Bookstore Allowances: You must be registered in classes for the Fall 2026 semester.
- If you have a Financial Aid Award:
- If your award exceeds your tuition and fee charges, you will be issued an allowance automatically. The QCC Business Office will email your QCC student email account when it is available for use.
- If your award does not exceed your tuition and fee charges:
- Waive the Health Insurance Fee if it is charged and you have other insurance coverage. The charge will be removed the next business day.
- Check your awarded enrollment under “Financial Aid Awards” on The Q. If you are registered for a different number of credits, the Financial Aid Office will automatically revise your award. Any resulting allowance will typically be issued within 3-4 business days.
- If neither of the above are true -OR- if you are requesting an allowance for a laptop/computer, complete the QCC Bookstore Allowance Request Form.
- If you have not received a Financial Aid Award:
- Check that your file is complete by clicking on “View Financial Aid Document Tracking” on The Q.
- If you have submitted all outstanding information, complete the QCC Bookstore Allowance Request Form.
The Financial Aid Office is reviewing Bookstore Allowance Request forms as quickly as possible, but the process may take 5-7 days.
Important Fall 2026 Award Information: Please check your QCC student email regularly for updates, as well as The Q.
- Federal Student Loans will not appear on initial award offer letters. There are substantial changes to federal student loan eligibility effective starting with the Fall 2026 semester. Guidelines for these changes were only recently published and some questions are still being clarified by the US Department of Education, so systems to determine eligibility are still being built. These funds may take several weeks to award.
- The Free Community College Grant program replaces the MassEducate and MassReconnect grant programs effective Fall 2026. The MA Board of Higher Education (BHE) will publish the official guidelines to their website soon. Eligible students will continue to have their tuition and fees covered. Allowance funds will only be available to students with a FAFSA SAI at or below 20,000.
- MASSGrant has been awarded using an estimated payment schedule. The MA BHE is finalizing their budgets and guidelines and has not yet published the official amounts. If changes are made, you will be notified.
Summer 2026 refund checks will be available starting in mid-July and will be generated weekly thereafter. Fall 2025 and Spring 2026 refund checks are mailed weekly. Funds will be disbursed to student accounts as they are received from the federal and state governments and eligibility is confirmed. Some funds may not disburse until later in the semester. Refund checks are created when the funds disbursed to the student's account exceed the tuition and fees charged.
Have you heard about Free Community College? Eligible MA residents can apply for financial aid and receive grant funding to cover their tuition and required fees. Many students will also qualify for an allowance for books and supplies! The first step is to submit your FAFSA!
Was your eligibility for financial aid suspended due to the Satisfactory Academic Progress policy? The Financial Aid Office has implemented a new online SAP Appeal Form for students who had extenuating circumstances. You must log into The Q to access the form.
Free FAFSA appointments are available at the QCC Financial Aid Help Center, if you need assistance. To make an in-person appointment with the QCC Financial Aid Help Center, sign in to EZQ.
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