Financial Aid Policies

Federal financial aid must be earned each semester. You earn your aid by completing more than 60% of the term. If you complete less than 60% of the semester, your aid will be prorated based on the Federal Government's calculation. Although your aid will be prorated, you will still be responsible for the tuition charged based on the drop schedule of the Registrar's Office which may be found on their website. This may result in the student owing a balance to the school and/or federal government and/or lender. For more information, please refer to the Withdrawal and Return of Title IV Funds (R2T4) Policy below.

Federal financial aid is only awarded for classes that apply to your degree or eligible certificate program. It does not apply to continuing education courses, American Language and Culture Program, courses you take after completing degree requirements, etc. Post degree Teacher Certification students may receive aid ONLY for classes REQUIRED BY THE STATE FOR CERTIFICATION. If courses are required by the school, but not the state, or if the courses are for personal/professional enrichment, the courses are NOT ELIGIBLE for federal financial aid.

Students may not receive aid for courses in a degree program for which they have already received a degree. For instance, if a student receives a Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice, the student is not eligible for financial aid for further courses in the Master’s in Criminal Justice program.

Students who are academically dismissed from their college are automatically ineligible for federal financial aid, as federal regulations require that the Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy be as strict as the college policy. Students who are re-admitted may receive aid if they are reviewed for SAP and are deemed eligible.

Once a student has completed degree requirements, whether or not the degree has been conferred, the student is no longer eligible for federal financial aid. For example, if a student has completed 126 credit hours toward a 126-credit hour degree program, but the degree cannot be conferred because the student’s Grade Point Average is less than a 2.0, the student cannot receive federal financial aid to take classes to increase the GPA. Further, any class for which the student received credit should be a class that applies to the student’s degree or certificate program. Students who have earned the number of credits required for a degree or certificate are considered to have finished the degree or certificate program, and are generally ineligible for further federal aid.

Policies

Satisfactory Academic Policies

Satisfactory academic progress (SAP) is a term used to describe a student’s successful completion of coursework toward a degree or certificate. SAP is required to receive all federal and state financial aid. Federal regulations require the Financial Aid Office to apply reasonable standards for measuring whether a student is making progress toward a degree. This is to ensure that students receiving funds are successfully progressing through their program of study.

Financial Aid Professionals Code of Conduct

The purpose of this policy is to prohibit conflicts of interest in situations involving student financial aid and to establish standards of conduct for employees with responsibility for student financial aid. This Policy applies to all employees who work in the Office of Financial Aid and all other University employees who have responsibilities related to education loans or other forms of student financial aid.

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99) is a Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. The law applies to all schools that receive funds under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education.

Withdrawal and Return of Title IV Funds (R2T4)

Federal Financial Aid (Title IV Funds) is awarded to a student under the assumption that the student will attend school for the entire period for which the aid is awarded. The term “Title IV Funds” refers to the Federal Financial Aid programs authorized under the Higher Education Act of 1965.