Tag: aid

Application Procedures for Financial Aid

Fill out the FAFSA

Students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) each year to be considered for need-based financial aid. The form is available through the U.S. Department of Education website: http://www.fafsa.ed.gov

The recommended filing deadline to ensure eligibility for all programs is March 1st. Note that the FAFSA must be signed by the student and parent (if required) to be considered submitted. The financial aid cycle favors those students who file in a timely fashion and complete the required documentation early. CCS’ Title IV school code is 006771.

CCS strongly advises students file the FAFSA by the recommended date even if they are uncertain of their plans for the upcoming year to ensure they can receive funding in all programs they qualify for if they do attend.

Most students are considered a dependent of their parents for purposes of financial aid and will be required to provide their parent’s financial information and signature on the FAFSA. To determine if you are considered a dependent of your parents for purposes of financial aid, visit https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/fafsa/filling-out/dependency

Complete Verification

In some cases additional documentation may be needed to confirm information provided on the FAFSA is accurate. 30% of all applicants are randomly selected for verification, or you may be selected due to an individual item that needs to be resolved.

Requested documentation must be received before financial aid can be processed and applied to the student’s account.

Documentation requests are sent via email to the student’s CCS email address. If additional documentation is requested it should be provided to Financial Aid as soon as possible, but no later than six weeks before the end of the enrollment period. If you have questions about the documentation or the due date, contact the Financial Aid Office to discuss.

Award Notifications

Once the FAFSA is completed and any additional documentation requested has been provided to the Financial Aid Office students will receive a Financial Aid Notification detailing the amounts and types of aid they are eligible for. Incoming students receive paper notification in the mail and are required to complete and return a copy to the Financial Aid Office. Returning students receive email notification their funding has been calculated and are able to view and accept their awards on WebAdvisor.

Loan Programs

Federal Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loan Program

A federal loan program available to students who have completed the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) to assist students and families with the costs of education. The government guarantees the loans, so no co-signer or credit check is necessary. The amounts that can be received for both subsidized and unsubsidized loans are set by the government based on the student’s grade level and financial need. The amounts listed on your Financial Aid Notification letter reflect your specific eligibility. Repayment begins six months after graduation, upon enrollment of less than half-time or upon withdrawal from the College. More information can be found under the Financial Aid section of the Campus Offices site.

Federal Parent PLUS Loan Program

The federal Parent PLUS loan is intended to assist parents in paying for their children’s education or, more often, to supplement the financial aid received by their student. This is a supplemental loan based on a credit application. Repayment generally begins 60 days after the final disbursement. For most families, this means March of the academic year. However, once your loan has been disbursed you may request that repayment be deferred during periods while your student is enrolled at least half-time (6.0 credits). More information can be found under the Financial Aid section of the Campus Offices site.

Alternative/Supplemental Loan Program

Students who require funding beyond what grants, scholarships, and federal Subsidized/ Unsubsidized loans provide may want to consider applying for a supplemental loan to cover the remaining tuition balance and/or costs for indirect expenses like transportation, living expenses, or books & supplies. Alternative loans are private supplemental loans offered by various lenders. They are meant to function as a supplement to the grants, scholarships, and Direct Loans you receive. Visit the Financial Aid section of the Campus Offices site for more information on Alternative/Private Loans.

Required Steps for Federal Subsidized & Unsubsidized Loans

In addition to officially accepting the loans on the award notification letter or WebAdvisor, students borrowing Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized loan funds at CCS for the first time will be required to complete a Subsidized/Unsubsidized Master Promissory Note and Loan Entrance Counseling before their funds can be processed. These steps should be completed as soon as possible, but no later than one week before the end of the enrollment period. Students must be currently enrolled at least half-time (6 credits) to be eligible for their loans. The Mastery Promissory Note (MPN) and Entrance Counseling can be found at https://studentloans.gov/myDirectLoan/index.action

Students who initially decline their loans can accept them later as long as they are still enrolled at least half-time (6 credits) and all necessary paper work is completed at least one week before the end of the enrollment period.

Refunds

Students who borrow or receive aid in excess of the charges owed to CCS will receive a refund check for the overage from the Business Services Office. These funds can and must be used only to pay indirect educational costs, including books & supplies, housing, food, transportation, child care and personal expenses (such as laundry & toiletries).

Loans are disbursed on a schedule determined by a student’s grade level and can be affected depending on when a student completed the various forms of paper work required. Assuming all paper work was completed in a timely manner, refunds for juniors and seniors are available the second Friday of the semester, sophomores and returning freshman the third Friday of the semester and first-time freshman the fourth Friday of the semester.

Satisfactory Academic Progress and Financial Aid

Students who receive financial aid must demonstrate Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) as determined by the College for Creative Studies in accordance with federal regulations. Financial aid recipients are required to be in good academic standing and to maintain SAP toward their degree requirements for each semester in which they are enrolled.

The standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) measure a student’s academic progress using both qualitative and quantitative measurements. These measurements include a cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) requirement, a Course Completion Rate requirement, and a Maximum Time frame requirement. The standards apply to all federal and state financial aid programs administered by the College’s Office of Financial Aid.

SAP is evaluated at the end of each term (Fall, Winter, and Summer). Federal regulations require the College to evaluate all students for SAP regardless of whether or not they receive financial aid. SAP is evaluated based on the student’s cumulative academic record.

Students who do not meet SAP standards will be placed on academic warning for one semester. Students are eligible to receive financial aid during the academic warning semester. If at the end of that semester both markers of SAP have not been achieved, the student will be suspended and any future financial aid disbursements terminated.

Disbursement of Financial Aid/Refunds

The main award year consists of two semesters (Fall and Winter) for a total of 31 weeks. Awards are credited to student accounts at the beginning of each semester and are based on full-time status (12 credits or more). Awards will be adjusted for students attending less than full-time based on their actual semester enrollment. Students must be enrolled at least half-time (six credits) to receive most kinds of financial aid.

Students whose total financial aid is greater than the charges owed to the school will receive a refund for the overage. Refunds for for all borrowers at CCS will be processed the week before each semester is set to begin. If your financial aid funds and/or supplemental loans are in excess tuition and housing charges owed to CCS, the Cashier’s office will issue a refund check to you for the overage. It is important to remember that financial aid is disbursed on a per semester basis, so if you have taken out an additional $5000 for the year, you will receive $2500 during the fall semester, and $2500 during the winter semester. Refund checks are printed in the Cashier’s office every Friday. You may also set up Direct Deposit for your refund through the Business Office.

ALL STUDENTS entitled to a refund should expect the refund within first the 1-2 weeks of the start of the semester.

Repeated Courses and Federal Student Aid

When a successfully completed course is repeated, the previous enrollment is deducted from the calculation of successfully completed courses; therefore, this will lower your Course Completion Rate. The earned higher grade is counted in the cumulative GPA. Per the Federal Student Aid handbook, students may repeat a course as many times as necessary to receive a passing grade and receive federal funding for that course. The federal definition of a passing grade is anything above an F.

Once the student has taken the course and received a grade above failing (anything above an F), the student may repeat the course only one additional time to try to earn a higher grade and receive federal financial aid funds. Any subsequent repeats of that course cannot be covered by federal financial aid funds. CCS does have some required courses that require at least a C grade per College policy. The College policy does not affect federal eligibility, so the student may still only retake this course once after receiving a grade above an F and receive federal funding.

EXAMPLE:

A student has taken a course requiring a C grade and received above an F but less than a C. The student takes the course a second time but again earns less than a C. The student must continue to retake the course to pass it per CCS policy but is no longer eligible for federal financial aid for that course. If the student subsequently enrolls for 12 credits, including the course they are having to repeat, only 9 of those credits are eligible for federal financial aid. Institutional aid is not affected and can still be processed at the full-time amount. Students who are enrolled for 15 credits are not affected since they will still have 12 eligible credits and would still be considered full-time.

Dismissal from the College

The College reserves the right to dismiss a student at any time for academic dishonesty or improper behavior. Improper behavior is defined as, but not limited to, actions by an individual that may be detrimental to the student, other students, or the College, or damage to College property. It also includes violations of civil, state, or federal law. See the Code of Student Conduct for further details.

Financial Aid Eligibility Requirements for Undergraduate Students

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR NEED-BASED FINANCIAL AID

Eligibility for need-based financial aid is determined by an analysis of family resources calculated by the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). To receive need-based financial assistance from the College, students must:

  • Demonstrate financial need
  • Be accepted for enrollment in a degree program
  • Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress
  • Be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen
  • Be enrolled in a minimum of six credit hours (for Direct Loans)
  • Be registered with Selective Service (or be exempt)
  • Have obtained a high school diploma or equivalent
  • Not owe a refund on previous Title IV funds received or be in default on any federal student loan

For more information, visit www.studentaid.gov

CCS also awards scholarships based on merit. Students may qualify for these scholarships based on the strength of their admission composite score (portfolio, GPA and test scores) at the time of admittance to the College. No additional application is required for these scholarships.

Students receiving tuition assistance from their employers will have their tuition scholarship reduced accordingly.

Duration of Eligibility for Undergraduate Students

Full-time students may receive financial aid for a maximum of six years (12 semesters) of full-time awards. Half-time students are eligible for a maximum of 12 years (24 semesters) of half-time awards. Some federal and state awards may have a lower maximum number of years for both full-time and part-time enrollment. Contact the Office of Financial Aid for more information.

Declaring or Changing Majors

If you are an undeclared student and need to declare your major, or you are a student who wishes to change your major, you must:

  1. Meet with a staff advisor in the Academic Advising and Registration Office (AARO)to discuss your plans. Complete and sign the Change of Major form. It is best to make any changes before registering for the upcoming semester.
  2. Meet with the chair of the department you intend to enter and have him/her approve the transfer of any credits from your old major to the new major (if applicable) and sign and date the Change of Major Form.

    The Program Manager will forward the completed form to the Academic Advising and Registration Office.

If a student decides to change majors, all classes already taken will count in the maximum timeframe SAP evaluation. It is possible a change of major could impact your SAP standing.