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UNCG Financial Aid Handbook 2011 - 2012 UNCG Financial Aid Offi ce 2 Websites and Abbreviati ons 3 Financial Aid Checklist 4 Interacti on with the Financial Aid Offi ce 5 UNCGenie 5 The Applicati on Process Filing the FAFSA and FAFSA Informati on 6 Quality Assurance Program and Verifi cati on 7 The Award Process Award noti fi cati on 8 Accepti ng/Declining Awards 8 Loan Informati on 9 The Payment Process Financial Aid and your bill 10 Return of Funds policy 11 Financial Aid Programs Federal, State and Insti tuti onal need-based aid 12 Merit Awards program 13 Work Study Program 13 Enrollment Status and Eligibility Credit hour requirements 14 Graduate Students 14 Second Degree Students 14 Transfer Students 14 Determining Need Based Eligibility Cost of Att endance 15 Expected Family Contributi on 15 Sati sfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy 16-17 Financial Aid for Summer or Study Abroad Summer Financial Aid 18 Study Abroad 18 Calendar 19 Table of Contents Offi ce Locati on 723 Kenilworth Street, Greensboro, NC, 27402 Mailing Address Financial Aid Offi ce P.O. Box 26170 Greensboro, NC 27402-6170 Telephone: (336) 334-5702 Fax: (336) 334-3010 email: fi naid@uncg.edu htt p://fi a.uncg.edu Offi ce Hours: M,T,W,F 8am-5pm, TH 8am-4pm Counseling Hours: M,T,W,F 8am-4:30pm, TH 8am-3:30pm Summer Hours: M-F 10 am-5pm UNCG Federal School Code 002976 Other UNCG Contact Numbers Cashiers & Students Accounts Offi ce..... Admissions........................... Graduate School.................. University Registrar’s Offi ce. Housing & Residence Life..... Dining Services..................... 336-334-5831 336-334-5243 336-334-5596 336-334-5946 336-334-5636 336-334-5976 The Financial Aid Offi ce Staff : Deborah Tollefson, Director of Financial Aid Bruce Cabiness, Associate Director of Financial Aid for Operati ons Bill Zahn, Associate Director of Financial Aid for Compliance Lisa Benatti , Assistant Director of Financial Aid for Loans Amy Berrier, Assistant Director of Financial Aid for Operati ons John Lucas, Assistant Director of Financial Aid for EDE/QAP Yolanda McLean, Assistant Director of Financial Aid for Scholarships Sarah Shearer, Assistant Director of Financial Aid for Grants Debra Slade, Assistant Director of Financial Aid for Public Relati ons Dana Banker, Financial Aid Verifi cati on Counselor Eddie Drew, Financial Aid Counselor Cathryn Garrett , Financial Aid Counselor Kelli Hand, Financial Aid Scholarship Counselor Aminah Harris, Financial Aid Counselor Chrystal Lewis, Financial Aid Counselor Roberta McDevitt , Senior Financial Aid Counselor Chris Ratliff , Financial Aid Counselor Cathy McGuire, Administrati ve Assistant Valerie White, Loan Coordinator The UNCG Financial Aid Offi ce (FAO) staff is here to assist you with the aid applicati on process. We have a professional staff ready to help with all of your fi nancial aid inquiries. Our offi ce is located on the UNCG campus at the corner of Spring Garden Street and Kenilworth Street. UNCG Financial Aid Offi ce 2 Contact Information htt p://fi a.uncg.edu - The UNCG Financial Aid Offi ce Home Page contains scholarship informati on, Federal Work-Study informati on, Sati sfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy informati on, and links to everything in this handbook. www.fafsa.gov - The FAFSA on the Web site allows you to fi le a FAFSA on-line. www.studentaid.ed.gov - The U.S. Department of Educati on Offi ce of Post-secondary Educati on’s Web Site off ers useful informati on for students. Here you will fi nd an online version of The Student Guide, federal school codes, informati on on tax incenti ves, and more. www.ft c.gov - The Federal Trade Commission Web site contains informati on regarding scholarship scams to avoid and how to recognize them. www.irs.gov - The IRS site provides valuable tax informati on for students, including descripti ons of tax incenti ves for higher educati on expenses, such as the Hope Scholarship and the Lifeti me Learning Credit. www.students.gov - This web site is the student gateway to the U.S. government. It off ers informati on on planning and paying for college. www.dl.ed.gov/borrower - This is the website for Federal Student Direct Loan informati on and applicati on. Scholarship Searches: www.fastweb.com www.collegeboard.com www.collegenet.com/mach25 FAO FAFSA EFC COA DRN FWS LRF MAP MPN PLUS QAP SAP SAR Financial Aid Offi ce Free Applicati on for Federal Student Aid Expected Family Contributi on Cost of Att endance Data Release Number Federal Work Study Loan Request Form Merit Awards Program Master Promissory Note Parent Loan for Undergraduates Quality Assurance Program Sati sfactory Academic Progress Student Aid Report Useful Websites and Common Abbreviati ons 3 New Students Complete Immunizati on Requirements • Immunizati on requirements must be completed and cleared with Student Health Services prior to the payment deadline in order to use fi nancial aid to reduce the student bill. Contact Student Health Services at (336) 334-5340 to complete this requirement. Complete the Financial Aid Response Form if Necessary • Use this form to report less than full-ti me enrollment as well as changes in full year enrollment. The Financial Aid Response Form is also used to decline or reduce awards. Complete Loan Entrance Counseling (Only required for fi rst ti me borrowers) • All new or transfer students must complete loan entrance counseling. You can sati sfy this requirement by completi ng the entrance interview module at www.studentloans.gov. Complete and submit the Master Promissory Note (MPN) • If you are receiving a Federal Student Loan and/or a PLUS Loan, you must complete the MPN in order for the funds to disburse to UNCG. The MPN can be completed at www.studentloans.gov. • PLUS Loan funds will not defer the student bill unti l our offi ce receives confi rmati on of a completed Master Promissory Note and the loan has been approved. All Students Go online to accept awards • All students must go online via UNCGenie, read and acknowledge the Terms and Conditi ons, and accept their awards, including federal student loans. You may accept full or parti al amounts of the student loan as well as decline loans via UNCGenie. See Page 8 for instructi ons. Financial Aid Checklist 4 Complete the Free Applicati on for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) • Visit www.fafsa.gov to start the process. The FAFSA is available January 1st for the upcoming academic year. UNCG’s Priority Deadline is March 1st. Complete any outstanding fi nancial aid requirements • All incomplete requirements can be viewed via UNCGenie. If you have been selected for Verifi cati on, please make clear copies of all requested documents and turn them in to the Financial Aid Offi ce as soon as possible. Make sure all tax returns and other forms are signed. Receive Award Lett er Email Noti fi cati on • Once the FAFSA is received and all awarding requirements are met, you will receive an award lett er email noti fi cati on. Your offi cial award lett er can be viewed via UNCGenie. Review Sati sfactory Academic Progress Policy (SAP) and locked hours • The Sati sfactory Academic Progress Policy is a federal policy that can prevent students from receiving fi nancial aid due to sub-standard academic progress. Your SAP status is based on your hours of enrollment at the end of Drop/Add (usually the fi rst week of classes). All forms* can be printed from our website at htt p://fi a.uncg.edu under "Important Forms" * The Master Promissory Note is not available through the UNCG website. It is available through the U.S. Department of Educati on. www.studentloans.gov Please Note: Some Helpful Hints Your Name and Student ID Number Make sure that these two items are on every document submitt ed to the FAO on your behalf. Update Your Mailing and Email Addresses Your UNCG email is the primary means by which the FAO will communicate news and informati on. Check it oft en so that you receive important fi nancial aid informati on. You can update this informati on via UNCGenie. Respond to Requests for Informati on Promptly The sooner you send us required informati on, the sooner we can conti nue processing your fi nancial aid applicati on. If you do not send us requested informati on in a ti mely manner, your aid may be canceled or its disbursement delayed. Do not wait unti l the beginning of the semester to take care of fi nancial aid paperwork and questi ons. Our professional staff is available to help you with the fi nancial aid process. To make your visit with a counselor producti ve, complete any required forms before your visit and bring all other required documentati on along with a picture ID. Contacti ng Us By Phone You can reach us by phone at (336) 334-5702. We are happy to assist you with any fi nancial aid questi ons you may have. In order to discuss your confi denti al fi nancial aid informati on (award amounts, your SAP status, etc.) you must enter your Student ID number and UNCG PIN when prompted. Without the ID and PIN the informati on that we can give you is limited. During summer months and at the beginning of each semester, our phones are especially busy. UNCGenie will have much of the informati on that you need. The FAO keeps students informed via email while handling as many calls as possible. Confi denti ality The Family Educati on Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA), also known as the Buckley Amendment, prohibits the release of a student’s educati onal records (including award informati on) to parents, spouses, or other parti es without the writt en permission of the student (or Student ID & UNCG PIN authenti cati on if calling on the phone). If students wish to release their records to another party, they can submit a notarized Informati on Release form to the FAO. This form must be reviewed and approved before any informati on is released. The student’s authorizati on to release their informati on must be submitt ed on a yearly basis, and may be revoked by the student at any ti me. The Informati on Release Forms are available at the FAO. UNCG has an electronic network called UNCGenie. UNCGenie can be accessed and printed by going to the UNCG Home Page at www.uncg.edu. You will need your Student ID Number and UNCG PIN to access your account. With UNCGenie you can check: 1) Financial aid award informati on 2) Acti ve messages you may have from the Financial Aid Offi ce by going to the Overall Status link 3) Outstanding fi nancial aid requirements by going to the Eligibility link 4) Locked hours for Sati sfactory Academic Progress and your current SAP standing 5) Student account through the UNCGenie Student Account Center including fi nancial aid that has been applied to your account and/or your balance due You can also use UNCGenie to: • Change your mailing and permanent addresses • Check your registrati on and enrollment If you have been admitt ed, you can go to accounts.uncg.edu to acti vate your email and other computer accounts. Your Interacti on with the UNCG Financial Aid Offi ce 5 The Magic of UNCGenie Step One: Apply for Aid To apply for most types of aid, students must complete a 2011-2012 Free Applicati on for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This applicati on must be completed every academic year and can be done electronically at www.fafsa.gov. The priority fi ling date for the FAFSA is March 1st. For questi ons about the FAFSA and your applicati on status contact the FAFSA processor at 1-800-433-3243. FAFSA on the Web Applicati on The FAFSA should be completed online at www.fafsa.gov. The student (and a dependent student's parent) must sign the FAFSA electronically with a PIN, or the student can print, sign, and mail a signature page. A student or parent without a PIN has the opti on to apply for a PIN, receive it instantly, and immediately use it to sign the FAFSA. NOTE: To complete a paper FAFSA a student must request a copy from the Department of Educati on by calling 1-800-433-3243 or by printi ng a copy from htt p://www.FederalStudentAid.ed.gov and mailing the paper copy to the Federal Processor. If you have questi ons about the FAFSA call 1-800-433-3243. If you have a hearing disability call the TDD number at 1-800-730-8913. FAFSA Renewal You must fi le a FAFSA for each academic year in order to be considered for federal, state & insti tuti onal aid. January 1st is the earliest you can begin fi ling the FAFSA for the upcoming academic year. March 1st is the UNCG priority deadline for fi ling the FAFSA for maximum aid considerati on, however, you can sti ll fi le the FAFSA aft er this date. • File your FAFSA by March 1st. This is UNCG's priority deadline and gives you fi rst considerati on for the aid programs that are awarded on a fi rst come fi rst serve basis. Please note: The federal processor must receive the FAFSA by March 1st. • Dependent vs Independent Student Status: Your answers in Step 3 of the FAFSA determine if you are dependent or independent for purposes of fi nancial aid. If you answer "no" to all of these questi ons you are a dependent student and must provide parental informati on, even if your parents do not claim you on their tax return and/or you do not live with them. If you answer "yes" to at least one of these questi ons you are considered independent and do not have to provide parent informati on. • Reporti ng Income: You may esti mate your tax informati on in order to fi le the FAFSA by March 1st. You are required to update the FAFSA informati on aft er fi ling your (or parent) tax return. Pay special att enti on to the tax line numbers given for certain questi ons. These will guide you to the correct fi gures from your tax forms to use when completi ng those questi ons. • FAFSA Signatures: Be sure you submit signatures with the FAFSA. Without appropriate signatures your applicati on will be rejected. If you are a dependent student (see above) you must submit a parent signature. • UNCG School code: 002976. Be sure to include the UNCG school code when you complete the FAFSA so that we can receive the informati on. • Housing status: Be sure you enter the correct housing code. Otherwise, your fi nancial aid award may be incorrect and have to be recalculated. Student Aid Report (SAR) The Student Aid Report provides a copy of all the informati on you provided on the FAFSA. If you submit an applicati on or correcti on and do not receive a SAR, you should contact the federal processor at 1-800-433-3243 to check on the status. Once you receive or are able to view your SAR, review all the informati on to make sure your applicati on has been processed and that all informati on is accurate and complete. If you need to make correcti ons, you must submit them yourself at www.fafsa.gov. If you have diffi culty while processing your correcti ons, contact the Federal Processor at 1-800-433-3243. Check the Informati on Release secti on of your SAR to be sure UNCG (school ID number 002976) is listed as a school to receive your informati on. If UNCG does not receive your FAFSA informati on, we cannot award you fi nancial aid. We receive an electronic record of your SAR automati cally, if you listed UNCG on the FAFSA. To add UNCG as a recipient of your informati on, contact the Department of Educati on at 1-800-433-3243. You will need to know the Data Release Number (DRN) located on the front of your SAR to do so. Remember that your FAFSA is a snapshot of your status as of the date you complete the applicati on. If you make a mistake you can correct the error but cannot update or add new informati on. The APPLICATION Process 6 Tips for Filing the FAFSA Step Two: Complete Your File Aft er fi ling a FAFSA, you must complete your fi le with the UNCG Financial Aid Offi ce. There are a variety of documents that you may be required to submit. Unti l we have all required documents, we cannot award you fi nancial aid. All requests for informati on will be sent via e-mail. If necessary, we will correct your fi nancial aid applicati on based on this documentati on. Quality Assurance Program (QAP) and the Verifi cati on Process UNCG parti cipates in the Quality Assurance Program (QAP). Through QAP we review student informati on and ask them to provide documentati on of their fi nancial status. QAP allows the Department of Educati on and the UNCG FAO to ensure the accuracy of informati on used in fi ling for Federal Title IV funds. The FAO will noti fy you if you have been selected for this program. If selected, you must provide the required informati on to receive fi nancial aid. If this process reveals errors in the data used to determine your eligibility for fi nancial aid, the U.S. Dept of Educati on requires UNCG to recalculate and/or resubmit your informati on for reprocessing. If you fail to provide informati on necessary to complete QAP/Verifi cati on we cannot award you fi nancial aid. If you already received an award we may be required to cancel your federal and need-based aid for the award year. You will be responsible for the repayment of those funds, due upon noti fi ca-ti on. Do not provide documentati on unless it is requested by UNCG. QAP/Verifi cati on Documentati on QAP document requirements may include, but are not limited to: (1) A UNCG Verifi cati on Worksheet; (2) A signed, complete copy of Federal income tax forms for student, parent, and/or spouse (including all schedules, worksheets and additi onal forms fi led); (3) W-2 and 1099 forms for student, parent, and/or spouse; (4) Documentati on of asset informati on, untaxed income, and Social Security benefi ts; (5) A copy of birth certi fi cate or driver’s license; (6) Documentati on of a house-hold member’s enrollment status at another post-secondary school. Social Security Number (SSN) Documentati on If you fi le your FAFSA listi ng the wrong SSN, you must correct this on your applicati on and submit these correcti ons to the Federal Processor. If you have changed your legal name, you must update your Social Security record and apply for a new card from the Social Security Administrati on. You must then send a copy of the new card to the FAO before you can be awarded. Make sure that you also give UNCG your correct name when you apply for admission. Other Documentati on Requirements Please be aware that someti mes the need for additi onal documentati on arises in the midst of the fi nancial aid process. We cannot conti nue processing your applicati on unti l we have all the informati on we need. As we review informati on, the status of your fi le may change and you may be asked to provide such documentati on as, but not limited to: (1) A copy of marriage certi fi cate or separati on documents; (2) A copy of your Social Security Card; (3) United States Citi zenship and Immigrati on Services (USCIS) documentati on; (4) Proof of Selecti ve Service Registrati on; (5) Death certi fi cates. Special Circumstances In some instances, the UNCG FAO can consider highly unusual circumstances that are not refl ected by informati on provided on the FAFSA. However, the UNCG FAO is very conservati ve and adheres to all federal guidelines. We can someti mes make allowances for the death of a parent or spouse, separati on of parents, separati on of a student and spouse, job loss, or similar situati ons. If you wish to report a special circumstance, contact the FAO for the appropriate Professional Judgment forms. Extensive supporti ng documentati on will be required before your situati on is reviewed. Do not send any informati on regarding special circumstances to the federal processor. They will not respond to personal lett ers nor forward the informati on to the Financial Aid Offi ce. The APPLICATION Process 7 Tips for the Verification Process The UNCG FAO will noti fy you if you are selected for the QAP/Verifi cati on process. If selected you must submit additi onal documentati on. To prevent delays in processing your fi nancial aid PLEASE NOTE: 1) Dependent students must submit parent informati on as well as student informati on. 2) Independent students must submit spousal informati on if married as well as student informati on. 3) Copies of the tax returns must be signed (even if fi led electronically). 4) Copies of the tax returns should include all forms and schedules used to complete the return. 5) Turn in all W2's/1099's used to complete the return including social security benefi ts and pension and annuity distributi ons. 6) Do Not leave blanks on the Verifi cati on Worksheet. Enter zero or NA if it doesn't apply. 7) Amounts reported on the Verifi cati on Worksheet for Savings/Checking and for Asset/Investment net worth should be as of the date you fi led the FAFSA, NOT current balances. You can also decline awards using the Financial Aid Response form. Complete Secti on C: Declining Awards, sign the form and return it to the Finan-cial Aid Offi ce. Note: Once funds are declined they may not be available at a later date. Funds may be depleted or it may be determined that you are no longer eligible for a fund previously awarded to you. The FAO is not liable once you decline an award. Step Three: Receive Your Award Aft er you have fi led the FAFSA, have met the basic eligibility requirements, and have completed your fi le, you will receive an award noti fi cati on email at your UNCG email with instructi ons on how to view your award online via UNCGenie. When you receive the award noti fi cati on and go online to view your award you should verify the accuracy of: The Award Process Step Four: Accepti ng and/or Declining Awards Accepti ng and/or Declining Awards To accept/decline your fi nancial aid awards you must log in to UNCGenie and accept the awards on-line: 1. Log in to UNCGenie using your University ID and PIN 2. Select "Financial Aid" 3. Select "My Award Informati on" 4. Select "Award by Aid Year" 5. Select 2011-2012 Academic Year from the drop down box 6. Read and accept the Terms and Conditi ons 7. Select tab Accept Award Off er In order to accept the full loan amounts, select Accept from the drop down box, then select Accept Full Amount All Awards In order to accept parti al loan amounts, select Accept from the drop down box, enter the parti al amount you would like to accept in the Ac-cept Parti al Amount box, then select Submit Decision In order to DECLINE student loans, select Decline from the drop down box, then select Submit Decision 8 Award Revisions a. Outside Resources: The award lett er should include any outside scholarships or loans, ROTC scholarships, vocati onal rehabilitati on benefi ts, tuiti on waivers, merit awards, graduate scholarships or fellowships, etc. b. Enrollment Status: If you are enrolled less than half-ti me, you may be ineligible for various grants, scholarships, and Fed-eral loans. Your award may need to be revised. Complete the FInancial Aid Response form if you will enroll in less than full ti me hours. c. Residency Status: Make sure that you were awarded based on the correct residency status (in-state, out-of-state). d. Housing Status: Make sure you were awarded with the correct housing status (on campus, with parents or relati ves, or off campus). e. Semester / Term: Make sure that you were awarded based on the correct semesters (Fall and/or Spring). If you are att ending only one semester, your award should be based only on that semester. f. Grade Level: Make sure you were awarded based on the grade level you will be in at the start of the academic year. Note: Any discrepancies should be reported immediately to the FAO as it could potenti ally result in a change in your award. Award Revisions: Your award may require revisions, oft en due to additi onal informati on, changes in hours of enrollment, failure to maintain academic progress, withdrawal from classes or outside aid received. Any revised award overrides all previous off ers of aid. This someti mes means that you may have to repay funds already received. Contact the Cashiers and Student Accounts Offi ce for informati on on the Return of Funds Policy. Federal Student Aid Loans: As of July 1, 2010, the U.S Department of Educati on became the sole lender for federal educati on loans. UNCG now awards and process all Staff ord and PLUS loans through the Direct Lending Program. Federal Direct Subsidized/Unsubsidized Loans The Federal Direct Subsidized Loan is awarded according to dem-onstrated fi nancial need. Subsidized loans do not accrue interest during periods of deferment (while in school), or during the grace period. The Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan is awarded regardless of a student's demonstrated need. Interest begins accruing from the date of disbursement. By making interest payments while in school, a student can avoid capitalizati on of the interest. When interest is capitalized, it is added to the principal amount of the loan upon which further interest charges are based. Federal Direct PLUS Loans Federal Direct PLUS Loans are federally sponsored loans that par-ents can obtain to help pay the cost of educati on for their depen-dent undergraduate children. PLUS loans feature low interest rates and long-term repayment opti ons. While parents of all income levels are eligible a credit-worthiness evaluati on is required. Parents may borrow up to the cost of att endance less any other aid received by the student annually. In order to obtain a PLUS loan at UNCG, the student must fi rst complete the Free Applica-ti on for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Based on the student’s FASFA informati on, the Financial Aid Offi ce will determine the maximum amount of PLUS loan eligibility. Parents may opt to borrow less than the maximum amount awarded. To initi ate the PLUS loan bor-rowing process, a Federal Direct PLUS Loan Request form must be submitt ed to the Financial Aid Offi ce each academic year. Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loans Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loans are federally sponsored loans that are available to graduate students who have borrowed up to their annual or aggregate limit under the Federal Student loan program. Graduate PLUS loans feature low interest rates and long-term repayment opti ons. While graduate students of all income levels are eligible, a credit-worthiness evaluati on is required. Graduate students may borrow up to the cost of att endance less any other aid received by the student annually. Students must fi rst apply for all Federal Student loan eligibility before a Graduate PLUS loan can be awarded. In order to obtain a Graduate PLUS loan at UNCG, a student must fi rst complete the Free Applicati on for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Upon request, the Financial Aid Offi ce will then determine the maximum amount of a student’s Graduate PLUS loan eligibility. To initi ate the Graduate PLUS loan borrowing process, a Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan Request form must be submitt ed to the Financial Aid Offi ce. Note: All Federal Loans require the completi on of a Master Promis-sory Note. Federal Direct Subsidized/Unsubsidized, and Direct Graduate PLUS Loans require both the Entrance Counseling and the Master Promissory Note. These can be completed at www.studentloans.gov. 1) You have gone on-line via UNCGenie to accept your loans. 2) You have a Master Promissory Note (MPN) on fi le with Direct Lending at www.studentloans.gov. The MPN is a legal agreement the student must sign when bor-rowing an FSA loan. Parents and/or graduate students must also complete a MPN for a Federal PLUS loan as well. 3) You have completed a Loan Entrance Coun-seling session at www.studentloans.gov. This is an online questi onnaire that addresses your rights and responsibiliti es as a borrower. The Financial Aid Offi ce will be noti fi ed automati - cally upon completi on. Federal Student Aid Loan Borrower Rights and Responsibiliti es: Student borrowers should be aware of the following rights and responsibiliti es. 1) Loans must be repaid. 2) Borrowers may be eligible to receive multi ple loans under one Master Promissory Note. 3) Loan money must be used for authorized educati onal expenses. 4) An originati on fee may apply to each loan under a MPN and will be deducted prior to each disbursement. 5) It is the borrowers responsibility to noti fy the Direct Loan Program of changes in per-sonal informati on, such as name, address, etc. 6) Loan repayment begins aft er a 6 month grace period. Borrowers will receive noti fi ca-ti on when the fi rst payment is due. 7) The federal government determines all interest rates for federal loans on July 1st of each year. 8) Defaulti ng on federal loans will result in legal acti on against the borrower and will be reported to credit bureau(s). The Award Process 9 So that we can process your Federal Student Loans be sure: Fall 2011 - due late July 2011 Spring 2012 - due early Dec. 2011 Tuiti onPay Payment PLAN: This is an interest-free alternati ve to paying your college expenses in one lump sum. To enroll in the payment plan contact Tuiti onPay at 1-800-635-0120 or visit Tuiti onPay online at www.tuiti onpay.com. For questi ons regarding payment please contact the Cashier's Offi ce at 336-334-5831. 1) You have been awarded aid and have completed all required paperwork prior to the bill being generated. 2) You have no holds on your account based on immunizati on or prior balances. 3) You are in good academic standing and making sati sfactory academic progress. Step Four: Pay Your Bill The UNCG Cashiers and Student Accounts Offi ce sends bills via e-mail to the student UNCG e-mail in July (for Fall semester) and in November (for Spring semester) to students who have pre-registered. If you have questi ons about your bill, contact the Cashiers Offi ce at (336) 334-5831. You will receive a separate bill for each semester’s tuiti on and fees. You must pay the amount due before the deadline or your classes will be cancelled. Paying the minimum amount due before the deadline will confi rm your registrati on. Note: If you do not pre-register, a bill may not be sent to you. You can print out a copy of your fee assessment from UNCGenie. The PAYMENT Process Using Financial Aid to Defer Your Bill Even though you must pay your bill before the semester begins, your fi nancial aid funds cannot be disbursed unti l the semester starts. However, certain types of fi nancial aid can be used to reduce part or all of your charges. Your bill should show that your aid has been subtracted from your charges, as long as you have been awarded fi nancial aid and completed the necessary paperwork before the bill was generated. To see what you owe or if you are con-fi rmed for a parti cular semester, please visit the UNCGenie website, via the link at www.uncg.edu. It is very important that you complete the fi nancial aid applicati on process and all necessary paperwork before bills are printed. Otherwise, your fi nancial aid will not be listed and you will be required to pay the bill in full. Some types of fi nancial aid cannot be used to reduce the charges on the bill. This includes but is not limited to: out-side scholarships for which funds have not been received, and military aid or benefi ts. Emergency Loans The FAO has a limited loan fund available to enrolled students for assistance in meeti ng unexpected expenses due to emergency. You must go online via UNCGenie to apply for an emergency loan. You may apply for only one emergency loan per semester. You will be contacted via your UNCG email address concerning the status of your applicati on. If your loan is approved, you will need to come to the FAO and pick up an approval noti ce to take to the Cashier’s Offi ce to receive your funds. There is a $5 processing fee that will be taken from the funds you receive from the Cashier’s Offi ce. If you have outstanding fi nancial requirements or have already received an emergency loan for the current semester, you cannot apply for an emergency loan through this process. If you cannot receive a loan through the online process, you may visit the Financial Aid Offi ce and complete an applicati on and appeal for considerati on of your circumstances. Note: You will not receive an emergency loan the same day you apply. The applicati on (and appeals) takes 24 -48 hours to process. 10 Financial Aid will be refl ected on your billing statement and reduce the balance due if: Bill Due Dates: Return of Funds Policy UNCG has a federally mandated Return of Funds Policy that governs the return of Title IV funds disbursed to students who completely withdraw from the University. Title IV funds include: Federal Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans, Federal Direct PLUS Loans, Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loans, Federal Perkins Loans, Fed-eral Pell Grants, Federal Supplemental Educati onal Opportunity Grants (FSEOG), Federal Academic Competi ti veness Grants (ACG), Nati onal SMART Grants, Federal TEACH Grants, and Federal Work Study (FWS). If any student completely withdraws from UNCG, he or she must return unearned student aid. Unearned aid is the amount of disbursed Title IV aid that exceeds the amount of Title IV aid earned. During the fi rst 60% of the semester, a student earns funds in direct proporti on to the length of ti me he or she remains enrolled. The period of ti me during which a student is enrolled is the percentage of aid earned by the student. A student who remains enrolled at or beyond the 60% point is deemed to have earned all aid for the term. Students who have a Federal Direct Student Loan, subsidized or unsubsidized, and drop below half-ti me status must complete an Exit Interview at www.dl.ed.gov/borrower. The percentage of the period that the student remained enrolled is determined by dividing the number of days the student att ended by the number of days in the enti re semester. Calendar days are used in the determinati on of percentages. Breaks of 5 days or longer are excluded in the calculati ons. If the amount of Title IV funds disbursed is greater than the amount of Title IV funds earned by the student, a return of Title IV funds is necessary. Both UNCG and the student may be respon-sible for returning a percentage of the unearned aid. Students who fi nd that they must withdraw from UNCG should do so by dropping all courses through UNCGenie. Students who drop all courses are considered to be withdrawn from the University and must seek reacti vati on or readmission through either Undergraduate Admissions or The Graduate School in order to return to UNCG in subsequent terms. For further clarifi cati on, please consult the UNCG Return of Funds Policy available from the Cashiers and Student Accounts Offi ce or the FAO. Non-disbursement of Financial Aid Your Financial Aid may not disburse to your student account to reduce the balance due if any of the following apply: • You have not gone online to accept your awards through UNCGenie. • You have not turned in all required documents. • You are not enrolled or you are enrolled for less than half-ti me hours. • You are not making Sati sfactory Academic Progress. • You have not sati sfi ed the UNCG Student Health immunizati on requirements. Financial Aid Repayment You may be required to repay part or all of a fi nancial aid disbursement: • If you are awarded a Pell Grant for full-ti me enrollment but at the end of the drop/add period are enrolled less that full-ti me, your Pell Grant will have to be recalculated. This means that you will have to repay part of your Pell Grant that you have already received. Recalculati on can also include other forms of fi nancial aid. • If you are awarded fi nancial aid based on full-ti me enrollment and then at the end of the drop/add period you are enrolled less than full-ti me, your cost of att endance is subject to change. As a result your award may have to be revised and you may have to repay part of your fi nancial aid that you have already received. If you have questi ons concerning disbursement and/or aid repayment, please contact the UNCG Financial Aid Offi ce. The PAYMENT Process 11 Non Disbursement of Financial Aid UNCG General Grants and Scholarships UNCG General Grants and Scholarships include funds awarded by the FAO in accordance with individual aid program criteria. Students who want to be considered for these funds should submit their FAFSA to the federal processor by the priority date of March 1st. Students who fi le a FAFSA will automati cally be considered for most UNCG grants and scholarships that are based on need/merit. These aid programs are generally non-renewable and subject to applicant pool and fund availability. UNCG Departmental Scholarships These curriculum-specifi c scholarships are coordinated by UNCG schools and academic departments. They are generally awarded to rising juniors and/or seniors in early spring for the next academic year. Students wishing to apply for departmental scholarships should contact the department of their academic major for applicati on procedures. Outside Scholarships and Loans Outside scholarships or resources are funds from high schools, civic organizati ons, churches, educati onal foundati ons, Vocati onal Rehabili-tati on programs, and other organizati ons external to the university. You must noti fy the FAO as soon as you learn that you will receive outside aid since these funds may aff ect your eligibility for other aid. You must send us a copy of the noti fi cati on lett er. If your award does not list all of your outside resources, noti fy the FAO immediately. We will revise your fi nancial aid award if necessary. Unless UNCG is otherwise informed by the donor, your outside resources will be divided and applied to your account equally for the fall and spring semesters. Federal Aid Programs Federal student aid programs include Pell Grants, Federal Supplemental Educati onal Opportunity Grants, Federal TEACH Grants, Student Loans, PLUS Loans, Direct Loans, Perkins Loans and Work-Study. The FAFSA is the primary applicati on for this aid. Some federal programs require a separate applicati on in additi on to the FAFSA. For further details, consult the free booklet, The Guide to Federal Student Aid, online at htt p://studentaid.ed.gov. State of North Carolina Aid Programs There are various aid programs for which residents of North Carolina may be eligible. Most programs require that you be a legal resident of North Carolina and fi le the FAFSA. Some may require an additi onal applicati on. If you fi le by UNCG’s priority deadline of March 1st, you also meet the state deadline. Detailed informati on about state programs is available on-line at www.cfnc.org. Types of Financial Aid: Grants & Scholarships - Funds that are not repaid. Usually based on merit and/or fi nancial need. Work-Study - Funds that are earned through service during the academic period. Based on fi nancial need. Loans - Funds which must be repaid. Please instruct your scholarship donor to send your check to the UNCG FAO and to include on the scholarship check: • The name of the scholarship. • The student’s complete legal name and student ID. • The term(s) for which the award is made. Unless the donor instructs otherwise, the amount of the scholarship check will be divided and applied to your account equally for the Fall and Spring semesters. The FAO processes checks and forwards them to the Cashiers and Student Accounts Offi ce for disbursement to your student account. Be aware that UNCG cannot send billing statements to outside scholarship donors. If the donor requires a billing statement, please provide them with a copy of your bill. Please note that if a student with an outside scholarship withdraws from the University, UNCG will not return funds to the outside donor unless asked to do so by the donor or the student. The UNCG FAO administers federal, state, insti tuti onal and outside fi nancial aid in the form of grants, scholarships, work programs and loans. Most aid programs require that you demonstrate fi nancial need although some do not. All aid awarded by UNCG & the FAO, along with applicati on informati on for each, can be accessed online at htt p://fi a.uncg.edu. Financial Aid Programs 12 Outside Scholarships FWS is a need-based type of aid that is taxable income to students. Students work during the semester and are paid through direct deposit at the end of each month. Note: Work study funds cannot be used to cover your bill. To qualify for work study you must: 1) File the FAFSA by March 1st 2) Be enrolled at least half-ti me and 3) Have documented need as determined by the FAFSA 4) Be enrolled as a fi rst degree undergraduate student If you have been awarded FWS you must: 1) Accept your award online 2) Search for a positi on of your choice If you do accept your award but do not fi nd a positi on within the fi rst three weeks of classes, your FWS award will be cancelled. For a complete listi ng of Work-Study jobs: Visit the Student Employment Offi ce's website at www.csc.uncg.edu/seo. Click on the SpartanCareers link. You must contact the departments directly for the positi ons you are interested in. For off -campus community service positi ons, please contact the Student Employment Offi ce at (336) 256-0403. If you were not awarded FWS and would like to be considered, contact the FAO and see if you are eligible to be placed on the waiti ng list. UNCG Merit Awards Program The Merit Awards Program off ers high school seniors the opportunity to apply for presti gious academic excellence scholarships. Annual awards range from $2,500 to full tuiti on, fees, room & board, and are renewable for up to four years of undergraduate enrollment. Renewal is dependent upon the student upholding academic standards set for the awards. Applicants must present a minimum 1800 on the combined criti cal reading, mathemati cs and writi ng secti ons of the SAT, or a minimum composite score of 27 on the ACT, and a minimum high school GPA of 3.50. Awards for fi nalists require on-campus interviews, held in late February/early March. Please note that students transferring to UNCG from other colleges, or current UNCG students, are not eligible for Merit Awards Program. To be considered for the Merit Awards Program, complete a Merit Awards applicati on by January 3, 2011. The applicati on is available on-line at htt p://fi a.uncg.edu/meritawards. You must also be accepted for admission to the University by January 3, 2011. A full list of available scholarships is available on the website at htt p://fi a.uncg.edu/meritawards/scholarships.htm. Deans’ Scholars Program The Deans’ Scholars Program, a component of the Merit Awards Program, off ers high school seniors four-year renewable scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $3,000. This program emphasizes academic achievement and is available to students in specifi c majors, such as Nursing, Educati on, Chemistry, Religious Studies, majors within the Bryan School of Business and Economics, and majors within the School of Human Environmental Science. Deans’ Scholars awards will be renewed for up to four years of undergraduate study, as long as the student maintains a minimum cumulati ve GPA of 2.75 and remains in good academic standing with the University. To apply, current high school seniors must complete a Merit Awards Program applicati on. The minimum criteria for applicants are: a minimum score of 1600 on the combined criti cal reading, mathemati cs, and writi ng of the SAT, or a minimum composite score of 24 on the ACT, & a minimum cumula-ti ve high school GPA of 3.50. A full list of available scholarships is avail-able on the website at htt p://fi a.uncg.edu/meritawards/scholarships. htm. Community College Presidents’ Scholarship These scholarships are awarded to students transferring from local community colleges, based on the nominati on of their community college President. Annual awards range from $500 to $2000 and are renewable for a 2nd year of study at UNCG provided the recipient upholds the academic standards set for the awards. The minimum criteria for selecti on are: minimum of 30 semester hours of study completed at the community college, with preference to Associate Degree recipients, and minimum cumulati ve GPA of 3.0 for students transferring with an Associate Degree or minimum cumulati ve GPA of 3.5 for students transferring prior to completi on of their Associate Degree. The community colleges that parti cipate in this scholarship are: Alamance, Central Carolina, Davidson County, Forsyth Technical, Guilford Technical, Piedmont, Randolph, Rockingham, and Surry. Contact the President’s Offi ce or the Financial Aid Offi ce at the community college you att end for applicati on procedures. The community college usually makes their selecti ons and submits their recommendati on to UNCG in spring prior to the student's fall enroll-ment at UNCG. Financial Aid Programs 13 Federal Work-Study (FWS) Federal Graduate PLUS Loans The Graduate PLUS Loan is for graduate and professional students, NOT their parents. Graduate PLUS loans are available to graduate students, on a case by case basis, who have borrowed their annual or aggregate limit under the FSA Loan program. Graduate PLUS loans feature low interest rates, relati ve to market rates, and long term repayment opti ons. Graduate students may borrow up to the cost of att endance minus any other aid received by the student annually. Students pursuing a graduate degree at UNCG may be eligible for some types of fi nancial aid, including Federal Direct Stu-dent Loans, assistantships, fellowships, and tuiti on waivers. Academic departments nominate graduate students for assistantships and fellowships. Some certi fi cate programs may not be eligible for aid. Graduate students should complete a FAFSA to apply for need-based or federal aid programs. Please refer to our website at htt p://fi a.uncg.edu for more informati on about graduate aid. Contact your academic department for informati on about fellowships, assistantships, and tuiti on waivers. Graduate students must be enrolled in at least 3 credit hours at the 500 level or above each semester in order to be eligible for Federal Student Loans and for UNCG to certi fy enrollment for a loan repayment deferment. Students taking courses through the Graduate School who are not yet admitt ed into a program are not eligible to receive federal or UNCG funding. You must also be enrolled for courses that count toward your degree. Receiving some types of awards, including fellowships and tuiti on waivers, may decrease Federal Direct Student Loan eligibility. If you are classifi ed as an undergraduate in the Fall semester and will become a graduate student in the Spring semester, you must noti fy the FAO in writi ng immediately of this change. Your award will need to be revised to refl ect your graduate status. Students pursuing a second undergraduate degree are limited in eligibility for fi nancial aid. Typically, a second degree student qualifi es only for Federal Direct Student Loans. However, students may qualify for scholarships through their academic department and should contact the academic department directly for informati on. Transfer Students If you are transferring to UNCG, you must: • Make sure that the UNCG FAO has received your FAFSA informati on. Contact the Dept of Educati on at 1-800-433-3243 to add UNCG as a school to receive it. You will need your DRN, which is on your Student Aid Report. UNCG's school code: 002976 Please noti fy the school you are transferring from to cancel your aid. If you are transferring from UNCG to another insti tuti on, you should contact the FAO at the school you will be att ending. Second Degree Students Semester Enrollment Requirements Undergraduates: Full-ti me status 12 or more credit hours Three-quarter-ti me 9 to 11 credit hours Half-ti me status 6 to 8 credit hours Less than half-ti me status 5 credit hours or less Graduates: (credit hours must be at the 500 level or above) Full-ti me status 6 or more credit hours Half-ti me status 3 to 5 credit hours Less than half-ti me 2 credit hours or less Enrollment Status & Financial Aid Eligibility Graduate Students Credit Hour Requirements To qualify for most types of aid students must be enrolled at least half ti me. If you are enrolled less than half ti me you are ineligible for federal loans and most other types of aid. NOTE: Certain aid programs may be reduced if you are en-rolled less than full-ti me. 14 If you are enrolled less than half-ti me, you are ineligible for federal loans and most other types of fi nancial aid. Please Note: You must meet these guidelines in order to be eligible for any need-based or federal fi nancial aid. Other UNCG scholarships may also require that you meet these criteria: 1) You must be admitt ed to or enrolled in a degree program or approved certi fi cati on program at UNCG. Please note that some certi fi cate programs have not been approved for aid eligibility. 2) You must be making sati sfactory academic progress toward a degree. If you are not making sati sfactory academic progress, you may appeal your status by completi ng a SAP Appeal form. Review the SAP policy online at htt p://fi a.uncg.edu. 3) You must be a United States citi zen or an eligible nonciti zen. Eligible non citi zens may be required to present current, up-to-date, and valid U.S. Citi zenship and Immigrati on Services documentati on. Students on F1, J1, J2 visas, and G series visas are NOT eligible for federal fi nancial assistance or fi nancial aid from UNCG. 4) You must provide all documents requested by our offi ce or your fi nancial aid applicati on cannot be processed. 5) You must not be in default on a federal student loan or owe a repayment on a federal grant at any insti tuti on or the U.S. Dept of Educati on. 6) If required, you must be registered with Selecti ve Service. You can register at the Selecti ve Service website: www.sss.gov. How Need Is Determined Many types of aid require that you demonstrate fi nancial need in order to be eligible. To be considered for need-based (state, insti tuti onal, and outside) and all federal aid programs, you must fi le a 2011-2012 FAFSA. The informati on you provide on the FAFSA establishes whether or not you have fi nancial need. Expected Family Contributi on (EFC) The federal processor uses a formula known as the Federal Methodology to esti mate your family’s ability to contribute to your educati on. This formula, writt en into law by Congress and reviewed each year, evaluates your FAFSA answers related to income and assets, family size, and number of family members in college in order to calculate your Expected Family Contributi on (EFC). Your EFC is how much money you or your family is expected to contribute to your educati onal expenses. You do not pay the EFC to UNCG. It is simply used to calculate your aid eligibility. If you have questi ons about what family members should be included on your FAFSA, see the instructi ons included online that are part of the applicati on process. Cost of Att endance (COA) Your EFC, along with the COA, determines the types of need-based fi nancial aid for which you are eligible. The COA is an esti mate of how much it costs to att end UNCG. It does not refl ect your actual charges to att end UNCG. It includes tuiti on and fees as well as an allowance for books, supplies, room and meals, transportati on, and personal expenses. The COA is based on a student’s status as in-state or out-of-state (residency), housing status (living on campus, with parents or relati ves, or off campus), and graduate or undergraduate classifi cati on. Exact tuiti on and fees are established by the State of North Carolina and should be available in August 2011. Note: Your COA will be adjusted if you are enrolled less than full ti me. It may also be adjusted for other factors such as housing Determining Need Based Eligibility Documented Need A student's need is defi ned by the Cost of Att endance (COA) minus the Expected Family Contributi on (EFC): Cost of Att endance (COA) – Expected Family Contributi on (EFC) = Documented Need The FAO will meet as much of each applicant’s documented need as possible, given fund availability and fund requirements. Note: You should not assume that your full need will be met. 15 Important Eligibility Requirements Sati sfactory Academic Progress Both federal and state governments require each educati onal insti tuti on to defi ne standards of progress for students seeking fi nancial aid. All students who wish to qualify for fi nancial aid while att ending UNCG will be assessed on criteria including minimum GPA, minimum semester credit hour completi on rate, and completi on of a degree within a maximum ti me frame. • These standards are applied uniformly to all UNCG fi nancial aid applicants. If a student meets these standards, s/he is eligible to be considered for fi nancial aid. If a student does not meet these standards, s/he is not eligible to receive fi nancial aid. Procedures for re-establishing fi nancial aid eligibility are described in this policy statement. • Financial aid is defi ned as all federally-funded aid programs, all state-funded student assistance programs and insti tuti onal aid (all aid subject to federal, state, and insti tuti onal policies). • Any term that a student earns zero hours, s/he will lose fi nancial aid eligibility immediately for the upcoming term. In this policy, “eligible for fi nancial aid” means that a student meets the standards of the Sati sfactory Academic Progress Policy for Financial Aid. A student must also meet all other fi nancial aid requirements in order to receive fi nancial aid. The complete copy of the SAP Policy is avaible at fi a.uncg.edu/sap. Undergraduate Degree Seeking Students Requirements Minimum GPA - Undergraduate students’ cumulati ve and semester GPA must meet University standards to conti nue as stated in the Undergraduate Bulleti n. Students on Academic Probati on are eligible to receive fi nancial aid. • Financial aid eligibility will be cancelled immediately for any student who is suspended or dismissed. Percentage Completi on - To remain eligible for fi nancial aid each semester (fall, spring, summer) an undergraduate student must earn a minimum of 67% (or a maximum of 12 hours) of the hours registered for at the end of schedule adjustment with the excep-ti on of fi rst term undergraduate students who must complete at least 50% of registered hours at the end of schedule adjustment (see fi nancial aid warning). These hours are considered the student’s “locked hours.” • Schedule adjustment, also known as drop/add, typically ends on the fi ft h day of classes at 11:59 p.m. Please check the Univer-sity Bulleti n for specifi c dates for specifi c terms (htt p://www.uncg.edu/reg/Calendar/). • To fi nd the minimum hours required, take the number of credit hours at the end of schedule adjustment (locked hours on UNCGenie) and multi ply it by .67. For example: If a student had 12 hours at the end of schedule adjustment then the student would have to earn at least 9 hours to remain eligible for further fi nancial aid (12 x .67 = 9 for federal programs you must always round up). There are some courses that off er credit in .5 increments and those will be taken into considerati on. Degree Completi on Within a Maximum Number of Credit Hours - Each semester an undergraduate student must also maintain a minimum of 67% of the cumulati ve hours they have att empted to remain in good standing. An undergraduate student is eligible to receive fi nancial aid for a maximum of 150% of the hours required for the degree. A student pursuing a undergraduate degree is eligible to receive fi nancial aid for a maximum of 150% of the hours required for the second degree. Hours dropped aft er schedule adjustment are included in locked hours and therefore are counted in total att empted hours for fi nancial aid. (Please refer to full Sati sfactory Academic Progress Policy on the Financial Aid website for examples of these calculati ons.) Failure to Meet Requirements Financial Aid Warning – First term undergraduates: A fi rst term undergraduate student who earns between 50-67% of locked hours will be placed on fi nancial aid warning. Prior to receiving any further fi nancial aid disbursements fi rst term undergraduate students on warning must submit a writt en plan of academic success. The plan must include how the student is going to use on campus and/or off campus resources to receive assistance while working on their skills and issues. The academic plan of success must be submitt ed to and approved by the Financial Aid Offi ce. If a fi rst term undergraduate student is classifi ed as a junior or senior s/he must also provide a graduati on plan that includes the courses needed to graduate and when each course will be taken. Students will be referred to Student Academic Services and Faculty advisors for assistance. Students will be referred to the Student Success Center for assistance in creati ng a plan for academic success and the Financial Aid Offi ce will provide an informati on sheet of UNCG Campus Resources to assist students in this process. htt p://fi a.uncg.edu/forms/2011-12/11CampusResource.pdf. Financial Aid Probati on – Students who failed to make sati sfactory academic progress, who have appealed, and have had eligibility for aid reinstated, will be placed on fi nancial aid probati on if their cumulati ve completi on rate is less than 67%. Appealing/Removing Financial Aid Probati onary Status – Once a student achieves a minimum of 67% cumulati ve hours, they are considered in good fi nancial aid standing and are removed from fi nancial aid probati on. Students who are on fi nancial aid proba-ti on may conti nue to receive fi nancial aid for additi onal semester(s) pending the following acti ons: • Students may conti nue on fi nancial aid probati on if they successfully complete 67% of their locked hours for the semester but do not maintain a minimum of 67% cumulati ve hours earned to remain in good standing. • Submit a revised writt en plan of academic success – the plan must include how the student is going to use on campus and/or off campus resources such as the Counseling and Testi ng Center, the Student Success Center, Disability Services, and others, to receive assistance while working on skills and issues. The academic plan of success must be submitt ed to and approved by the Financial Aid Offi ce prior to receiving any fi nancial aid disbursements. 16 Minimum GPA - Graduate students must maintain a minimum cumulati ve GPA of 3.0. If the student’s graduate cumulati ve GPA falls below the minimum standard, her/his fi nancial aid will be cancelled immediately. Financial aid will be cancelled immediately for any student who is suspended or dismissed. Minimum Semester Hour Completi on Rate - Each semester (fall, spring, summer) a graduate student must earn a minimum of 67% (or a maximum of 6 hours) of the hours registered for at the end of the schedule adjustment period/drop/add which usually ends on Friday of the fi rst week of classes at 11:59 p.m. Please check the University Bulleti n for dates for specifi c terms. • Graduate students must enroll in at least 3 semester hours at the 500 level or above to be eligible to receive fi nancial aid. Completi on of a Degree Within the Maximum Time Frame • Graduate students seeking a Master’s degree must complete all degree requirements (including thesis) within fi ve academic years from the date of fi rst enrollment. • Graduate students seeking a Doctorate degree must complete all requirements (including dissertati on) within seven academic years from the date of fi rst enrollment. • A grade of IP is only sati sfactory for graduate students enrolled in thesis or dissertati on courses (699 and 799). Repeated courses do not count toward the Overall Earned Credit Hours if no credit toward graduati on is awarded the semester it is repeated. • Math 100 is a remedial course and a student does not receive credit for the course. Therefore MAT 100 counts towards the Overall Att empted Credit Hours but does not count toward the Overall Earned Credit Hours. If a student is required by the Math Department to enroll in Math 100, s/he may submit an appeal to the Financial Aid Offi ce. • Advanced Placement, CLEP courses and grades of F, WF, W or I are not counted for SAP. • A grade of IP is not sati sfactory for undergraduate courses. • Repeated courses do not count toward the Overall Earned Credit Hours if no credit toward graduati on is awarded the semester the course is repeated. • Students enrolled in eligible licensure & certi fi cate programs may receive aid only for courses required to complete the program. Sati sfactory Academic Progress Graduate Student Requirements Excepti ons to Hours Earned for Academic Progress View Locked Hours - You may view your locked hours on UNCGenie via htt p://www.uncg.edu. 1.Log onto UNCGenie, 2.Click on Financial Aid, 3.Click onto Locked Hours for Financial Aid Eligibility, 4.Select term & click “Submit.” Disbursement of Aid and SAP - You may be required to repay funds to UNCG if your Financial Aid is disbursed, and then your total credit hours are reduced before the last day of schedule adjustment, or if you are marked as never att ending a course that you received aid for att ending. Reestablishing Financial Aid Eligibility—Extenuati ng Circumstances The Financial Aid Offi ce will noti fy students of their failure to meet the standards of this policy. Each student must know his/her own status, whether or not s/he receives this noti fi cati on. Students may view their SAP status via UNCGenie or by contacti ng the Financial Aid Offi ce. Students who fail to meet the standards of this policy may reestablish their fi nancial aid eligibility at UNCG by: • The student can earn the number of credit hours for which they are defi cient or improve their GPA without fi nancial aid. These hours may be earned at UNCG or they may be earned at another insti tuti on and transferred to UNCG for any term aft er the defi ciency occurs. Students should get prior approval from the University Registrar’s Offi ce to ensure that courses taken at another insti tuti on will be accepted at UNCG. • The student can appeal if there were circumstances beyond the student’s control that prohibited the student from keeping the standards of this policy, and those circumstances are now resolved. Student may submit a writt en appeal with documentati on the Financial Aid Offi ce, no later than 5:00 p.m. on the last day of schedule adjustment (usually the fi ft h day of class). Appeals must include a detailed descripti on of the extenuati ng circumstances that occurred during the semester in which the student failed to meet this policy. The appeal must include all necessary documentati on to support the existence of the circum-stances described and evidence that the circumstances have been resolved. The plan must include steps being taken to ensure sati sfactory academic performance, including a writt en plan for academic success in the coming academic term; for juniors and seniors, this plan must include a course program for graduati on. Events/circumstances that merit an appeal include, but are not limited to: Personal or family emergency Unanti cipated, serious medical diffi culty (excluding chronic conditi ons – students are responsible for properly balancing school work with known chronic conditi ons) Serious psychological diffi culty Students seeking to re-establish fi nancial aid eligibility remain ineligible to receive fi nancial aid assistance or deferment of payment unti l the appeal process is complete and a decision has been made by the Financial Aid Offi ce. Students should be prepared to pay tuiti on, fees, and other educati onal expenses unti l s/he has been approved to receive fi nancial aid. Aft er the credit hour defi ciency or extenuati ng circumstance is resolved, the student must submit a writt en appeal including a writ-ten plan for academic success requesti ng the Financial Aid Offi ce to review their eligibility to receive fi nancial aid. • Appeals received aft er the last day of drop/add will not be reviewed unless the student is currently enrolled for the term. 17 Financial Aid for Summer Session All students who wish to receive fi nancial aid for Summer Sessions must fi le a separate UNCG Summer Session Applicati on for Financial Aid by April 22, 2011. This applicati on is available through UNCGenie in March. You must have also fi led the current academic year FAFSA and completed all necessary paperwork by the summer applicati on deadline in order to receive an award for Summer. Limited fi nancial aid is available to students att ending Summer Session at UNCG. Most students can only receive Federal Student or PLUS loans that are based on their remaining eligibility from the current award year. You must have made sati sfactory academic progress at the end of the Spring semester to be considered for Summer aid. For most types of summer aid, including federal loans, you must be enrolled at least half ti me. Summer Session course work is subject to the Sati sfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy for Financial Aid Eligibility. Study Abroad and Financial Aid UNCG students taking courses abroad through a UNCG program are generally eligible to receive fi nancial aid. Study abroad students must follow the same aid applicati on steps as other students. If you plan to study abroad, you should complete all required fi nancial aid documents, including loan promissory notes, as early as possible to assure that your aid disbursement is not delayed. Before going abroad, leave signed copies of your federal tax return, all W-2s, and 1099s with a parent or your designated representati ve in case they are requested by the FAO. Please be sure to provide your parent or designated Power of Att orney with your UNCG Student ID and UNCG PIN in order for them to obtain informati on on your account. It is your responsibility to make arrangements for receiving your mail while you are away. If you plan to conti nue att ending UNCG and to receive fi nancial aid for the next academic year, you will need to make arrangements to complete the fi nancial aid applicati on process from abroad. To avoid delays in receiving your Fall semester aid, complete the FAFSA before March 1st and respond promptly to all correspondence from the FAO. Financial Aid for Summer or Study Abroad Sati sfactory Academic Progress & Study Abroad Minimum Semester Hour Completi on Rate Students who parti cipate in study abroad during any term will be evaluated for Sati sfactory Academic Progress at the end of the summer term. Each academic year study abroad undergraduate students must earn a minimum of 67% (or a maximum of 12 hrs) of the hours registered for (locked hours) at the end of schedule adjustment. Each academic year study abroad graduate students must earn a minimum of 67% (a maximum of 6 hours each term) of the hours registered for (locked hours) at the end of schedule adjustment. Locked hours will be added together for fall, spring, and summer terms when evaluati ng for SAP at the end of summer. Other Conditi ons—Study abroad students (undergraduate and graduate) must comply with all other applicable sati sfactory academic progress (SAP) standards except those noted in this secti on. Students who receive an OIT travel grant ONLY will not be subject to the terms and conditi ons of the sati sfactory academic progress policy. Grades must be posted by July 31. These extended deadlines apply only to students in exchange programs. Students in departmental study abroad programs must have their credits posted by the end of the UNCG term. Any student whose credits are not posted by the deadline or who did not make Sati sfactory Academic Progress (SAP) will have subsequent fi nancial aid canceled and will have to immediately repay any fi nancial aid received for the current academic year. You may appeal your SAP status. For more informati on regarding fi nancial aid eligibility for study abroad, please contact the FAO. For informati on about individual study abroad programs, contact the UNCG Internati onal Programs Center at (336) 334-5404. 18 Please Note: January 1, 2011 January 3, 2011 March 1, 2011 Mid-March, 2011 April 22, 2012 May 12, 2012 Late July 2011 August 26, 2011 November 2011 December 2011 January 13, 2012 May 17, 2011 August 26, 2011 December 3, 2011 January 9, 2012 March 1, 2012 April 15, 2012 Deadline for Merit Awards Program Applicati on. High school seniors must be offi cially admitt ed to UNCG by this date in order to apply for Merit Awards. Spring enrollment hours are locked on the last day of Schedule Adjustment for Sati sfactory Academic Progress (SAP) purposes. Your 2011-2012 FAFSA must be received by the federal processor by this date in order for it to be a “Priority Applicati on.” The 2011 UNCG Summer Session Applicati ons for Financial Aid are available online through UNCGenie. The FAO begins awarding for the 2011-2012 academic year for admitt ed and conti nuing students whose fi nancial aid fi les are complete. Deadline for 2012 UNCG Summer Session Applicati ons for Financial Aid. You must have also fi led a 2011-2012 FAFSA and submitt ed all required documents for Summer Session by this date. Noti fi cati on sent to students who have not met the SAP Policy for Financial Aid Eligibility. Payment due to the Cashiers and Student Accounts Offi ce for Fall semester charges. Students must be awarded and have completed all paperwork in order for fi nancial aid to be applied toward their charges. Exact date available from Cashiers and Student Accounts Offi ce. Fall enrollment hours are locked on the last day of Schedule Adjustment for SAP purposes. First day to fi le a SAP Appeal for Fall 2011 semester. Last day to fi le a SAP Appeal for Fall 2011 semester. First day to fi le a SAP Appeal for Spring 2012 semester. Last day to fi le a SAP Appeal for the Spring 2012 semester. FAFSA PDF version will be available for download for the 2012-2013 academic year. Payment due to the Cashiers and Student Accounts Offi ce for Spring semester charges. Students must have been awarded and completed all paperwork in order for fi nancial aid to be applied toward their charges. Exact date available from Cashiers and Student Accounts Offi ce. First day to fi le a SAP Appeal for Summer Session 2012. Last day to fi le a SAP Appeal for Summer Session 2012. 2011 - 2012 Financial Aid Calendar 2011 - 2012 Sati sfactory Academic Calendar 19 Earliest date you may fi le a FAFSA for the 2011-2012 academic year.
Object Description
Description
Title | Financial aid handbook |
Other Title | University of North Carolina at Greensboro financial aid handbook |
Date | 2011 |
Description | 2011/2012 |
Digital Characteristics-A | 922 KB; 20 p. |
Digital Format |
application/pdf |
Full Text | UNCG Financial Aid Handbook 2011 - 2012 UNCG Financial Aid Offi ce 2 Websites and Abbreviati ons 3 Financial Aid Checklist 4 Interacti on with the Financial Aid Offi ce 5 UNCGenie 5 The Applicati on Process Filing the FAFSA and FAFSA Informati on 6 Quality Assurance Program and Verifi cati on 7 The Award Process Award noti fi cati on 8 Accepti ng/Declining Awards 8 Loan Informati on 9 The Payment Process Financial Aid and your bill 10 Return of Funds policy 11 Financial Aid Programs Federal, State and Insti tuti onal need-based aid 12 Merit Awards program 13 Work Study Program 13 Enrollment Status and Eligibility Credit hour requirements 14 Graduate Students 14 Second Degree Students 14 Transfer Students 14 Determining Need Based Eligibility Cost of Att endance 15 Expected Family Contributi on 15 Sati sfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy 16-17 Financial Aid for Summer or Study Abroad Summer Financial Aid 18 Study Abroad 18 Calendar 19 Table of Contents Offi ce Locati on 723 Kenilworth Street, Greensboro, NC, 27402 Mailing Address Financial Aid Offi ce P.O. Box 26170 Greensboro, NC 27402-6170 Telephone: (336) 334-5702 Fax: (336) 334-3010 email: fi naid@uncg.edu htt p://fi a.uncg.edu Offi ce Hours: M,T,W,F 8am-5pm, TH 8am-4pm Counseling Hours: M,T,W,F 8am-4:30pm, TH 8am-3:30pm Summer Hours: M-F 10 am-5pm UNCG Federal School Code 002976 Other UNCG Contact Numbers Cashiers & Students Accounts Offi ce..... Admissions........................... Graduate School.................. University Registrar’s Offi ce. Housing & Residence Life..... Dining Services..................... 336-334-5831 336-334-5243 336-334-5596 336-334-5946 336-334-5636 336-334-5976 The Financial Aid Offi ce Staff : Deborah Tollefson, Director of Financial Aid Bruce Cabiness, Associate Director of Financial Aid for Operati ons Bill Zahn, Associate Director of Financial Aid for Compliance Lisa Benatti , Assistant Director of Financial Aid for Loans Amy Berrier, Assistant Director of Financial Aid for Operati ons John Lucas, Assistant Director of Financial Aid for EDE/QAP Yolanda McLean, Assistant Director of Financial Aid for Scholarships Sarah Shearer, Assistant Director of Financial Aid for Grants Debra Slade, Assistant Director of Financial Aid for Public Relati ons Dana Banker, Financial Aid Verifi cati on Counselor Eddie Drew, Financial Aid Counselor Cathryn Garrett , Financial Aid Counselor Kelli Hand, Financial Aid Scholarship Counselor Aminah Harris, Financial Aid Counselor Chrystal Lewis, Financial Aid Counselor Roberta McDevitt , Senior Financial Aid Counselor Chris Ratliff , Financial Aid Counselor Cathy McGuire, Administrati ve Assistant Valerie White, Loan Coordinator The UNCG Financial Aid Offi ce (FAO) staff is here to assist you with the aid applicati on process. We have a professional staff ready to help with all of your fi nancial aid inquiries. Our offi ce is located on the UNCG campus at the corner of Spring Garden Street and Kenilworth Street. UNCG Financial Aid Offi ce 2 Contact Information htt p://fi a.uncg.edu - The UNCG Financial Aid Offi ce Home Page contains scholarship informati on, Federal Work-Study informati on, Sati sfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy informati on, and links to everything in this handbook. www.fafsa.gov - The FAFSA on the Web site allows you to fi le a FAFSA on-line. www.studentaid.ed.gov - The U.S. Department of Educati on Offi ce of Post-secondary Educati on’s Web Site off ers useful informati on for students. Here you will fi nd an online version of The Student Guide, federal school codes, informati on on tax incenti ves, and more. www.ft c.gov - The Federal Trade Commission Web site contains informati on regarding scholarship scams to avoid and how to recognize them. www.irs.gov - The IRS site provides valuable tax informati on for students, including descripti ons of tax incenti ves for higher educati on expenses, such as the Hope Scholarship and the Lifeti me Learning Credit. www.students.gov - This web site is the student gateway to the U.S. government. It off ers informati on on planning and paying for college. www.dl.ed.gov/borrower - This is the website for Federal Student Direct Loan informati on and applicati on. Scholarship Searches: www.fastweb.com www.collegeboard.com www.collegenet.com/mach25 FAO FAFSA EFC COA DRN FWS LRF MAP MPN PLUS QAP SAP SAR Financial Aid Offi ce Free Applicati on for Federal Student Aid Expected Family Contributi on Cost of Att endance Data Release Number Federal Work Study Loan Request Form Merit Awards Program Master Promissory Note Parent Loan for Undergraduates Quality Assurance Program Sati sfactory Academic Progress Student Aid Report Useful Websites and Common Abbreviati ons 3 New Students Complete Immunizati on Requirements • Immunizati on requirements must be completed and cleared with Student Health Services prior to the payment deadline in order to use fi nancial aid to reduce the student bill. Contact Student Health Services at (336) 334-5340 to complete this requirement. Complete the Financial Aid Response Form if Necessary • Use this form to report less than full-ti me enrollment as well as changes in full year enrollment. The Financial Aid Response Form is also used to decline or reduce awards. Complete Loan Entrance Counseling (Only required for fi rst ti me borrowers) • All new or transfer students must complete loan entrance counseling. You can sati sfy this requirement by completi ng the entrance interview module at www.studentloans.gov. Complete and submit the Master Promissory Note (MPN) • If you are receiving a Federal Student Loan and/or a PLUS Loan, you must complete the MPN in order for the funds to disburse to UNCG. The MPN can be completed at www.studentloans.gov. • PLUS Loan funds will not defer the student bill unti l our offi ce receives confi rmati on of a completed Master Promissory Note and the loan has been approved. All Students Go online to accept awards • All students must go online via UNCGenie, read and acknowledge the Terms and Conditi ons, and accept their awards, including federal student loans. You may accept full or parti al amounts of the student loan as well as decline loans via UNCGenie. See Page 8 for instructi ons. Financial Aid Checklist 4 Complete the Free Applicati on for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) • Visit www.fafsa.gov to start the process. The FAFSA is available January 1st for the upcoming academic year. UNCG’s Priority Deadline is March 1st. Complete any outstanding fi nancial aid requirements • All incomplete requirements can be viewed via UNCGenie. If you have been selected for Verifi cati on, please make clear copies of all requested documents and turn them in to the Financial Aid Offi ce as soon as possible. Make sure all tax returns and other forms are signed. Receive Award Lett er Email Noti fi cati on • Once the FAFSA is received and all awarding requirements are met, you will receive an award lett er email noti fi cati on. Your offi cial award lett er can be viewed via UNCGenie. Review Sati sfactory Academic Progress Policy (SAP) and locked hours • The Sati sfactory Academic Progress Policy is a federal policy that can prevent students from receiving fi nancial aid due to sub-standard academic progress. Your SAP status is based on your hours of enrollment at the end of Drop/Add (usually the fi rst week of classes). All forms* can be printed from our website at htt p://fi a.uncg.edu under "Important Forms" * The Master Promissory Note is not available through the UNCG website. It is available through the U.S. Department of Educati on. www.studentloans.gov Please Note: Some Helpful Hints Your Name and Student ID Number Make sure that these two items are on every document submitt ed to the FAO on your behalf. Update Your Mailing and Email Addresses Your UNCG email is the primary means by which the FAO will communicate news and informati on. Check it oft en so that you receive important fi nancial aid informati on. You can update this informati on via UNCGenie. Respond to Requests for Informati on Promptly The sooner you send us required informati on, the sooner we can conti nue processing your fi nancial aid applicati on. If you do not send us requested informati on in a ti mely manner, your aid may be canceled or its disbursement delayed. Do not wait unti l the beginning of the semester to take care of fi nancial aid paperwork and questi ons. Our professional staff is available to help you with the fi nancial aid process. To make your visit with a counselor producti ve, complete any required forms before your visit and bring all other required documentati on along with a picture ID. Contacti ng Us By Phone You can reach us by phone at (336) 334-5702. We are happy to assist you with any fi nancial aid questi ons you may have. In order to discuss your confi denti al fi nancial aid informati on (award amounts, your SAP status, etc.) you must enter your Student ID number and UNCG PIN when prompted. Without the ID and PIN the informati on that we can give you is limited. During summer months and at the beginning of each semester, our phones are especially busy. UNCGenie will have much of the informati on that you need. The FAO keeps students informed via email while handling as many calls as possible. Confi denti ality The Family Educati on Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA), also known as the Buckley Amendment, prohibits the release of a student’s educati onal records (including award informati on) to parents, spouses, or other parti es without the writt en permission of the student (or Student ID & UNCG PIN authenti cati on if calling on the phone). If students wish to release their records to another party, they can submit a notarized Informati on Release form to the FAO. This form must be reviewed and approved before any informati on is released. The student’s authorizati on to release their informati on must be submitt ed on a yearly basis, and may be revoked by the student at any ti me. The Informati on Release Forms are available at the FAO. UNCG has an electronic network called UNCGenie. UNCGenie can be accessed and printed by going to the UNCG Home Page at www.uncg.edu. You will need your Student ID Number and UNCG PIN to access your account. With UNCGenie you can check: 1) Financial aid award informati on 2) Acti ve messages you may have from the Financial Aid Offi ce by going to the Overall Status link 3) Outstanding fi nancial aid requirements by going to the Eligibility link 4) Locked hours for Sati sfactory Academic Progress and your current SAP standing 5) Student account through the UNCGenie Student Account Center including fi nancial aid that has been applied to your account and/or your balance due You can also use UNCGenie to: • Change your mailing and permanent addresses • Check your registrati on and enrollment If you have been admitt ed, you can go to accounts.uncg.edu to acti vate your email and other computer accounts. Your Interacti on with the UNCG Financial Aid Offi ce 5 The Magic of UNCGenie Step One: Apply for Aid To apply for most types of aid, students must complete a 2011-2012 Free Applicati on for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This applicati on must be completed every academic year and can be done electronically at www.fafsa.gov. The priority fi ling date for the FAFSA is March 1st. For questi ons about the FAFSA and your applicati on status contact the FAFSA processor at 1-800-433-3243. FAFSA on the Web Applicati on The FAFSA should be completed online at www.fafsa.gov. The student (and a dependent student's parent) must sign the FAFSA electronically with a PIN, or the student can print, sign, and mail a signature page. A student or parent without a PIN has the opti on to apply for a PIN, receive it instantly, and immediately use it to sign the FAFSA. NOTE: To complete a paper FAFSA a student must request a copy from the Department of Educati on by calling 1-800-433-3243 or by printi ng a copy from htt p://www.FederalStudentAid.ed.gov and mailing the paper copy to the Federal Processor. If you have questi ons about the FAFSA call 1-800-433-3243. If you have a hearing disability call the TDD number at 1-800-730-8913. FAFSA Renewal You must fi le a FAFSA for each academic year in order to be considered for federal, state & insti tuti onal aid. January 1st is the earliest you can begin fi ling the FAFSA for the upcoming academic year. March 1st is the UNCG priority deadline for fi ling the FAFSA for maximum aid considerati on, however, you can sti ll fi le the FAFSA aft er this date. • File your FAFSA by March 1st. This is UNCG's priority deadline and gives you fi rst considerati on for the aid programs that are awarded on a fi rst come fi rst serve basis. Please note: The federal processor must receive the FAFSA by March 1st. • Dependent vs Independent Student Status: Your answers in Step 3 of the FAFSA determine if you are dependent or independent for purposes of fi nancial aid. If you answer "no" to all of these questi ons you are a dependent student and must provide parental informati on, even if your parents do not claim you on their tax return and/or you do not live with them. If you answer "yes" to at least one of these questi ons you are considered independent and do not have to provide parent informati on. • Reporti ng Income: You may esti mate your tax informati on in order to fi le the FAFSA by March 1st. You are required to update the FAFSA informati on aft er fi ling your (or parent) tax return. Pay special att enti on to the tax line numbers given for certain questi ons. These will guide you to the correct fi gures from your tax forms to use when completi ng those questi ons. • FAFSA Signatures: Be sure you submit signatures with the FAFSA. Without appropriate signatures your applicati on will be rejected. If you are a dependent student (see above) you must submit a parent signature. • UNCG School code: 002976. Be sure to include the UNCG school code when you complete the FAFSA so that we can receive the informati on. • Housing status: Be sure you enter the correct housing code. Otherwise, your fi nancial aid award may be incorrect and have to be recalculated. Student Aid Report (SAR) The Student Aid Report provides a copy of all the informati on you provided on the FAFSA. If you submit an applicati on or correcti on and do not receive a SAR, you should contact the federal processor at 1-800-433-3243 to check on the status. Once you receive or are able to view your SAR, review all the informati on to make sure your applicati on has been processed and that all informati on is accurate and complete. If you need to make correcti ons, you must submit them yourself at www.fafsa.gov. If you have diffi culty while processing your correcti ons, contact the Federal Processor at 1-800-433-3243. Check the Informati on Release secti on of your SAR to be sure UNCG (school ID number 002976) is listed as a school to receive your informati on. If UNCG does not receive your FAFSA informati on, we cannot award you fi nancial aid. We receive an electronic record of your SAR automati cally, if you listed UNCG on the FAFSA. To add UNCG as a recipient of your informati on, contact the Department of Educati on at 1-800-433-3243. You will need to know the Data Release Number (DRN) located on the front of your SAR to do so. Remember that your FAFSA is a snapshot of your status as of the date you complete the applicati on. If you make a mistake you can correct the error but cannot update or add new informati on. The APPLICATION Process 6 Tips for Filing the FAFSA Step Two: Complete Your File Aft er fi ling a FAFSA, you must complete your fi le with the UNCG Financial Aid Offi ce. There are a variety of documents that you may be required to submit. Unti l we have all required documents, we cannot award you fi nancial aid. All requests for informati on will be sent via e-mail. If necessary, we will correct your fi nancial aid applicati on based on this documentati on. Quality Assurance Program (QAP) and the Verifi cati on Process UNCG parti cipates in the Quality Assurance Program (QAP). Through QAP we review student informati on and ask them to provide documentati on of their fi nancial status. QAP allows the Department of Educati on and the UNCG FAO to ensure the accuracy of informati on used in fi ling for Federal Title IV funds. The FAO will noti fy you if you have been selected for this program. If selected, you must provide the required informati on to receive fi nancial aid. If this process reveals errors in the data used to determine your eligibility for fi nancial aid, the U.S. Dept of Educati on requires UNCG to recalculate and/or resubmit your informati on for reprocessing. If you fail to provide informati on necessary to complete QAP/Verifi cati on we cannot award you fi nancial aid. If you already received an award we may be required to cancel your federal and need-based aid for the award year. You will be responsible for the repayment of those funds, due upon noti fi ca-ti on. Do not provide documentati on unless it is requested by UNCG. QAP/Verifi cati on Documentati on QAP document requirements may include, but are not limited to: (1) A UNCG Verifi cati on Worksheet; (2) A signed, complete copy of Federal income tax forms for student, parent, and/or spouse (including all schedules, worksheets and additi onal forms fi led); (3) W-2 and 1099 forms for student, parent, and/or spouse; (4) Documentati on of asset informati on, untaxed income, and Social Security benefi ts; (5) A copy of birth certi fi cate or driver’s license; (6) Documentati on of a house-hold member’s enrollment status at another post-secondary school. Social Security Number (SSN) Documentati on If you fi le your FAFSA listi ng the wrong SSN, you must correct this on your applicati on and submit these correcti ons to the Federal Processor. If you have changed your legal name, you must update your Social Security record and apply for a new card from the Social Security Administrati on. You must then send a copy of the new card to the FAO before you can be awarded. Make sure that you also give UNCG your correct name when you apply for admission. Other Documentati on Requirements Please be aware that someti mes the need for additi onal documentati on arises in the midst of the fi nancial aid process. We cannot conti nue processing your applicati on unti l we have all the informati on we need. As we review informati on, the status of your fi le may change and you may be asked to provide such documentati on as, but not limited to: (1) A copy of marriage certi fi cate or separati on documents; (2) A copy of your Social Security Card; (3) United States Citi zenship and Immigrati on Services (USCIS) documentati on; (4) Proof of Selecti ve Service Registrati on; (5) Death certi fi cates. Special Circumstances In some instances, the UNCG FAO can consider highly unusual circumstances that are not refl ected by informati on provided on the FAFSA. However, the UNCG FAO is very conservati ve and adheres to all federal guidelines. We can someti mes make allowances for the death of a parent or spouse, separati on of parents, separati on of a student and spouse, job loss, or similar situati ons. If you wish to report a special circumstance, contact the FAO for the appropriate Professional Judgment forms. Extensive supporti ng documentati on will be required before your situati on is reviewed. Do not send any informati on regarding special circumstances to the federal processor. They will not respond to personal lett ers nor forward the informati on to the Financial Aid Offi ce. The APPLICATION Process 7 Tips for the Verification Process The UNCG FAO will noti fy you if you are selected for the QAP/Verifi cati on process. If selected you must submit additi onal documentati on. To prevent delays in processing your fi nancial aid PLEASE NOTE: 1) Dependent students must submit parent informati on as well as student informati on. 2) Independent students must submit spousal informati on if married as well as student informati on. 3) Copies of the tax returns must be signed (even if fi led electronically). 4) Copies of the tax returns should include all forms and schedules used to complete the return. 5) Turn in all W2's/1099's used to complete the return including social security benefi ts and pension and annuity distributi ons. 6) Do Not leave blanks on the Verifi cati on Worksheet. Enter zero or NA if it doesn't apply. 7) Amounts reported on the Verifi cati on Worksheet for Savings/Checking and for Asset/Investment net worth should be as of the date you fi led the FAFSA, NOT current balances. You can also decline awards using the Financial Aid Response form. Complete Secti on C: Declining Awards, sign the form and return it to the Finan-cial Aid Offi ce. Note: Once funds are declined they may not be available at a later date. Funds may be depleted or it may be determined that you are no longer eligible for a fund previously awarded to you. The FAO is not liable once you decline an award. Step Three: Receive Your Award Aft er you have fi led the FAFSA, have met the basic eligibility requirements, and have completed your fi le, you will receive an award noti fi cati on email at your UNCG email with instructi ons on how to view your award online via UNCGenie. When you receive the award noti fi cati on and go online to view your award you should verify the accuracy of: The Award Process Step Four: Accepti ng and/or Declining Awards Accepti ng and/or Declining Awards To accept/decline your fi nancial aid awards you must log in to UNCGenie and accept the awards on-line: 1. Log in to UNCGenie using your University ID and PIN 2. Select "Financial Aid" 3. Select "My Award Informati on" 4. Select "Award by Aid Year" 5. Select 2011-2012 Academic Year from the drop down box 6. Read and accept the Terms and Conditi ons 7. Select tab Accept Award Off er In order to accept the full loan amounts, select Accept from the drop down box, then select Accept Full Amount All Awards In order to accept parti al loan amounts, select Accept from the drop down box, enter the parti al amount you would like to accept in the Ac-cept Parti al Amount box, then select Submit Decision In order to DECLINE student loans, select Decline from the drop down box, then select Submit Decision 8 Award Revisions a. Outside Resources: The award lett er should include any outside scholarships or loans, ROTC scholarships, vocati onal rehabilitati on benefi ts, tuiti on waivers, merit awards, graduate scholarships or fellowships, etc. b. Enrollment Status: If you are enrolled less than half-ti me, you may be ineligible for various grants, scholarships, and Fed-eral loans. Your award may need to be revised. Complete the FInancial Aid Response form if you will enroll in less than full ti me hours. c. Residency Status: Make sure that you were awarded based on the correct residency status (in-state, out-of-state). d. Housing Status: Make sure you were awarded with the correct housing status (on campus, with parents or relati ves, or off campus). e. Semester / Term: Make sure that you were awarded based on the correct semesters (Fall and/or Spring). If you are att ending only one semester, your award should be based only on that semester. f. Grade Level: Make sure you were awarded based on the grade level you will be in at the start of the academic year. Note: Any discrepancies should be reported immediately to the FAO as it could potenti ally result in a change in your award. Award Revisions: Your award may require revisions, oft en due to additi onal informati on, changes in hours of enrollment, failure to maintain academic progress, withdrawal from classes or outside aid received. Any revised award overrides all previous off ers of aid. This someti mes means that you may have to repay funds already received. Contact the Cashiers and Student Accounts Offi ce for informati on on the Return of Funds Policy. Federal Student Aid Loans: As of July 1, 2010, the U.S Department of Educati on became the sole lender for federal educati on loans. UNCG now awards and process all Staff ord and PLUS loans through the Direct Lending Program. Federal Direct Subsidized/Unsubsidized Loans The Federal Direct Subsidized Loan is awarded according to dem-onstrated fi nancial need. Subsidized loans do not accrue interest during periods of deferment (while in school), or during the grace period. The Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan is awarded regardless of a student's demonstrated need. Interest begins accruing from the date of disbursement. By making interest payments while in school, a student can avoid capitalizati on of the interest. When interest is capitalized, it is added to the principal amount of the loan upon which further interest charges are based. Federal Direct PLUS Loans Federal Direct PLUS Loans are federally sponsored loans that par-ents can obtain to help pay the cost of educati on for their depen-dent undergraduate children. PLUS loans feature low interest rates and long-term repayment opti ons. While parents of all income levels are eligible a credit-worthiness evaluati on is required. Parents may borrow up to the cost of att endance less any other aid received by the student annually. In order to obtain a PLUS loan at UNCG, the student must fi rst complete the Free Applica-ti on for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Based on the student’s FASFA informati on, the Financial Aid Offi ce will determine the maximum amount of PLUS loan eligibility. Parents may opt to borrow less than the maximum amount awarded. To initi ate the PLUS loan bor-rowing process, a Federal Direct PLUS Loan Request form must be submitt ed to the Financial Aid Offi ce each academic year. Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loans Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loans are federally sponsored loans that are available to graduate students who have borrowed up to their annual or aggregate limit under the Federal Student loan program. Graduate PLUS loans feature low interest rates and long-term repayment opti ons. While graduate students of all income levels are eligible, a credit-worthiness evaluati on is required. Graduate students may borrow up to the cost of att endance less any other aid received by the student annually. Students must fi rst apply for all Federal Student loan eligibility before a Graduate PLUS loan can be awarded. In order to obtain a Graduate PLUS loan at UNCG, a student must fi rst complete the Free Applicati on for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Upon request, the Financial Aid Offi ce will then determine the maximum amount of a student’s Graduate PLUS loan eligibility. To initi ate the Graduate PLUS loan borrowing process, a Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan Request form must be submitt ed to the Financial Aid Offi ce. Note: All Federal Loans require the completi on of a Master Promis-sory Note. Federal Direct Subsidized/Unsubsidized, and Direct Graduate PLUS Loans require both the Entrance Counseling and the Master Promissory Note. These can be completed at www.studentloans.gov. 1) You have gone on-line via UNCGenie to accept your loans. 2) You have a Master Promissory Note (MPN) on fi le with Direct Lending at www.studentloans.gov. The MPN is a legal agreement the student must sign when bor-rowing an FSA loan. Parents and/or graduate students must also complete a MPN for a Federal PLUS loan as well. 3) You have completed a Loan Entrance Coun-seling session at www.studentloans.gov. This is an online questi onnaire that addresses your rights and responsibiliti es as a borrower. The Financial Aid Offi ce will be noti fi ed automati - cally upon completi on. Federal Student Aid Loan Borrower Rights and Responsibiliti es: Student borrowers should be aware of the following rights and responsibiliti es. 1) Loans must be repaid. 2) Borrowers may be eligible to receive multi ple loans under one Master Promissory Note. 3) Loan money must be used for authorized educati onal expenses. 4) An originati on fee may apply to each loan under a MPN and will be deducted prior to each disbursement. 5) It is the borrowers responsibility to noti fy the Direct Loan Program of changes in per-sonal informati on, such as name, address, etc. 6) Loan repayment begins aft er a 6 month grace period. Borrowers will receive noti fi ca-ti on when the fi rst payment is due. 7) The federal government determines all interest rates for federal loans on July 1st of each year. 8) Defaulti ng on federal loans will result in legal acti on against the borrower and will be reported to credit bureau(s). The Award Process 9 So that we can process your Federal Student Loans be sure: Fall 2011 - due late July 2011 Spring 2012 - due early Dec. 2011 Tuiti onPay Payment PLAN: This is an interest-free alternati ve to paying your college expenses in one lump sum. To enroll in the payment plan contact Tuiti onPay at 1-800-635-0120 or visit Tuiti onPay online at www.tuiti onpay.com. For questi ons regarding payment please contact the Cashier's Offi ce at 336-334-5831. 1) You have been awarded aid and have completed all required paperwork prior to the bill being generated. 2) You have no holds on your account based on immunizati on or prior balances. 3) You are in good academic standing and making sati sfactory academic progress. Step Four: Pay Your Bill The UNCG Cashiers and Student Accounts Offi ce sends bills via e-mail to the student UNCG e-mail in July (for Fall semester) and in November (for Spring semester) to students who have pre-registered. If you have questi ons about your bill, contact the Cashiers Offi ce at (336) 334-5831. You will receive a separate bill for each semester’s tuiti on and fees. You must pay the amount due before the deadline or your classes will be cancelled. Paying the minimum amount due before the deadline will confi rm your registrati on. Note: If you do not pre-register, a bill may not be sent to you. You can print out a copy of your fee assessment from UNCGenie. The PAYMENT Process Using Financial Aid to Defer Your Bill Even though you must pay your bill before the semester begins, your fi nancial aid funds cannot be disbursed unti l the semester starts. However, certain types of fi nancial aid can be used to reduce part or all of your charges. Your bill should show that your aid has been subtracted from your charges, as long as you have been awarded fi nancial aid and completed the necessary paperwork before the bill was generated. To see what you owe or if you are con-fi rmed for a parti cular semester, please visit the UNCGenie website, via the link at www.uncg.edu. It is very important that you complete the fi nancial aid applicati on process and all necessary paperwork before bills are printed. Otherwise, your fi nancial aid will not be listed and you will be required to pay the bill in full. Some types of fi nancial aid cannot be used to reduce the charges on the bill. This includes but is not limited to: out-side scholarships for which funds have not been received, and military aid or benefi ts. Emergency Loans The FAO has a limited loan fund available to enrolled students for assistance in meeti ng unexpected expenses due to emergency. You must go online via UNCGenie to apply for an emergency loan. You may apply for only one emergency loan per semester. You will be contacted via your UNCG email address concerning the status of your applicati on. If your loan is approved, you will need to come to the FAO and pick up an approval noti ce to take to the Cashier’s Offi ce to receive your funds. There is a $5 processing fee that will be taken from the funds you receive from the Cashier’s Offi ce. If you have outstanding fi nancial requirements or have already received an emergency loan for the current semester, you cannot apply for an emergency loan through this process. If you cannot receive a loan through the online process, you may visit the Financial Aid Offi ce and complete an applicati on and appeal for considerati on of your circumstances. Note: You will not receive an emergency loan the same day you apply. The applicati on (and appeals) takes 24 -48 hours to process. 10 Financial Aid will be refl ected on your billing statement and reduce the balance due if: Bill Due Dates: Return of Funds Policy UNCG has a federally mandated Return of Funds Policy that governs the return of Title IV funds disbursed to students who completely withdraw from the University. Title IV funds include: Federal Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans, Federal Direct PLUS Loans, Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loans, Federal Perkins Loans, Fed-eral Pell Grants, Federal Supplemental Educati onal Opportunity Grants (FSEOG), Federal Academic Competi ti veness Grants (ACG), Nati onal SMART Grants, Federal TEACH Grants, and Federal Work Study (FWS). If any student completely withdraws from UNCG, he or she must return unearned student aid. Unearned aid is the amount of disbursed Title IV aid that exceeds the amount of Title IV aid earned. During the fi rst 60% of the semester, a student earns funds in direct proporti on to the length of ti me he or she remains enrolled. The period of ti me during which a student is enrolled is the percentage of aid earned by the student. A student who remains enrolled at or beyond the 60% point is deemed to have earned all aid for the term. Students who have a Federal Direct Student Loan, subsidized or unsubsidized, and drop below half-ti me status must complete an Exit Interview at www.dl.ed.gov/borrower. The percentage of the period that the student remained enrolled is determined by dividing the number of days the student att ended by the number of days in the enti re semester. Calendar days are used in the determinati on of percentages. Breaks of 5 days or longer are excluded in the calculati ons. If the amount of Title IV funds disbursed is greater than the amount of Title IV funds earned by the student, a return of Title IV funds is necessary. Both UNCG and the student may be respon-sible for returning a percentage of the unearned aid. Students who fi nd that they must withdraw from UNCG should do so by dropping all courses through UNCGenie. Students who drop all courses are considered to be withdrawn from the University and must seek reacti vati on or readmission through either Undergraduate Admissions or The Graduate School in order to return to UNCG in subsequent terms. For further clarifi cati on, please consult the UNCG Return of Funds Policy available from the Cashiers and Student Accounts Offi ce or the FAO. Non-disbursement of Financial Aid Your Financial Aid may not disburse to your student account to reduce the balance due if any of the following apply: • You have not gone online to accept your awards through UNCGenie. • You have not turned in all required documents. • You are not enrolled or you are enrolled for less than half-ti me hours. • You are not making Sati sfactory Academic Progress. • You have not sati sfi ed the UNCG Student Health immunizati on requirements. Financial Aid Repayment You may be required to repay part or all of a fi nancial aid disbursement: • If you are awarded a Pell Grant for full-ti me enrollment but at the end of the drop/add period are enrolled less that full-ti me, your Pell Grant will have to be recalculated. This means that you will have to repay part of your Pell Grant that you have already received. Recalculati on can also include other forms of fi nancial aid. • If you are awarded fi nancial aid based on full-ti me enrollment and then at the end of the drop/add period you are enrolled less than full-ti me, your cost of att endance is subject to change. As a result your award may have to be revised and you may have to repay part of your fi nancial aid that you have already received. If you have questi ons concerning disbursement and/or aid repayment, please contact the UNCG Financial Aid Offi ce. The PAYMENT Process 11 Non Disbursement of Financial Aid UNCG General Grants and Scholarships UNCG General Grants and Scholarships include funds awarded by the FAO in accordance with individual aid program criteria. Students who want to be considered for these funds should submit their FAFSA to the federal processor by the priority date of March 1st. Students who fi le a FAFSA will automati cally be considered for most UNCG grants and scholarships that are based on need/merit. These aid programs are generally non-renewable and subject to applicant pool and fund availability. UNCG Departmental Scholarships These curriculum-specifi c scholarships are coordinated by UNCG schools and academic departments. They are generally awarded to rising juniors and/or seniors in early spring for the next academic year. Students wishing to apply for departmental scholarships should contact the department of their academic major for applicati on procedures. Outside Scholarships and Loans Outside scholarships or resources are funds from high schools, civic organizati ons, churches, educati onal foundati ons, Vocati onal Rehabili-tati on programs, and other organizati ons external to the university. You must noti fy the FAO as soon as you learn that you will receive outside aid since these funds may aff ect your eligibility for other aid. You must send us a copy of the noti fi cati on lett er. If your award does not list all of your outside resources, noti fy the FAO immediately. We will revise your fi nancial aid award if necessary. Unless UNCG is otherwise informed by the donor, your outside resources will be divided and applied to your account equally for the fall and spring semesters. Federal Aid Programs Federal student aid programs include Pell Grants, Federal Supplemental Educati onal Opportunity Grants, Federal TEACH Grants, Student Loans, PLUS Loans, Direct Loans, Perkins Loans and Work-Study. The FAFSA is the primary applicati on for this aid. Some federal programs require a separate applicati on in additi on to the FAFSA. For further details, consult the free booklet, The Guide to Federal Student Aid, online at htt p://studentaid.ed.gov. State of North Carolina Aid Programs There are various aid programs for which residents of North Carolina may be eligible. Most programs require that you be a legal resident of North Carolina and fi le the FAFSA. Some may require an additi onal applicati on. If you fi le by UNCG’s priority deadline of March 1st, you also meet the state deadline. Detailed informati on about state programs is available on-line at www.cfnc.org. Types of Financial Aid: Grants & Scholarships - Funds that are not repaid. Usually based on merit and/or fi nancial need. Work-Study - Funds that are earned through service during the academic period. Based on fi nancial need. Loans - Funds which must be repaid. Please instruct your scholarship donor to send your check to the UNCG FAO and to include on the scholarship check: • The name of the scholarship. • The student’s complete legal name and student ID. • The term(s) for which the award is made. Unless the donor instructs otherwise, the amount of the scholarship check will be divided and applied to your account equally for the Fall and Spring semesters. The FAO processes checks and forwards them to the Cashiers and Student Accounts Offi ce for disbursement to your student account. Be aware that UNCG cannot send billing statements to outside scholarship donors. If the donor requires a billing statement, please provide them with a copy of your bill. Please note that if a student with an outside scholarship withdraws from the University, UNCG will not return funds to the outside donor unless asked to do so by the donor or the student. The UNCG FAO administers federal, state, insti tuti onal and outside fi nancial aid in the form of grants, scholarships, work programs and loans. Most aid programs require that you demonstrate fi nancial need although some do not. All aid awarded by UNCG & the FAO, along with applicati on informati on for each, can be accessed online at htt p://fi a.uncg.edu. Financial Aid Programs 12 Outside Scholarships FWS is a need-based type of aid that is taxable income to students. Students work during the semester and are paid through direct deposit at the end of each month. Note: Work study funds cannot be used to cover your bill. To qualify for work study you must: 1) File the FAFSA by March 1st 2) Be enrolled at least half-ti me and 3) Have documented need as determined by the FAFSA 4) Be enrolled as a fi rst degree undergraduate student If you have been awarded FWS you must: 1) Accept your award online 2) Search for a positi on of your choice If you do accept your award but do not fi nd a positi on within the fi rst three weeks of classes, your FWS award will be cancelled. For a complete listi ng of Work-Study jobs: Visit the Student Employment Offi ce's website at www.csc.uncg.edu/seo. Click on the SpartanCareers link. You must contact the departments directly for the positi ons you are interested in. For off -campus community service positi ons, please contact the Student Employment Offi ce at (336) 256-0403. If you were not awarded FWS and would like to be considered, contact the FAO and see if you are eligible to be placed on the waiti ng list. UNCG Merit Awards Program The Merit Awards Program off ers high school seniors the opportunity to apply for presti gious academic excellence scholarships. Annual awards range from $2,500 to full tuiti on, fees, room & board, and are renewable for up to four years of undergraduate enrollment. Renewal is dependent upon the student upholding academic standards set for the awards. Applicants must present a minimum 1800 on the combined criti cal reading, mathemati cs and writi ng secti ons of the SAT, or a minimum composite score of 27 on the ACT, and a minimum high school GPA of 3.50. Awards for fi nalists require on-campus interviews, held in late February/early March. Please note that students transferring to UNCG from other colleges, or current UNCG students, are not eligible for Merit Awards Program. To be considered for the Merit Awards Program, complete a Merit Awards applicati on by January 3, 2011. The applicati on is available on-line at htt p://fi a.uncg.edu/meritawards. You must also be accepted for admission to the University by January 3, 2011. A full list of available scholarships is available on the website at htt p://fi a.uncg.edu/meritawards/scholarships.htm. Deans’ Scholars Program The Deans’ Scholars Program, a component of the Merit Awards Program, off ers high school seniors four-year renewable scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $3,000. This program emphasizes academic achievement and is available to students in specifi c majors, such as Nursing, Educati on, Chemistry, Religious Studies, majors within the Bryan School of Business and Economics, and majors within the School of Human Environmental Science. Deans’ Scholars awards will be renewed for up to four years of undergraduate study, as long as the student maintains a minimum cumulati ve GPA of 2.75 and remains in good academic standing with the University. To apply, current high school seniors must complete a Merit Awards Program applicati on. The minimum criteria for applicants are: a minimum score of 1600 on the combined criti cal reading, mathemati cs, and writi ng of the SAT, or a minimum composite score of 24 on the ACT, & a minimum cumula-ti ve high school GPA of 3.50. A full list of available scholarships is avail-able on the website at htt p://fi a.uncg.edu/meritawards/scholarships. htm. Community College Presidents’ Scholarship These scholarships are awarded to students transferring from local community colleges, based on the nominati on of their community college President. Annual awards range from $500 to $2000 and are renewable for a 2nd year of study at UNCG provided the recipient upholds the academic standards set for the awards. The minimum criteria for selecti on are: minimum of 30 semester hours of study completed at the community college, with preference to Associate Degree recipients, and minimum cumulati ve GPA of 3.0 for students transferring with an Associate Degree or minimum cumulati ve GPA of 3.5 for students transferring prior to completi on of their Associate Degree. The community colleges that parti cipate in this scholarship are: Alamance, Central Carolina, Davidson County, Forsyth Technical, Guilford Technical, Piedmont, Randolph, Rockingham, and Surry. Contact the President’s Offi ce or the Financial Aid Offi ce at the community college you att end for applicati on procedures. The community college usually makes their selecti ons and submits their recommendati on to UNCG in spring prior to the student's fall enroll-ment at UNCG. Financial Aid Programs 13 Federal Work-Study (FWS) Federal Graduate PLUS Loans The Graduate PLUS Loan is for graduate and professional students, NOT their parents. Graduate PLUS loans are available to graduate students, on a case by case basis, who have borrowed their annual or aggregate limit under the FSA Loan program. Graduate PLUS loans feature low interest rates, relati ve to market rates, and long term repayment opti ons. Graduate students may borrow up to the cost of att endance minus any other aid received by the student annually. Students pursuing a graduate degree at UNCG may be eligible for some types of fi nancial aid, including Federal Direct Stu-dent Loans, assistantships, fellowships, and tuiti on waivers. Academic departments nominate graduate students for assistantships and fellowships. Some certi fi cate programs may not be eligible for aid. Graduate students should complete a FAFSA to apply for need-based or federal aid programs. Please refer to our website at htt p://fi a.uncg.edu for more informati on about graduate aid. Contact your academic department for informati on about fellowships, assistantships, and tuiti on waivers. Graduate students must be enrolled in at least 3 credit hours at the 500 level or above each semester in order to be eligible for Federal Student Loans and for UNCG to certi fy enrollment for a loan repayment deferment. Students taking courses through the Graduate School who are not yet admitt ed into a program are not eligible to receive federal or UNCG funding. You must also be enrolled for courses that count toward your degree. Receiving some types of awards, including fellowships and tuiti on waivers, may decrease Federal Direct Student Loan eligibility. If you are classifi ed as an undergraduate in the Fall semester and will become a graduate student in the Spring semester, you must noti fy the FAO in writi ng immediately of this change. Your award will need to be revised to refl ect your graduate status. Students pursuing a second undergraduate degree are limited in eligibility for fi nancial aid. Typically, a second degree student qualifi es only for Federal Direct Student Loans. However, students may qualify for scholarships through their academic department and should contact the academic department directly for informati on. Transfer Students If you are transferring to UNCG, you must: • Make sure that the UNCG FAO has received your FAFSA informati on. Contact the Dept of Educati on at 1-800-433-3243 to add UNCG as a school to receive it. You will need your DRN, which is on your Student Aid Report. UNCG's school code: 002976 Please noti fy the school you are transferring from to cancel your aid. If you are transferring from UNCG to another insti tuti on, you should contact the FAO at the school you will be att ending. Second Degree Students Semester Enrollment Requirements Undergraduates: Full-ti me status 12 or more credit hours Three-quarter-ti me 9 to 11 credit hours Half-ti me status 6 to 8 credit hours Less than half-ti me status 5 credit hours or less Graduates: (credit hours must be at the 500 level or above) Full-ti me status 6 or more credit hours Half-ti me status 3 to 5 credit hours Less than half-ti me 2 credit hours or less Enrollment Status & Financial Aid Eligibility Graduate Students Credit Hour Requirements To qualify for most types of aid students must be enrolled at least half ti me. If you are enrolled less than half ti me you are ineligible for federal loans and most other types of aid. NOTE: Certain aid programs may be reduced if you are en-rolled less than full-ti me. 14 If you are enrolled less than half-ti me, you are ineligible for federal loans and most other types of fi nancial aid. Please Note: You must meet these guidelines in order to be eligible for any need-based or federal fi nancial aid. Other UNCG scholarships may also require that you meet these criteria: 1) You must be admitt ed to or enrolled in a degree program or approved certi fi cati on program at UNCG. Please note that some certi fi cate programs have not been approved for aid eligibility. 2) You must be making sati sfactory academic progress toward a degree. If you are not making sati sfactory academic progress, you may appeal your status by completi ng a SAP Appeal form. Review the SAP policy online at htt p://fi a.uncg.edu. 3) You must be a United States citi zen or an eligible nonciti zen. Eligible non citi zens may be required to present current, up-to-date, and valid U.S. Citi zenship and Immigrati on Services documentati on. Students on F1, J1, J2 visas, and G series visas are NOT eligible for federal fi nancial assistance or fi nancial aid from UNCG. 4) You must provide all documents requested by our offi ce or your fi nancial aid applicati on cannot be processed. 5) You must not be in default on a federal student loan or owe a repayment on a federal grant at any insti tuti on or the U.S. Dept of Educati on. 6) If required, you must be registered with Selecti ve Service. You can register at the Selecti ve Service website: www.sss.gov. How Need Is Determined Many types of aid require that you demonstrate fi nancial need in order to be eligible. To be considered for need-based (state, insti tuti onal, and outside) and all federal aid programs, you must fi le a 2011-2012 FAFSA. The informati on you provide on the FAFSA establishes whether or not you have fi nancial need. Expected Family Contributi on (EFC) The federal processor uses a formula known as the Federal Methodology to esti mate your family’s ability to contribute to your educati on. This formula, writt en into law by Congress and reviewed each year, evaluates your FAFSA answers related to income and assets, family size, and number of family members in college in order to calculate your Expected Family Contributi on (EFC). Your EFC is how much money you or your family is expected to contribute to your educati onal expenses. You do not pay the EFC to UNCG. It is simply used to calculate your aid eligibility. If you have questi ons about what family members should be included on your FAFSA, see the instructi ons included online that are part of the applicati on process. Cost of Att endance (COA) Your EFC, along with the COA, determines the types of need-based fi nancial aid for which you are eligible. The COA is an esti mate of how much it costs to att end UNCG. It does not refl ect your actual charges to att end UNCG. It includes tuiti on and fees as well as an allowance for books, supplies, room and meals, transportati on, and personal expenses. The COA is based on a student’s status as in-state or out-of-state (residency), housing status (living on campus, with parents or relati ves, or off campus), and graduate or undergraduate classifi cati on. Exact tuiti on and fees are established by the State of North Carolina and should be available in August 2011. Note: Your COA will be adjusted if you are enrolled less than full ti me. It may also be adjusted for other factors such as housing Determining Need Based Eligibility Documented Need A student's need is defi ned by the Cost of Att endance (COA) minus the Expected Family Contributi on (EFC): Cost of Att endance (COA) – Expected Family Contributi on (EFC) = Documented Need The FAO will meet as much of each applicant’s documented need as possible, given fund availability and fund requirements. Note: You should not assume that your full need will be met. 15 Important Eligibility Requirements Sati sfactory Academic Progress Both federal and state governments require each educati onal insti tuti on to defi ne standards of progress for students seeking fi nancial aid. All students who wish to qualify for fi nancial aid while att ending UNCG will be assessed on criteria including minimum GPA, minimum semester credit hour completi on rate, and completi on of a degree within a maximum ti me frame. • These standards are applied uniformly to all UNCG fi nancial aid applicants. If a student meets these standards, s/he is eligible to be considered for fi nancial aid. If a student does not meet these standards, s/he is not eligible to receive fi nancial aid. Procedures for re-establishing fi nancial aid eligibility are described in this policy statement. • Financial aid is defi ned as all federally-funded aid programs, all state-funded student assistance programs and insti tuti onal aid (all aid subject to federal, state, and insti tuti onal policies). • Any term that a student earns zero hours, s/he will lose fi nancial aid eligibility immediately for the upcoming term. In this policy, “eligible for fi nancial aid” means that a student meets the standards of the Sati sfactory Academic Progress Policy for Financial Aid. A student must also meet all other fi nancial aid requirements in order to receive fi nancial aid. The complete copy of the SAP Policy is avaible at fi a.uncg.edu/sap. Undergraduate Degree Seeking Students Requirements Minimum GPA - Undergraduate students’ cumulati ve and semester GPA must meet University standards to conti nue as stated in the Undergraduate Bulleti n. Students on Academic Probati on are eligible to receive fi nancial aid. • Financial aid eligibility will be cancelled immediately for any student who is suspended or dismissed. Percentage Completi on - To remain eligible for fi nancial aid each semester (fall, spring, summer) an undergraduate student must earn a minimum of 67% (or a maximum of 12 hours) of the hours registered for at the end of schedule adjustment with the excep-ti on of fi rst term undergraduate students who must complete at least 50% of registered hours at the end of schedule adjustment (see fi nancial aid warning). These hours are considered the student’s “locked hours.” • Schedule adjustment, also known as drop/add, typically ends on the fi ft h day of classes at 11:59 p.m. Please check the Univer-sity Bulleti n for specifi c dates for specifi c terms (htt p://www.uncg.edu/reg/Calendar/). • To fi nd the minimum hours required, take the number of credit hours at the end of schedule adjustment (locked hours on UNCGenie) and multi ply it by .67. For example: If a student had 12 hours at the end of schedule adjustment then the student would have to earn at least 9 hours to remain eligible for further fi nancial aid (12 x .67 = 9 for federal programs you must always round up). There are some courses that off er credit in .5 increments and those will be taken into considerati on. Degree Completi on Within a Maximum Number of Credit Hours - Each semester an undergraduate student must also maintain a minimum of 67% of the cumulati ve hours they have att empted to remain in good standing. An undergraduate student is eligible to receive fi nancial aid for a maximum of 150% of the hours required for the degree. A student pursuing a undergraduate degree is eligible to receive fi nancial aid for a maximum of 150% of the hours required for the second degree. Hours dropped aft er schedule adjustment are included in locked hours and therefore are counted in total att empted hours for fi nancial aid. (Please refer to full Sati sfactory Academic Progress Policy on the Financial Aid website for examples of these calculati ons.) Failure to Meet Requirements Financial Aid Warning – First term undergraduates: A fi rst term undergraduate student who earns between 50-67% of locked hours will be placed on fi nancial aid warning. Prior to receiving any further fi nancial aid disbursements fi rst term undergraduate students on warning must submit a writt en plan of academic success. The plan must include how the student is going to use on campus and/or off campus resources to receive assistance while working on their skills and issues. The academic plan of success must be submitt ed to and approved by the Financial Aid Offi ce. If a fi rst term undergraduate student is classifi ed as a junior or senior s/he must also provide a graduati on plan that includes the courses needed to graduate and when each course will be taken. Students will be referred to Student Academic Services and Faculty advisors for assistance. Students will be referred to the Student Success Center for assistance in creati ng a plan for academic success and the Financial Aid Offi ce will provide an informati on sheet of UNCG Campus Resources to assist students in this process. htt p://fi a.uncg.edu/forms/2011-12/11CampusResource.pdf. Financial Aid Probati on – Students who failed to make sati sfactory academic progress, who have appealed, and have had eligibility for aid reinstated, will be placed on fi nancial aid probati on if their cumulati ve completi on rate is less than 67%. Appealing/Removing Financial Aid Probati onary Status – Once a student achieves a minimum of 67% cumulati ve hours, they are considered in good fi nancial aid standing and are removed from fi nancial aid probati on. Students who are on fi nancial aid proba-ti on may conti nue to receive fi nancial aid for additi onal semester(s) pending the following acti ons: • Students may conti nue on fi nancial aid probati on if they successfully complete 67% of their locked hours for the semester but do not maintain a minimum of 67% cumulati ve hours earned to remain in good standing. • Submit a revised writt en plan of academic success – the plan must include how the student is going to use on campus and/or off campus resources such as the Counseling and Testi ng Center, the Student Success Center, Disability Services, and others, to receive assistance while working on skills and issues. The academic plan of success must be submitt ed to and approved by the Financial Aid Offi ce prior to receiving any fi nancial aid disbursements. 16 Minimum GPA - Graduate students must maintain a minimum cumulati ve GPA of 3.0. If the student’s graduate cumulati ve GPA falls below the minimum standard, her/his fi nancial aid will be cancelled immediately. Financial aid will be cancelled immediately for any student who is suspended or dismissed. Minimum Semester Hour Completi on Rate - Each semester (fall, spring, summer) a graduate student must earn a minimum of 67% (or a maximum of 6 hours) of the hours registered for at the end of the schedule adjustment period/drop/add which usually ends on Friday of the fi rst week of classes at 11:59 p.m. Please check the University Bulleti n for dates for specifi c terms. • Graduate students must enroll in at least 3 semester hours at the 500 level or above to be eligible to receive fi nancial aid. Completi on of a Degree Within the Maximum Time Frame • Graduate students seeking a Master’s degree must complete all degree requirements (including thesis) within fi ve academic years from the date of fi rst enrollment. • Graduate students seeking a Doctorate degree must complete all requirements (including dissertati on) within seven academic years from the date of fi rst enrollment. • A grade of IP is only sati sfactory for graduate students enrolled in thesis or dissertati on courses (699 and 799). Repeated courses do not count toward the Overall Earned Credit Hours if no credit toward graduati on is awarded the semester it is repeated. • Math 100 is a remedial course and a student does not receive credit for the course. Therefore MAT 100 counts towards the Overall Att empted Credit Hours but does not count toward the Overall Earned Credit Hours. If a student is required by the Math Department to enroll in Math 100, s/he may submit an appeal to the Financial Aid Offi ce. • Advanced Placement, CLEP courses and grades of F, WF, W or I are not counted for SAP. • A grade of IP is not sati sfactory for undergraduate courses. • Repeated courses do not count toward the Overall Earned Credit Hours if no credit toward graduati on is awarded the semester the course is repeated. • Students enrolled in eligible licensure & certi fi cate programs may receive aid only for courses required to complete the program. Sati sfactory Academic Progress Graduate Student Requirements Excepti ons to Hours Earned for Academic Progress View Locked Hours - You may view your locked hours on UNCGenie via htt p://www.uncg.edu. 1.Log onto UNCGenie, 2.Click on Financial Aid, 3.Click onto Locked Hours for Financial Aid Eligibility, 4.Select term & click “Submit.” Disbursement of Aid and SAP - You may be required to repay funds to UNCG if your Financial Aid is disbursed, and then your total credit hours are reduced before the last day of schedule adjustment, or if you are marked as never att ending a course that you received aid for att ending. Reestablishing Financial Aid Eligibility—Extenuati ng Circumstances The Financial Aid Offi ce will noti fy students of their failure to meet the standards of this policy. Each student must know his/her own status, whether or not s/he receives this noti fi cati on. Students may view their SAP status via UNCGenie or by contacti ng the Financial Aid Offi ce. Students who fail to meet the standards of this policy may reestablish their fi nancial aid eligibility at UNCG by: • The student can earn the number of credit hours for which they are defi cient or improve their GPA without fi nancial aid. These hours may be earned at UNCG or they may be earned at another insti tuti on and transferred to UNCG for any term aft er the defi ciency occurs. Students should get prior approval from the University Registrar’s Offi ce to ensure that courses taken at another insti tuti on will be accepted at UNCG. • The student can appeal if there were circumstances beyond the student’s control that prohibited the student from keeping the standards of this policy, and those circumstances are now resolved. Student may submit a writt en appeal with documentati on the Financial Aid Offi ce, no later than 5:00 p.m. on the last day of schedule adjustment (usually the fi ft h day of class). Appeals must include a detailed descripti on of the extenuati ng circumstances that occurred during the semester in which the student failed to meet this policy. The appeal must include all necessary documentati on to support the existence of the circum-stances described and evidence that the circumstances have been resolved. The plan must include steps being taken to ensure sati sfactory academic performance, including a writt en plan for academic success in the coming academic term; for juniors and seniors, this plan must include a course program for graduati on. Events/circumstances that merit an appeal include, but are not limited to: Personal or family emergency Unanti cipated, serious medical diffi culty (excluding chronic conditi ons – students are responsible for properly balancing school work with known chronic conditi ons) Serious psychological diffi culty Students seeking to re-establish fi nancial aid eligibility remain ineligible to receive fi nancial aid assistance or deferment of payment unti l the appeal process is complete and a decision has been made by the Financial Aid Offi ce. Students should be prepared to pay tuiti on, fees, and other educati onal expenses unti l s/he has been approved to receive fi nancial aid. Aft er the credit hour defi ciency or extenuati ng circumstance is resolved, the student must submit a writt en appeal including a writ-ten plan for academic success requesti ng the Financial Aid Offi ce to review their eligibility to receive fi nancial aid. • Appeals received aft er the last day of drop/add will not be reviewed unless the student is currently enrolled for the term. 17 Financial Aid for Summer Session All students who wish to receive fi nancial aid for Summer Sessions must fi le a separate UNCG Summer Session Applicati on for Financial Aid by April 22, 2011. This applicati on is available through UNCGenie in March. You must have also fi led the current academic year FAFSA and completed all necessary paperwork by the summer applicati on deadline in order to receive an award for Summer. Limited fi nancial aid is available to students att ending Summer Session at UNCG. Most students can only receive Federal Student or PLUS loans that are based on their remaining eligibility from the current award year. You must have made sati sfactory academic progress at the end of the Spring semester to be considered for Summer aid. For most types of summer aid, including federal loans, you must be enrolled at least half ti me. Summer Session course work is subject to the Sati sfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy for Financial Aid Eligibility. Study Abroad and Financial Aid UNCG students taking courses abroad through a UNCG program are generally eligible to receive fi nancial aid. Study abroad students must follow the same aid applicati on steps as other students. If you plan to study abroad, you should complete all required fi nancial aid documents, including loan promissory notes, as early as possible to assure that your aid disbursement is not delayed. Before going abroad, leave signed copies of your federal tax return, all W-2s, and 1099s with a parent or your designated representati ve in case they are requested by the FAO. Please be sure to provide your parent or designated Power of Att orney with your UNCG Student ID and UNCG PIN in order for them to obtain informati on on your account. It is your responsibility to make arrangements for receiving your mail while you are away. If you plan to conti nue att ending UNCG and to receive fi nancial aid for the next academic year, you will need to make arrangements to complete the fi nancial aid applicati on process from abroad. To avoid delays in receiving your Fall semester aid, complete the FAFSA before March 1st and respond promptly to all correspondence from the FAO. Financial Aid for Summer or Study Abroad Sati sfactory Academic Progress & Study Abroad Minimum Semester Hour Completi on Rate Students who parti cipate in study abroad during any term will be evaluated for Sati sfactory Academic Progress at the end of the summer term. Each academic year study abroad undergraduate students must earn a minimum of 67% (or a maximum of 12 hrs) of the hours registered for (locked hours) at the end of schedule adjustment. Each academic year study abroad graduate students must earn a minimum of 67% (a maximum of 6 hours each term) of the hours registered for (locked hours) at the end of schedule adjustment. Locked hours will be added together for fall, spring, and summer terms when evaluati ng for SAP at the end of summer. Other Conditi ons—Study abroad students (undergraduate and graduate) must comply with all other applicable sati sfactory academic progress (SAP) standards except those noted in this secti on. Students who receive an OIT travel grant ONLY will not be subject to the terms and conditi ons of the sati sfactory academic progress policy. Grades must be posted by July 31. These extended deadlines apply only to students in exchange programs. Students in departmental study abroad programs must have their credits posted by the end of the UNCG term. Any student whose credits are not posted by the deadline or who did not make Sati sfactory Academic Progress (SAP) will have subsequent fi nancial aid canceled and will have to immediately repay any fi nancial aid received for the current academic year. You may appeal your SAP status. For more informati on regarding fi nancial aid eligibility for study abroad, please contact the FAO. For informati on about individual study abroad programs, contact the UNCG Internati onal Programs Center at (336) 334-5404. 18 Please Note: January 1, 2011 January 3, 2011 March 1, 2011 Mid-March, 2011 April 22, 2012 May 12, 2012 Late July 2011 August 26, 2011 November 2011 December 2011 January 13, 2012 May 17, 2011 August 26, 2011 December 3, 2011 January 9, 2012 March 1, 2012 April 15, 2012 Deadline for Merit Awards Program Applicati on. High school seniors must be offi cially admitt ed to UNCG by this date in order to apply for Merit Awards. Spring enrollment hours are locked on the last day of Schedule Adjustment for Sati sfactory Academic Progress (SAP) purposes. Your 2011-2012 FAFSA must be received by the federal processor by this date in order for it to be a “Priority Applicati on.” The 2011 UNCG Summer Session Applicati ons for Financial Aid are available online through UNCGenie. The FAO begins awarding for the 2011-2012 academic year for admitt ed and conti nuing students whose fi nancial aid fi les are complete. Deadline for 2012 UNCG Summer Session Applicati ons for Financial Aid. You must have also fi led a 2011-2012 FAFSA and submitt ed all required documents for Summer Session by this date. Noti fi cati on sent to students who have not met the SAP Policy for Financial Aid Eligibility. Payment due to the Cashiers and Student Accounts Offi ce for Fall semester charges. Students must be awarded and have completed all paperwork in order for fi nancial aid to be applied toward their charges. Exact date available from Cashiers and Student Accounts Offi ce. Fall enrollment hours are locked on the last day of Schedule Adjustment for SAP purposes. First day to fi le a SAP Appeal for Fall 2011 semester. Last day to fi le a SAP Appeal for Fall 2011 semester. First day to fi le a SAP Appeal for Spring 2012 semester. Last day to fi le a SAP Appeal for the Spring 2012 semester. FAFSA PDF version will be available for download for the 2012-2013 academic year. Payment due to the Cashiers and Student Accounts Offi ce for Spring semester charges. Students must have been awarded and completed all paperwork in order for fi nancial aid to be applied toward their charges. Exact date available from Cashiers and Student Accounts Offi ce. First day to fi le a SAP Appeal for Summer Session 2012. Last day to fi le a SAP Appeal for Summer Session 2012. 2011 - 2012 Financial Aid Calendar 2011 - 2012 Sati sfactory Academic Calendar 19 Earliest date you may fi le a FAFSA for the 2011-2012 academic year. |
OCLC number | 34054975 |