Financial Aid Policies

Out of Program Course Costs

The HOPE Grant* and Pell Grant** will pay toward tuition and most fees (Pell only) for the coursework required by a student’s currently accepted program of study for the current term. However, students who register for courses not required in their program of study will be responsible for paying with personal funds the tuition and fees charged for the non-required courses. Furthermore, students repeating coursework that’s already satisfied, registered for Learning Support (remedial) Courses, or possible electives that are not currently required for their current program of study, may be responsible for paying with personal funds.

Courses mentioned above, that are not required, are known as “Out of Program”. The Financial Aid Office has to wait until all registration for the term is over (i.e. Drop/Add). Therefore, the 2nd week in the term we will search all student schedules for Out of Program courses and will remove the appropriate financial aid and will follow up with an email to the student’s college email account.

*GSFC Regulations
**US DOE Regulations

Satisfactory Progress Policy

The U.S. Department of Education requires institutions of higher learning to establish standards of satisfactory academic progress for students receiving financial aid. The satisfactory progress policy must include both a qualitative measure (cumulative GPA) and a quantitative measure (maximum time frame). Students must declare a major and be working toward the completion of that major in order to receive financial aid. Failure to maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) will result in the loss of all aid.

Note: The SAP policy applies to all students regardless of whether he/she has previously received aid.

Qualitative:
Students must maintain a cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 2.0. The GPA is computed by the Office of Registration & Records on a scale of 4.0. View SAP Calculator. 

Quantitative:
Students must successfully complete two-thirds (66.66%) of all hours attempted.

Failure to maintain satisfactory academic progress will result in the loss of federal (Pell) and state (HOPE/Zell) grants and scholarships. The SAP policy applies to all students, regardless of whether they have previously received aid. (Financial aid regulations consider new students and transfer students to be making satisfactory academic progress.)

Successful grades include A, A*, B, B*, C, C*, and D. Unsuccessful grades include D*, F, F*, I, IP, W, W*, WF, WF*, WP, and WP* (see Grading System).

Successful completion of learning support classes requires a C* or better.

Students enrolled in a program of study of more than two academic years must have a GPA of at least a 2.0.

Students must also show a completion rate that will allow the student to complete a program of study in at least 150% of the time it should require (as determined by the college catalog). For example, a student in a program requiring a total of 98 semester credit hours will receive financial aid up to 147 semester credit hours for that program. Transfer credits accepted by ATC as earned hours will be counted in the maximum timeframe.

Warning

Students that do not meet the above guidelines will initially be placed on Financial Aid Warning. A student assigned a Warning will be notified by email at their ATC student email account. The student may continue to receive financial aid for one subsequent semester under this status. SAP standards must be met to continue eligibility.

Exclusion

Students who do not meet SAP standards under the Warning status at the end of the subsequent semester will be placed on Financial Aid Exclusion. Students on Exclusion are not eligible to receive financial aid.

Probation

Students who were placed on Financial Aid Exclusion may choose to appeal the exclusion. If the appeal is approved, the student is placed on Financial Aid Probation status. A student on Financial Aid Probation may receive financial aid for one subsequent semester. A student on Financial Aid Probation may be placed on an Academic Plan that will require the student to meet certain terms and conditions as determined by the Financial Aid Appeal Committee. At the conclusion of the Financial Aid Probation semester, the student must be meeting SAP standards or meeting the requirements specified in the Academic Plan.

Appeals

Students placed on Financial Aid Exclusion may appeal the denial of financial aid if extenuating circumstances are present. A Request for Appeal of Financial Aid Exclusion form must be submitted explaining the extenuating circumstances, how these circumstances have changed, and their plan to maintain satisfactory academic progress if the appeal is approved. Supporting documentation is encouraged. Appeals must be submitted to the Financial Aid Office prior to the midpoint of the semester for which students are appealing their exclusion status. Financial aid appeals are reviewed by a committee of faculty and staff. The committee’s decision is final.

Repeat Coursework
Beginning July 1, 2011 students may only receive federal financial aid for one repeat of a previously passed course. Students taking a required repeat of a course should contact the Financial Aid Office to ensure those credits are counted appropriately for financial aid. Please note that the student may need to provide documentation from the academic advisor confirming the requirement to repeat the course.

Academic Plan
Students who file a successful appeal and require more than one term to regain good financial aid standing may have the option to enter into an academic plan. The academic plan consists of four major elements:

1. A 100% pass rate for the term: Any withdrawals or failing grades will result in suspension of an academic plan.
2. A grade of D in a class that requires a C will not be considered passing.
3. A 2.5 term GPA for students who have a cumulative GPA higher than 1.5 and a 2.00 term GPA for students who have a cumulative GPA of less than 1.5.
4. Advisement and follow-up with the Academic Advisement Center, Academic Support Services, Student Support Services, and/or other on campus services that will ensure students are successful in both following the academic plan and successfully completing their program of study on time.

Each agreement will set the minimum pass rate, GPA, the offices/services to be included in the student’s plan, and the expected time for the student to be back in good standing. Failure to meet the terms of the plan will result in the student being placed on financial aid exclusion until he/she meets SAP standards. Students who fail to meet the terms of their academic plan due to uncontrollable, one-time, documentable circumstances (medical problems, death or illness in the family, etc) will be able to appeal their financial exclusion status for the following term under the existing financial aid exclusion appeal process. Academic plans may include guidance and input from various Student Affairs and Academic Affairs offices. The plans will be maintained and administered each term by the financial aid office.

Financial Aid Fraud Policy

Federal regulations [34 CFR 668.16(g)] require a school to refer to the Department’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) any credible information indicating that an applicant for Federal Student aid may have engaged in fraud or other criminal misconduct in connection with his or her application. Fraud is the intent to deceive as opposed to a mistake. Commonly falsified items include false claims of independent student status, false claims of citizenship, use of false identities, forgery of signatures of certifications, and false statements of income. If such intent is suspected on the part of a student, employee or third-party servicer, the case will be referred to the Technical College System of Georgia’s legal counsel immediately for initial investigation, followed by a formal report made to the OIG.