- You must first apply for a Department of Education Personal Identification Number (PIN), if you do not have one already. Apply for your PIN at www.pin.ed.gov. If you are a dependent student, please encourage your parents to apply for a PIN. The PIN simplifies the application process, enables you to make changes to your FAFSA data and allows both you and the college to get the results faster.
Complete your FAFSA at www.fafsa.ed.gov. The School Code is 006191. If you prefer to complete a paper application, you may obtain one from you high school or our Financial Aid Office. You will need to file a FAFSA if you plan to file for federal, state and institutional grants and/or loans. Students must reapply for assistance each year.
Federal Student Aid’s FAFSA4caster, http://www.fafsa4caster.ed.gov is a tool to help students and their families plan for education beyond high school. The tool will provide students with an early estimate of their eligibility for federal student aid. The students and families can use this information to help them make important decisions as they prepare and apply for college.
After the FAFSA submission, applicants may be required to submit additional information, including tax returns, social security and citizenship documentation.
To receive aid, students must:
- Be accepted into a degree or eligible certificate program
- Register for at least six credits per semester
- Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress – see below
And remember that...
- Financial Aid funds cannot be used for non-credit, audit and repeat courses
Definition of Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP):
Students receiving Federal Assistance through Title IV funds should review the following definition of Satisfactory Academic Progress as it relates to Financial Aid:
Academic progress for students receiving Title IV funding (PELL, FSEOG, FWS, or FFEL) must conform to a written set of benchmarks in accordance with Federal Regulations.
The College's catalogue states a student with up to 13 credits must maintain a 2.25 grade point average for satisfactory progress toward a degree, and students with 14 credits and over must maintain a 2.50 average for satisfactory progress toward a degree.
The Federal Government includes additional requirements. Grade Point Average alone does not measure satisfactory academic progress. To quantify academic progress for a maximum time frame for completion may not exceed 150% of the published length of the program measured in academic years.
A full time student expected to complete the program in two academic years could not take more than three academic years to complete the program. (2x1.5)
A part time student expected to complete the program in four academic years could not take more than six years to complete the program (4x1.5)
The qualitative measure a school must use is a comparative of the number of hours the student attempted with the number of hours the student successfully completed. This increment enables the school to determine whether the student is progressing at a rate that will allow him or her to finish the program within the maximum time frame.
Students must complete 66% of course hours attempted each year to meet the qualitative measure.
Federal or state financial aid is not available if a student needs to repeat a course if the student received federal or state financial aid the first time the course was attempted.
Federal or state financial aid is not available to students on academic probation. A student must maintain academic progress from one year to the next year. Academic probation will halt this progress.
Students may file an Appeal for Reinstatement of Aid to the Financial Aid Appeals Committee if they wish to appeal a decision regarding loss of financial aid eligibility due to a lack of satisfactory academic progress. Forms are available on the Financial Aid Office.
The Financial Aid Appeals Committee reviews all requests from students who wish to appeal a decision from the Financial Aid Office.
The student completes an Appeal for Reinstatement of Aid form and submits the form to the Financial Aid Office.
The Committee will review the student's record to consider:
How withdrawals, incomplete courses, repeated courses, and noncredit remedial course work would affect the student's progress.
Whether or not the student plans to increase or decrease course load.
Any mitigating circumstances.
Satisfactory Academic Progress
Based on two criteria:
1.) Minimum CGPA
2) Minimum Credit Hours Successfully Completed
Maximum Credits per Program |
% of Maximum Credit Hours Must Pass per Increment |
How to Apply: |
| 72 credits x 1.50 = 108 credits |
66% |
Take total number of attempted term credits and compare to Minimum Expected Credit Hours Successfully completed (see below) |
| 64 credits x 1.50 = 96 credits |
66% |
| 60 credits x 1.50 = 90 credits |
66% |
*As stated in the catalog: “A full-time student is defined as one who carries a minimum of 12 credits per semester.”
Full -time Students* - Maximum 3 years ( 2 years x 1.5) |
| Evaluation Point |
Minimum CGPA |
72 Credit Program |
64 Credit Program |
60 Credit Program |
Max. |
Min. |
Max. |
Min. |
Max. |
Min. |
| 1st academic year |
0-13 credits 2.25 14 & up 2.50 |
36 |
24 |
32 |
21 |
30 |
20 |
| 2nd academic year |
2.50 |
72 |
48 |
64 |
42 |
60 |
40 |
| 3rd academic year |
2.50 |
108 |
72 |
96 |
64 |
90 |
60 |
Part -time Students* - Maximum 6 years ( 4 years x 1.5) |
| Evaluation Point |
Minimum CGPA |
72 Credit Program |
64 Credit Program |
60 Credit Program |
Max. |
Min. |
Max. |
Min. |
Max. |
Min. |
| 1st academic year |
0-13 credits 2.25
14 & up 2.50 |
18 |
12 |
16 |
11 |
15 |
10 |
| 2nd academic year |
2.50 |
36 |
24 |
32 |
21 |
30 |
20 |
| 3rd academic year |
2.50 |
54 |
36 |
48 |
32 |
45 |
30 |
| 4th academic year |
2.50 |
72 |
48 |
64 |
42 |
60 |
40 |
| 5th academic year |
2.50 |
90 |
60 |
80 |
53 |
75 |
50 |
| 6th academic year |
2.50 |
108 |
72 |
96 |
64 |
90 |
60 |
