Financial aid awards are based on the college’s estimation of “cost of attendance,” which has individual categories, but is awarded to students in one lump sum. There are no requirements to spend an award based on the estimation in a particular category.

If the college was completely zero textbook costs (ZTC), this “cost of attendance” would likely change, and it could affect the amount of aid that any given student was eligible to receive.

Students must wait until the semester begins to receive their financial aid. If students have any outstanding documents or need to submit appeals for any reason, their award could be delayed until mid-semester or even later. CRC also has many students who don't qualify for financial aid and some who never apply.

Becoming a ZTC campus means that every student in every class has access to the required learning materials on the first day of the semester (and even earlier if the instructor makes it available through the class schedule). It also means students who rely on financial aid to purchase their textbooks and learning material can use those funds to pay for other educational related costs.

ZTC classes and degrees and open educational resources lead to positive outcomes for students. The college will work closely with the financial aid office to limit any negative impacts on financial aid eligibility that the ZTC goal may cause.