Appendix A Financial Aid Academic Progress Guidelines

In order to qualify for federal financial aid (Federal Pell Grant, Federal SEOG, Federal Work study, Federal Direct Student Loans and Federal Direct Plus Loans) and/or any CCAC funded grant or scholarship, a student must maintain satisfactory academic progress as established by the college in accordance with federal guidelines. A student’s entire academic record will be considered in the determination of eligibility for financial assistance, whether or not any previous aid was received.

Satisfactory Academic Progress Definition

1. Satisfactory academic progress for financial aid recipients is defined as follows:

• Successful completion of 67 percent of all credits attempted;
• A degree, certificate or diploma must be earned within 150 percent of attempted required credits for each program. For example, if a program requires 30 credits to graduate, the certificate must be earned within 45 attempted credits. If a program requires 60 credits to graduate, the degree must be earned within 90 attempted credits.
• A student pursuing financial aid eligible diploma or certificate programs that are less than two years in length, academic progress will be checked at the mid-point of the student’s program.
• An overall minimum grade point average (GPA) is maintained as follows:

W, I, F, N and X grades will be calculated into the GPA as credits attempted with zero grade points earned. Courses passed with a grade of P will be counted into courses attempted but not into GPA.

2. Developmental courses will be counted as credits attempted and calculated into the GPA.
3. Students who feel that there are extenuating circumstances which may effect the denial of financial aid have the right to appeal in accordance with the financial aid appeal process. Appeals must be in writing, must be accompanied by any appropriate documentation that would support the appeal request and must be submitted prior to the 75 percent refund period for the term for which the student is making the appeal.
4. Satisfactory academic progress is checked each May; therefore, students who begin courses in the summer or fall term will first be reviewed for academic progress at the end of the spring term. However, students who do not meet the academic progress guidelines at the end of the fall term will be considered on academic probation. Students will be notified of this probationary status.

Academic Progress for PHEAA State Grants

Academic progress guidelines for PHEAA state grants are different than the academic progress guidelines for federal and institutional grants and scholarships described above. Academic progress requirements for PHEAA state grants are disclosed in each student’s PHEAA Grant eligibility notice.

If you are applying for or receiving a grant from the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) please note that at least half of your class schedule must be for classes that are fully offered on a campus/center. In addition, your program of study also needs to have at least half of its courses offered fully on a campus/center. If you are uncertain how this PHEAA policy relates to your class schedule, please contact the director of Financial Aid at the campus of your choice.

Note: students with medical disabilities as defined by the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) of July 1990 (PL 101-336) may request an accommodation to the 50 percent in-classroom instruction enrollment requirement of the Pennsylvania state grant program. The ADA Accommodation Request Form may be found online at http://www.pheaa.org/funding-opportunities/stategrant-program/pdf/2011-2012/ADAaccomodation-request-form.pdf.

Federal Student Loan Grade Levels

Students applying for Federal Stafford Student Loans or Federal PLUS Loans are subject to the same academic progress guidelines described above. In addition, for the purpose of processing student loans, grade levels are defined as follows:

Withdrawals

Students receiving financial aid and who withdraw, never attend or stop attending class(es) either officially or unofficially will have financial aid adjusted as follows:

Never Attended

Financial aid is available to eligible students who enroll at the institution for the period for which aid is awarded. Students who never attend classes after registering for a specific term are not eligible for financial aid.

Students who never attend classes and are reported by the faculty as never attending will have all financial aid cancelled for the class(es) in question. All forms of financial aid including federal, state and/or institutional grants or scholarships will be fully cancelled, even if the institution elects to retain tuition and fees assessed at the time for registration. In addition, students who have applied for and would otherwise be eligible for the Federal Stafford Student Loan program will have their loan proceeds returned to the lender. The institution will retain all tuition and fees assessed those students but will not include these students for state appropriations.

Students who received a refund as a result of receiving financial aid in excess of tuition and fees and who never attend will be expected to repay the institution for all funds disbursed to the student in good faith.

Official Withdrawals

Financial aid is available to eligible students who enroll at the institution for a specific period and for a specific number of courses. Financial aid will be calculated based upon the initial enrollment of the student but will be adjusted to reflect a student’s adjustment to his/her schedule during the 60 percent period enrollment.

Students who drop or withdraw from classes after the institution’s refund period may have financial aid adjusted (unless the student completely withdraws, either officially or unofficially, i.e., stops attending) but will be expected to continue to maintain satisfactory academic progress according to federal guidelines for financial aid recipients. The institution will not adjust the student’s tuition and fees for students who withdraw after the institution’s refund period and may include these students for state appropriations.

Unofficial Withdrawals (Stops Attending)

Financial aid is available to eligible students who enroll at the institution for a specific period and for a specific number of courses. Students who stop attending classes as reported by the faculty will have financial aid adjusted to reflect the actual courses the student is enrolled in and attending.

Students who are reported by the faculty as stopped attending classes will have their financial aid adjusted if the student has stopped attending classes during the institution’s refund period. The institution will retain the full tuition and fees of students who stop attending classes and may report these students as enrolled for state appropriations. This procedure parallels the manner in which the institution adjusts students who officially withdraw from classes.

Students who are reported by the faculty as having stopped attending classes after the institution’s refund period (unless the student has stopped attending all classes) will not have financial aid adjusted, but will be expected to make satisfactory academic progress according to the federal guidelines established for financial aid recipients. The institution will retain the full tuition and fees of students who stop attending classes and may report these students as enrolled for state appropriations. This procedure parallels the manner in which the institution adjusts students who officially withdraw from classes.

Title IV Refund Procedures

Students who received federal financial aid and who completely withdraw (either officially or unofficially) from classes up to the 60 percent period of enrollment will have federal financial aid adjusted. This adjustment will reflect the portion of federal financial aid that is unearned for the period for which the student attended. If the student received a refund as a result of receiving financial aid in excess of tuition and fees, some or all of the refund money may need to be repaid to the institution. In addition, if the student’s financial aid is adjusted and that adjustment leaves an unpaid balance for tuition and fee expenses, the student is expected to also pay the institution for these charges.

The institution will retain all tuition and fee charges if the student withdraws after the refund period. The institution will adjust tuition and fee charges if the student withdraws during the refund period.

Financial Aid Refunds

Effective with the fall 2012 semester there will be a 30 day delay in the disbursement of all eligible financial aid funds to student’s accounts. This means that financial aid funds will be dispersed to eligible student’s accounts on the 30th calendar day of the semester. Refund checks will be prepared and mailed as soon as possible after the disbursement date.

Students will be able to charge required books and supplies at the CCAC campus bookstore during the first three weeks of the Fall semester, provided that the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) has been filed by August 1st and all required additional documentation that is needed to complete the file is received by their CCAC campus Financial Aid Office no later than August 1st. Students who wish to charge their books during the first 3 weeks of the Spring semester must have their FAFSA and all required documentation filed and submitted no later than December 1st.

A complete copy of the new financial aid refund policy can be found at ccac.edu, search keywords “financial aid refund.”

Effective Fall 2012