Financial Aid

The U.S. administration is actively pursuing policies that could substantially reduce federal financial aid for higher education.

This includes proposed cuts to the Department of Education's budget and efforts to dismantle the department itself, which oversees programs our students utilize such as Pell Grants and federal student loans.

• CC currently receives over $7 million in Pell Grants, federal student loans, and work-study — which, if withdrawn, would significantly reduce our capacity to admit students with financial need.
• If CC is faced with replacing federal student loans and work-study with private funds, the impact on our operating budget and ability to maintain our high-impact practices would be considerable. Work-study in particular is not just financial support — it provides students with meaningful, career-relevant experience that helps build professional skills, campus connections, and confidence. Losing this program would mean losing one of the most formative high-impact opportunities our students have.
• Cuts to federal financial aid are likely to affect enrollment — particularly by increasing uncertainty for students with financial need, impacting international student interest, and intensifying competition with higher-visibility public and lower-cost institutions.

Research & Internship Funding

In addition to financial aid, proposed cuts to federal research grants and internship funding put important academic and professional opportunities for students and faculty at risk. Collaborative research and career-aligned learning experiences are central to CC’s academic mission and essential to preparing students for graduate study and future careers.

Faculty research — often conducted in partnership with students — not only enriches the classroom experience but also drives innovation in their fields and informs solutions to some of society’s most pressing challenges.

In fact, CC recently earned the “Research Colleges and Universities” designation from the Carnegie Foundation and American Council on Education, highlighting the depth and impact of our faculty and student research across many fields of study. Learn more about research at CC.