Financial Information

Tuition and Fees 2015-2016  
Financial Responsibility
Graduate Student Emergency Funds
Tuition Waivers
Payment
Graduate Assistantships
Graduate Scholarships
Financial Aid Programs
Student Accounts’ Policy on the Reduction of Charges
Title IV Refund Policy: Term Withdrawal, Financial Aid and Tuition Reduction Eligibility
Federal Office of the Ombudsman
Verification
Default
Rights and Responsibilities of Recipients
Enrollment Status Verification
Graduate Student Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy (SAP)

Tuition and Fees 2015-2016

* The Greater Rochester Collaborative Master of Social Work Program is offered jointly by Nazareth College of Rochester and the State University of New York College at Brockport. Therefore, the tuition reflects the costs of the private and public higher education sectors. Tuition for the MSW Program is $703 per credit hour for the 2014-2015 academic year.

The Physical Therapy program requires full-time attendance, and the tuition is $17,610 per semester for fall and spring coursework. In addition, students are required to complete summer coursework, which is charged at $1,174 per credit hour. Graduate Year I students take 13 credit hours in the summer, Year II students take 6 credit hours in the summer, and Year III students take 12 credit hours in the summer. Therefore, total Graduate Year I tuition (including summer, fall, and spring terms) is $50,482 for the 2014-2015 academic year. Additional course and registration fees apply.

Read more about Payment options. Please also refer to the Student Accounts’ website for additional information: www.naz.edu/dept/studentaccounts/.

Return to top

Financial Responsibility

All students are responsible for any college debts they have incurred, including but not limited to library fees, parking fines, tuition charges and related fees. If a college debt must be referred to outside sources for collection, the student will be responsible for paying additional collection costs including, but not limited to, attorney fees and disbursements.

Note: Nazareth College reserves the right to withhold grades, transcripts, diplomas or registration in those instances where financial obligations are not fulfilled.

By registering for courses at Nazareth College, you are acknowledging and agreeing to the colleges Statement of Affirmation: http://www.naz.edu/student-accounts/statement of affirmation

Return to top

Graduate Student Emergency Funds

During graduate study, exceptional circumstances may arise which restrict the ability of individual graduate students to continue studies without timely assistance. The Graduate Student  Emergency Funds may provide a resource for short-term assistance. For further information, including guidelines and application forms, please contact the Registrar’s Office at (585) 389-2819. Request form can also be obtained by visiting www.naz.edu/graduate-student-services under “Forms.”

Return to top

Tuition Waivers

A waiver of graduate and undergraduate tuition is offered to professionals in the field under whose supervision Nazareth student teachers, speech-language pathology clinicians, and art therapy clinicians are placed. The waiver remains valid for six consecutive registration periods following the semester in which the service is rendered. Summer session is considered a regular registration period. Active waivers need to be presented at the time of registration in order to be applied to the current student bill. See also Tuition Waiver Acceptance Policy in the Academic Policies and Procedures section of the catalog.

Return to top

Payment

All financial obligations are paid in Student Accounts at the time of registration or in advance of the beginning of classes each semester. The final balance on your bill (after Financial Aid has been subtracted) is payable by cash or check. Make checks payable to Nazareth College. Students who have not satisfied their financial obligations by the due date are subject to a late payment fee of $250.

Student Accounts has the following tuition payment options in place:

• Student Accounts’ Deferral - If you are unable to pay your entire balance by the due date on your bill, we offer a Student Accounts’ Deferral to creditworthy students. Pay half of your balance due (after deducting any Financial Aid) by your billing due date and stop by Student Accounts to sign a promissory note for the remaining balance that will be due approximately six weeks into the fall or spring semester. Your financial obligations will not be met until the promissory note is signed in Student Accounts. Interest on this deferral accrues from the due date on your bill and is calculated at 1% per month. The balance on the promissory note does need to be paid by the due date to avoid a $250 late payment penalty.

Students are able to defer one half of their balance three weeks into the summer session. No interest is charged on summer deferrals. However, the balance does need to be paid by the due date to avoid a $250 late payment penalty.

• Employee Sponsored Tuition Plan (ESTP) - Employee Reimbursement Policy - Eligible students are now able to defer tuition payment beyond the end of the semester based on their employer’s planned tuition reimbursement. Students can obtain an application for payment deferment from the Student Accounts’ website. This form needs to be filled out by both the student and employer and submitted to Student Accounts, along with any charges that are not covered by the employer, one week prior to the start of the semester. Students who have not satisfied their billing obligations by the semester billing due dates are in jeopardy of being assessed a $250 late payment fee. It is also the students’ responsibility to provide Student Accounts with a copy of their employer’s tuition reimbursement policy on company letterhead each semester. A late fee of $250 will be assessed if full payment is not received by the due dates indicated on the ESTP deferral.

• TuitionPay and Tuition Management Systems - Nazareth is happy to offer two payment plan options for paying your semester expenses interest free in monthly installments.  The TuitionPay monthly payment plan offered through Higher One is one option.  A second option is with Tuition Management Systems. In a plan offered to graduate students (full and part-time), students are able to pay one semester’s education expenses interest free over a period of four months with an enrollment fee of $35. The deadline for enrollment is the first day of the semester.  Neither TuitionPay nor TMS is offered as a summer payment option. For further information about TuitionPay please call Higher One at 1-800-635-0120 or visit their website at www.tuitionpaymentplan.com.  For information about Tuition Management Systems please call 1-800-722-4867 or visit their website: http://www.afford.com

Return to top

Graduate Assistantships

A number of graduate assistantships in the areas of research, administrative support, and special projects are available each term to both full and part-time graduate students. Maximum remuneration for an assistantship is a three-credit waiver (at the general credit tuition rate) to be applied to a graduate course during the term in which the work of the assistantship is being done. A maximum of 4.5 credits of tuition waiver per graduate student is allowed each semester. Students must be formally admitted to a graduate program to be eligible for an assistantship.

According to current tax laws, there are tax implications related to graduate assistantships of which recipients should be aware. By law, Nazareth College must report to the Internal Revenue Service the value of the remuneration including course waivers over the period of a calendar year as income earned by the Graduate Assistant. At the end of each tax year, you will receive appropriate tax notification from Nazareth College.

Please refer to the Nazareth website www.naz.edu/graduate-student-services under “Graduate Assistantships.” For further information contact Admissions at (585) 389-2050, or by e-mail at tguzman7@naz.edu

Return to top

Graduate Scholarships

The following scholarships are awarded by academic departments with graduate programs each year, some as a result of written competition. Announcements of the annual competitions and applications, if applicable, are available from individual academic departments.  

• Magdalena Callahan Scholarship- awarded annually to a student in a Graduate Literacy Education program
• Josephine F. Haire Family Scholarship - awarded annually to a student in a Graduate Inclusive Education program
• Rochester Guild for Special Children Scholarship - awarded annually to a student in a Graduate Inclusive Education program
• Horovitz Scholarship - awarded annually to a student in the Art Therapy program
• Deborah Ann Bartimo Silva Scholarship - awarded to a student in Communications Sciences and Disorders
• Patricia Carney Memorial Scholarship-awarded to a graduate student in the Inclusive Education Program

Return to top

Financial Aid Programs

Qualified graduate students who wish to be considered for financial aid should file the proper forms in the Financial Aid Office in advance of program deadlines. (Students requesting Federal financial assistance, including Federal Direct Loans and Federal Direct GradPLUS Loans, must enroll for at least 6 graduate credit hours each semester for which they seek aid.)

Prospective applicants are responsible for familiarizing themselves with procedures for obtaining financial assistance and for notifying the Financial Aid Office of changes in status, name, and address. All students seeking financial assistance should file the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), at least 6 weeks in advance of the time period for which financial aid is sought. Eligibility for the Federal Perkins Loan and Federal Work Study Programs requires that the FAFSA be filed no later than April 15th of the before the start of the academic year in which assistance is sought.

Students that are seeking need-based federal aid and whose FAFSA is selected for federal verification have additional requirements, which they must fulfill in order to retain Federal Student Aid. (See Verification)

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is available on the web at www.fafsa.gov for electronic filing.  Nazareth’s school code is 002779.

Federal TEACH Grant
The Federal Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant Program provides grants up to $2,000 per semester to academically qualified students who intend to teach in a designated high-need subject area in an elementary or secondary school or an educational service agency that services students from low-income families. In order to receive the grant, an eligible student must complete a TEACH grant application, Agreement to Service, Counseling and FASFA annually. Applicants should be aware that failure to complete the service obligation will result in the grant being converted to a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan with interest accrued and capitalized from the date of the original disbursement. **TEACH Grant funding and continuation is not guaranteed and is subject to federal budget approval.

Federal Direct - Unsubsidized Loan Program
These federal student loans are available through the U.S. Department of Education for matriculated graduate students and formally accepted Access Program students who are enrolled in 6 credit hours or more each semester. To initiate application, a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) should be completed listing Nazareth College (002779). Students sign a Master Promissory Note (e-MPN) which covers all Federal Direct Stafford Loan borrowing for a period of up to ten years. This can be done electronically on the web at www.studentloans.gov. Select “Complete new e-MPN” and use your FAFSA PIN to authenticate your identity. Once an e-MPN is signed and on file, the student will not have to sign another promissory note while in attendance at Nazareth College. Loans are certified by the Financial Aid Office once the FAFSA has been received. Students receive disclosure notices from the federal processor after a loan has been certified by the Financial Aid Office, and they receive notification from the office once funds have been credited to their student account. Students may reduce the amount of the loan requested, with no penalty, by requesting that the Financial Aid Office return any unwanted funds once the funds have been credited to their account. It is each student’s responsibility to monitor their own borrowing while at Nazareth College.

Maximum borrowing under this program is $20,500 per academic year, not to exceed the student’s cost of education. The allowable cost of attendance includes a modest living allowance for the student. For matriculated graduate students, total undergraduate and graduate borrowing in any combination of subsidized/unsubsidized loans may not exceed $138,500.

Students not matriculated but working toward a certificate in education (Access Program) are also eligible to borrow. Maximum academic year borrowing for these students is $5,500 subsidized loans and up to $7,000 unsubsidized loans for independent students and dependent students whose parents were denied a PLUS loan. Students conditionally accepted to a graduate program who need to complete prerequisite undergraduate courses before being eligible for graduate course registration may borrow up to $5,500 subsidized loans, and up to $7,000 unsubsidized loans for independent students and dependent students whose parents were denied a PLUS loan, for the one academic year prior to attaining graduate matriculation. Dependent undergraduate students are restricted to a maximum borrowing of $31,000; no more than $23,000 may be subsidized. Independent undergraduate students are restricted to $57,500; no more than $23,000 may be subsidized. All applicants must file a FAFSA in order to borrow. Interest on unsubsidized loans will begin to accrue at time of loan disbursement.

Direct loan interest rates and origination fees change annually on July 1st; please contact the Financial Aid Office at (585)389-2310 or view our website at http:www.naz.edu/financial-aid/types-of-aid/loans/federal-student-loans for current rates and fees. Variable interest rates or fixed interest of 3.4% continue to apply to previous loans (depending on when the loan was disbursed).  Minimum repayments are now $50 per month and may extend up to 10 years. Annual loans are disbursed on a per semester basis. New legislation permits colleges with low student loan default rates (such as Nazareth) to disburse one semester loans at the beginning of the semester.

New borrowers after October 1, 1998 who have been employed as teachers for five consecutive school years may qualify for partial Stafford Loan forgiveness provided that they: are not in student loan default; teach in a school that qualifies for Perkins Loan cancellation; and teach in a subject area relevant to their major (secondary level) or have demonstrated elementary curriculum teaching skills. For further details visit www.FederalStudentAid.ed.gov/tc.

Federal Direct Graduate PLUS
This program of unsubsidized federal loans, previously limited to the parents of undergraduate students, is now available to graduate students. Applicants may apply on-line at www.studentloans.gov. Graduate PLUS interest rates and origination fees change annually on July 1st; please contact the Financial Aid Office at (585)389-2310 or view our website at www.naz.edu/financial-aid/types-of-aid/loans/federal-student-loans for current rates and fees. Applicants may not have an adverse credit history and are required to file the FAFSA and have applied for the maximum unsubsidized Federal Direct Loan for which they are eligible. The GRAD PLUS loan may then fulfill any recognized cost of attendance not met by any other resource. A GRAD PLUS master promissory note and entrance interview, separate from a Direct Loan MPN and entrance interview, is required. For regulatory details and application procedures visit the Financial Aid Office web site or contact the Financial Aid Office directly.

Consolidation and Deferments
Students who have borrowed under any single or combination of federal student loan programs are eligible for a Federal Consolidation Loan which may extend repayment beyond 10 years at an interest rate which is the weighted average of the underlying loans rounded to the nearest higher 1/8 of one percent capped at 8.25%.

Student borrowers are eligible for a variety of loan deferments, for example, enrollment at half-time or greater, or forbearance for unemployment or economic hardship. Under forbearance, students are responsible for loan interest. Contact the Financial Aid Office or your lender for details and information about documentation required for eligibility or visit www.FederalStudentAid.ed.gov.

Federal Perkins Loans
Federal Perkins Loans enable students with exceptional demonstrated need to meet part of their cost of education through low-interest borrowing. Because funds under this program are limited, the college normally restricts graduate student eligibility to a maximum of $1,500 per year with a preference to students who have existing undergraduate loans in this program. Federal Perkins Loans carry a 5 percent interest rate beginning nine months after the student is no longer attending at least half time and are repayable within 10 years. First time recipients will be notified of signing procedures which also include completion of an entrance interview and master promissory note at ipromise.campuspartners.com. Perkins Loan funds are credited to student term bills on the first day of the semester and within 3 business days of when the note has been signed for fall semester and by the first day of spring semester.

Borrowers of Federal Perkins Loans may be entitled to deferments of repayment for periods ranging from nine months to three years, or partial cancellation for service that includes August 14, 2008 or begins on or after that date. For additional information on deferment and/or cancellation criteria, go to www.mycampusloan.com and click on “Information Center”.

Federal Work Study Program
Graduate students whose financial aid application demonstrates need may be certified for the Federal Work Study Program. Students seeking work study should make this request to the Office of Financial Aid. Students awarded Federal Work Study priority as part of their financial aid receive preference for placement in on-campus jobs or in the college’s Partners For Learning/Serving programs of community service. It is the student’s own responsibility to follow through with placement procedure and be a willing worker. Awards normally correspond to employment of 10 hours per week or less during the academic year at a wage of $8.75 per hour. Students are paid by direct deposit every two weeks for hours worked. Because they receive direct payment, FWS wages do not credit the student’s term bill.

Return to top

Student Accounts’ Policy on the Reduction of Charges

(Fall and Spring Semesters Only)
Students who withdraw completely from the college are granted reductions of tuition and room and board as follows (the amount of any reduction will be calculated from the day on which the notice of withdrawal is submitted in writing to the Registrar’s Office).

Tuition: Withdrawal within the first week of classes, 100% reduction; within the second week, 90% reduction; within the third week, 80%; within the fourth week, 50%; within the fifth and sixth weeks, 25%; after the sixth week of the term, no reduction.
Board: All Meal plans except BYOP will be adjusted prorata based on the cancellation date. BYOP charged per meal plan usage including the cost of dining dollars spent. No reduction will be gratned after the sixth week of the term for all meal plans.
Room: Reduction of room charges is based on a prorata basis during the first week. Room charge reduction is calculated the same as tuition reduction after the first week.

There is no reduction in tuition, room and board, or fees in the case of late entrance, absence, suspension, expulsion or dismissal. Bookstore vouchers are non-refundable. Financial aid will be adjusted accordingly. Refunds will be processed by the original method of payment.

Return to top

Federal Title IV Refund Policy: Term Withdrawal, Financial Aid and Tuition Reduction Eligibility

Students must notify the Registrar’s Office in person, in writing, or by telephone of their intention to withdraw from an individual course, all classes for the semester, or the program. Reduction of tuition charges will be determined based on the date of last attendance as received and recorded in the Registrar’s Office. If no official notice is received and no other documentation of the dates is available, the mid point of the semester will be used as the term withdrawal date. Dates for determining reduction of tuition charges are published in semester bulletins and Student Accounts Office materials. Fees are not subject to reduction.

Recipients of Federal student aid who withdraw from all classes in a semester (term withdrawal) earn eligibility for Federal student aid on a daily proportioned basis up until 60% of the semester has passed. All days during the semester (except for breaks of 5 days or more and their attendant weekends) are counted. If a student has not earned all of their Federal assistance, funds are returned to Federal programs in the following order: Federal Direct Subsidized loans, Federal Direct Unsubsidized loans, Perkins loans, Federal Direct PLUS loans, other Title IV assistance. Students are responsible for repaying remaining loan funds according to the terms of their promissory notes. Federal Work Study earnings are not required to be repaid. Federal grant repayments owed by the student are limited to 50% of the unearned grant received. Note: Because tuition charges continue to be assessed by the Student Accounts Office at a percentage rate higher than the rate at which Federal policy considers Title IV student aid to be earned, students may incur a sizeable uncovered debt to Nazareth when the College makes required repayment of unearned financial aid to its source. Gift assistance provided by Nazareth College continues to be credited in the same percentage as Student Accounts charges tuition.

Post withdrawal disbursements of Federal student aid for which the student may be eligible will be made first from grant sources, then from loans. Within 14 days of determination of term withdrawal, the college will notify the student in writing the amount and type of funds available for post withdrawal disbursement together with explanation of the option to accept or decline all or part of this aid. The student must advise the college of their decision within 14 days or the potential disbursement is forfeited. Students will not be eligible for a late disbursement of their loan if it is the second disbursement of the loan, e.g. a student borrows for fall and spring semesters, fall disbursement is received, student registers for spring but withdraws before disbursement is made. This student will not be eligible for the second disbursement of the loan.

Return to top

Federal Office of the Ombudsman

Borrowers who experience unresolved issues with their school, lender or guarantee agency may contact the federal Office of the Ombudsman in Washington, D.C. or toll-free at (877) 557-2575.

Return to top

Verification

The U.S. Department of Education randomly selects approximately 30% of the FAFSA forms that are filed for a process called ‘verification’. If your FAFSA is selected for verification, you will be required to either authorize the IRS data match on your FAFSA form or provide copies of official IRS tax transcripts. Copies of actual tax return are no longer permitted. In addition, you must complete a Federal Verification Worksheet in order to verify household and untaxed income information. The Federal Verification is available at http://www.naz.edu/financial-aid/forms. Students will be contacted via their Nazareth College email if they are selected for federal verification. The required information must be provided within 30 days of request in order to receive any federal financial aid. For returning students, financial aid packages will not be completed until federal verification requirements are satisfactorily completed.

Return to top

Default

Recipients of student aid of any description may not be in default on a student loan taken to attend any institution or owe a refund to a federal grant program at any institution or be in default of repayment of any other federally sponsored loan. Additional documentation from sources such as a previous lender or guarantee agency may be required to update records.

Return to top

Rights and Responsibilities of Recipients

Students seeking financial assistance are responsible for filing timely, valid applications for the programs under which they may request aid. Additional information regarding applications and all student financial aid rights and responsibilities may be obtained from the Financial Aid Office, Smyth Hall, Room 43.

Return to top

Enrollment Status Verification

Nazareth College participates in the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) located in Herndon, Virginia. Three times a semester (at the close of registration; after the last day to withdraw and receive a grade of W; and on the last class day of term) the college submits a computer file of students’ enrollment status to the Clearinghouse which, in turn, supplies verification of enrollment to all lending institutions and the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS). All loan deferment forms are forwarded to the NSC. Nazareth College does not supply this information directly to lending institutions.

If a student has registered late and/or had a drop/add/withdrawal processed to the term registration, this information may not be reported to the Clearinghouse until the next submission. The Clearinghouse asks that if a student receives a collection letter, the student is to follow the procedures as outlined.

• Call the lending agency to see if a deferment form was received between the time the Clearinghouse supplied the information and the lending agency sent the collection letter.
• You may verify your enrollment status by accessing the Clearinghouse website: www.nslc.org. In the “Students” section, you may confirm your own status and verify that your lender is using the Clearinghouse to supply enrollment data.
• If an emergency exists, e.g. a student is being threatened with default, the Records Assistant (585/389-2803) may be able to intervene on the student’s behalf by faxing a verification of enrollment letter to the lending agency.

Return to top

Graduate Student Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy (SAP)

Federal regulations require that schools monitor the academic progress of every student who is eligible for federal Title IV financial aid, which includes the TEACH Grant,  Direct Loan, Graduate PLUS loans and Work Study. Federal standards of satisfactory academic progress SAP include a qualitative (GPA) measurement, a quantitative (PACE) measurement, and a maximum time frame measurement. If one of the measures is not being met, the student is not making SAP. SAP is measured and reviewed at the end of each payment period, specifically end of fall semester, end of spring semester, and end of summer II (combining summer I and summer II courses).

(NOTE: Due to timing of SAP review, financial aid previously awarded for future terms will be revoked immediately if SAP requirements are not being met.)

Students who fail to meet both the GPA and PACE satisfactory academic progress requirements will be placed on financial aid warnings; no action is required by the student. Financial aid warning lasts for one payment period only, during which the student may continue to receive federal financial aid. Students who fail to meet the GPA and PACE satisfactory progress after the warning period will lose their aid eligibility unless they successfully appeal and are placed on financial aid probation, with or without an academic plan (See details below). Students who have reached the maximum time frame are no longer eligible for financial aid; they are not eligible for financial aid warning or financial aid probation.

Students will be notified in writing, by the Nazareth College Financial Aid Office if they have been placed on financial aid warning or financial aid probation.

Qualitative Standard (GPA):

Graduate students (full or part-time) are required to maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0. Note: Grades from undergraduate level coursework are not included in the graduate cumulative GPA.

In addition to cumulative GPA requirements, graduate students in selected programs (e.g. Physical Therapy, Speech-Language Pathology, and Occupational Therapy) will not meet SAP requirements if they do not meet specific departmental standards related to “C” grades earned and/or clinical performance. At the end of each payment period (as identified above) the Registrar’s Office will notify Financial Aid of any student in this circumstance.

Exception: Doctorate of Physical Therapy students, specifically DPT.PT students in the fifth year of enrollment, will be considered as meeting standards of acadmic progress if they receive an (S)-Satisfactory grade in each of the two clinical classes during the summer term. (These two clinical classes are graded as (S) or (U) and therefore will not compute a GPA for this first summer of graduate work for DPT.PT students).

Quantitative (PACE) Standards:

Graduate students must complete a minimum of cumulative attempted credits, or PACE. Students must maintain a minimum pace of 66.667%.

PACE is calculated by dividing the cumulative number of credits hours earned by the cumulative number of credits hours attempted. Remedial courses  are not counted in this calculation.

Maximum Time Frame:

A student seeking a master’s degree must complete the degree requirements in five calendar years from the date of matriculation. A one-time extension may be granted for a valid reason when a written request has been submitted to the Dean of the school/college in which the student’s program resides via the student petition form. Matriculated students must complete a minimum of six credit hours per academic year to maintain their status, unless a leave of absence has been granted (see Leave of Absence for information regarding the policy and approval process). It should be noted that regardless of a Nazareth-approved extension for continuation in coursework, federal financial aid cannot be granted after the five-year time limit has passed.

Program Completion:

Once the student completes all the academic requirements for their program, the student is considered to have completed the degree program and is no longer eligible for further federal aid for that program.

Academic Amnesty:

All academic coursework taken by the student in attendance at Nazareth College must be included in determining federal SAP. Federal SAP regulations do not recognize any provision for academic amnesty or renewal.

Incomplete Coursework (I):

Incomplete coursework that is resolved by the specified date on the student’s incomplete petition form will result in a grade and the grade will be counted in the cumulative GPA. The credits will be counted in the cumulative credits attempted and the cumulative credits earned. The (I) grade remains on the transcript but the (I) grade is not counted in the cumulative GPA.

Incomplete coursework that is not resolved by the specified date on the student’s incomplete petition form will result in an (F) grade. The credits will be counted in the cumulative credits attempted but zero credits earned. The (F) grade will be counted in the cumulative GPA.

Withdrawn Coursework (W):

Courses that were dropped during Add/Drop period will neither be counted as credits attempted nor earned; no grade will be counted in the cumulative GPA.

Withdrawn coursework that results in a (W) grade will be counted in the cumulative credits attempted but zero credits earned. (W) Grades are not included in the cumulative GPA calculation.

An Immediate Leave of Absence (up through the 10th week of the semester) during the semester will result in (W) grades.

Satisfactory (S), Unsatisfactory (U), Audit (AU), Failed (F):

Courses with a Satisfactory (S) grade are counted in cumulative credits attempted and cumulative credits earned; no grade will be counted in the cumulative GPA.

Courses with a Unsatisfactory (U) grade are counted in cumulative credits attempted with zero credits earned; no grade will be counted in the cumulative GPA.

Courses with a Audit (AU) grade are not counted in cumulative credits attempted nor cumulative credits earned; no grade will be counted in the cumulative GPA.

Courses with a Failed (F) grade are counted in cumulative credits attempted and zero credits earned; grade will be counted in the cumulative GPA.

Repeated Coursework (R):

Graduate students are eligible to receive federal financial aid for repeating a class one time. If a student received a grade for the first attempted class, those credits will be counted in the cumulative credits attempted and earned. The credits for the repeated class will be counted as additional credits attempted only and zero credits earned. The second grade is calculated in the cumulative GPA.

Transfer Coursework:

Transfer credits accepted toward the student’s current program are counted in both cumulative credits attempted and cumulative credits completed. Grades earned in transfer credits are not included in cumulative GPA.

Financial Aid Warning:

As stated earlier, a student failing to meet SAP standards, at the time of review, will be placed on financial aid warning for one payment period. The student will be eligible for federal aid during the financial aid warning period and no further action is required by the student.

A student who meets SAP standards at the end of the financial aid warning term is eligible for continued federal aid.

A student who does not meet SAP standards at the end of the financial aid warning term will not be eligible for federal aid in subsequent semesters until SAP standards are met or the student successfully appeals and is placed on financial aid probation with or without an academic plan.

Federal Aid Appeal Process/Financial Aid Probation:

If, at the end of the financial aid warning term, a student is still not meeting SAP requirements, the student may submit an appeal based on extenuating circumstances only. Extenuating circumstances would be considered personal illness or injury, death of a close relative, or other special circumstances. The written appeal must be sent to the Director of Financial Aid and it must explain why satisfactory progress was not met and what has changed that will allow the minimum standards to be met.

If the appeal is denied, the student will not be eligible for federal financial aid in subsequent semesters until SAP standards are met.

If the appeal is approved by the financial aid office, the student will be placed on financial aid probation, with or without an academic plan, and will be eligible for federal financial aid during the probationary period.

• If it determined that the student should be able to achieve the SAP requirements by the end of the probation semester, the student will be placed on financial aid probation without an academic plan. The student will be eligible for federal aid for the probation semester. If at the end of the probation semester, SAP standards are still not being met, the student cannot appeal again nor will he or she be eligible for federal aid until SAP requirements are achieved.
•  If it is determine the student will require more than one payment period to achieve SAP standards, the student will be placed on financial aid probation with an academic plan. The academic plan will be developed and monitored by the Department Chair. The student’s progress will be monitored at the end of each subsequent payment period to determine if the student is meeting the requirements specified in the academic plan. If the student is meeting the requirements of the academic plan, the student will be eligible to receive federal aid as long as the student continues to meet the academic plan requirements.

Regaining Eligibility:

Students whose federal aid has been suspended due to not meeting SAP requirements will regain federal aid eligibility for future semesters upon meeting SAP requirements.