PROPOSED REVISION TO: REG02.70.2 Eligibility for Continued Receipt of Financial Aid

Rationale: Revisions to this regulation are required for the university to be in compliance

with changes to federal regulations governing Title IV aid programs that go into effect July 1, 2011.

Consultation Process:

______Provost authorizes transmittal of PRR for review

5/23/11 General Counsel preliminary review

3/17/11 Scholarships and Student Aid Committee

5/25/11 General Counsel final review, if changes have been made

6/7/11 EOM, or official with delegated authority to approve PRR

______University Council (notification)

_


Policies, Regulations and Rules / Authority
Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
Title
Eligibility for Continued Receipt of Financial Aid
Classification
REG02.70.2
PRR Subject
Academic Affairs / Financial Aid
Contact Info

Director of Scholarships and Financial Aid (919)515-2334

History: First Issued: March 23, 1984. Last Revised: December 5, 2005. Additional History Information.

Related Policies:
NCSU REG 02.05.1-Continuation of Undergraduate Enrollment

Additional References:

Guidelines for Reinstatement of Eligibility

34 CFR 668.34

Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal Forms

1. INTRODUCTION

The federal government requires all institutions to establish a policy specifying the academic eligibility requirements a student must meet to be eligible for continued financial aid. NC State’s policy is established by the NC State Scholarships and Student Aid Committee in compliance with federal rules and regulations governing the administration of aid programs, and is enforced by the NC State Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid. This regulation provides NC State’s policy and procedure for determination of a student’s eligibility for continued receipt of financial aid.

2. DEFINITION OF FINANCIAL AID

When used in this regulation, the term “financial aid” shall mean all forms of federal grants, loans and work-study employment, state financial aid programs and institutional need-based aid programs received by students at NC State.

3. PROCEDURES FOR DETERMINATION OF SATISFACTORY ACADEMIC PROGRESS FOR FINANCIAL AID ELIGIBILITY

3.1 Full-Time Undergraduate Degree Students

3.1.1 Eligibility

All full-time (defined as 12 or more credit hours per semester) continuing undergraduate degree students must be making satisfactory academic progress to be eligible for continued financial aid. Financial aid includes all forms of federal grants, loans and work-study employment, state financial aid programs and institutional need-based aid programs.Federal Pell Grants, State Student Incentive Grants, UNC Need-Based Grants, Federal Family Education Loans (FFEL) --Federal Stafford (Subsidized and Unsubsidized) Loans, and Federal PLUS Loans -- University funds (scholarships, grants, and loans), and federal campus-based assistance (Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, Federal Work-Study, and Federal Perkins Loans). Some institutional scholarships or grants may have stricter require higher academic achievement requirements than satisfactory progress as defined in this policy. Private aid which is offered by agencies outside the University is not subject to the conditions of this policy, but will be administered according to donor specifications.

3.1.2 Requirements for Satisfactory Academic Progress

A full-time undergraduate degree student at NC State is making satisfactory academic progress for consideration for financial aid if he or she:

(a) maintains a 2.0 cumulative GPA at the end of each enrollment period, and is not suspended or on academic probation according to University Policy (see REG 02.05.1Continuation of Undergraduate Enrollment), and

(b) has passed 128 or more semester hours with grades of A, B, C, S, CR, or D at the end of his/her first two semesters at NC Stateacademic year (freshman or transfer), or has passed 24 or more semester credit hours each subsequent academic year with grades of A, B, C, S, CR, or D as of the end of the spring semester each year. (Note: students enrolled for only one semester during the academic year are expected to pass 69 hours during that semester if a freshman or transfer student and at least 12 hours that semester if a continuing undergraduate), and
(c) has attempted no more than 12550% of the required number of credit hours necessary for degree completion of the first undergraduate degree (constituting approximately 180 credit hours). (125% generally translates into 160 hours of attempted coursework at NC State if never enrolled elsewhere, or 120 hours if transferred as a sophomore, 80 hours if transferred as a junior, or 40 hours if transferred as a senior.) Attempted hours includes all transfer courses accepted for credit towards the NC State degree, withdrawals, and dropped courses, remedial courses (if countable towards a degree), repeated courses, courses with incompletes or failing grades, and audited or no credit or audited courses. Students who receive financial aid and withdraw or drop hours after the census date of each semester/term after the first two weeks of the semester will be held accountable for hours attempted but not passed during that semester/term. Students who are denied financial aid because they have not met the above conditions should follow the Guidelines for Reinstatement of Financial Aid Eligibility in Ssection 45 of this policyregulation.

3.1.3 Higher Standards or Other Requirements

Some institutional scholarships or grants may require higher academic achievement in order to maintain eligibility than those listed for satisfactory academic progress. In addition, Private aid offered by agencies outside the University is not subject to this regulation but will be administered according to donor specifications.

3.2 Part-Time Undergraduate Degree Students

Part-time undergraduate students (students who take fewer than 12 credit hours per semester) are expected to pass all hours attempted each semester, maintain a 2.0 cumulative GPA each semester, and must not be suspended or on academic probation to maintain eligibility for continued financial aid. In addition, part-time students are limited to attempting no more than 12550% of the required number of credit hours necessary to complete the firstfor degree completion at NC State., or the equivalent amounts listed above if the student transferred to NC State from another institution (see definition of “attempted hours” referenced above).

3.3 Undergraduate Second Degree Students

A student working toward a second or subsequent baccalaureate undergraduate degree is subject to the same satisfactory progress requirements as listed above for full-time or part-time students. In addition, second undergraduate baccalaureate degree students must graduate within 150% of the normal time frame to complete that degree based on the student’s classification when admitted into the second degree program. (i.e., sophomore, 120 attempted hours; junior, 80 attempted hours; senior, 40 attempted hours).

4. GRADUATE AND PROFESSIONAL PROGRAM STUDENTS

A graduate or professional program student (including Doctoral of Veterinary Medicine student) is considered to be making satisfactory progress if he/she is not on academic probation, and is eligible to continue in his/her program as of the end of each semester.

5. GUIDELINES FOR REINSTATEMENT OF FINANCIAL AID ELIGIBILITY

5.1 The Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid reviews each student’s record at the end of each semester to assure that students are not suspended or placed on academic probation. Those who are suspended or on probation are immediately denied subsequent financial aid until the student is once again in good academic standing. Also, students who have all Fs no passing grades at the end of any semester will be required to document class attendance in every course attempted in that semester/term. In addition, at the end of the spring semester Tthe NC State Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid evaluates each student’s academic transcript each semester/term to assure that the student passed the minimum number of hours required by this policy. Those students who do not pass the required number of hours or who are suspended or on probation are notified they will not be eligible for further financial aid until their academic progress improves. If denied aid on the basis of not making progress during the year, a student may attend summer school following that year, without financial aid support for summer, to reestablish eligibility for financial aid. The student may submit a written petition for reconsideration after the summer session(s) have been completed and grades posted. Some sources of financial aid will have been committed completely before the end of the summer sessions, but some forms of aid, such as Federal Pell grants, State Student Incentive Grants, and the FFEL Programs may still be available for students who are eligible.

5.2 If a student denied aid based on the above conditions does not attend summer school to restore eligibility, the student will be required to complete the next semester of enrollment passing 12 or more semester hours credit hours while not receiving financial aid support (or all hours attempted, if enrolled part-time) with grades of A, B, C, S, CR or D and must not be suspended or on academic probation at the end of that semester. If both of these conditions are met, the student’s may submit a written petition for restoration of eligibility for continued receipt of financial aid. eligibility for financial aid will be reinstated.

5.3 If a student has failed to make progress due to extenuating circumstances, the student may submit an appeal, under the procedures set forth in section 6, based on exceptional circumstancesan exception may be made without requiring summer school attendance or a semester of enrollment without funding. An appeal petition for an exception may be granted for circumstances such as the following:

5.3.1 extended illness or hospitalization of the student,;

5.3.2 an accident which incapacitates the student for an extended period of time; or

5.3.3 death or extended illness of an immediate family member.

5.4 Students who have withdrawn more than two semesters while receiving financial aid will not be eligible for reinstatement of financial aid based on appealpetition unless the student provides documentation with the appeal ofevidencing medical or other compellingsignificant documentation circumstances supporting the regarding the necessity of the withdrawals along with the petition. Without such documentation, the student will be expected to complete a full-time semester of coursework successfully (i.e., with all passing grades) while not receiving financial aid support before petitioning for reinstatement.

6. PETITION APPEAL PROCESS

6.1 A student who has become ineligible for financial aid may reestablish eligibility through one of the options referenced in sections 5.1 or 5.2. above. If the student appeals for an exception as described in section 5.3, A written petition must be submitted, even after summer school attendance and/or after attending a subsequent semester without aid. the appeal must document why the student failed to make satisfactory academic progress and what has changedwhy the student believes that will enable the student tothat he or she will be able to makeachieve progress going forward. At that time, a review of the student's summer or semester performance will be conducted by Supporting documentation, such as an academic success plan from an academic adviser, may be required. Tthe Director of Scholarships and Financial Aid or his/her designee will review the student’s appeal and issue a decision reached regarding restoration of aid eligibility. If approved, the student will be granted one semester of aid while on financial aid probation. If the student does not meet satisfactory academic progress standards at the end of that semester, no further appeals will be approved. Petitions based on exceptional circumstances such as those referenced above must be made in writing and submitted along with proper documentation, such as copies of hospital or doctor bills, statements from physicians or other health professionals, and statements from the NC State Student Health Service or NC State Counseling Center.

6.2 Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal Forms are available via the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid’s web page. All appeal forms should be submitted with documentation as instructed on the form.All written petitions for reconsideration, whether after restoring eligibility due to summer or semester attendance without aid or requesting an exception based on the above circumstances, must be addressed to:

Director of Scholarships and Financial Aid
Financial Aid Petition
North Carolina State University
Box 7302, 2016 Harris Hall
Raleigh, NC 27695-7302