Students who do not meet the satisfactory academic progress guidelines will be sent a letter explaining that they are on financial aid dismissal. Students who believe that extenuating circumstances have affected the denial of financial aid have the right to appeal in accordance with the Financial Aid Appeal Process. In order to appeal, the student must complete an appeal form. All appeals must be submitted prior to the twelfth day of classes (census date) for the term in which the student is seeking financial assistance. The Financial Aid Appeal Committee will review the appeal forms and will decide whether to reinstate the student. The committee reserves the right to restrict the number and types of courses a student may take.
Following a reinstatement, the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid will review the student’s grades at the end of the period of reinstatement. The student will be required to complete each semester with a 2.0 GPA. A student who fails to meet this requirement will be denied financial aid for the upcoming semester, and appeals will not be accepted a second time. Repeated appeals are considered a violation of the intent of the satisfactory academic progress guidelines. If a student’s appeal is denied, the student will be required to successfully complete 6 credit hours (of an academic nature) using his or her own financial resources before the committee will review the student’s academic transcript again.
The decisions of the Financial Aid Appeals Committee and the Scholarship Appeals Committee are final, and subsequent appeals for the current academic term will not be accepted. The Financial Aid Appeals Committee's decisions may stipulate conditions and restrictions. If they are not followed explicitly, individuals forfeit their financial aid and/or scholarship eligibility for the remainder of the academic year.
The Scholarship Appeals Committee and the Financial Aid Appeals Committee are scheduled to review completed appeal forms prior to the academic year or pending term. Students wishing to participate in the appeals will be notified of their eligibility to appeal and must submit the Scholarship appeal form or the Financial Aid appeal form to the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid by the date listed on their notification. The Financial Aid Appeals Committee will meet twice each semester according to the following schedule:
- Once in the week prior to the semester start
- Once prior to the last date to withdraw with a full refund
REPAYMENT POLICY
The federal government mandates that students who withdraw from all classes may keep only the financial aid they have "earned" up to the time of withdrawal. Title IV funds that have been disbursed in excess of the earned amount must be returned by the University and/or the student to the federal government.
The Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid will perform a calculation to determine the amount of aid earned by the student that he or she may keep (for example, if the student attended 25% of the term, the student will have earned 25% of the aid disbursed). The unearned amount (total aid disbursed minus the earned amount) must be returned to the federal government by the University and/or the student. Thus, the student could owe aid funds to the university, the government, or both. The Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid will notify and provide instructions to students who are required to return funds to the government.
EXIT INTERVIEW
Loan recipients who graduate, withdraw from the University, or who cease to be enrolled at least half–time are required to complete an exit interview. It is the student’s responsibility to complete his/her interview. Information on how to complete this requirement online may be obtained by contacting the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid. All University services, including issuance of transcripts and diploma, may be withheld if an exit interview is not completed.
REVISION AND CANCELLATION OF AID
The University reserves the right to review, revise or terminate financial aid awards at any time due to changes in the student’s financial and/or academic status; failure to comply with federal/state laws and regulations, including financial verification/audit procedures; or University policies, including those expressed in these publications, The Student Handbook or The Financial Aid Policies and Procedures Manual. In addition, financial aid awards are subject to revision should the annual allocation of funds to the University from the federal government or the State of Texas be reduced below anticipated funding levels or should limitations be placed on funds intended for student financial aid purposes.
PROFESSIONAL JUDGMENT
While the method for determining a student’s need for federal student aid is defined by law, the law does give thefinancial aid administrator the opportunity to use his or her professional judgment in some limited circumstances. Special circumstances might be loss of employment, reduction of earnings, estrangement from parents, divorce or death of parent/spouse. If students believe they have a special circumstance that should be reviewed, they are encouraged to visit with their financial aid counselor.
AID DISBURSEMENT PROCEDURE
Financial aid funding is posted to the students account upon verification of enrollment and continued satisfactory academic progress (see Satisfactory Academic Progress), with the exception of Work–Study funds, which students must earn through actual employment. All financial obligations owed to the University will be deducted from any accepted student assistance. Financial obligations are the total amount owed regardless of any existing plan. The Business Office will issue any resulting credit balance to students via debit card, direct deposit to their bank account, or by check.
Since refunds generally are not available until two or three weeks after classes have begun, students should be prepared to pay any initial expenses from other sources.