Financial Aid – Eligibility for Continued Receipt of Financial Aid
REG 02.70.2
Scholarships and Financial Aid
Authority: Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor
History: First Issued: March 23, 1984. Last Revised: December 5, 2005. Additional History Information.
Related Policies:
NCSU
REG02.05.1-Continuation of Undergraduate Enrollment
Additional References: Guidelines for Reinstatement of Eligibility
Contact Info: Director of Scholarships and Financial Aid (919) 515-2334
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.
2. PROCEDURES FOR DETERMINATION OF SATISFACTORY ACADEMIC PROGRESS FOR FINANCIAL AID ELIGIBILITY
2.1 Full-Time Undergraduate Degree Students
2.1.1 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 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 require higher academic achievement than satisfactory progress. 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.
2.1.2 A full-time undergraduate degree student at NC State is making satisfactory academic progress for consideration for financial aid if he or she:
(a) is not suspended or on probation according to University Policy (see REG02.05.1Continuation of Undergraduate Enrollment, and
(b) has passed 12 or more semester hours with grades of A, B, C, S, CR, or D at the end of his/her first academic year (freshman or transfer), or has passed 24 or more semester 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 6 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 125% of the required number of credit hours necessary for degree completion (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 withdrawals and dropped courses, remedial courses (if countable towards a degree), repeated courses, courses with incompletes or failing grades, and no credit or audited courses. Students who receive financial aid and withdraw after the first two weeks of the semester will be held accountable for hours attempted but not passed during that semester. Students who are denied financial aid because they have not met the above conditions should follow the Guidelines for Reinstatement of Financial Aid Eligibility.
2.2 Part-Time Undergraduate Degree Students
Part-time students (students who take fewer than 12 credit hours per semester) are expected to pass all hours attempted each semester and must not be suspended or on probation to maintain eligibility for continued financial aid. In addition, part-time students are limited to attempting no more than 125% of the required number of credit hours necessary for 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).
2.3 Undergraduate Second Degree Students
A student working toward a second or subsequent baccalaureate degree is subject to the same satisfactory progress requirements as listed above for full-time or part-time students. In addition, second baccalaureate degree students must graduate within the normal time frame 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).
3. 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 probation, and is eligible to continue in his/her program as of the end of each semester.
4. GUIDELINES FOR REINSTATEMENT OF FINANCIAL AID ELIGIBILITY
4.1 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 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 at the end of any semester will be required to document class attendance in that semester. In addition, at the end of the spring semester the NC State Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid evaluates each student’s academic transcript to assure that the student passed the minimum number of hours required by this policy. Those 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 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.
4.2 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 with grades of A, B, C, S, CR or D and must not be suspended or on probation at the end of that semester. If both of these conditions are met, the student may submit a written petition for restoration of eligibility for continued receipt of financial aid.
4.3 If a student has failed to make progress due to extenuating circumstances, an exception may be made without requiring summer school attendance or a semester of enrollment without funding. A petition for an exception may be granted for circumstances such as the following:
4.3.1 extended illness or hospitalization of the student
4.3.2 an accident which incapacitates the student for an extended period of time
4.3.3 death or extended illness of an immediate family member
4.4 Students who have withdrawn more than two semesters while receiving financial aid will not be eligible for reinstatement of financial aid based on petition unless the student provides medical or other significant documentation 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) before petitioning for reinstatement.
5. PETITION PROCESS
5.1 A student who has become ineligible for financial aid may reestablish eligibility through one of the options referenced above. A written petition must be submitted, even after summer school attendance and/or after attending a subsequent semester without aid. At that time, a review of the student's summer or semester performance will be conducted by the Director of Scholarships and Financial Aid or his/her designee and a decision reached regarding restoration of aid eligibility. 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.
5.2 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
