Alpena Community College

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Financial Aid Policies

Appeals Process

Students not meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) are able to reinstate their eligibility for financial aid by taking coursework in subsequent semester(s) and meeting all 3 SAP requirements again. The student re-establishes their financial aid eligibility, when at the start of the semester all 3 SAP requirements are met. If completion of temporary grades (I, or MNG, or X) or other transcript changes (e.g. grade changes) warrant reinstatement, the student should notify the Financial Aid Office at the time such changes occur.

 Students not meeting the satisfactory progress requirements because of mitigating or extenuating circumstances (i.e. death of a relative, illness or injury of student, etc.) may request reinstatement of financial aid by submitting a Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal Form along with the specified documentation described on the form. This form can be obtained from the Financial Aid Office or downloaded (Financial Aid Appeal Form).

 Appeals should be submitted to the Financial Aid Office no later than the first day of class of the semester the student wishes to be considered for financial aid probation. If a student’s appeal is approved, they will be placed on Financial Aid Probation and be eligible for financial aid for that semester. The Financial Aid Appeal Committee’s decision is final and no further appeals can be made for that semester.


Disbursement

Financial aid disbursements will be made as soon as possible after the conclusion of the institutional refund period. All disbursements will be made by mail and at least once every enrollment period.


Non-Payment

Grades and other records may be withheld from those students who have not met all of their financial obligations.


Refunds

Full refunds (100%)
A refund of all tuition paid will be issued providing a Drop/Add form is processed and in the possession of the Registrar's Office (Van Lare Hall) prior to 3:30 p.m. of the last day of the enrollment period of the semester, or if a miscellaneous course, prior to the end of the enrollment period of the course.

The "enrollment period" is defined as: not less than 1/10th of the calendar days between and including the first day of the semester and the final exam period. This college uses a Predominant Calendar System for determining the actual enrollment period for regularly scheduled semester courses (Fall, Spring, Summer). Other individually scheduled courses have independently determined enrollment periods.

The "enrollment period" starts with the first instructional day of a semester or miscellaneous course and ends when the appropriate number of calendar days have elapsed.

Financial aid students are subject to federal regulations requiring a refund calculation for all students who totally withdraw or stop attendance prior to the 60 percent mark of the semester. The student may be required to repay all or a portion of total dollars received. No scholarship or grant funds will be refunded to the student. Books can be returned to the ACC Bookstore for the proper credit. Fees currently being charged to students include a registration fee, student services fee, facilities maintenance fee, technology fee and a drop/add fee. A request for refunds for extenuating circumstances must be submitted to the Vice President of Instruction/Student/Community Services.

Return of Title IV Funds (Federal Aid)
Students who completely withdraw from all courses prior to completing more than 60 percent of a semester will have their eligibility for aid recalculated based on the percent of the semester completed. This policy shall apply to all students who withdraw, drop out, receive failing grades in all courses or are dismissed from Alpena Community College (ACC) and receive financial aid from Title IV funds.

The term "Title IV Funds" refers to the following federal financial aid programs: Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan, Federal Direct Subsidized Loan, Federal Direct PLUS Loans, Federal Perkins Loan, Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, Iraq Afghanistan Service Grant.

Title IV Funds is earned in a prorated manner on a per diem basis up to and including the 60 percent point in the semester. Title IV Funds and all other aid are viewed as 100 percent earned after the 60 percent point in the semester.

View a detailed explanation of the required Return of Title IV Funds Calculation and examples.


Repetitive Course Enrollment

Alpena Community College credit courses may be repeated only once where any grade (i.e., A-W) has been earned. Specifically, if a course has been taken twice and any grade was earned, written permission from the office of the Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs is required prior to a third enrollment.  The highest grade in the course will be used in calculating the student’s grade point average.

Important Information for Students Receiving Financial Aid:
Courses taken for Audit and courses repeated more than once after previously passing the course do not count as part of a student’s financial aid enrollment status, and can affect your financial aid award.


Satisfactory Academic Progress

All students receiving federal Title IV financial aid monies (Pell Grant, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG), Federal Direct Student Loan, and College Work Study program) and all State of Michigan programs (Michigan Competitive Scholarship, and Tuition Incentive Program) must meet the following academic standards in order to qualify for continued aid eligibility.

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) will be measured at the end of each semester, including summer and also measures semesters where financial aid had not been received. A student must meet all three (3) of the following requirements to remain eligible for financial aid:

  1. Grade Point Average (GPA). The following is the cumulative GPA requirements:
Credit Hours CompletedG.P.A.
0-15 1.7
16-30 1.8
31-45 1.9
46 & up 2.0
  1. Pace of Completion. All students must maintain a minimum pace of completion of 67%. Pace of completion is calculated by dividing the cumulative credit hours successfully completed by the cumulative number of attempted credit hours.
  2. Maximum Timeframe.
    A student in a certificate program may not exceed 45 attempted credit hours.
    A student in an associate degree may not exceed 90 attempted credit hours.
    A student in a bachelor program may not exceed 180 attempted credit hours.

A student not meeting any one of the 3 requirements above is not meeting SAP. A student who fails to meet SAP at the end of a semester will lose their financial aid eligibility for their next semester of attendance. Exceptions are granted, on a semester basis, to students who are placed on either financial aid warning or financial aid probation.

A student meeting all 3 requirements of SAP at the start of a semester, and at the end of the same semester is not meeting either SAP requirements 1 or 2 will be placed on financial aid warning for their next semester of attendance. While on financial aid warning a student will continue to be eligible to receive financial aid. A student will not be placed on financial aid warning when they exceed the maximum timeframe.

Note: A first semester student at Alpena Community College is considered to be meeting requirements 1 and 2.

A student who is not meeting SAP, and not placed on financial aid warning may submit a financial aid appeal to the Financial Aid Office and if the appeal is approved the student will be placed on financial aid probation. While on financial aid probation a student will continue to be eligible to receive financial aid for a duration of only one semester. At the completion of the semester of financial aid probation the student must meet all 3 requirements of SAP or lose their financial aid eligibility until the requirements are met.

Definitions:
Attempted credit hours - The number of credit hours a student is enrolled in after the ‘last day to drop with a full tuition refund’ date for the semester. All attempted credit hours are used in requirements 2 & 3 listed above.

Audited course – Audited course credits do not count as attempted or successfully completed credit hours and are not calculated into the GPA.

Incomplete grade (I) – Incomplete grades are counted as attempted credits, but not successfully completed credit hours, and are not included in GPA calculations.

NG grade – A temporary grade assigned when a final grade has not been received by the grading deadline. Grade of NG are counted as attempted hours but not as successfully completed credit hours. NG grades are not included in the GPA.

Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory – A grading option which allows coursework to be taken for credit but not included in the GPA. A grade of S (satisfactory work) is included in the attempted and successfully completed credit hours. A grade of U (unsatisfactory work) is included in the attempted credit hours only.

Remedial course – Courses numbered below 100. Credits will be included in attempted and successfully completed if appropriate as determined by the grade received. Remedial course grades are included in the GPA.

Repeated course - The same course, or direct equivalent, taken in a subsequent semester. Each semester the attempted credit hours are counted, but only the best grade will be included in the GPA calculation, (a 4-credit hour course taken twice will total 8 attempted credit hours, a maximum of 4 credit hours successfully completed and the GPA will include only the best grade of A through F). Note: Students may repeat a successfully completed course only one time utilizing financial aid.

Successfully completed credit hours - Credit hours that have been earned and have a grade value of A through D- or S. 

W grades
 – Grade given when a student drops a course after the second week of the semester or withdraws completely from the college after the official add/drop period, resulting in a W grade being assigned for all dropped courses. W grades are counted as attempted, but are not successfully completed, credit hours. W grades are not included in the GPA.

Students with Transfer Credit
Transfer credits accepted by Alpena Community College for your degree program are counted as both attempted and successfully completed credit hours for measuring pace of completion and maximum timeframe. Alpena Community College does not transfer in the GPA from another institution, and it is not figured into the GPA for this policy.

Appeals and Reinstatements
Students not meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) are able to reinstate their eligibility for financial aid by taking coursework in subsequent semester(s) and meeting all 3 SAP requirements again. The student re-establishes their financial aid eligibility, when at the start of the semester all 3 SAP requirements are met. If completion of temporary grades (I or NG) or other transcript changes (e.g. grade changes) warrant reinstatement, the student should notify the Financial Aid Office at the time such changes occur.

Students not meeting the satisfactory progress requirements because of mitigating or extenuating circumstances (i.e. death of a relative, illness or injury of student, pursuing an additional degree, etc.) may request reinstatement of financial aid by submitting a Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal Form along with the specified documentation described on the form. This form can be obtained from the Financial Aid Office or downloaded here.

Appeals should be submitted to the Financial Aid Office no later than the first day of class of the semester the student wishes to be considered for financial aid probation. If a student’s appeal is approved, they will be placed on Financial Aid Probation and be eligible for financial aid for that semester. The Financial Aid Appeal Committee’s decision is final and no further appeals can be made for that semester.