Financial Aid Office

Financial Aid Policies

Satisfactory Academic Progress

Federal and state regulations require that all students maintain satisfactory academic progress in order to be eligible to receive financial aid. The purpose of this requirement is to encourage all students to progress steadily at a reasonable rate toward graduation. The policy includes a qualitative measure- cumulative GPA and course completion rate, and a quantitative measure- maximum time frame to complete a degree. If you fail to meet these standards, you will be placed on financial aid warning or suspension.

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. See: U. S. Department of Education - FERPA. Educational institutions receiving funds under programs administered by the U.S. Secretary of Education are bound by FERPA regulations. Institutions that fail to comply with FERPA may have funds administered by the Secretary of Education withheld.

A few key components of the law include:

  • College students must be permitted to inspect their own education records.
  • Once a student begins attending a university, the rights transfer from the parents having the right to inspect and review a student's record to the college student.
  • School officials may not disclose personally identifiable information about students, nor permit inspection of their records, without written permission from the student, unless such action is covered by exceptions permitted by the Act. A notable exception is disclosing information to school officials determined by the institution to have a legitimate educational interest.

Policies, Definitions, & Fine Print

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