Things That May Affect Your Aid

After the 3rd day of the term students not able to complete a course(s) must complete a Withdrawal Form online through Registrar’s office. If you withdraw, be aware:

• You are assigned a W for each course you withdraw.
• Full Tuition and fees based on hours enrolled are charged – you are not given a refund for any tuition & fees according to state policy.
• Title IV Financial Aid (Pell Grant, SEOG, etc.) will be prorated based on the amount of aid the student earned for the period the student was enrolled. Unearned Title IV aid will be returned to the Department of Education as required by Return to Title IV regulations.
• The student will be responsible for paying the balance of tuition, fees and book charges not covered by the prorated Title IV and other aid received.

NOTIFICATION AND COMMUNICATION

Students selected for verification must submit documentation to the CGTC Financial Aid office in order for financial aid eligibility to be determined. Students are notified of their selection for the process as follows:

• The Student Aid Report (SAR) from the Department of Education after submission of the FAFSA.
• Central Georgia Technical College will provide electronic notification through the Financial Aid Forms portal to the student identifying the documents required for the verification process. These notifications will be sent to the student periodically until the documents are received. The student can also check their Titan Experience account for this information.
• As a courtesy, CGTC’s Financial Aid office may contact students by phone to encourage them to submit documents to complete the verification process.

DOCUMENTATION REQUIRED

• • Signed Verification Worksheet via Financial Aid Forms

*Please be advised, the dependent student and parent must both sign the worksheet. If the student signs the worksheet electronically, the parent must sign the worksheet electronically also; or if the student prints out the worksheet and signs with a wet signature, the parent must sign with a wet signature also and the worksheet must be uploaded back into Financial Aid Forms.

• • Federal Tax Return Transcript* uploaded via Financial Aid Forms

*Effective January 2019, institutions may accept as acceptable documentation a signed copy of the 2017 income tax return, as applicable, that the tax filer submitted to the IRS or other tax authorities to verify FAFSA/ISIR income and tax information.

• • – Dependent student; student and parents tax transcript
  • – Independent: student, and spouse if applicable.
• It may be necessary for the student to submit additional documentation in order for the verification process to be completed. The Financial Aid Office will notify the student if this additional documentation is needed.

*If you do not have a copy of your tax return transcript, you can request a tax return transcript by accessing the IRS website (https://www.irs.gov/individuals/get-transcript ) and following the instructions shown, or complete  Form 4506-T and fax to the appropriate IRS tax location for the state in which you filed your federal tax return. For Georgia, the fax number is 859-669-3592. This make take several weeks for processing. The documents will be mailed to you, or you may request the documents to be mailed to the College (item #5). If you choose to have them mailed to the College, please enter the College’s mailing address and to the attention of the Financial Aid Office.

For tax filer, make sure you choose “Return Transcript.”

For non-tax filers, you must request a Verification of Nonfiling letter and a W2 transcript, even if you did not work or have any type of income. If you did not work or have any income, you will receive a letter(s) from the IRS stating that the documents were not available. You will need to submit the letter(s) to the Financial Aid office along with your verification worksheet.

If the student, parent, or both used the IRS Data Retrieval Tool to transfer tax information to the FAFSA, the tax return transcript is not required for verification; just the applicable signed verification worksheet.

DEADLINES FOR SUBMISSION OF DOCUMENTATION

Verification documents should be submitted by the document deadline as posted in the Important Dates section of the CGTC Financial Aid website. Submitting the required documents by the due date, as posted, facilitates the College’s ability to verify all information in a timely manner, ensure that financial aid packages and reconciliation of funds are accurate, and that financial aid is posted to the student’s account in a timely manner.

Failure to submit the required documentation will eliminate the disbursement of financial aid and failure to submit required documentation by the posted deadline will delay the disbursement of financial aid.

EXTINUATING TAX CIRCUMSTANCES – Click here for more information on these requirements.

Quantitative and Qualitative Requirements

Maximum Timeframe – Students must complete a program of study within one and one-half (150%) times the normal length of the program of study. This includes all credit hours attempted, whether or not the hours are completed or passed. For example, if a program of study is 60 credit hours, the maximum timeframe to complete the program and receive financial aid is 90 attempted credit hours. The maximum timeframe will vary depending upon the length of the program of study. Changing majors may result in a student exceeding the maximum timeframe for completion.  

Quantitative – The maximum timeframe (pace) for students to complete a program in which they are enrolled cannot exceed 150% of the published length of the program. In order to meet this standard, a student must maintain a course completion and pass rate of at least 67% for all credit hours attempted. For SAP purposes for aid eligibility, successfully completed courses include grades of A, B, C, and D. Courses attempts include grades of A, B, C, D, F, W, I, or IP. CGTC utilizes standard rounding when calculating SAP quantitative measures. The Z grade, a temporary flexibility for a COVID related withdrawal, does not factor into a student’s completion rate. 

 Qualitative – The student must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or above in order to remain eligible for financial aid. Grades of A, B, C, D, or F are included in the calculation of the cumulative GPA. Grades of I, W, or Z do not affect the student’s cumulative GPA.  

SAP Status

A student who does not maintain a 2.0 GPA and/or does not successfully complete at least 67% of all attempted hours at the SAP checkpoint will be placed on Financial Aid Warning status and will continue to receive financial aid for one term only. Students will be notified of a change in SAP status by email to the college-provided student email address. 

 If at the completion of the Financial Aid Warning term:  

Regaining Eligibility

 Once a student has been placed on Financial Aid Unsatisfactory Suspension and has lost eligibility to receive financial aid, eligibility may be regained in one of two ways: 

•  The student must attend classes as a cash paying student (receiving no financial aid) until the cumulative GPA and the completion rate has reached, or exceeded, the minimum requirements. At the next term of enrollment, the student may be eligible to begin receiving financial aid if all other financial aid eligibility requirements are met, OR  
• The student may file a SAP appeal. The appeal must be approved by the College’s SAP committee prior to financial aid eligibility being reinstated. The student must also meet all other financial aid eligibility requirements. 

Appeal Process

Any student placed on Financial Aid Unsatisfactory Status may submit an appeal. Students are limited to a maximum of two appeals per term/payment period—one submitted to the committee; if denied, the student is eligible to submit one appeal to the Director of Financial Aid. The student must submit a Request for Financial Aid Appeal in the Financial Aid Forms portal (available via Single Sign On dashboard) within 10 days from the date the student is notified of the Unsatisfactory Status. All students are required to submit electronic appeals through Financial Aid Forms. In the case that the electronic form is not available (i.e., Dual Enrollment students), the College will accept a paper form upon request.  

Students should submit an appeal when he or she has experienced a life circumstance that has negatively affected or impacted the student’s academic performance. Acceptable conditions to file an appeal include: 

• Death of a close relative, or 
•  Injury or illness of the student, or 
•  Other extenuating circumstances, such as job loss, eviction/homelessness, loss of transportation, etc. which cause a student not to successfully complete a course(s). 

The student must submit an appeal form along with a description of the circumstance and all documentation that support the acceptable conditions for the appeal to be considered. Documentation must be relevant to the time period/term in which the student’s academic performance was impacted and must address all terms of unsatisfactory performance. The student must also submit an explanation of what has changed in his/her situation that will allow the student to demonstrate satisfactory academic progress at the next evaluation. Appeals submitted without appropriate supporting documentation will not be considered. 

Signed statements can be submitted as a part of the SAP appeal process. Signed statements must include:  

• An explanation of the circumstance(s) for each term in which you had unsuccessful completions and indicate how the circumstance(s) have affected your academic record, and 
•  An explanation of how the circumstance(s) have changed and will no longer have a negative impact on academic work. 

Signed statements must be notarized. Third party statements, those submitted on behalf of the student from another individual, will not be accepted if not notarized. Signed statement from professionals on company letterhead may be acceptable in lieu of a notarized statement. The closing section on company letterhead should include the professional’s title along with official signature. If letterhead is unavailable, organization statements must also be notarized. 

Third party statements must also include the relationship of the third party with the student (family member, friend, supervisor, etc.) and explain the writer’s knowledge of the student’s circumstance(s). The statement should also include the student’s full name and college student ID number.  

Once the appeal and documentation have been received and reviewed for relevance and completeness, the College’s committee has 30 days from the date the appeal is submitted to review, render a decision, and notify the student of the results. The student will be notified via college-provided email of the appeal decision. To finalize the appeal, the student must respond to the decision email that includes requirements for the appeal. 

• If appeal is granted/approved,   

• • The student will be placed on Financial Aid Academic Plan status during the term in which the appeal is granted and will be eligible to receive financial aid. 

• •  Financial Aid Specialist will send the decision response along with Academic Plan stipulations to the student via email and the student must agree to the plan by responding to the email that he/she agrees to the plan. No aid will be disbursed to the student’s Titan Experience account without an affirmative response agreeing to the academic plan. Hand signatures made by the student on the emailed Academic Plan and submitted to the Financial Aid office are also acceptable. 
  • The student may remain on the Academic Plan and eligible for aid as long as the student meets the stipulations of the Academic Plan per term until the student has reached the required minimum cumulative GPA and completion rate. Once both occur, the student can be removed from the Academic Plan. 

If the student fails to maintain the stipulations of the Academic Plan, the student will be placed back on Financial Aid Suspension and will not be eligible for financial aid. The student has the right to file a new appeal or attend classes and pay out of pocket in an effort to regain financial eligibility by completing the necessary hours to earn the minimum cumulative GPA and completion rate to meet SAP requirements. 

• If appeal is denied by the SAP Appeal Committee, 
  • The student will not be eligible for financial aid.  

• •  The student has the right to file a new appeal with the Director of Financial Aid within 10 days of the Appeal Committee’s decision.  
  •  Otherwise, the student may regain financial aid eligibility once the student completes the necessary hours and earns the minimum required GPA and completion rate to meet SAP requirements.  
  •  The student will be notified via college-provided email of the final decision for second appeals.  

Additional Information

• Incomplete courses are included in attempted hours. 
• Withdrawals are allowed, but all grades earned in courses in which a student is enrolled beyond the drop/add period are included in hours attempted for SAP calculations. 
• Repeated coursework – All grades earned for repeated courses are included in the calculation of the GPA and are included in hours attempted. 
• Transfer credits will be accepted for courses with successful completion applicable to student’s program of study and count in both hours attempted and earned.  

• Study abroad courses are included in the calculation of the GPA and hours attempted.  
• Audited courses are not considered credit courses and are not included in the SAP process for either pass rate or GPA.  
• Consortium agreements – not applicable  
• Program changes may impact the maximum timeframe and the length of time necessary to meet new program requirements. Program changes are allowed only once per semester and will impact max timeframe calculations which could result in loss of aid eligibility. 
• Remedial/Learning support courses are included in the quantitative measure for pass/completion rate. 

There are debt relief companies that charge up-front or monthly fees for the same services. Some of these companies may tell students that they are working with a postsecondary institution to provide these services, when actually they are not.

Default

A student in default on a Federal Student Loan or Direct Loan is not eligible to receive Title IV aid until the default status is resolved by:

• Repayment in full, or
• Has made at least 6 consecutive, full, voluntary payments on time to the loan holder, or
• Loan rehabilitation

State Aid

For State Aid a student’s federal default status can be resolved in one of five ways:

• Completing an acceptable rehabilitation plan; or
• Having the loan repurchased by the original lender and the default status reversed; or
• Receiving an approved Title IV debt settlement, to include a compromised settlement, or
• Making monthly payments over a specified period agreed upon with the lender of the student’s federal loan; each payment must be on time and voluntary to be in a satisfactory repayment plan.

The student should contact the loan holder for more information on resolving loan defaults.

It is the student’s responsibility to submit loan status resolution documents to the Financial Aid Office. Aid will not be disbursed to the student unless this documentation has been received and reviewed in order for Federal and state aid eligibility to be determined.

Overpayment/Exceed Loan Limits

Students who have obtained Title IV program loan funds in an amount that exceeds the annual or aggregate loan limits are ineligible for any further Title IV program (Pell, SEOG, Federal Work Study) assistance until the student:

• Repays in full the excess amount; or
• Makes satisfactory repayment arrangements with the loan holder to repay the excess loan amount. The satisfactory repayment arrangements are determined by the loan holder.
• It is the student’s responsibility to submit loan status resolution documents to the Financial Aid Office. Aid will not be disbursed to the student unless this documentation has been received and reviewed in order for Federal and state aid eligibility to be determined.

Bankruptcy

Students with a student loan or grant overpayment that has been discharged in bankruptcy remains eligible for Title IV aid (Pell, SEOG, Federal Work Study).

Active Bankruptcy

• Borrowers who list a non-defaulted student loan or grant in an active bankruptcy claim is eligible for Title IV funds as long as there are no loans in default.
• Borrowers who list a defaulted student loan or grant in an active bankruptcy claim is eligible for further Title IV funds if the borrower provides documentation from the loan holder stating the loan is dischargeable.

The Department will assign a UEH flag of ‘N’, ‘2’, or ‘3’ to the student’s Student Aid Report (SAR).

• UEH flag value of ‘N’ – there is no unusual enrollment history; no action is required by student or institution.
• UEH flag value of ‘2’ – indicates an unusual enrollment history that requires review by the institution of the student’s enrollment records to determine if the institution must collect additional information about the student’s prior enrollment.
• UEH flag value of ‘3’ – indicates that the institution must review academic records for the student and, in some instances, must collect additional documentation from the student.

Beginning with the 2015-2016 year, the Department of Education expanded the selection criteria to applicants that had prior receipt of, in addition to the Pell Grant, Federal Direct Loans and increased prior awards years to four instead of three.

Forms for this requirement will show up as task on the student’s Financial Aid Forms portal and must be completed, signed and uploaded back into the portal.

If the institution approves the student’s continued eligibility, the Financial Aid administrator may choose to require the student to establish an academic plan similar to the type of plan used to resolve Satisfactory Academic Progress appeals.

If a student did not earn academic credit at one or more of the relevant institutions and does not provide, to the Financial Aid administrator’s satisfaction, an acceptable explanation and documentation for each of those failures, the institution must deny the student any further Title IV assistance. The authority for an institution to deny Title IV, HEA program assistance under UEH circumstances is section 484(a)(4)(A) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, which requires the student to sign a Statement of Educational Purpose. By signing the Statement of Educational Purpose as part of the student’s submission of the FAFSA, the student certified that he or she would use Title IV, HEA program assistance received only to meet educational costs. The student can regain Title IV eligibility by completing one semester of successful academic performance as a cash paying student or by filing an appeal and appeal is approved.