Gordon College

POLICIES

Contents

Disclaimer

The Gordon College Financial Aid Office reserves the right to review and cancel awards at any time if you fail to meet the requirements of the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy or because of changes in your financial or academic status, academic program, resident status, enrollment status, etc. All student financial aid awards are contingent on the availability of funds.

Summer Aid Deadlines

Students who plan to first apply for aid in the summer semester of a particular year must transmit their FAFSA in time for it to reach the Federal Processor no later than June 30th of that year. No aid can be awarded if this deadline is missed.

Retroactive Aid

If the semester(s) for which you are requesting aid has ended AND you are no longer enrolled, you will usually not be eligible for a retroactive aid award. If you are in Verification when the semester ends, you MAY be eligible when Verification is complete.

Loans and Enrollment Status

If you receive a student loan, you must maintain at least half time enrollment at all times. Dropping below half time enrollment at any time may result in subsequent loan disbursements being canceled. If you later re-enroll at least half time, you must contact us to confirm your loan status.

Dropping Courses vs. Withdrawing

Dropping a class during the official Drop/Add period at the beginning of a term will result in a review of your aid eligibility for that term. Dropped semester hours do not count toward HOPE eligibility or Satisfactory Academic Progress standards. No grades are posted for dropped hours. However, hours from which you withdraw or are withdrawn will be considered as enrolled and attempted hours for purposes of determining HOPE eligibility and the quantitative portion of the Satisfactory Academic Progress standards (occurring after the Drop/Add period). Withdrawing from a course results in a grade of W or WF which will appear on your official Gordon College academic transcript.

Incomplete Grades

When a grade of incomplete is replaced with a final grade your eligibility for the HOPE Scholarship and/or other aid will be reviewed. This may result in a request for repayment of aid already received and/or cancellation of future aid. Also, please read the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy for additional information regarding the potential adverse impact of incomplete grades on financial aid eligibility.

Fee Payment & Aid Disbursements

The Gordon College Business Office publishes information regarding your student account, payment deadlines, and aid disbursement. If you pre-register for classes, please note the payment deadlines that are published in the schedule of classes as well as on the Gordon College web site. Failure to pay by the deadline will result in your schedule being cancelled.

If all aid eligibility requirements have been met, aid is disbursed no sooner than 10 days before the semester begins for students who are pre-registered for the required number of hours and have no flags or holds on their records. Refunds are issued to students no sooner than fourteen days from the first day of class.

Outside Sources of Aid

You must report any aid you receive or expect to receive from an outside source to the Gordon College Financial Aid Office regardless of when you receive notification of the award. This includes scholarships, grants, loans, VA education benefits, and assistantships or fee waivers. The receipt of such aid may result in a reduction, cancellation, and/or repayment of your award(s).

Study Abroad

Students regularly enrolled in a degree program who enroll in a Study Abroad program and have completed the proper forms could be eligible for financial aid. Contact the Gordon College Financial Aid Office for additional information on these programs. Since Study Abroad grades are generally not posted by the end of the enrolled semester, your Standards of Academic Progress can be adversely affected resulting in loss of financial aid eligibility until the Registrar receives the grades and we are able to reconsider your Academic Progress.

Employee Tuition Remission

Amounts received under the Board of Regents' Employee Tuition Remission and Reimbursement Policy are considered when determining aid eligibility and can result in the reduction of student financial aid already awarded.

Fee Waivers

If you receive an in-state and/or an out-of-state fee waiver after a semester begins, you may be required to repay aid already disbursed in order to reduce or eliminate an overaward. We must consider any fee waiver(s) you receive when determining your eligibility for other types of student financial aid.

Academic Suspension and Financial Aid Eligibility

Effective Summer Semester 2009

A student that has been suspended for academic reasons from Gordon College is subject to the following stipulations:

Students must attend school at his or her own expense for the initial semester following readmittance to Gordon, and may appeal their Satisfactory Academic Progress standing for subsequent semester(s) upon completion of the initial semester of enrollment, if necessary.  If the appeal is denied, the student must continue to pay for his or her expenses until he or she is once again making Satisfactory Academic  Progress.

Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy For Students Receiving Financial Aid

(effective Summer 2009)

The U.S. Department of Education mandates institutions of higher education to establish a standard of satisfactory academic progress for students who receive financial aid. This standard must apply to the student's entire academic history at Gordon College (including transfer hours accepted for credit) whether Title IV financial aid was received or not. In order to remain eligible for student financial aid at Gordon College, students must meet the standards specified for acceptable academic performance and for satisfactory progress toward the completion of their program of study. The standards are established within the framework of applicable federal regulations specifically for the purpose of determining the eligibility of students to receive aid under all generally funded federal and state programs, such as Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant (SEOG), Federal Work-Study, Georgia HOPE Scholarship and Grant, and Federal Family Educational Loan Programs (Subsidized, Unsubsidized, PLUS). The financial aid satisfactory academic policy should not be confused with Probation or Good Standing as defined by academic regulations.

Components

The Gordon College definition of satisfactory academic progress for receiving financial aid includes the following components:

Qualitative

Students are expected to maintain satisfactory academic standards as described in the Gordon College Academic Catalog. Both the Qualitative and Quantitative standards are measured at the end of each summer semester, unless students are currently on financial aid probation or have an active appeal. Students who are placed on academic or learning support suspension for a term during which they received financial aid will not be eligible to receive aid until they have reestablished eligibility for such aid. Students failing to maintain satisfactory academic progress (and are not on SAP probation) because of qualitative measures and who are not placed on academic or learning support suspension, will have the right to appeal his or her standing if they so choose. This also applies to students who fail to meet the measure for quantitative standards.  To remain in good academic standing and in order to make satisfactory academic progress, students are required to maintain an acceptable cumulative grade point average. The minimum acceptable cumulative grade point average (GPA) is based on the number of semester hours attempted. 

For the purposes of this policy, the following measures are used:

Total Hours Attempted Minimum Cumulative GPA
1-15 1.40
16-30 1.60
31-45 1.80
46-59 1.90
60 2.00

Since financial aid GPA includes all hours attempted at Gordon College, including Learning Support classes, it may differ from your academic GPA. Students who are academically suspended are automatically ineligible for financial aid for the next semester of enrollment, and are required to pay all charges with their own funds their first semester back at Gordon College.

Quantitative

Students must show measurable progress toward earning a degree by successfully completing 66% (see example below) of the hours for which they enroll each academic year.  Grades of A, B, C, or D count as the successful completion of a course. The grades of F, W, WF, I, U, IP or V do not count as the successful completion of a course.

The measure for this standard is outlined below:

Student Classification Start End %Earned Hours
Regular Student 0 96 66%
Nursing 0 102 66%
Teacher Education * 0 206 66%
*This measure is for junior and senior level students enrolled in Gordon's Early Childhood Education program.
66% Calculation Example
 
Fall Semester 12 hours enrolled
Spring Semester+12 hours enrolled
 =24 hours enrolled X 66% = 16
Minimum number of earned hours required to maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (rounded down to nearest whole number)

In this example, a student would be required to have completed a minimum of 16 hours by the end of the spring semester in order to remain eligible to receive financial aid.

Maximum Time-Frame

In addition to previously stated standards student financial aid is available for up to 150% (see example below) of the number of hours required to complete an associate or bachelor degree program.

150% Time Frame Example
 
Associate Degree64 total hours required X 150% = 96 attempted hours of eligibility
*Bachelor Degree137 total hours required X 150% = 206 attempted hours of eligibility
* This measure is for junior and senior level students enrolled in Gordon’s Early Childhood Education program.

The purpose of student financial aid is to assist students in earning a degree. Students who have earned enough hours to complete degree requirements may no longer be eligible for student financial aid. Students who change majors or degree programs may reach eligibility limits before obtaining a degree. Students who decide to change majors or degree programs should do so early so as not to jeopardize eligibility for student financial aid.

Repetition of Courses, Remedial Coursework, Withdrawals and Incompletes

Students should be careful in repeating courses as all attempts at a course are counted in the maximum hours allowed to obtain a degree. Students are also reminded that withdrawing from a course does not count as successful completion and does not count toward the required 66% completion rate. Incompletes also do not count as the successful completion of a course and excessive incompletes can result in the termination of financial aid. A student can receive financial aid for no more than 30 hours of remedial course work (including Learning Support courses and CPC courses).

Students Seeking Second Degrees

Students who already have an Associate's and/or Bachelor's Degree and are seeking another degree must complete an Appeal Form as well as a Certificate of Remaining Hours before financial aid eligibility can be determined.

Financial Aid Probation and/or Suspension

A student will automatically be placed on financial aid probation in the event that the student fails to meet the qualitative standards or quantitative standards during his or her appropriate review at the end of the summer semester. A student in this category may receive financial aid for the next semester in which he or she attends Gordon College, but by the end of that semester (unless the student's probationary period is extended), that student must have completed both the aggregate number of semester hours required and attain the overall institutional GPA required to establish satisfactory academic progress. If the student does not make up the deficiencies, the student is considered to be making unsatisfactory academic progress and is placed on financial aid suspension for the subsequent semester. Financial Aid Suspension means the termination of all financial aid until the student has returned to a satisfactory academic progress standing. Please refer to the section below entitled "Review of students on Satisfactory Academic Progress Probation or on Appeal" for further information regarding this topic.

Appeals Process

Student financial aid recipients who have lost eligibility for aid may appeal in writing to the Office of Student Financial Aid if there are extenuating circumstances. The Financial Aid Appeals Committee will review the appeal to determine whether the suspension/termination will be lifted. Written notification of the Committee's action will be provided, along with any special conditions which must be met in the event the suspension/termination is lifted. The written notification will also contain information regarding how long the appeal (if approved) is approved for. The Committee will only review one appeal per academic year.

Please review the following information as it relates to the Gordon College SAP policy:

  • Withdrawal hours are counted in the quantitative measure.
  • All learning support hours are included in the calculation.
  • Grades of "incomplete" are counted in the quantitative measure. This includes learning support hours.
  • Repeated classes count as any other class in both the qualitative and quantitative measure. Repeated classes do not replace any previously attempted classes.
  • All transfer hours that are accepted for credit toward the intended degree at Gordon College are counted in both the quantitative and qualitative measures.
  • Noncredit remedial courses, if offered, are not included in this calculation.
  • If a student chooses to pursue a second degree, all courses that apply to the second degree will be counted in the calculation as it relates to the second degree.

Review of students on Satisfactory Academic Progress Probation or on Appeal

Students who have been place on Satisfactory Academic Progress Probation will remain on probation as long as they meet the following stipulations:

  1. The student does not drop any classes in a subsequent semester of enrollment.
  2. The student's GPA increases in each subsequent semester of enrollment.

If a student's probationary period is extended, the student’s probationary status will continue until he or she has either regained good standing as it relates to satisfactory academic progress or fails to meet the requirements to remain on SAP probation. Students who are evaluated and fail to meet the appropriate standard(s) at the end of the semester in which they were placed on SAP probation will be ineligible for any additional financial aid funds at Gordon College until they have regained their eligibility according to the policy for reestablishing eligibility for financial aid, or have filed a financial aid appeal which has been approved. Students who are not eligible to remain on Satisfactory Academic Progress Probation at the end of a semester in which they are reviewed will not be able to file a financial aid appeal until the end of the summer semester of the current academic year.

Students who have had a financial aid appeal approved will remain eligible to receive financial aid as long as they meet the following stipulations:

  1. The student does not drop any classes in a subsequent semester of enrollment.
  2. The student's GPA increases in each subsequent semester of enrollment.

If a student's appeal status is extended, it will continue until he or she has either regained good standing as it relates to satisfactory academic progress or fails to meet the requirements to remain on SAP appeal. Students who are evaluated and fail to meet the appropriate standard(s) at the end of the semester in which they were placed on SAP appeal will be ineligible for any additional financial aid funds at Gordon College until they have regained their eligibility according to the policy for reestablishing eligibility for financial aid, or have filed a subsequent financial aid appeal which has been approved. Students who are not eligible to remain on Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal at the end of a semester in which they are reviewed will not be able to file a subsequent financial aid appeal until the end of the summer semester of the current academic year.

All students who are on Satisfactory Academic Progress probation or are currently on Satisfactory Academic Appeal status will be reviewed at the end of each semester in which they are enrolled to ensure they are meeting the stipulations in order to continue to receive financial aid.

View the previous 08-09 Satisfactory Academic Progress policy >

Reestablishing Financial Aid Eligibility

In order to regain eligibility for financial aid, a student must meet one of the following criteria:

  1. A student may regain eligibility by attending school at his or her own expense until he or she meets the criteria as outlined in the current Standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress for students receiving financial aid. The standards are reviewed at the end of each summer semester. A student cannot reestablish eligibility simply by being out of school for a set amount of time or by paying for a set number of classes out-of-pocket, as outlined in the Federal Student Aid Handbook. This also applies to students who have been suspended from Gordon College, and are applying for readmission to the college.
  2. A student may appeal his or her SAP status by completing the appropriate financial aid appeal form, and submitting the completed form along with the appropriate documentation to the Gordon College Financial Aid Office. In order to submit an appeal, a student must have circumstances that fall into the following categories:
    1. Death in the family.
    2. Family or personal illness that resulted in the student having to withdraw from school.
    3. Loss of employment that resulted in the student having to withdraw from school.
    4. Loss of transportation that resulted in student having to withdraw from school.
    5. Other extenuating circumstances that can be documented. These appeals will be accepted at the discretion of the Financial Aid Appeals Committee.

Appeals submitted without documentation will not be reviewed by the Financial Aid Appeals Committee. Such appeals will be returned to the student.

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