Financial Aid comes in three forms, and students may receive any or all these forms of aid:

• Grants, which do not have to be repaid
• Loans, which must be repaid
• Work Study, part-time jobs from which a student earns an hourly wage
  

  LOAN REPAYMENT

  Visit StudentAid.gov – Loan Repayment  for information on loan repayment.

Start the financial aid process by creating an FSA ID. 

Log into FAFSA using your FSA ID and complete your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Great Bay Community College School Code: 002583 

The 2025-2026 FAFSA is the application for Summer 2025, Fall 2025, and Spring 2026.

www.ChooseCommunity/Promise

If you can answer any of the following questions with a YES, then you are considered an independent student. Independent students are not required to provide parental information.

• Were you born before January 1, 2001?
• Are you married?
• Are you serving, or have you served, in the U.S. armed forces?
• Do you have dependents that you support?
• At any time since you turned age 13, were both your parents deceased, were you in foster care, or were you a dependent or ward of the court?
• Has it been determined by a court in your state of legal residence that you are an emancipated minor or that someone other than your parent or stepparent has legal guardianship of you? (You also should answer “Yes” if you are now an adult but were in legal guardianship or were an emancipated minor immediately before you reached the age of being an adult in your state. Answer “No” if the court papers say “custody” rather than “guardianship.”)
• At any time on or after July 1, 2023, were you determined to be an unaccompanied youth who was homeless or were self-supporting and at risk of being homeless, as determined by (a) your high school or district homeless liaison, (b) the director of an emergency shelter or transitional housing program funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, or (c) the director of a runaway or homeless youth basic center or transitional living program?
• Other unusual circumstances – Dependency Override

A new FAFSA must be filed each year. 

The FAFSA will be sent to Great Bay Community College electronically. The financial aid office will contact you with the next step in the process.

Some students are randomly selected for verification. This requires you to complete a verification worksheet as well as supplying any additional documentation requested by the college.

Review the status of all requirements on the ‘Financial Aid Status’ page of the Student Information System (SIS).  Log into SIS at https://sis.ccsnh.edu, select ‘Financial Aid,’ then ‘Financial Aid Status’.

Read your aid offer carefully and review Sources of Aid  for more information about the types of aid offered.

Call us if you have questions about your eligibility.

Accept or decline your financial aid and finalize your aid package online: Guide to Accepting Aid Online (PDF) and Student Information System

Contact the Financial Aid Office for personalized assistance.

Try to borrow only what you need to cover tuition, fees, books, and supplies.

Consider a Federal Work Study job instead of borrowing

Complete loan requirements:

First time borrowers at Great Bay are required to visit studentaid.gov to complete both the Entrance Counseling and Loan Agreement (MPN).

Has your financial situation changed? Click here for more information.

Log into SIS and complete the financial aid acceptance process (Guide to Accepting Aid Online PDF) and answer yes to the first question on the Resources/Additional Information tab.

When the book advance becomes available (check Registration Policies and Deadlines sheet at Registration Documents & Forms for dates) you should have the option to use financial aid to pay for your books at the Great Bay Bookstore. Note that for summer semester you will also need to contact GBFinAid@ccsnh.edu before you will be able to use financial aid to purchase your books.

For help using the financial aid option on the Great Bay Bookstore Website, please contact the Great Bay Bookstore at greatbay@bkstr.com. For other assistance, please contact our financial aid office at GBFinAid@ccsnh.edu.

If you accept an amount that exceeds your semester charges, you may be eligible to receive a financial aid refund.

Refunds are issued 2 weeks after the funds are posted to your account. See the Registration Policies and Deadlines to find when disbursements for your class are scheduled to begin.

You can view the actual disbursement date using the Student Information System.

You can also use the Student Information System to change your refund method following these Electronic Refund Instructions. If you do not choose a method, the refund will be mailed to you as a check.

Types of Federal Student Aid

FAFSA Overview

How to create an FSA ID

How to fill out the FAFSA

After the FAFSA – What happens next

Responsible Borrowing