Student Financial Aid Understanding Financial Aid Suspension & The Appeal Process

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1 Student Financial Aid Understanding Financial Aid Suspension & The Appeal Process Achieving the Dream Leader College recognizes an institution s impact in the effort to improve student success and eliminate achievement gaps nationwide.

2 Presented by Student Financial Aid

3 Read the Alamo Colleges SAP(Satisfactory Progress ) Policy! 1. Gain an understanding of what Financial Aid Suspension is 2. Talk About the Appeal Process 3. Equip students with tips for a successful Appeal

4 Gaining an understanding of what Financial Aid Suspension is.

5 Financial Aid Suspension Common Questions What is Financial Aid Suspension? Financial aid suspension impacts students who fail to meet the federal SAP (Satisfactory Academic Progress) every semester enrolled? How can I be on suspension if I was granted an Academic Fresh Start? Academic Dismissal and Fresh Start are college policies while SAP & financial aid suspension are federal regulations. Students who may be on Fresh Start are still considered to be on financial aid suspension. How can I be on suspension if I haven t attended college in many years or was at another institution? Your SAP status is never renewed despite not attending for a number of semesters or years, or if you have transferred from another college.

6 Financial Aid Suspension What are the SAP requirements students need to meet in order to receive financial aid? No less that a 2.0 GPA No less the a 67% Completion Rate Not complete more the 99 hours of attempted coursework Let s look at each

7 Understanding Financial Aid Suspension GPA What is GPA? GPA is your Grade Point Average that reflects all grades received beginning with your first semester in college. How is my GPA calculated? Points are assigned according to each letter grade beginning with a 4.0 for an A to 0 (zero) points for an F. GPA is calculated by dividing the total amount of grade points earned by the total amount of credit hours attempted. Will my GPA reset if I ve transferred from another institution? No, once transferred your GPA will reflect the transcript submitted from the last institution you attended. Your transferred credit hours will reflect in your cumulative hours for attempted and completed.

8 Understanding Financial Aid Suspension GPA How can I calculate my GPA? Your GPA can be calculated ACES by accessing your GPS Account from the ACES homepage. Click on the GPA calculator and then term calculator. Enter all you information in the blue box and click on calculate.

9 Understanding Financial Aid Suspension Completion Rate What is Completion Rate? Your completion rate is the percentage of all courses you have completed with a letter grade versus the courses you did not complete but were attempted. If I took an I or IP for a class, will that count toward my completion rate? No, credit is only given for courses completed with a letter grade of A,B, C, or D. How is my Completion Rate calculated? To calculate your cumulative or overall completion rate and/or your semester completion rate: Example Take your earned hours: 45 hours Divide (/) by your attempted hours: 60 hours Total 0.75 = 75% Completion Rate

10 Understanding Financial Aid Suspension Excessive Hours What is Excessive Hours? Because most Associate s degrees can be completed within 65 credit hours, excessive hours is reached when a student has attempted more that 99 credit hours excluding 30 hours of remedial coursework. What if my hours are from another institution? For financial aid purposes all hours from previous institutions are considered toward your total hours. If I transfer to a senior university, will I still be on suspension for excessive hours? Most senior universities allow more than 99 hours to complete a degree. Students should contact the university where they are considering transferring to for more information on their SAP policy.

11 About the Appeal Process

12 The Appeal Process What is the Appeal Process? Students who are suspended are allowed to submit an appeal for financial aid reinstatement at certain times during the Fall and Spring. Timeframes are listed on the Student Financial Aid website. The Appeal must be submitted at the college where the student is seeking a degree and financial aid reinstatement. The appeal packet is reviewed by a college committee The committee will make a decision to either approve or deny your appeal based upon the circumstances described and supporting documentation. The committee s decision is considered final and cannot overturned. Processing time for appeals can take 10 weeks or longer, all student submitting appeals must cover tuition and fees until their appeal is reviewed.

13 The Appeal Process What if my appeal is approved? Students whose appeal is approved will receive an approval message to their ACES account describing the standards that must continue to be met. You will also receive an End Term Date under your Requirements in ACES detailing how much time you have to meet SAP requirements on your own or graduate/transfer. At any time you fail to meet all SAP requirements while working toward your end term date, you will be permanently re-suspended and cannot further appeal. If re-suspended you can continue to enroll but must pay out of pocket. At any point you are able to meet all SAP requirements on your own, you may be able to begin receiving financial aid after the Fall and Spring grades are calculated as long as you are meeting all other requirements and have not exhausted all funds.

14 The Appeal Process What if my appeal is Denied? Students whose appeal is denied can continue to enroll however must cover tuition out of pocket. You will receive a denial code to your ACES account explaining why your appeal is denied. Because the financial aid office does not review appeals, the denial message is the final communication from the committee regarding your appeal. Your denial message will communicate whether you are allowed to submit an appeal for the following semester.

15 The Appeal Process Why was my appeal is Denied? Standard reasons why appeals are denied include: Lack of supporting documentation Documentation and/or written statement did not address entire academic history of low performance Excessive enrolled hours with low academic progress Change of major Previous or current enrolled hours not matching degree plan

16 The Appeal Process How do I complete the Appeal process? 1. Go to and click on Financial Aid 2. Under Refunds, Dropping Classes, Appeals click on Financial Aid Appeals 3. Click on Complete you Appeal Packet 4. Read all terms affiliated with the appeal process and certify. 5. Steps to complete the appeal process are outlined which include the Guidelines to Complete your Written Statement & the Appeal Packets. Let s look at few tips on submitting a successful appeal

17 Tips for submitting a successful Appeal

18 Tips for submitting a successful Appeal Make sure you submit all required documentation and your appeal packet is complete. Make sure your written statement is typed and well thought out. Make sure to address what mitigating circumstances impacted your academic performance and provide supporting documentation. Make sure and discuss your Success and/or Graduation Plan with your counselor or advisor before submitting to the Student Financial Aid office. Make a copy of your appeal before submitting to the Student Financial Aid office.