Work-Study Program

The Federal Work-Study Program offers part-time on-campus and off-campus jobs to students with demonstrated financial need. Work-study offers students an excellent opportunity to earn spending money while gaining work experience. Hours for work-study positions are flexible enough to fit with your academic schedule.

Federal work-study is a financial aid grant, it is not benefited employment. As such, students are paid only for the hours they have worked. There is no compensation for sick days, holidays, or snow days.  Students are allowed to make up hours they missed to due to sick days and snow days within the pay period or within the term period.  Students must be supervised at all times and are not allowed to work during regularly scheduled class times without evidence the class was cancelled.

The work-study award allows the student to apply for an approved and existing FWS position, it does not guarantee job placement.

Institutional Grants

The Greenfield Community College Foundation provides two scholarships: The Greenfield Community College Golf Scholarship (GCCS) and the Deerfield Plastics Scholarship (GDPS). The Foundation conducts a golf tournament in the spring as the primary fund-raiser for the GCCS. The Deerfield Plastics Scholarship has been generously funded by the Barker family as a way to thank the community where they conduct their business. GCC also awards GCC Institutional Scholarships (GCIS). All of these are contingent upon funding.

John and Abigail Adams Scholarship

The Adams Scholarship is based on a student’s performance on the grade 10 English Language Arts and Mathematics assessments of MCAS. It provides a tuition waiver for eight traditional semesters. Students must first apply for financial aid, using the FAFSA. Students who receive the Adams Scholarship must maintain a 3.0 cumulative grade point average.

Massachusetts Cash Grant Program

The Massachusetts Cash Grant Program provides funding to students who demonstrate financial need and have resided in Massachusetts for one year prior to the beginning of the academic year.

Massachusetts Early Childhood Educators Scholarship Program

This Massachusetts scholarship provides grants to students matriculated in an eligible program and who have been employed and continue employment in early childhood care. Awards are determined by the Massachusetts Office of Student Financial Assistance.

Massachusetts Grant Program (for Full-Time Study)

The Massachusetts Grant Program provides assistance to students who are studying on a full-time basis (12+ credits each semester), who have been legal residents of the state for one year, have completed the FAFSA by May 1, and who demonstrate financial need.

Massachusetts MASSGrant Plus Program

The Massachusetts MASSGrant Plus Program provides additional grant assistance to students who are enrolled for six or more credits, who have been legal residents of Massachusetts for at least one full year, who completed the FAFSA by November 1st, who are Pell recipients and who demonstrate financial need. Several other eligibility criteria are listed at mass.edu/osfa/programs/massgrant.asp.

Massachusetts Tuition Waiver Program

This Massachusetts program waives tuition for residents of Massachusetts who have resided in the state for one year prior to the opening of the academic year and who demonstrate financial need.

Paraprofessional Teacher Preparation Grant

This Massachusetts grant provides financial assistance to a Massachusetts resident who has worked and continues to work as a paraprofessional in a public school in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for a minimum of two years, or is employed as a paraprofessional and is pursuing a course of study that will lead to certification as a teacher in bilingual education, special education, math, science or foreign language. Students may be full- or part-time. Awards are determined by the Massachusetts Office of Student Financial Assistance.

Parents PLUS Loan Program

The Federal Parent Loan (PLUS) provides loans to parents to pay a student’s educational expenses. Students must be dependent and enrolled at least half-time and parents must have no adverse credit history.

Vermont Student Assistance

The Vermont Student Assistance Grant Program provides grants to students who are legal residents of Vermont and who demonstrate financial
need. Students must apply directly to the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation for consideration.

Veterans Benefits

Veterans of the United States armed services, or dependents of a deceased or disabled veteran, may be eligible for Federal veterans’ educational assistance benefits. Contact the Veterans Administration at (888) 442-4551 or go to va.gov to determine eligibility. For general information regarding the benefits certification process, contact GCC’s Certifying Official in the Military, at veterans@gcc.mass.edu or (413) 775-1885. In addition, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts provides tuition exemptions at public colleges and universities to veterans (with an honorable or general discharge) who have been residents for one year prior to the beginning of the academic year. Members of the Massachusetts National Guard may also be eligible for tuition assistance through the Welcome Home Bill. Those seeking to use a tuition waiver for any of these classifications must submit a completed Tuition Waiver form and provide documented proof of your status, such as a DD214, NOBE, or COBE Certificate to the GCC’s Certifying Official located in the Military, Veterans and Dependents Services Office.