CTC: Pell grant funds can be used for books, too.

Students receiving the Federal Pell Grant to pay for classes at Chattahoochee Technical College will now have the opportunity to use up to $300 of funds in the campus bookstore. This new policy goes into effect for Winter Quarter 2011.

"We’re getting a jump on a new federal policy to benefit our students," said Executive Director of Student Financial Services Jody Darby. "This new policy will allow students to purchase some of their needed books and supplies in the campus bookstores using Pell on the first day of the quarter, if eligible."

If a student’s tuition and fees are fully paid by either financial aid (HOPE, Pell, etc.) or by other sources, he or she may use up to $300 in Federal Pell Grant funds in the CTC bookstores. If a student has used Pell Grant in the bookstore and withdraws completely from the college or drops all classes for a quarter, he or she may be required to return those funds to CTC before being allowed to re-enroll or having records released.

The new policy will impact about half of Chattahoochee Technical College’s 13,000 students. According to Darby, almost 50 percent of students at the college received Pell Grant funds as a part of their financial aid package during Fall Quarter 2010. The college has paid out more than 7,500 such grants during summer and fall quarters.

The maximum Pell Grant award for the 2010-11 award year (July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2011) is $5,550. The amount a student receives depends not only on financial need, but also the costs to attend school, status as a full-time or part-time student and plans to attend school for a full academic year or less.

Should students have questions, Student Financial Services has staff on all of CTC’s campuses to assist.
Students may apply for Pell and all other aid available from CTC at www.fafsa.ed.gov (code 005620).

For more information on scholarships and other sources of aid, students can go to
http://www.gacollege411.org/, http://www.fastweb.com/, or http://www.ed.gov/.