- U.S. national (includes natives of American Samoa or Swains Island) or
- U.S. permanent resident with a Form I-551 or I-151 (Permanent Resident Card, Resident Alien Card, or Alien Registration Receipt Card), also known as a “green card.”
- Certain Arrival-Departure Record (I-94) holders
- Citizen of the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, or the Republic of Palau
- “Battered immigrant-qualified alien” who is a victim of abuse by your citizen or permanent resident spouse, or you are the child of a person designated as such under the Violence Against Women Act.*
For more detailed information, please visit the Department of Education’s FAFSA Eligibility website.
- Virginians who have certain nonimmigrant visas, are undocumented, have Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status or are otherwise ineligible to file a FAFSA.
For more detailed information, please visit the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia’s VASA.
Please note that the VASA application only provides access to state financial aid and possibly institutional aid.
- Grants – Based on financial need; do not have to be paid back unless students officially or unofficially withdraw from all classes
- Scholarships – Based on financial need, academic performance, leadership qualities, community involvement, or a combination. View ESCC Foundation Scholarships and Community Scholarships.
- Work-Study – Hourly-wage rate employment generally on campus
Check Federal Student Aid for more information on types of financial aid.
Students should apply for federal and state financial aid by submitting an online Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by the following priority deadlines:
- Fall – June 1
- Spring – October 1
- Summer – May 1
Financial aid files completed by May 1st receive priority consideration for all available financial aid funds. Please Note: Applications will be accepted after the above dates, but you should have other payment options in place in case your application is not processed.
The Title IV code for ESCC is 003748. Also, students should apply for local ESCC Scholarships by completing a Fillable ESCCF Scholarship Application 2023-2024 [Fillable PDF] or Regular ESCCF Scholarship Application 2023-2024 [Regular PDF].
For assistance with the 2022-23 FAFSA or questions related to financial aid, please email the Financial Aid Coordinator at Financial_Aid@es.vccs.edu.
You may also contact the Student Services Help Desk at 757-789-1720.
If and when you wish to submit your FAFSA application, please go to studentaid.gov for additional information.
Financial need is the difference between a student’s educational costs and the amount of money the family is expected to contribute toward those costs.
(COA) Cost of Attendance – (EFC) Estimated Family Contribution = Financial Need
Absolutely. Some programs allow students to receive financial aid for less than half-time (1 to 5 credits); others require at least full-time (12 or more credits) or half-time (6 to 8 credits) enrollment.
Most financial aid programs require students to maintain an acceptable grade point average as well as other standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). SAP is evaluated at the time an application is received and at the end of each semester.
We strongly recommend meeting with your Academic Advisor prior to the beginning of each semester for which you enroll. Careful class selection coupled with tutoring may help assure you maintain eligibility. However, if you are not successful in meeting the standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) you may appeal. Removal from financial aid does not prevent students from enrolling without financial aid if they are otherwise eligible to continue their enrollment.
Students should fill out the FAFSA on the Web by the following priority deadlines:
- Fall – June 1
- Spring – October 1
- Summer – May 1
Financial aid files completed by May 1st receive priority consideration for all available financial aid funds. Please Note: Applications will be accepted after the above dates, but you should have other payment options in place in case your application is not processed.
ESCC Foundation Scholarship Application has a May (for Fall semester) or December (for Spring semester) deadline each year.
- Fillable ESCCF Scholarship Application 2024-2025 [Fillable PDF]
- Regular ESCCF Scholarship Application 2024-2025 [Regular PDF].
New applications for all financial aid must be filed each year!
Aid recipients are allowed to charge tuition, fees, books, and educational supplies to their financial aid accounts. If the amount of assistance is greater than the charges, a check will be mailed for the balance of their funds approximately 40 days after the “last day to withdraw with a refund” date
For assistance with the 2024 -2025 FAFSA or questions related to financial aid, please contact Student Services at 757-789-1720.
Charging Textbooks at Eastern Shore Community College
Students who wish to use their financial aid to purchase books and supplies from the ESCC Online Bookstore are required to complete and sign a Bookstore Charge Authorization each academic year. The Authorization is an online form in your To Do List on the Student Center page within your MYESCC SIS account. You will receive an email when the Authorization is ready and available in your student account to complete. Once this Authorization is on file with the Financial Aid Office, you may charge your purchases to your financial aid account during specific dates.
Once you complete your Bookstore Charge Authorization Form, you may charge your purchases to your financial aid account on these dates:
- Fall 2020: August 17th – September 9th (online);
- Spring 2021: January 8th – January 27th (online);
- Summer 2021: TBA (online);
There may be times when charging against financial aid is opened earlier than the dates posted above, if that is the case, an email will be sent to all currently enrolled students at their campus email account.
There will be no book charges after these dates.
ESCC Bookstore Policy
The student must sign the Bookstore Charge Authorization Form for each year the student plans to use his/her financial aid to make educationally related purchases at the bookstore. The Bookstore Charge Form gives permission to Eastern Shore Community College and the Follett On-line Bookstore to access the student’s financial aid information for the purpose of charging books and educational supplies using financial aid while the student is enrolled. Additionally, students must understand the following information when purchasing at the bookstore:
- Signing the Bookstore Charge Authorization Form is voluntary, and is not needed if the student chooses to make purchases from a vendor other than the on-line bookstore.
- You were awarded financial aid to help cover the costs of educationally related expenses during your attendance at Eastern Shore Community College. These funds should only be used to purchase books and educational supplies that are required for the classes in which you are enrolled. These funds should NOT be used to purchase multiple copies of the same textbook during a single semester. Your financial aid funds are intended for purchases made by you, for you, and should never be used to purchase textbooks or supplies for other students, staff, or faculty members.
Students may use excess financial aid in the ESCC Online Bookstore to purchase only required books and educational supplies for registered courses. Items not approved for purchase with financial aid include but are not limited to apparel, food, cell phones, gift items, and gift/prepaid cards.
What You Need To Know About Your Financial Aid Package
Please review all the information on the page above and bookmark it for future reference. Click the hyperlinks throughout the page to learn more about a specific item. Please contact the Financial Aid Office if you have any questions.