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Financial Aid Census Dates
UPCOMING FINANCIAL AID CENSUS DATES
Fall 2026—September 20, 2026
Spring 2027—February 7, 2027
Summer 2027—June 6, 2027
What is a Financial Aid Census Date?
The Financial Aid Census Date is the point at which a student’s enrollment status is “locked” for financial aid purposes, including both Federal and State Aid. This process runs at 6 am on the dates listed above. A student is strongly encouraged to register for all courses or make necessary adjustments for the semester prior to or during the drop/add period; however, you must have your schedule finalized prior to the Financial Aid Census Date and be actively attending to ensure your maximum eligibility for financial aid. For example, if a student registered full time at the beginning of the term and then dropped credits before the Financial Aid Census date, the student’s financial aid is then revised to match their eligibility based on the number of credits enrolled in as of the Financial Aid Census Date and types of aid that were awarded. Credits added after the Financial Aid Census Date including Fast Forward I, Flex Start, and Fast Forward II cannot be used to increase financial aid eligibility.
How Does the Census Date Effect Federal and State Grant Aid?
- To ensure receipt of maximum financial aid for which a student is eligible, as well as avoid having to pay back financial aid funds already posted to the student’s account, students are strongly encouraged to finalize their course schedule prior to the Financial Aid Census Date and actively attend class.
- If the student increases or decreases their credit load before the Census Date, their financial aid may be adjusted, as appropriate, for their enrollment level as of the Census Date. If the student’s financial aid is reduced and it creates a balance due on their student account, the student will be responsible for payment.
- If the student adds credits after the Census Date, the student’s Federal and State Grant aid will not be increased. Classes added after the Financial Aid Census Date will not be eligible to be counted for Federal and State Grant aid eligibility purposes. The student will be responsible for any additional charges not covered by his/her financial aid award as of the Financial Aid Census Date.
- The student’s financial aid may be affected if the student is taking courses that begin after the Financial Aid Census Sate. For example, if the student is enrolled in a class that starts after the Census Date, financial aid funds will not be disbursed until after the course has started and active attendance has been verified. If the student fails to begin attendance in all classes, the student’s financial aid will be reduced accordingly.
- If a student initially enrolls for the semester after the Financial Aid Census Date, the Census Date for that student will be the date of their initial enrollment. Therefore, students will want to maximize their aid eligibility by enrolling in all of the courses they are planning to take during the initial registration process.
How does the Census Date Effect Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Student Loans?
Beginning with the 2026-2027 award year, Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Student Loan eligibility is based on a student’s enrollment intensity. This means loan eligibility is tied to the number of credit hours a student is actively attending and participating in during the academic year.
Students must be actively participating in at least 6 financial-aid-eligible credit hours to receive Federal student loan funds. If a student drops below 6 active credit hours on or before the Financial Aid Census Date, they are not eligible to receive a Federal student loan for that semester.
For student loans, the Financial Aid Census Date is especially important because it helps determine the number of credit hours that may be used to calculate loan eligibility. Student loan funds are released after the Census Date so HGTC can confirm the student’s enrollment and active attendance before funds are disbursed.
Students receiving Direct Subsidized or Unsubsidized Loans should understand the following:
- Changes before the Census Date:
If a student increases or decreases their credit load before the Census Date, their loan eligibility may be adjusted based on the number of eligible credit hours they are enrolled in and actively attending as of the Census Date. - Adding a class after the Census Date:
If a student adds a class after the Census Date, their student loans will not increase for the current semester. For student loans only, those additional credit hours may generally be considered when determining eligibility for an upcoming semester within the same academic year. - Dropping or withdrawing after the Census Date:
If a student drops or withdraws from a class after the Census Date, the impact on the student’s loan depends on their Last Date of Attendance, also known as LDA. The Last Date of Attendance is the last date the student actively participated in the course. - If the Last Date of Attendance is before loan funds were released:
The student’s loan may be reduced, even if the change is reported after the Census Date. If the loan has already been paid to the student’s account, this may create a balance owed to the College. If the change places the student below 6 active credit hours, the student’s loan will be canceled. - If the Last Date of Attendance is after loan funds were released:
The student may be able to keep the loan funds already disbursed for the current semester; however, the student’s future loan disbursement for the academic year may be reduced to reflect the student’s actual enrollment intensity for the entire academic year.
Because schedule changes can affect current aid, future aid, student loan eligibility, and whether a balance is owed, students should speak with their instructor, academic advisor, and the Financial Aid Office before dropping or withdrawing from a class.