Students are required to be making satisfactory academic progress at the
time they receive federal and state financial aid. All recipients of financial aid
must be enrolled in a program of study leading to an associates degree, a TC certificate, or
transferable toward a baccalaureate degree. Satisfactory programs will be measured one
time per year, at the end of the spring semester. The assessment will be made
regardless of the number of semesters attended or the number of hours attempted during the
year.
Grades of A, B, C, D, F, CE, CA, CR, and I are considered hours completed.
Drops, withdrawals, and course repeats are counted as hours attempted. All college
level course work attempted at the College is considered when determining
satisfactory progress regardless of whether the student previously received financial
aid.
Satisfactory Process Criteria
The Office of Financial Aid evaluates student satisfactory progress on the
basis of grade point average (GPA), credit hour completion, and maximum time frame.
Grade Point Average
Students receiving financial aid must maintain a 2.0
cumulative grade point average on all college level credit hours earned at TC in order
to remain eligible for financial aid.
Completion Rate
Students receiving financial aid must complete 75% of all hours taken at TC.
Maximum Time Frame
Generally, students may receive federal or state financial aid during their first ninety-three (93) attempted semester hours of course work in their program. (This number is reduced to 45 for students in certificate programs.) This includes all transfer credit hours and excludes developmental/remedial course work. Students who have attempted less than 93 (or
45 for certificate seekers) semester hours of work at the beginning of a
given semester may receive an award for that semester. Students who have
attempted more than 93 (or 45 for certificate seekers) semester hours of course work may
not be eligible to receive federal or state financial aid.
Note: There is a limit of 27 semester hours of developmental course work
for any individual student. Developmental hours attempted beyond this 27 hour limit
will not be included in course load for payment purposes.
Repeated courses shall not be included in determining course load unless the
course(s) being repeated is (are) required and/or will produce additional
college credit hours required to achieve the students' educational objective.
Financial Aid Probation
A student who does not meet the Satisfactory Academic Progress criteria
will be placed on financial aid probation. If the student does not meet the minimum
Satisfactory Academic Progress criteria at the end of his/her probationary
period, the student will be suspended from receiving financial aid.
Note: Students not meeting criteria at the end of each fall semester shall
be sent a letter informing them that they need to improve their GPA and/or completion
rate or they may lose their eligibility for financial aid at the end of the Spring
semester.
Financial Aid Suspension
Students placed on financial aid suspension, although they may continue to
enroll at the College, must pay for their own expenses.
Reinstatement of Eligibility
Financial aid eligibility will be reinstated after a student meets the
Satisfactory Academic Progress criteria (listed above), both the completion rate and GPA.
Financial Aid Suspension Appeal Process
Reasons for Appeal
A student may file an official (complete appeal form) appeal for the following reasons:
Medical condition or death in the family was a factor in the student not
making satisfactory progress; or
Maximum time limit has been met: or
Change of major caused the student to exceed maximum time limit.
Documentation Required for Appeal
Documentation such as that listed below is required, must document the
claim being made, and originate from a verifiable source.
Verification from a doctor, copy of a death certificate, or other verifiable
documentation that substantiates the student's claim.
Letters from instructors, counselors, or others to support the appeal
request.
A student who has been denied financial aid for failure to meet the
satisfactory progress requirements outlined in this policy may appeal by completing an
appeal form, explaining mitigating circumstances, and providing the documentation
to support their claim. The Financial Aid staff shall evaluate individual
mitigating circumstances and will notify students of the decision regarding their
appeal within three weeks.
Students may appeal to the Director of Financial Aid if they feel that they
have not been treated fairly according to this policy. This appeal must be completed
and turned in within 10 days of receiving notification of the decision denying
the appeal. After the review by the Director, if the student feels that he/she has not
been treated fairly according to this policy, he/she may appeal to the Financial
Aid Committee.
Exceptions to this policy may be made at the discretion of the Director of
Financial Aid. All awards from financial aid programs funded by the federal
or state government are administered according to laws and regulations
governing those programs. This policy is subject to change as required by federal or
state guidelines and/or by the College.
THE FINANCIAL AID OFFICE SEIZES EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO
DISTRIBUTE COPIES OF THE SATISFACTORY ACADEMIC
PROGRESS POLICY. THEREFORE, THE POSITION THAT ONE WAS
NOT AWARE OF THE POLICY IS NOT CONSIDERED A DEFENSIBLE
ARGUMENT. PLEASE CONTACT THE FINANCIAL AID OFFICE IF
THERE ARE ANY QUESTION S REGARDING THE POLICY.
Refund Policy
If a student receives financial aid and subsequently withdraws from the College before the end of the refund period, a portion of the funds must be returned to the appropriate financial program(s). The amount of that refund is determined according to the College's refund policy (see the College Catalog).
Return of Title IV Funds
Student receiving federal student aid who completely withdraw from school prior to completing 60% of the semester will be subject to a federal requirement that any unearned aid will be returned. This may cause the student to owe a refund to the government. If Temple College returns funds beyond the normal refund policy, the student will be responsible for this amount. This debt owed to Temple College will cause a hold to be placed on all academic records. If funds are not paid back the student will not be eligible for any Title IV funds at any college. Additional information on this may be found in a handout available in the financial aid office, student Handbook, and the college catalog.
Refunds to SFA recipients must be distributed in the following order:
- Unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loans
- Subsidized Federal Stafford Loans
- Unsubsidized Federal Direct Stafford Loans
- Subsidized Federal Direct Stafford Loans
- Federal Perkins Loans
- Federal PLUS Loans
- Federal Direct PLUS Loans
- Federal Pell Grants
- FSEOGs
- Other SFA Programs
- Other federal, state, private, or institutional sources of aid
- The student
Reviewed April 27, 2005
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