Financial Aid Policies

The following are policies that apply to those who receive financial aid:

Satisfactory Academic Progress:

Federal regulations require students to demonstrate satisfactory academic progress toward a degree or certificate in order to continue eligibility for financial assistance. Academic progress for financial aid applicants is checked at the end of each semester regardless of whether the student had received financial aid. Measures of progress include:

• Achieving and maintaining a 2.0 cumulative grade point average.
• Completion of a specified minimum number of credits based on the number of credits attempted.
• Completion of a degree or certificate program within a specific number of attempted credits.

Refund of Title IV Funds:

Federal Title IV financial aid for student is intended only for qualified students in an eligible program of study and is to be used for educational expenses only. Students who received federal assistance and never attend class, stop attending and/or withdraw completely from all classes before completing 60% of the semester will be required to repay all or a percentage of the federal aid received. Calculation of the required repayment will be determined by the last date the student attended and not based on the official date on the withdrawal form. All financial aid recipients MUST notify the Student Financial Resources Office when making any changes in their program. This includes completion of a degree. Failure to do so may cause loss of aid. Students receiving aid must check with the Student Financial Resources Office before withdrawing from course(s).

Failure to repay or make arrangements to repay these funds will make the student ineligible for future Federal Assistance from Seminole State and any other institutions. The Department of Education has not made any provisions for extenuating circumstances. There is no appeal process for Title IV refunds.

For additional information refer to the Financial Aid Student Guide or contact the Student Financial Resources Office.

Disbursement of Aid for Student with Staggered or Irregular Class Starting Dates:

A student's eligibility for the actual disbursement of financial aid is partially based on the credit hour enrollment as well as the start date of classes. Students should be aware that certain courses of study and programs might have classes that have staggered or irregular starting dates that are not the same date as the beginning of the standard semester. Examples of such programs with staggered start dates are Law-VC, LPN, Speedegree, etc. Student enrolled in these courses are not eligible to receive their entire financial aid award until the classes have started or can be verified. Students enrolled in a semester with staggered class start dates are encouraged to check with Student Financial Resources for information concerning aid disbursement dates.

Confidential Information (Privacy Act):

The Privacy Act exists to protect your right to confidentiality and limits our release of information about your file or award(s). Therefore, information released over the phone must be limited to general information. You must submit a written request if you need information about your financial aid released to an outside agency or to another person.

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