How to Become a Promise Student
Steps for High School or Adult School Students
The expanded two-year Hancock Promise (HP2) offers free tuition and required fees for local students who graduate high school within the Allan Hancock Joint Community College District (AHJCCD) and immediately enroll at AHC in the summer or following academic year (fall/spring). This also includes home-schooled students and GED/HiSET graduates from local adult education programs within the district.
To secure your Hancock Promise award, complete the required steps by the end of May for summer enrollment or by the end of July for fall enrollment.
Hancock Promise Awarding:
Awards will be posted only once all of the requirements for establishing eligibility for the Hancock Promise are met. Establishing eligibility requirements can be found under the High School Senior and Adult School Student tab on the Hancock Promise home page.
Summer Tuition and Fees- Hancock Promise awards will begin posting 1-2 weeks after summer classes have started
Fall Tuition and Fees- Hancock Promise awards will begin posting 4 weeks after fall classes have started*
Winter/Spring Tuition and Fees- Hancock Promise awards will begin posting 4 weeks after spring classes have started*
*Any students enrolled in late-start classes (Term 2 and Term 4) to meet the 12 units minimum requirement, can anticipate awarding to begin 2 weeks after the final courses have started.
YOU WILL NEED THE FOLLOWING TO APPLY:
Your high school transcript with an accurate GPA
A chosen major (what degree or certificate do you want to work toward?)
A personal email address (please do NOT use your school email account since you will eventually lose access to this account). You receive an AHC student email account after registering for classes.
Your Social Security Number (SSN) if you have one (more information below)
In an effort to ensure that your academic, financial aid, and student account records match, your Social Security Number (SSN) is required if you have one. If you do NOT have a SSN, please leave this field blank.
Complete the application for Admissions. If you need assistance in completing your application for admission, please contact Admissions & Records at 805-922-6966 ext. 3248.
Video: Applying to Allan Hancock College
After you have applied above, you will receive a welcome email to your personal email address that will help you get started with using your myHancock portal. If you do not receive an email within 24 hours of submitting your application, please search your email for "AHC Admissions." Often, the email might go into your junk, spam, or promotions folder.
The email will give you your student ID number (H#) and your username. Be sure to keep it in a safe place. This number will be used throughout your time at Hancock.
COMPLETE THE FAFSA OR DREAM ACT APPLICATION (December – August)
Find more information on completing the FAFSA or the CA Dream Act
To complete these applications, follow these steps:
Cash for College in-person workshops to help you complete your FAFSA or Dream Act
After applying for financial aid, log onto your myHancock portal to check your financial aid status for outstanding documentation requirements, disbursement dates, Satisfactory Academic Progress, and other important information about your financial aid file.
Questions about financial aid? Please call the Financial Aid Office at 805-922-6966 ext. 3200.
If you need one-on-one assistance completing the FAFSA or CDAA attend a Cash for College workshop.
STEP A. COMPLETE YOUR FINANCIAL AID FILE
Priority registration for summer and fall opens April 30, 2026, at 9 a.m. for Promise students who have completed Promise steps 1-4. Classes fill quickly, so register early!
Complete Your:
Students beginning their studies at Allan Hancock College in the summer should complete their file by April 2026. Students beginning in the fall should complete their file by June 2026. The financial aid file can be completed any time throughout the year, but funding may be delayed significantly the longer students wait to submit the requested information. Follow the steps below as soon as possible so eligibility can be determined.
- Go to hancockcollege.edu and log in to the myHancock portal
- Scroll down to “My Financial Aid” and click “View My Financial Aid.”
- Choose the Award Year: “Summer 2026 to Spring 2027”. If unsatisfied requirements/documents exist, they will be listed here.
- If there is a Financial Aid Task, an account will need to be created before continuing.
- Double-click each of the required items and complete each task/requirement listed. Documents may need to be printed, scanned, uploaded, and submitted through the portal and/or emailed to finaid@hancockcollege.edu.
STEP B. REVIEW YOUR FINANCIAL AID AWARD(S):
- Go to hancockcollege.edu and log in to the myHancock portal
- Scroll to the financial aid button and click on “My Financial Aid”.
- Choose the Award Year: “Summer 2026 to Spring 2027”. If unsatisfied requirements/documents exist, they will be listed here.
- Click on the “Award Offer”.
Note: There are certain federal eligibility requirements for financial aid. Students must maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress during their college journey in order to continue receiving financial aid.
All students are required to complete Orientation. Orientation will provide you with important information concerning student support services, certificate/degree programs, and other "Need to Know" information. New student orientation is available online in the myHancock portal and MUST be completed even if the semester is underway. To find the orientation module, please log in to the myHancock portal and search for the word orientation.
Students can choose to follow path 4a OR 4b:
4a- Seniors attending Promise Registration Rally:
High school seniors interested in attending the Promise Registration Rally must complete
Hancock Promise Steps 1-3 by Thursday, April 30, 2026. Once the Promise steps have
been completed, your file will automatically reflect the completed steps, and you
are eligible to attend the Promise Registration Rally at participating high schools.
Please check with your high school counselor for Promise Registration Rally details.
4b- Seniors completing registration on their own:
Students unable to attend the Promise Registration Rally will need to complete the
following steps to register for courses:
- Complete a first-semester plan with an AHC counselor before fall 2026 registration begins on April 30, 2026. 805-922-6966 ext. 3293.
- Go to hancockcollege.edu and log in to your myHancock portal.
- Scroll down to “Register Add/Drop Classes”
- When you register, have your first semester education plan (ASEP) available. If you need a copy, you can obtain one by logging into the myHancock portal and clicking on “DegreeWorks”.
- You MUST register for a minimum of 12 units for the fall 2026 AND spring 2027 semesters. There is NO minimum unit requirement if you attend summer/ winter.
- You MUST register and complete one English and one math class during the summer, fall, or spring semester, if required by your program of study (major).
While we highly encourage students to attend the registration event, students who
are unable to attend the Promise Registration Rally can visit the Admissions and
Records website to review Steps to Enrollment: www.hancockcollege.edu/register/index.php
Priority registration for Promise students is only available upon completion of steps
1-3 AND creation of a first-semester plan.
Keep in mind, you MUST register for a minimum of 12 units for the fall 2026 AND spring 2027 semesters.
Attention! If you had an IEP or 504 plan in high school, or plan to request disability accommodations, please call our Learning Assistance Program (LAP) at 805-922-6966 ext.3274 or email lap@hancockcollege.edu to schedule an appointment with our LAP Counselors.
After the Promise Registration Rally, any students still in need of a first-semester plan can call the Counseling Department at 805-922-6966 ext. 3293.
Complete between May and October 2026
A comprehensive SEP (CSEP) is a semester-by-semester plan created with an AHC Counselor
listing all the courses you will need to complete in order to reach your educational
goal. You will need to have this completed before registration begins for the spring
2027 semester, which is usually in early November.
To schedule your (CSEP) appointment, call the Counseling Department at 1-805-922-6966 ext. 3293 or use the scheduling link below.
There may be some instances where students are unable to complete a Hancock Promise requirement and may want to consider filing an appeal.
HANCOCK PROMISE YEAR 1 ELIGIBILITY APPEAL