SAN FRANCISCO—California community college students have missed out on as much as $500 million in unclaimed federal aid, according to a recent report.

Wednesday's report by the nonprofit Institute for College Access and Success in Berkeley found that about 500,000 of the 2.9 million community college students in California could be eligible for a Pell Grant.

Each student could get from $400 to $5,350 to help cover expenses at a time of severe budget cuts and rising student fees. However, the report found California students are applying at a lower rate than students from other states. Some students said they don't know about the grant, and others said that the application process was too complicated.

City College of San Francisco student Maureen Baclaan, 20, walked into her college's financial aid office to apply for financial assistance. Frustrated by the wait, she walked out.

"The lines are ridiculously long," she said. "I've tried to do it online, and the process seems long."

Instead, she works part-time and lives with her grandmother to save money.

The Institute's program director, Debbie Cochrane, said it was frustrating to see cash going unclaimed at a time