Community College of Allegheny County today said it would front money to students if grants for the fall semester from the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency are delayed by the state's budget's impasse.

The college says about 4,000 of its students are expecting a PHEAA grant, and of that total, 400 could not afford to register without the aid.

Spokesman David Hoovler said CCAC's goal is "to be sure that students are able to take classes this fall" even if the grants arrive after the semester begins.

The state's budget is more than a month overdue, and PHEAA says it can neither finalize award amounts nor dispense funds until the agency's funding level for this year is decided. About 172,000 grant recipients stand to be affected if the grants do not go out on time, something that has not happened since the 1970s.

Penn State University and the University of Pittsburgh have indicated that they will front students this fall if the grants are delayed, and a number of other schools are expected to do the same or are still deciding. Earlier this week, CCAC said it was deciding how it would respond.

Mr. Hoovler said students with questions about their accounts should contact financial aid officials on the campus they attend:

Allegheny campus--412-237-2589

Boyce campus--724-325-6603

North campus--412-369-3656

South campus--412-469-6241