Award Information | GCTC

Affording College

Award Information

Please take a few moments to thoroughly review this information regarding your Financial Aid at Gateway. If you have decided not to attend Gateway but will be attending another school, please send us an email that includes your name, student ID#, date and signature stating that decision. That will allow us to cancel your offered aid so that it will not interfere with the other school processing your aid.

If you drop a class before that session begins, your financial aid will be adjusted accordingly. Dropping below half-time may result in cancellation of some aid awards. It is strongly recommended that if you drop classes with the intention to add others, that you drop and add classes at the same time. If you have been awarded the Pell Grant, it cannot be increased if you add a class after the Financial Aid census date. You will be responsible for repaying any funds you are not eligible to receive as a result of a change in enrolled hours or in your financial aid data, including not beginning a late-start course.

Our office will be using your campus email to communicate with you. Please frequently check your KCTCS email account for important notices. Please be advised that any paper mail communication will be sent to your address on file in our PeopleSoft processing system. Review your address information to make sure it is accurate.

  • Awards are initially based on full-time (12 or more credit hours)
  • Awards will be prorated based on your enrollment after the first week of classes for students less than full-time
    You must be in a minimum of 6 credit hours to receive CAP funds.

If you believe you have KEES eligibility, but KEES is not listed on your award screen, please contact the Gateway Financial Aid Office. To check KEES eligibility, you may visit the KHEAA website. KEES requires that students be in a minimum of 6 credit hours. Students enrolled in less than 12 credit hours will have their award prorated between 6-11 credit hours.

The scholarship supports the Commonwealth’s commitment to programs that positively affect Kentucky’s workforce by ensuring that all Kentuckians who have not yet earned an associate’s degree or higher have affordable access to an industry recognized degree, diploma or certificate. Gateway Community & Technical College offers over 100 degree, diploma and certificate programs in the approved areas of Health Care, Advanced Manufacturing, Transportation and Logistics, Business and IT, and Construction.

The Work Ready Scholarship is first-come, first served until the budgeted funds are expended. APPLY EARLY!

Work Ready Scholarship Application

To be eligible, a student must:

Be a US citizen or permanent resident; be a Kentucky resident; be a high school or GED graduate; have not earned an associate’s or higher degree; be enrolled at an eligible institution in an approved certificate program of study; not be in default on any obligation to KHEAA or the U.S. Department of Education (unless approved by the Fresh Start Initiative for defaulted loans).

Applying for the Work Ready Kentucky Scholarship is a two-part process.

  1. Complete the Work Ready Scholarship application on the KHEAA website, and
  2. Complete the FAFSA at https://studentaid.gov/.  Gateway's school code is 013753.

Additional Details Regarding Initial and Renewal Eligibility

  • The scholarship amount is last dollar and covers any remaining tuition after federal/state grants and scholarships are applied. A student must also be in an approved Work Ready degree, diploma or certificate as listed on the Work Ready Portion of KHEAA's website.  Check out the programs listed for Gateway.
  • Students must reapply each year.  The application is available on May 1 for the following academic year. 
  • The scholarship is potentially renewable until student has received 60 hours of funding or they earn their first associate's degree, whichever comes first.
  • Recipients must be meeting the Standards of Academic Progress (SAP) after their first semester of receiving the scholarship.
  • KHEAA determines initial eligibility for the scholarship. More information and the scholarship application may be found on the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority (KHEAA) website. 
  • The Federal Work-Study program provides funds to students with a financial need; funds are earned through part-time employment. Under the FWS program, you can earn money for your education by working part-time, on-campus, while you are enrolled in school at least half-time (6 hours) and have unmet need. You will also need to make sure you have a valid FAFSA on file for Award Year.
  • Your total FWS award depends on:
    • When you apply
    • Your level of financial need
    • Your school's funding level
    • A supervisor's willingness to hire you
    • Your amount of student loans accepted

There are two types of loans. Subsidized and Unsubsidized. For Subsidized loans, the government pays the interest while you are in school. For the Unsubsidized, interest begins upon disbursement.

You may view your financial aid awards on-line by logging into Student Self-Service.

Enter your User ID and Password. Your User ID and Password are the same as your email username. Ex: (JSMITH0005)

From your Student Center, under the heading Finances, click on View Financial Aid

  • Under Aid Year Description, you will choose a year:
    • 2024 for Fall 2023, Spring 2024 and Summer 2024
    • 2025 for Fall 2024, Spring 2025 and Summer 2025
  • Grants such as the Pell Grant, CAP Grant, and the Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant (SEOG) are automatically accepted.
  • For Direct Loans, you must click Loan Request in your Student Self-Service to request any student loans. The link is under the financial aid tile.
  • For internal scholarships, you must accept the offer by following the instructions provided in the correspondence sent to inform you that you have been offered the scholarship.

In order for you to be able to get your books and supplies on credit using your estimated financial aid, you must complete a Financial Aid Bookstore (FAB) Release form. This is available on the Financial Aid tile in your page. Under Finances, you need to click on Bookstore Release (FAB), If you wish to charge your books using your financial aid, you will need to consent to the terms on the FAB. This form allows us to release information to Barnes and Noble indicating you have enough anticipated financial aid to cover your books after your tuition has been paid. This form takes overnight to process. You only need to complete it once while at Gateway.

You may charge books beginning 10 days before your first class begins if your financial aid is complete and there is a credit showing. If you are in a standard 15-week term, you should take your schedule and student ID directly to the bookstore to charge your books or go online.

However, if you are in a course which starts later than our standard 15-week semester, you must contact the financial aid office directly to be able to charge your books. If you qualify, we will inform the campus bookstore of your right to charge against your anticipated financial aid.

Disbursement is when your financial aid payments are credited to your PeopleSoft account. This happens approximately 5 to 6 weeks from the start of your FIRST class. The disbursement date represents the earliest date funds can be applied to your account in Student Billing. The Financial Aid Office cannot guarantee the arrival date or disbursement date of funds.

Refunds occur when there is a credit balance that exists after tuition, fees and any bookstore charges have been paid to your PeopleSoft account. Refunds are delivered with BankMobile Disbursements, a technology solution, powered by BMTX, Inc.

Refunds are processed once a week on the Wednesday after disbursement. This is not the date you will have access to fund. The refund method you selected with BankMobile will determine how long after the refund is processed that you will receive the funds. If you have questions about your refund, you should contact the Business Office at 1-855-3GO-GCTC (1-855-346-4282) or visit BankMobile Refund Choices.

Multiple Start Dates

Financial Aid will be based on the number of program applicable credit hours the student is enrolled in on census date.  Financial Aid may be reduced and/or canceled if the student fails to take all of the classes for which they enroll. You will be responsible for repaying any funds you are not eligible to receive as a result of a change with enrolled hours or in your financial aid data.

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

In order to continue eligibility for Federal and State aid, you are expected to make Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) toward graduation. Federal and State Financial Aid funds will not be disbursed until you have successfully been evaluated for SAP. SAP is calculated at the end of each semester (December, May and July) - failure to meet SAP will result in your aid being canceled for the next term of enrollment. Additional information regarding SAP is available at the Financial Aid Office or can be found here.

R2T4

A student who totally withdraws, ceases to attend classes or receives all failing grades (E, F, W, or Z) will be subject to the Return to Title IV policy. Federal Aid will be returned based on last date of attendance. A student whose attendance is documented by the instructor past the 60% mark of the semester will not be subject to the Return to Title IV Policy.

A modular course is any course which is shorter than the regular 15-week semester. If you complete a modular course within a semester, then don't return and/or don't complete your next module and/or if you don't complete any or all coursework within any of your modules, you will be subject to the R2T4 policy.

For questions, you may call us at 1-855-3GO-GCTC (1-855-346-4282)