Blocks Away: Billing & Aid

All Academic Year Off-Campus Blocks (individual off-campus courses in Fall or Spring) have a program fee beyond the standard tuition, room, board and fees for a semester of on-campus blocks. 

What is included in the fee?  On-site costs like local housing, excursions, entry fees, guest speakers, local transportation, and (for international travel) both health and travel insurance. 

What is not included in the fee? Airfare is not included in the Block Away fee because students often fly to/from different locations, or extend their stay during a break so booking flights on your own is usually a better option. Many meal costs are also not included, but check out the info on meals for more on that.  

All Summer Off-Campus Blocks have a program fee beyond the standard tuition charge for a summer course. 

What is included in the fee?  On-site costs like local housing, excursions, entry fees, guest speakers, local transportation, all program meals, and (for international travel) both health and travel insurance. 

What is not included in the fee? Airfare is not included in the Block Away fee because students often fly to/from different locations, or extend their stay, so booking flights on your own is usually a better option. Many meal costs are also not included, but check out the info on meals for more on that. 

What about tuition for the summer course?  All summer courses, on and off campus, have a tuition charge.  However, whenever a CC student enrolls in their first summer CC course, that tuition charge is offset by a grant called the "Wildcard".  It is automatic, no need to apply for it, so your first summer course, including Blocks Away will not have the tuition charge, only the program fee. 

Meals on any block away can include some provided by your housing (often breakfast), others eaten together as a group, and some that you will buy or prepare on your own. Every program is different, but there are some consistencies across programs. 

Academic Year:  Students with a standard meal plan will have money from that plan direct deposited to their bank account 1-2 weeks before departure. These funds will cover most meals while away. Students living off-campus are expected to cover meal costs just as they do when taking courses on campus. Additionally, many programs will also deposit additional meal funds, used to supplement the meal plan refund or your own funds and provide added support. Ask your faculty leader about these. 

Summer: All summer programs are required to cover 100% of the meals for their time away from campus. Meal funds will be direct deposited in your bank account 1-2 weeks before departure. Those should be used to purchase meals or groceries. 

Direct Deposit?  It is important that all students have direct deposit set up with CC. This is the best way for you to receive meal funds before you leave.  Students who work on campus already have it.  If you do not, then you want to visit Student Financial Services and get your Direct Deposit set up as soon as you are confirmed for a program.  You will need to provide bank information, and we never use it to pull money out, only to provide you with the meal funds you will want to use when studying away. 

Simple answer: No. 

Students approved for a Block Away are asked to sign a Program Fee Agreement (PFA) as part of their confirmation process. The PFA is a binding agreement between the student and the college to follow the policies stated within the agreement. If a student withdraws from the Block Away by the Withdrawal Deadline, there is no charge, but a late withdrawal can produce a charge.  

All summer courses have a tuition charge in addition to the program fee. The Wild Card is like a coupon that says you don't pay the tuition for your first CC Summer Course. 

Do I have to apply for the Wild Card?

No, it will be applied automatically when you register for your first CC summer course, on campus or off. 

Can I get more than 1 Wild Card?

No, it is 1 per student, so if you apply to a 2-block summer program or 2 summer courses during your CC career, you will be billed for the 2nd block of tuition even if the Wild Card covers the first. This is particularly important to know about the 2-block CC Summer in Spain program. 

Can the Wild Card be used for Academic Year Blocks, Semester Away or a non-CC program?

No. The "coupon" is for CC summer tuition only. It cannot be transferred to any other course or college charge. 

For more information on the Wild Card, visit the Summer Financial Aid & Wild Card page. 

Students who receive need-based aid are eligible for up to 2 Block Away Aid Awards to assist with the expenses of an off-campus block. Block Away Aid Awards can be awarded for both Academic Year and Summer Blocks. 

Are there different award amounts? Yes, eligible students are awarded based on a financial aid level determined by Student Financial Services. These awards can range from an award covering 20% of the Estimated Total Cost (ETC) up to a possible 90%. Which award percentage you receive depends on the level defined by Student Financial Services. The awards do not align perfectly with aid provided for standard costs of study at CC and there are no awards which will cover 100% of anticipated costs, so students must anticipate some financial commitment towards program expenses. 

What is the ETC? The ETC combines the program fee and an estimated cost for round trip airfare to/from the program's off-campus site. In cases where travel to a particular destination requires other expenses, such as visa fees or mandatory vaccines required to enter a country. A typical award will be a percentage of both the college's fee and the anticipated airfare and other costs not paid to CC. 

Do I have to apply for a Block Away Aid Award? No. All students approved for a CC Block Away are automatically reviewed for an award, typically at the end of the application window for the program and then once per block for later applicants. 

AID DISTRIBUTION

Per federal requirements, Colorado College provides the aid award for all fall blocks at the start of Block 1 (late August), all awards for spring off-campus blocks at the start of Block 5 (late January), and all summer awards at the start of Block A (late May).

HOW AID IS PROVIDED

Block Away Aid awards appear as a credit on a student's CC account. If the aid award is less than the full program fee, then there will remain a portion of the program fee to be paid by the student, and the student is expected to cover all airfare costs. However, if the aid award is larger than the program fee charge, any award funds remaining after the program fee has been paid in full are provided to the student through direct deposit. 

We highly recommend that all students enrolled in an Off-Campus Block ensure that Direct Deposit is set up with the college to provide these additional aid funds and any program meal or transit allowance which students receive prior to departure. 

Additionally, if there is an outstanding balance against a student's account from the prior term, any aid beyond the program fee coverage will be applied to that balance, so a direct deposit may not be available as the funds were absorbed by the outstanding balance. 

AID AND AIRFARE FOR OFF-CAMPUS BLOCKS

The mandated timing of aid distribution means that the aid award may arrive after the recommended period to purchase airfare, particularly for students traveling during Blocks 1, 5, or in Block A in the summer.

In these cases, students should use any funding provided them for airfare to reimburse the purchase of the airfare. In some cases, if students work with the college's airfare booking agents, ScholarTrip, a system of up-front deposit and later payment may be possible.  Information on the Scholar Trip airfare system is available on the "Next Steps" PDF provided to students upon acceptance into any Off-Campus Block. 

Block Away Aid Awards receive funding from a variety of sources, however, it is a fixed pool of funds each year, meaning that we are required to review, rank and select students for awards and there is a possibility that some eligible students will be placed on an Aid Alternate List if there is insufficient funding to provide aid to all eligible students. The ranking & selection process follows the following structure: 

INITIAL REQUIREMENTS

• Program Eligibility: The student applicant has been approved to join an Off-Campus Block.
• Financial Eligibility:  Student Financial Service has determined that the student is eligible for need-based aid and has not already received the maximum of 2 Block Away Aid Awards. 

Students who are waitlisted for a roster spot on an Off-Campus Block are not eligible for review.  They become eligible upon redesignation (an accepted invitation to move off the Alternate List and join the course roster) and can be included in the once-per-block supplemental aid reviews at that time. 

RANKING OF ELIGIBLE STUDENTS

Because the Off-Campus Block Aid Pool is limited, CC cannot guarantee aid to all students for any particular program.  We try to accommodate as many students as possible, but it is not uncommon for students seeking a second award, or those in their first year at the college to be placed on an Aid Alternate list.  

While we do all we can to provide aid awards to as many eligible students as possible, it is not always possible with our fixed aid pool to accommodate all qualified applicants each year.  When this happens, eligible students are placed on an Alternate List for an aid award.  If you find yourself on this "waitlist", you should consider doing the following:

The Spain Summer Program is the only CC-sponsored summer program that is more than 1 unit of credit.  The Spain program is a 2-unit, 2-block program.  As such it will have a higher program fee and students will be billed for 2 units of summer tuition.  Students applying for this program should understand the following:

If a student is awarded a Block Away Aid Award for the Spain program, it will take into account only the program fee and anticipated airfare cost, not the additional tuition charge for the course. 

If a student has eligibility for 2 Block Away Awards (the maximum available to any student), they can use both for the Summer in Spain program. Doing so will allow their aid to be used towards a percentage of both the program fee charge as well as the 2nd block of tuition billed to the student.

 A block aid award cannot be used to reduce the cost of the first unit of tuition. This would be covered by the Wild Card if the student is eligible for the Wild Card.

PLEASE NOTE: Summer in Spain also has an earlier application window and withdrawal deadline due to its requirement for a group flight booking.

No, it cannot. When students withdraw from a Block Away, their aid is rescinded, allowing them to retain their eligibility should they apply for a Block Away later in their CC careers. However, this means that any charges produced by a late withdrawal cannot be covered by their aid award. The fees charged for that withdrawal must be paid by the student. 

For more information on Withdrawal Policy, please visit the Eligibility & Policies website.