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Financial Aid

How to Retain Eligibility

Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy

A Virginia Western Community College student must be in compliance with the following satisfactory academic progress standards to be considered for participation in federal and state financial aid programs:

  1. A student must have successfully completed at least 67% of the total number of credits already attempted at this institution. When determining this percentage, the school will include all credits pursued at any previous time, including periods when the student was not a financial aid recipient, courses outside the student's program of study, and courses for which the student received a grade of W. This 67% requirement first takes effect once the student has attempted a total of 25* credits. Successful completion of a course is defined as attainment of a grade of A, B, C, D, P, or R. Unsuccessful completion of a course is defined as a grade of F, W, U, or I.

*When a student is enrolled in a program of study requiring less than 25 total credits, this requirement becomes effective once the student has attempted 1/2 of the total number of credits in the program.

  1. The number of credits already attempted, inculding transfer credits, cannot exceed 150% of the number of credits required to complete the student's current program of study. Included in this total are all credits pursued at any previous time, including periods when the student was not a financial aid recipient, ccourses outside the student's program of study, and courses for which the student received a grade of W. Developmental credits are exluded from this total.
  2. A student who has attempted 60 or more credits must hold a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.00**. A student who has attempted 12 credits must hold a cumulative grade point average of at least 1.5. Developmental credits and withdrawals are excluded from this requirement.

**Since a student must have a curricular grade point average of at least 2.00 in order to be eligible for graduation, even when enrolled in a certificate program requiring fewer than 60 total credits, the requirement is modified for these programs. In this case, a student must hold a cumulative grade point average of at least 1.50 at the end of one year, or by the time one half of the program has been completed, whichever is less.

  1. Financial aid may be received for a maximum of 30 developmental credits. Thereafter, any developmental credits are excluded when determining a student's enrollment status for the purpose of providing financial aid. Included within the student's total are all developmental credits already pursued, including courses for which the student received a grade of W. A student may continue to receive financial aid for non-developmental courses provided the above requirements are met.
  2. Students will be limited to completing no more than 2 programs of study while receiving financial aid. This includes certificate/diploma programs as well as degree programs.

Virginia Western Community College reserves the right to withhold financial aid from any other student who, though in compliance with the above standards, is considered not to be making a concerted effort toward completion of his or her degree/certificate program.

Exceptions to the above standards may be considered only in the event of extenuating circumstances, as documented in a written appeal to the College's Financial Aid Committee.

Appeal for reinstatement of financial aid

If you wish to appeal the loss of your eligibility, complete the form below and attach supporting documents. Handwritten appeals, or appeals submitted without use of this form, will no longer be accepted.  This form may be printed and delivered to the financial aid office along with appropriate supporting documentation.  Appeals submitted without supporting documents will be rejected. Computers are available for student use if needed in the financial aid office.

Appeal for Reinstatement of Financial Aid

EXAMPLES OF ACCEPTABLE DOCUMENTATION:

Death of immediate family member

Legal issues/Illness

Applicable only if failing 150%

Note: Out of consideration for your advisor's schedule, you must allow a minimum of 3 business days prior to the appeal deadline.

Letters of support from family members, significant others, friends and neighbors are not sufficient documentation.


What happens if I simply drop a course during the add/drop period?

When you drop a course during the add/drop period, your financial aid eligibility for the current term would be revised to reflect the exclusion of the dropped course. Depending on how many remaining credits you have and what type of aid you have been awarded, your awards may be reduced. You would receive a revised award notification if this is the case.

What happens if I drop all of my courses during the add/drop period?

Your financial aid eligibility for the current term would be canceled entirely.

What happens if I withdraw from a course after the end of the add / drop period?

If you are receiving grants, and you still have one or more remaining courses, your financial aid eligibility for the current term would not change.

If you are receiving loans, you would only remain eligible for your loan disbursement provided you are still registered for at least six credits (half-time). If your enrollment level drops below half-time status before your loan disbursement has been applied to your account, you would not be eligible for your loan disbursement and it would be canceled. In certain circumstances, the College would be entitled to accept the amount of your loan disbursement that equals the balance due on your student account. Any remaining amount would be returned to your lender and would reduce the amount of the principal balance borrowed.

Keep in mind that if you are not maintaining half-time status, you would enter your grace period for repayment of any outstanding loan balance and would be sent an Exit Interview packet from the Financial Aid Office. Once you resumed half-time status, your loans could once again be deferred.

What happens if I withdraw from all of my courses after the end of the add/drop period but before the 60% point of the semester (last day to withdraw without academic penalty)?

If you are receiving COMA, VGAP, CSAP, or PTAP, your eligibility for those grants would not change for that semester.

If you are receiving any type of federal aid (PELL, SEOG, ACG, or Federal Stafford Loans), a portion of your financial aid would be considered as unearned. As a result, you would then owe repayments to the U.S. Department of Education and to the College. You would be notified of the amounts you were responsible for repaying, and would be given a 45-day period to make repayment.  If the amount owed to the federal government was not repaid within the given timeframe, this amount would be referred to the U.S. Department of Education as a federal liability.  You would not regain eligibility for financial aid at any college or university in the United States until this federal overpayment was satisfied. Meanwhile, until the amount owed to the College was repaid, future enrollment at the institution would be denied. Your original award notice included detailed information regarding the effect of withdrawals on your financial aid eligibility.

How do withdrawals affect my future financial aid eligibility?

As stated above, if you do not satisfy a federal overpayment, you would be reported to the U.S. Department of Education and would be ineligible for financial aid at any college or university until the debt was satisfied. Any outstanding balance due to the College would also need to be satisfied before you could enroll again at Virginia Western Community College, and before any other future services would be rendered.

It is extremely important that you realize that all types of withdrawals can damage your pursuit of satisfactory academic progress. Although withdrawals may not be negative on your academic record, they are considered negative for financial aid purposes. Withdrawals are considered courses attempted, but not completed successfully. Therefore, according to our Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) policy, withdrawals would count against you in the evaluation of the Completion Rate (67% rule) and the Maximum Time (150% rule) standards for SAP.

What should I do if I am contemplating withdrawing from one or more courses?

It is extremely important that you carefully read the above information in order to become fully aware of the implications of withdrawal. You may also meet with a financial aid representative to further discuss your options and any of the information provided here.

Financial Aid Appeals

The Financial Aid Office seeks to administer financial aid:

Within these parameters, the Financial Aid Office is committed to maximizing the qualifications of all financial aid applicants. A student who questions a decision that has been made, or who wishes to present an extenuating circumstance, is provided the opportunity to file a written appeal and have the situation further reviewed. Financial aid staff members can advise you regarding the procedures to follow when submitting a written appeal. Reasons for an appeal, though not limited to these, typically fall into one of the following categories:

  1. Loss of financial aid due to unsatisfactory academic progress;
  2. The need to apply for financial aid as a dependent student and thus to provide parental information on the application;
  3. A significant change in the household (e.g., marital separation of student or parents, loss or reduction of employment on part of student or parents, loss or reduction of untaxed income such as child support or Social Security benefits, death of parent, etc.);
  4. Unusually high out-of-pocket medical/dental expenses;
  5. Child care expenses during time spent at school;
  6. Financial aid information provided was inaccurate or insufficient in nature;
  7. Financial aid was not delivered in a timely manner.

VGAP Renewal Requirements

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