Eligibility

Determination of Neediest Students

The College believes that the best use of student financial aid funds is to assist as many eligible applicants as possible. This is accomplished by determining the needs of the students and ranking them in a priority order, taking into account all known resources. Those students showing the greatest need will be awarded campus based aid according to program requirements until such funds have been awarded for the award year. In the event that students who have been awarded campus based funds refuse the awards, gain additional resources that result in an over award situation, leave the College for any reason, or fall below half time (1/2) enrollment status, the student will lose those funds and they will be awarded to other students based on the above ranking system.

Financial Aid Academic Requirements

In accordance with the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, students receiving federal financial aid must be in good standing and making satisfactory progress. There exists a conceptual difference between good standing and satisfactory progress. Good standing means that a student is eligible to enroll or to re-enroll, while satisfactory progress means that a student is advancing toward fulfilling degree, diploma, or certificate requirements in a manner consistent with the prescribed policies of the College.

Financial Aid Satisfactory Progress

A student is determined to be making satisfactory progress according to the definition of satisfactory progress below. Academic progress determinations will be made quarterly, prior to the disbursement of quarterly awards and at the end of each quarter.

1. GPA Requirements

• FEDERAL PELL GRANT AND TITLE IV AID PROGRAMS
• HOPE GRANT for DIPLOMA and CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS
  The student must maintain a minimum grade point average of 2.0. Students failing to maintain a 2.00 cumulative GPA will be placed on financial aid probation. Students will be removed from probation when the GPA is raised to a 2.0 or better. Students placed on financial aid probation who fail to raise their GPA, within the next enrollment term, to a 2.0 or better will be classified as not making satisfactory progress and will be ineligible for financial aid. Grades of “I” and “W” are not used in calculating the GPA.
• HOPE SCHOLARSHIP for DEGREE PROGRAMS
  Students in a Degree program must earn a cumulative GPA of 3.0 by the end of the term in which they have attempted 45 credit hours. Students who fail to earn a cumulative 3.0 GPA will lose their HOPE Scholarship. Students may regain their HOPE Scholarship if at the end of the term in which they have attempted 90 or 135 credit hours their cumulative GPA is 3.0 or better. Students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better at the end of the terms in which they have attempted 45, 90, and 135 credit hours, and at the end of every spring quarter. Failure to meet the cumulative GPA requirements at the term in which the 135th credit hour is attempted will result in the loss of the HOPE Scholarship which cannot be regained.

2. Credit Hours Attempted

• FEDERAL PELL GRANT AND TITLE IV AID PROGRAMS
• HOPE GRANT for DIPLOMA and CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS
  The student must also satisfactorily complete two-thirds (2/3) of the credit hours attempted each quarter to maintain satisfactory progress. Students failing to do so will be placed on financial aid probation. Students placed on financial aid probation, who fail to pass two-thirds (2/3) of the cumulative hours attempted within the next enrollment term, will be classified as not making satisfactory progress and will be ineligible for financial aid.  Grades of “I”, “W”, and “WF” are counted in hours attempted.
• HOPE SCHOLARSHIP for DEGREE PROGRAMS
  Students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better at the end of the terms in which they have attempted 45, 90, and 135 credit hours, and at the end of every spring quarter. Failure to meet the cumulative GPA requirements at the term in which the 135th credit hour is attempted will result in the loss of the HOPE Scholarship which cannot be regained.

3. Completion of Educational Objective

• FEDERAL PELL GRANT and TITLE IV AID PROGRAMS
• HOPE GRANT for DIPLOMA and CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS
  Students must complete their educational objective within a maximum time frame of one and one half times the length of the program in which they are enrolled. A student who changes programs must complete the new program in the time frame of the original program. Thereafter, they will be ineligible for Financial aid.
• HOPE SCHOLARSHIP for DEGREE PROGRAMS
  A student may receive the HOPE Scholarship for a maximum of 190 credit hours attempted.

Learning Support and Financial Aid

Students who are enrolled only in the Learning Support program are not eligible to receive the Federal Pell Grant, Title IV aid programs. However, a student who is provisionally admitted to a program may receive the FEDERAL PELL GRANT or TITLE IV aid programs for the hours registered (not including Learning Support classes) in a Degree or Diploma program. A student, thusly admitted may not attempt more than forty (40) credit hours of remedial work. Students taking Learning Support courses may receive HOPE aid if they meet HOPE requirements for the Degree, Diploma, or Certificate program they wish to enter.

Transfer Students

Students transferring into a program from another technical college will be awarded credit for the courses taken at the original institution. Hours transferred in via course exemption and/or prior credit for previous training, with exception of those taken at this College within the past four years, are not counted in determining the GPA. Students must maintain satisfactory progress as described above to continue their financial aid eligibility. Students transferring from one program to another at this College will continue to carry their GPA from one program to another for financial aid purposes and all credits and grades will count in the cumulative GPA and credit hours attempted requirements.

• All other college credit hours attempted (hours attempted while seeking a degree) at all colleges the student attends and their corresponding grades must be included in the HOPE cumulative grade point average, regardless of what hours are accepted or not accepted by the college the student is currently attending or if a course was repeated.
• Credit hours attempted as part of a diploma or certificate program of study are not considered to be college credit hours and therefore should not be counted, unless those hours are accepted toward a degree.
• Learning Support courses are included in the 190 hour limit and all corresponding grades must be included in the HOPE cumulative grade point average.
• The HOPE grade point average is calculated by the Registrar’s office. The HOPE grade point average is calculated to the hundredth decimal, for example 2.99.
• A student transferring from one HOPE-eligible college to another is eligible for a HOPE Scholarship if all eligibility requirements continue to be met.
• A student transferring from a HOPE-eligible private college or university to a HOPE-eligible public college is eligible for a HOPE Scholarship if he or she meets all the requirements, just as if he or she had been attending a HOPE-eligible public college.
• A student transferring from an out-of-state college or a Georgia college that is not HOPE-eligible to an eligible public college is eligible for a
  HOPE scholarship if he or she meets all requirements, just as if the student had been attending a HOPE-eligible college.

Previously Enrolled Students

For students who have attended Southwest Georgia Technical College previously all hours attempted and grades earned will be included in the "satisfactory progress" determination.

Course Repeats

If a course is repeated, all hours attempted will be counted for purposes of the 67% requirement and maximum time frame to maintain financial aid status, and all grades will be used in calculating the GPA.

Reinstatement of Aid

A student who has been terminated from aid due to a lack of progress may reapply for reinstatement of aid when he/she has met the minimum cumulative requirements for financial aid.

Determination of Overpayments

The length of each term at Southwest Georgia Technical College is ten (10) weeks. Federal Pell Grant and Title IV aid payments, with the exception of Federal Work Study, are made to students after the start of the sixth (6th) week of classes each quarter. For this reason no overpayment will be deemed to have occurred if the student withdraws after payment has been made.

Return of Title IV Funds Policy

If the student totally withdraws from school, federal regulations require that their Pell award for the withdrawal quarter be recalculated as follows:

• The number of calendar days attended during the quarter is divided by the total number of calendar days in the quarter.

The resulting percentage is multiplied by your Pell award for the quarter. This is the new Pell amount you are entitled to receive. If eligible, HOPE monies can be used to supplement this new Pell award up to the actual tuition and fee cost. Therefore, if the student has not received Pell funds for the quarter in excess of tuition and fee charges, they owe nothing. If the student has received Pell funds for the quarter in excess of tuition and fee charges, they will be notified of the amount to be repaid and will be ineligible for further financial aid assistance until they have repaid these funds or made satisfactory repayment arrangements.