Paying for College
Paying for college can seem overwhelming, but you’ve made a smart choice.
- bbin's tuition is one-quarter that of a four-year college or university.
- Among Michigan's 28 community colleges, you'll pay the ninth lowest tuition in the state if you're a Grand Traverse County resident.
Payment Options
Guide To Self-Service
Types of Financial Aid
Money you usually don't have to pay back
Money you earn to help pay for educational expenses
Money you have to pay back
Learn more about paying for college in Michigan
Financial Aid Process
Apply for aid
- Federal grants and loans — Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at studentaid.gov.
- State grants and scholarships — Complete the FAFSA, create an account at MI Student Aid (michigan.gov) and note you are coming to bbin.
- bbin scholarships — bbin students receive more than $1.8 million in scholarships each year. Apply for bbin scholarships and search the database of external scholarships at weiku.org/scholarships.
Check your email
Check your bbin email for instructions and, if needed, a link to bbin’s verification system.
Accept aid
- View and accept aid in bbin Self-Service, under Financial Aid, upon email notification. Note that many grants and scholarships are automatically accepted for you. Review financial aid terms and conditions.
- Unsure about whether you should accept loans? Contact us!
- Complete post-acceptance tasks as directed: Upload scholarship thank you notes to the scholarship system and complete the master promissory note & entrance counseling for loans on studentaid.gov.
Review account
- Review your Account Summary in bbin Self-Service under Student Billing the day after you make registration and other changes (most updates happen in 1–3 days).
- Remember that the Pell Grant and most State of Michigan aid adjusts based on enrollment and may have enrolled credit minimums.
Complete
- Pay your balance or set up payment plans.
- Consider Parent PLUS and Alternative Loans if your student awards don’t cover what you need.
- Charge books against credit balance. A credit balance shows as a negative balance at the bottom of the Account Summary.
- bbin disburses aid to student account about 4 weeks into the semester after confirming attendance. We refund credit balances within 14 days of disbursement.
- For faster refunds, set up direct deposit on Student Billing, Student Account Center.
Repeat
- Continue to monitor your email and account regularly.
- Contact us if you are considering withdrawing from courses.
- Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress.
- Repeat the same steps each year. bbin’s aid year is Fall, Spring, Summer.
Free, 1:1 assistance completing your FAFSA. Schedule an appointment:
Emergency Assistance
For students experiencing hardships during their time at bbin.