Financial Aid Policies
and General Information

Withdrawal from College/Return of Title IV Funds

If a student completely withdraws from all credits for a term before the 60% point of that term, the financial aid disbursed is subject to the Federal Return of Title IV Funds. Students "earn" financial aid in proportion to the time he/she is enrolled up to the 60% point. The unearned share of financial aid is returned in the following order: Federal Unsubsidized Stafford Loan, Federal Subsidized Stafford Loan, PLUS Loan, Federal Pell Grant, Federal SEOG. The student may be required to repay a portion of financial aid he/she received.

Note: If a student withdraws before his/her financial aid is disbursed, the student is responsible for the tuition due to the College.

Remedial/Developmental Coursework

Federal financial aid, which includes the Pell and SEDG grants and Stafford loans, can be used to pay for a maximum of 30 credits of remedial/developmental (below 100 level) credits.

Ineligible Programs

Not all programs are eligible for financial aid. Students must declare an eligible major to be eligible for financial aid.

Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy for Financial Aid

A student who receives financial aid is required to maintain satisfactory academic progress toward his/her degree or certificate. The minimum satisfactory academic progress requirements include:

• A cumulative GPA of 2.0, and
• Completion of at least 67% of credits attempted, and
• Not reaching or exceeding the maximum timeframe for completion of the degree or certificate.

1. Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy for GPA (Qualitative Measure): A student is required to maintain a minimum of a 2.0 cumulative grade point average on a 4.0 “A” to “F” scale.
2. Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy for Completion Rate (Quantitative Measure): A student is required to maintain a completion rate of 67% of credits attempted cumulatively. A student’s completion rate is calculated beginning with the first attempted credit and is calculated for grades A, B, C, and D. P grades are not counted in the GPA but will be counted as courses attempted. Courses for which a student receives a letter grade of I, W, F, and Z are considered credits attempted and not successfully completed. Audited courses (AU) are not counted.
3. Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy for Maximum Timeframe: Federal financial aid regulations allow for financial aid eligibility up to but not exceeding 150% of the credits needed to complete the student’s chosen degree, diploma, or certificate, including those credits that the student has transferred from another college. A student who has reached the maximum timeframe for his/her degree or certificate is suspended from financial aid. There is no probationary period for this requirement.
4. Evaluation Period: A student’s academic progress is monitored at the end of each academic term beginning with the first attempted credit.
   1. Financial Aid Probation and Suspension:
      1. Maximum Timeframe Failure: If at the end of the academic term, a student has failed to meet the maximum timeframe standard, the student shall be suspended from financial aid immediately.
      2. Grade Point or Completion Rate Standard Failure: After the first term of unsatisfactory progress, the student will be placed on financial aid probation for the next term of enrollment. Financial aid eligibility continues while the student is on probation.
      3. Financial Aid Suspension: A student is suspended from financial aid when s/he has been in a probationary status and has failed to meet the cumulative standards. Financial aid eligibility ceases while the student is on suspension. A student will be suspended immediately upon completion of the evaluation of progress UNLESS:
      4. Continued Probation: Students who, during their probationary period, earn a 2.5 term GPA and/or 100% completion rate but are unable to meet the cumulative standards will remain on continued probation until:
         1. the student falls below standards for the term. Students who do not meet the continued probationary standards will be suspended.
         2. the College determines that the student cannot raise his/her GPA or completion rate to meet the College’s minimum standards before the student reaches the end of the program for which s/he is receiving aid. In this event, suspension will be immediate.
   2. Suspension of Students for Extraordinary Circumstances: A student may be suspended from financial aid eligibility in the event of extraordinary circumstances, including but not limited to previously suspended (and reinstated students) whose academic standards fall below acceptable standards during a subsequent term of enrollment (no probationary period allowed); a student who registers for courses, receives financial aid, and does not attend any classes; and a student whose attendance patterns appear to abuse the receipt of financial aid.
5. Notification: A student will be notified in writing upon being placed on probation and the notice will inform the student of the conditions of the probationary period. A student will be notified in writing when placed on suspension and the notice will include the process by which the student may appeal for reinstatement of financial aid eligibility.
6. Appeals: Students suspended from financial aid for unsatisfactory academic progress have the right to appeal the decision based on an unusual or extenuating circumstance that may have resulted in the student’s performance issues. Examples of unusual or extenuating circumstances include, but are not limited to:
   • Medical issues
   • Death of an immediate family member
   • Other one-time occurrences
   1. Financial Aid Appeal Process for Qualitative and Quantitative Measures: To appeal suspension based on GPA or completion rate, the student must complete and submit the Financial Aid Appeal form along with:
      • A letter describing the unusual or extenuating circumstance that has been a barrier to satisfactory academic work
      • Any forms, letters, records or other documentation that may substantiate the claim, including medical issues, and
      • A written recommendation from a Century College academic counselor or Dean of Student Services
      Financial Aid Appeals submitted without the required documentation will be tabled for remaining information. Appeal forms are available at the Financial Aid Office or online at the Financial Aid Forms page.
   2. Financial Aid Appeals Process for Maximum Timeframe: A student who has reached the maximum timeframe for financial aid and has only a few courses left to complete his/her degree, diploma, or certificate or a student who has changed his/her chosen course of study may appeal to have the suspension lifted. To file an appeal for maximum timeframe suspension, the student must meet with a Century College counselor to discuss an academic plan for completion. The academic plan outlines the courses needed for completion and an approximate completion date. Students must submit a copy of the academic plan along with the Financial Aid Appeal to the Financial Aid Office for review. If approved, the student’s financial aid will cover only courses related to completion of the degree or certificate, one time only with no repeats. Occasionally, a student will be required to take certain courses in preparation for admission to a college or program. If the student is taking courses as prerequisites for admission to another college, the student has a 12-month eligibility for student loans only.
      
      Financial Aid Appeal for maximum timeframe suspensions submitted without required documentation will be tabled for more information. Appeal forms are available at the Financial Aid Office or online at the Financial Aid Forms page.
   3. Appeal Review Process: Financial aid appeals are reviewed by the Director of Financial Aid, whose decision will be communicated in writing. Second step appeals to adverse decisions are made by The College Petition Committee. A decision by this appeals committee is final.
   4. Continuation of Students Who Have Successfully Appealed: During the term of appeal, the student who makes successful progress as described for the continued probation (2.5 GPA and/or 100% completion at the term level) but has not yet met the cumulative standards may have an extended appeal term. Students who do not meet the term standard will be again suspended.
7. Reinstatement of Financial Aid Following Suspension: A student will be reinstated to financial aid eligibility by either meeting the cumulative standards for academic progress or by successful appeal. Neither paying for classes or sitting out for any length of time is sufficient to re-establish a student’s eligibility for financial aid.
8. Additional Elements:
   
   
   1. Treatment of Grades: Courses for which a student receives a letter grade of A, B, C, D, and IP are included in the calculation of cumulative credit completion as courses successfully completed.
      Courses for which a student receives a letter grade of I, W, F, FN or FW shall be treated as credits attempted but not successfully completed. Audited courses (AU) are not counted.
   2. Academic Forgiveness (or Amnesty): Credits for which a student has been granted academic forgiveness will be stored and used in the calculation of both the qualitative and quantitative standard for financial aid satisfactory academic progress.
   3. Audited Courses: Audited courses are not funded by financial aid and not considered in the calculation of any financial aid satisfactory progress standards.
   4. Consortium Credits: Credits for which a student has received financial aid under a consortium agreement will be recorded and used in the calculation of all satisfactory academic progress standards for financial aid.
   5. Remedial/Developmental Courses: ESL courses taken concurrently with other courses in a major are counted toward the 150% timeframe. Up to 30 credits of remedial/developmental coursework will be excluded from the maximum timeframe calculation. Any additional remedial/developmental coursework will be counted toward this calculation.
   6. Course Repeats: For a course that is repeated, the original grade will remain on the transcript but not be used in the GPA calculation. The original course credits remain in the number of attempted credits but are removed from the credits earned calculation. While this has no punitive impact on GPA, the percentage of completion will reflect the original course as attempted but not earned. There is no limit to the number of times a student can repeat a course unless the student is restricted to the one-time, no repeats condition with an approved maximum timeframe suspension appeal.
   7. Transfer Credits: Transfer credits accepted by the institution shall not be counted as credits attempted for calculation of the cumulative completion percentage, and grades associated with these credits shall not be used in calculating the cumulative GPA.
      
      Transfer credits accepted by the institution and applied by the institution toward a student’s general education, program, or degree requirements shall apply toward the maximum timeframe calculation.
   8. Withdrawals: A student may withdraw from a course or courses after the posted drop period. A grade of ‘W’ is given and will not impact GPA negatively but will be listed as credits attempted and not earned in calculating a student’s percentage of completion and maximum timeframe.

Loan Proration

An undergraduate Stafford Loan borrower is subject to certain prorated loan limits if s/he is enrolled in a program of study that is less than 30 credits. Loan limits must also be prorated if the program's duration is equal to or longer than 30 credits but the borrower is completing the remainder of the program in a period of enrollment that is shorter than an academic year, such as with a fall term graduation.

Questions?

Financial Aid Office

651-779-3305

finaid@century.edu