Maintaining Eligibility

Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) must be completed each year.  Each January the new application, for the upcoming fall semester.

Academic Progress

At the end of each semester, the Financial Aid Office will perform a check of your progress towards the completion of your academic program.  We will check to see that you:

• have a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 or above
  Please note:  some scholarships require a GPA greater than a 2.0; and
  
  
• have successfully completed the minimum number of required attempted credits for which you were enrolled past the add/drop date
  • If you attempted 12 or more credits you must successfully complete at least 12 of those credits
  • If you attempted between 9 and 11.5 credits you must successfully complete at least 9 of those credits
  • If you attempted between 6 and 8.5 credits you must successfully complete at least 6 of those credits
  • If you attempt between .5 and 5.5 credits, you must successfully completed all credits
    
    
• are within 150% of your academic program length
  Example I:        You are in a 60 credit AA degree program, we will check to see that if you have not completed that program that you are within 90 attempted credit hours.
  
  Example II:       You are in a 24 credit certificate program, we will check to see that if you have not completed that program that you are within 36 attempted credit hours.

Return of Federal Financial Aid

If an applicant for Title IV funds (federal grants and/or loans) totally withdraws from school after beginning attendance in a term or does not pass any courses attempted, federal regulations require that his/her federal funds for the term be recalculated as follows:

• The number of calendar days attended during the term is divided by the total number of calendar days in the term.
• The resulting percentage is multiplied by the federal aid for the term. This is the new amount of federal aid the student has earned.
• If the student has received federal aid in excess of the new award amount, he/she may owe a balance.
• If the student has received a financial aid refund for the term or had charges in the bookstore against his/her financial aid awards, he/she will be notified by the Financial Aid Office of any amount to be repaid.

Financial Aid Penalty for Drug Violations

By law, some students who have drug-related convictions under any federal or state law during a period of enrollment for which the student was receiving Title IV aid (grants, loans, or work-study assistance) may be ineligible for federal student aid. According to the law, if you are convicted of a drug-related offense, you may face these restrictions:

• For possession of illegal drugs, you are ineligible from the date of conviction (not arrest) for
  • One year for a first offense
  • Two years for a second offense
  • Indefinitely for a third offense
• For sale of illegal drugs, you are ineligible from the date of conviction (not arrest) for:
  • Two years for a first offense
  • Indefinitely for a second offense
    

Any student who has lost eligibility for federal Title IV funds including grants, loans, or work-study assistance, as a result of penalties under 484(r) (1), will receive a separate, clear, and conspicuous written notice. This notice will notify the student of the loss of eligibility and advise the student of the ways to regain eligibility under 484 (r) (2) of the HEA.

Regaining Eligibility after a Drug Conviction - A student whose eligibility has been suspended may resume eligibility before the end of the stated ineligibility period if either (a) the student satisfactorily completes a drug rehabilitation program and passes two unannounced drug tests, or (b) the conviction is reversed, set aside, or removed from the student's record.

Effective July 1, 2010, the HEOA adds a new provision at section 484(r) (2) (B) of the HEA that allows a student whose eligibility has been suspended due to a drug conviction to resume eligibility if the student successfully passes two unannounced drug tests conducted by a drug rehabilitation program that complies with criteria established by the Secretary of Education. Students must provide documentation of this completion to the Financial Aid Office.