Florida students: apply for the Florida ABLE Grant today!

Columbia College Florida Campuses

July 9, 2013

If you are a Florida resident attending Columbia College full-time at one of our four Florida campuses or the Online Campus and working toward your first bachelor's degree, take note. It's time to apply for the Florida ABLE Grant.

ABLE Grant Available for Florida Students

The Access to Better Learning and Education (ABLE) Grant Program provides tuition assistance to Florida undergraduate students enrolled in a degree program. Please refer to the Florida State website, www.floridastudentfinancialaid.org, for the complete description, eligibility and renewal requirements for the grant.

How do I apply for the Florida ABLE Grant?
Students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) each academic year. The FAFSA is used to check residency and citizenship status, as well as to check possible defaults. The ABLE Grant is not need-based. To get funds for the fall semester (August and October) you must complete the FAFSA before the end of December of the current academic year.

When will I know if I am eligible to receive the ABLE Grant?
If you are eligible for the ABLE Grant, you should expect to receive an updated award letter by the third week of the session during the October and March Sessions. Columbia College reviews all Florida students who are pursuing their first bachelor’s degree at a Florida campus or through the Online Campus shortly after the add/drop date for the October Session and again in the March Session.

One of the requirements to receive the ABLE Grant is a student must be full-time. This means you must enroll in 12 credit hours in the 16-week timeframe between August-December and January-May (6 + 6; 3 + 9 in respective eight-week sessions). Since Columbia College has eight-week sessions, in order to meet the traditional 16-week semester requirements, a student must successfully complete August and October Session classes, or January and March Session classes to be eligible.

Successful completion means to finish the course with a grade other than “F” and not drop or withdraw from classes in order to have the class(es) count toward the required 12 credit hours. Columbia College will verify enrollment after the add/drop date of the second session of the fall or spring semester (October and March Sessions) and notify students of eligibility by an award letter.

Students can lose eligibility by not meeting the renewal requirements set by the State of Florida. These requirements include minimum GPA requirements and/or minimum annual renewal credit hours. Any individual questions regarding eligibility should be emailed to financialaid@ccis.edu.