Financial Aid for Clock Hour Programs

New students – if you are a new student interested in attending GateWay Community College, the application process is straightforward. You can follow these Clock hour enrollment steps to start your educational journey!

Create FSA ID

The FSA ID is used to apply for federal student aid online and access your FSA record online. It also serves as your electronic signature. If you are a dependent student, your parents (also known as contributors) will need one as well. You may already have created one, if so you can proceed to the next step.

Complete the FAFSA

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is a crucial step in your financial aid application. It's the application used to determine a student’s eligibility for federal student aid programs. Remember, the FAFSA must be completed each year to be considered for financial aid.

Federal School Code for the FAFSA = E00701 - GateWay Skill Center (clock program)

Payment Options

  • Your Social Security Number
  • FSA ID
  • GateWay Skill Center (clock program) school code: E00701
  • Driver's license number (if you have one)
  • Alien Registration number (if you're not a U.S. citizen)
  • Form 1040 of your tax return for the most recent 2 years
  • Records of child support received
  • Current balances of cash, savings, and checking accounts
  • Net worth of investments, businesses, and far,
    • If You Are Married, you will also need to include the following
      • Spouse's federal tax return (if you and your spouse did not file Married filing joint)

Information for Dependent Students

If You're a Dependent Student, provide your Contributors* information, including:

  • Social Security numbers**
  • Alien Registration Numbers (if applicable)
  • Federal Income Tax Returns
  • Records of child support received
  • Current balances of cash, savings, and checking accounts
  • Net worth of investments, businesses, and farm

*Contributor—anyone (you, your spouse, a biological or adoptive parent, or your parent's spouse) who must provide information on the FAFSA form—needs a StudentAid.gov account before accessing and completing their online form section. Contributors can access their StudentAid.gov account using their FSA ID (account username and password).

**Contributors without an SSN can create a StudentAid.gov account to fill out their portion of your 2024–25 FAFSA form online.

Understanding Clock Hour Programs

Please complete your financial aid in advance since you must secure your seat in a clock hour program 30 days before your program start date.

To secure your place in a clock hour program, your financial aid and any scholarships would need to fully cover your program.

Program Name Number of Clock Hours
Aesthetician 600
Hairt Stylist 1000
Cosmetologist 1500
CNC Machining 798
Collision Repair Technician 624
HVAC Residential Technician 660
Massage Therapy 700
Medical Assisting 830
Medical Billing and Coding 804
Nail Technician 600
Pharmacy Technician 602
Welding: Fundamentals 720
Welding: Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW) Pipe or Plate & Pipe 720

  • The amount of federal financial aid you can receive is determined by the Student Aid Index (SAI) from your FAFSA. You will receive a welcome email from the Financial Aid Office with instructions on how to view your financial aid award in your Student Center account.
  • To receive federal student loans in clock hour programs you must attend at least half-time, defined as 12 clock hours per week.
  • Attendance is monitored and recorded by course instructors and is monitored by Financial Aid on a weekly basis.
  • Financial aid for clock hour programs is disbursed based on the hours in the program. The initial disbursement will happen once the student has completed 30 days and 100 hours, and the Financial Aid office confirms that the student has begun attendance in the program.
  • Subsequent disbursements to the student will happen once the student has completed the required number of hours and weeks in their first payment period and have successfully passed their classes. The Financial Aid Office cannot release subsequent disbursements until attendance records verifying the time and dates have been completed.
  • It is important for you to attend class regularly to remain in your program. If you officially withdraw from your clock hour program or stop regularly attending class (Unofficial Withdraw), you may be required to repay some of your financial aid. Repayment amounts are calculated based on how many clock hours you earned before you withdraw. If you are having difficulty earning your clock hours, speak with your instructor as soon as possible.

Financial Aid and FAFSA FAQs

You will need to make a correction to your FAFSA, remove the GateWay Community College federal school code: 008303, and add the federal school code: E00701- GateWay Skill Center (clock program).

Students can only receive federal financial aid for one program, clock or credit. If you plan to attend both a clock and a credit hour program, please contact the Financial Aid Office regarding the program for which you would like to be awarded.

An aid year is July 1 - June 30 of any year, and if your subsequent disbursement for your clock program passes July 1, you must complete a new aid year FAFSA.