TOP 10 THINGS ALL FACULTY NEED TO KNOW ABOUT FINANCIAL AID. Presented by Joanne T. Ceres Director of Enrollment Management & Registrar

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1 TOP 10 THINGS ALL FACULTY NEED TO KNOW ABOUT FINANCIAL AID Presented by Joanne T. Ceres Director of Enrollment Management & Registrar

2 # 1 Applying for Financial Aid Students must submit a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) to apply for financial aid at PCC. The Dept. of Education randomly selects applications for verification. Files not selected for verification may be autopackaged and are often awarded within 24 hours of PCC receiving a FAFSA When a file is selected for verification, students are required to submit certain documents before a file can be awarded.

3 Documents req d for verification Requested documents may include: Verification form (available in the FA office and on our website) Federal tax transcripts Proof of separation Official high school transcript showing graduation, or GED, is required for ALL students (even those with Bachelor s or Master s degrees)

4 # 2 Filing status Students who are under the age of 24 are always considered dependent students, even if they are living on their own. Dependent students must provide parental information in order to be processed. Exceptions to the dependency rule include: Cases of neglect or abandonment (documentation required) Veteran students Students who provide at least 50% of support for a minor child (documentation required) Married students

5 # 3 Eligible coursework Students must be in an Associate s Degree or Diploma program to be eligible for financial aid At PCC the only Certificate program that is eligible for funding is BLET (based on length of program) Financial aid can only pay for courses that are required for the student s program of study (must be listed in the Degree Audit) FA can now pay up to 3 times for a repeat course, even if the student has passed the course previously.

6 # 4 - Required credit hours Students do NOT have to be active in 12 credit hours in order to receive grant funds Awards are prorated based on the number of credit hours Less than 6 receive 25% of total award 6-8 (1/2 time) receive 50% of total award 9-11 (3/4 time) receive 75% of total award receive total award Students requesting a loan must be registered for a minimum of 6 credit hrs

7 Adjusting awards Students are always awarded for full-time aid, with the assumption they will be registered for at least 12 credit hours This is the amount that appears in their mypittcc account Awards are adjusted after the add/drop period has ended, before disbursement All aid is frozen at the term census date. Once this date has passed, students may no longer add a class and have it covered by FA

8 # 5 - Disbursement After tuition, fees, and bookstore charges are deducted any remaining balance is disbursed to students approximately 3 weeks after the term begins. Confirmation of attendance in all classes is required before a student can receive a check. Checks are held for all students in a class if an attendance roster (LDA report) has not been received. Students are only paid for classes they have entered. Payment for late-start classes is held until confirmation of entry has been received.

9 Adjusting for non-attendance If an NA (never attended) grade changes the student s enrollment status (ex, full-time to ¾ time), aid is adjusted and the student s refund check is voided & recut. If a student is reported on the 1 st report as entering a class, but is later reported as never attending, this may result in an overpayment and the student will be billed.

10 Reinstating students When a student initially reported as never attending is reinstated into a class, FA automatically reviews the account to determine if an additional payment needs to be issued. IT IS ALWAYS BEST TO REPORT A STUDENT AS NOT ENTERING IF THEY ARE NOT PRESENT DURING THE FIRST FEW DAYS OF CLASS. Students may be reinstated later at the instructor s discretion.

11 # 6 - Loans PCC participates in the Federal Direct Loan program and offers Subsidized, Unsubsidized, and Parent Plus Loans Students must be enrolled at least 6 credit hours to be eligible for a loan 1 st time PCC borrowers are required to attend a loan workshop before a loan may be certified. (An online option is offered for distance learners)

12 #7 Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) All FA students are reviewed at the end of each term to determine if they are making Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) There are 2 criteria for SAP: 1) Students must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA, based on # of hours attempted (usually 2.0) 2) Students must have a pass-rate of at least 67% of all attempted hours on their PCC transcript An attempted hours is any course that appears on the official transcript (courses dropped before the term starts or during add/drop are not included)

13 Financial Aid probation If students are not making SAP they are allowed one probationary term. They will receive financial aid while on probation. At the end of the probationary term, they are reviewed again. If they have achieved SAP, their aid will continue. If they are still below on GPA or pass-rate, their financial aid is terminated.

14 # 8 Financial Aid Appeals All students on probation are encouraged to file an appeal as an insurance policy in case they are still not making SAP at the end of the probationary term. If the student does achieve satisfactory progress, the appeal is not filed Appeals are collected throughout each term and are heard by an Appeals Committee at the end of the term, after grades are finalized.

15 Required documentation The FA appeal must address all withdrawals and/or failing grades on the student s transcript. Documentation must be provided to support the student s narrative. If an appeal is approved, the students must pass every class they register for. If the student receives a nonpassing grade (NA, IP, W, OW, F, R) the terms of the appeal have been violated and the student s financial aid is once again canceled. Students are limited to 3 appeals during their time at PCC.

16 # 9 Lifetime limits on FA Financial aid will pay for up to 150% of the credit hours required for a program. (ex., students may attempt up to 90 credit hrs for a program with a 60-hour requirement) Up to 30 hours of developmental work is excluded from the student s attempted hours. If a student graduates, the credits used towards the degree are no longer counted. Students exceeding 150% may file an appeal to request continued funding

17 Maximum Pell eligibility New for : The Dept. of Education has now set a lifetime limit for Pell equal to the equivalent of 6 years of funding Once this limit has been reached, students will not be eligible for a Pell grant, either at PCC or any other school. Dept. of Ed automatically notifies us which students have reached the lifetime limit. This decision is not appealable.

18 Unusual Enrollment flag New for : Students who go from school to school and have been identified by the Department of Education will be required to show that they have completed coursework at the schools where they received financial aid before additional aid can be awarded. This is an effort by the department to catch Pell jumpers

19 # 10 Continuation of FA All students must reapply for financial aid each academic year. The initial FAFSA covers one full school year, including Fall, Spring & Summer semesters. Year-round Pell was eliminated beginning Summer Only students who did not attend fulltime Fall & Spring will have remaining eligibility for the Summer term FA office holds FAFSA Day each spring to help students renew their FAFSA

20 Now you can come work in the FA office! Questions???