College life can be difficult especially when there is not enough money to pay for classes, books, or other school supplies. Many college students may feel discouraged to further their education because of the expenses that come with an education.

For this purpose it is strongly suggested that if you are one of those students struggling to pay for college, to stop by the Financial Aid office located at SS130 for more information and speak with an advisor. Corinna Jamarillo explained the benefits of financial aid and how it helps college students with their expenses.

Jamarillo explained that the California web grants are another great source for student aid. These grants are found online at csac.ca.gov. and provide many different types of grants and scholarships. She then explained that the deadline for financial aid is on March 2 and the list of documentation required is online at www.fafsa.ed.gov.

Financial aid is very easy to apply for. First visit www.fafsa.ed.gov to begin the application. After completing the application wait about 7 to 10 working days. If chosen you will be notified via email and if any documents are needed to continue process you will be informed.

It is important to check your AccessRIO portal for required documents or status. If eligible the BOGW will be shown within 24-48 hours after the FAFSA application has been submitted. From there, the financial aid office will ask for required documents that must be submitted.

Always check the status on the accessory portal. After submitting all important documents to the financial aid office, the wait continues as it will take 8-12 weeks for the documents to be reviewed for eligibility.

Once filing is completed and you have been deemed eligible for financial aid, you will receive an award notification. After receiving an award notification you will need to log into your accessrio portal which you can access by going to riohondo.edu, and from there, the student must read and accept the terms and conditions to view and accept the awards.

If you do not accept the terms and conditions you will not be granted the awards. It is important to always log into accessrio for information regarding financial aid and many other available resources. Disbursements are electronically issued through myRHCcard through Higher One.

Be sure that your permanent address is the same address that Admissions and Records have on file in order to receive a RHC card. When you receive your card by mail, make sure to activate it online and select the preference on how you want your currency disbursed.

The disbursement could be made through the RHC card or another account. Visit www.myrhccard.com for disbursements and also for your account summary. Lastly, when your disbursements are ready you will receive an email detailing your award.

It is important to always check emails for any information regarding financial aid disbursements or just in general.

Please make sure that you stop by the financial aid office as soon as possible. As a college student, this program has been very beneficial. Many students state that they would not know what they would do without it.