Financial Aid Policy and Procedure

Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College (MGCCC) requires one-third of the total fees be paid at the beginning of each semester. The remaining balance must be paid by the end of the semester.

If a student has been awarded Financial Aid and has received a notification letter, then the student should report directly to the Business Office. A student with a Financial Aid notification letter does not have to go to the Financial Aid office.

Financial aid (except work-study and student loans for the Fall semester) may be authorized to defer tuition/fees, book service, room/board up to the total of all awards. If the financial aid award does not equal the required one-third amount, you must pay the balance for the one-third payment to confirm registration.

Financial aid will be authorized to defer payment if you meet both of the following requirements:

1. You have completed your financial aid file
2. You have completed your admissions file

The financial aid office will authorize the Business Office to pay financial aid (except work-study and loans) within thirty days after the first day of the semester. If your financial aid awards exceed assessed tuition and fees, you will receive a refund check from the Business Office. If there is a balance due, the Business Office will bill you.

Student enrollment status is checked prior to disbursement and financial aid is paid according to the following :

You must be enrolled full time to receive the MTAG/MESG, LEAP, and certain scholarships. You must be enrolled and in attendance in at least six (6) hours to receive a student loan.

You must be enrolled and in attendance for at least six (6) hours to participate in the work-study program (except for summer term).

Schedule changes (adding/dropping/withdrawing/auditing) may affect your financial aid eligibility and award amount. Please contact the financial aid office before making any changes.

Title IV Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress
(effective Summer 2004)

MS Gulf Coast Community College is required by federal regulations to establish minimum standards of satisfactory academic progress (SAP) to determine a student’s eligibility for federal financial aid programs:

• Federal Pell Grant
• Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG)
• Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership (LEAP)
• Federal Work Study
• Federal Stafford Loan Program

Students must meet these minimum satisfactory academic progress standards in order to initially receive and to maintain eligibility for Title IV funds. These satisfactory academic progress standards apply to all students, including transfer students and students who did not previously receive financial aid.

To make satisfactory academic progress, a student must:

1. pass a minimum percentage of all courses attempted;
2. maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA); and
3. complete a degree or certificate program within a maximum time frame

Qualitative Standard (Hours Earned and Grade Point Average)

Satisfactory academic progress will be measured according to the chart below:

*Academic history is reviewed for all students applying for financial aid, regardless of whether financial aid has been previously received. Hours attempted include all coursework on the transcript, including transfer credit and grades of I, IP, W, WP, WF, and forgiven courses.

Quantitative Standard (Maximum Time Frame for Eligibility)

Students must complete a degree or certificate program within a certain time frame. Federal regulations allow a maximum time frame of 150% of the number of credits needed to complete the degree or certificate program. This time frame is effective for all students, even those that have not previously received financial aid. The 150% rule applies to all classes attempted by the student, including career, developmental and transfer hours. Once a student earns an associate degree, they are not eligible to participate in federal financial aid programs without appeal.

Example: A student working toward an A.A. degree needs 64 hours to graduate. Once that student attempts 96 hours (64 hours x 1.5), he/she is no longer eligible for financial aid.

Satisfactory Academic Progress Review and Notification

Satisfactory academic progress standards will be checked at the end of each term when grades are posted to the transcript. Students who fail to meet satisfactory academic progress standards will be notified by the financial aid office by posting the status to your financial aid web pages and/or sent by email. It is the responsibility of all MGCCC students to check their assigned email account regularly.

Financial Aid Probation/Warning is a status assigned the first time a student fails to meet satisfactory academic progress standards. A student placed on probation at the end of a term will be eligible for financial aid the following term of enrollment. He/she must complete the necessary coursework and/or earn the quality points necessary to meet the required Federal standards for both required Cumulative GPA and Minimum Percentage of Hours Passed as shown above.

Financial Aid Suspension may result under the following conditions:

• Student on probation fails to meet satisfactory academic progress requirement
• Student withdraws from, drops out, or fails all classes
• Student completes 150% maximum time frame

Appeals

Any student who has been suspended from receiving financial aid may appeal in writing to the Director of Financial Aid for reinstatement of eligibility. Because students receive an automatic warning period, only appeals detailing mitigating circumstances beyond the students control will be considered. In the appeal, the student must describe and document any mitigating circumstances (“serious” illness, personal injury, death of an immediate family member or other circumstances beyond your control) that affected academic performance or length of enrollment.

The Director of Financial Aid will review the appeal and respond in writing within thirty working days. The response may reinstate the student to full eligibility, deny eligibility, or may grant one additional term of probation. Appeals that are denied may be appealed in writing to the Dean of Student Services.

Open Entry/Open Exit Enrollment and In-Progress Grades

Any student who receives “IP” grades will not be paid during a subsequent term of enrollment until the student has earned a grade to indicate completion of the course and satisfactory academic progress.

Continuing students in open entry/open exit (career education) programs who meet satisfactory academic progress will receive financial aid for “new” hours only after completion of all IP grades from a previous term of enrollment. New hours means hours which a student has not previously registered for and received an IP grade.

REFUND POLICY/RETURN OF TITLE IV FUNDS

REFUND POLICY

A non-Title IV recipient who officially withdraws from all classes will receive a refund of registration, matriculation, tuition and book fees based upon the college refund policy as follows:

• 100% of refundable fees if official withdrawal is received on or before the first day classes meet in any enrollment period.
• 90% of refundable fees during the first 10% of the enrollment period
• 50% of refundable fees between the first 10% and the first 50% of the enrollment period.

Additional information about the college refund policy is available in the school catalog and the admission/records office.

RETURN OF TITLE IV FUNDS

A Title IV federal aid recipient who withdraws, officially or unofficially, from all classes on or before the 60% point of the academic term will be subject to repayment based upon the federal “Return of Title IV Funds” calculation.
Federal regulations require that a percentage of the funds disbursed be returned. Students “earn” federal aid funds in direct proportion to the length of time they remain enrolled. For example, if you withdraw at the 30% point of the term, you earn 30% of financial aid disbursed. The remaining 70% of the federal financial aid is “unearned” and must be repaid.

A student who remains enrolled past the 60% point of the academic term has earned 100% of the Title IV federal aid for the enrollment period.

REPAYMENT OF THE “UNEARNED” TITLE IV AID

The federal formula is used to determine how much “unearned” aid the school and/or student must repay to the federal financial aid program(s). Funds are returned to the Title IV programs in the following order:

• Unsubsidized Stafford Loan
• Subsidized Stafford Loan
• Federal Pell Grant
• Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant
• Other Title IV aid

A written notification will be sent to a student to indicate the amount of his/her repayment. If a repayment is owed, the student will not be eligible to receive additional Title Iv federal aid until the repayment has been made.