51-16 Financial Aid: Description of Sources

Procedure Description

Procedure

The following are brief descriptions of the financial aid sources available to the student through the College.

Federal Pell Grant

1. All students are eligible to apply. There is no cost for processing an application.

2. Pell Grants are an entitlement for all U. S. Citizens and eligible Non-Citizens to help with post-secondary educational expenses at the school of their choice.

3. Pell Grants do not have to be repaid.

4. Undergraduates must reapply each year.

5. Applications may be obtained on the Internet at www.studentaid.gov/. The Financial Aid Office will assist in completing applications.

Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant Program (FSEOG)

FSEOG funds are awarded to students on the basis of need. Federal Regulations require that preference be given to the most needy students.

Federal Work-Study Program (FWS)

1. Must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to determine eligibility. No processing fee is required. FAFSA can be obtained from the Financial Aid Office or on the Internet at www.studentaid.gov/.

2. Jobs are available on campus and are assigned by the Financial Aid Office.

3. Depending upon the Financial "need" of the student, he or she may work up to 20 hours per week while classes are in session and 40 hours per week during breaks and holidays.

4. Federal Work-Study employees are paid monthly.

5. Advantages of a Work-Study job:

(a) Assignments are in a student's area of study when possible.

(b) One daily trip to campus to attend classes and earn from part-time employment.

If the student withdraws or drops out of school during the semester, the student is required to notify the Financial Aid Office. If the work-study supervisor has knowledge of this, he/she must notify the Financial Aid Office.

If a student withdraws or drops out and continues to turn in time sheets and is paid, this is a violation of Federal Regulations. The student will not receive further funds from any of the Federal programs until the amount received has been repaid.

Veteran's Affairs Tuition Assistance Program

All students receiving V.A. educational payments must follow certain regulations. These regulations are included in a handout entitled "V.A. Educational Assistance," available in the Registrar Services Office in Student Services. Below are listed some of those regulations in condensed form:

1. Veterans interested in receiving V.A. benefits should go to the Registrar's Office as soon as they are accepted into a program to apply for payment from the Veterans Administration.

2. Eligibility for benefits extends for a period of ten years from the date of separation from active duty. Eligibility is determined by different criteria for veterans who entered active duty after December 1976, for spouses and children of veterans who died of service-connected causes.

3. A veteran enrolling in Transitional Studies must take to the Registrar's Office a written justification of his/her need for that instruction signed by an appropriate college official.

4. Payment for Transitional Studies is limited to two academic semesters and does not count against the veteran's entitlement.

5. A student receiving veteran's benefits may take only the subjects required for graduation in the curriculum in which he/she is enrolled in.

6. Veterans should notify the Registrar's Office of any changes in their class schedule.

7. Veterans wishing to change to a different curriculum must first be accepted into the new curriculum by the Admissions Office and the Departmental Advisor, then he/she should go to the Registrar's Office to apply for V.A. approval of the new curriculum.

8. Veterans must maintain satisfactory attendance, progress, and conduct, or their benefits will be terminated. Eligible persons in technology and college transfer programs will be terminated for excessive absence at the discretion of their instructors in accordance with the general attendance policy of the College. If the student is receiving an educational allowance and is enrolled in a non-degree program, his/her benefits will be terminated when his absences total 10% of the total scheduled class days for that class for the semester. The Veterans Administration does not recognize absences for any reason as "Excused".

9. Any subject not passed in two attempts may not be taken again for V.A. payment purposes.

10. A veteran or eligible person will not be permitted to:

a. Retake a subject more than once with a grade of F.

b. Retake subjects for which credit has been granted for previous training and receive benefits.

c. Take a subject which is outside the curriculum, electives that are not compatible with curriculum, or electives which exceed requirements for graduation without special permission and/or state approval.

11. A veteran can only receive benefits for those courses required for graduation in his/her curriculum.

12. If a veteran has never used his/her V.A. benefits, the Registrar's Office will need a copy of his/her discharge papers, DDE-214. Only the original or a certified copy can be accepted.

13. If a veteran has used his/her benefits previously, the Registrar's Office will need to know his/her V.A. file number and the number of credit hours transferred from another institution.

14. If an advisor or student receiving V.A. benefits has any questions not covered in the above list of condensed statements, they should contact the Registrar's Office on campus for further clarification, or information.