Student Responsibilities and Maintaining Eligibility for Financial Aid
- Student Responsibilities
- Federal Financial Aid: Maintaining Eligibility for Federal Financial Aid
- State Financial Aid: Maintaining Eligibility for State Financial Aid
- Loss of Eligibility for Financial Aid
- If you withdraw from the College
Student Responsibilities
These are your responsibilities as a student applying for or receiving financial aid:
- Read and understand the financial aid procedures and applications.
- Apply for financial aid on time.
- Provide documentation when necessary according to federal, state and College policies and regulations.
- Enroll in an approved program through the Admissions Office.
- Attend the classes that you are registered for.
- Maintain Good Academic Standing and demonstrate Satisfactory Academic Progress toward a certificate or degree.
- Inform the Financial Aid Office of any changes in your financial resources.
Withdrawal from the college may necessitate repayment of awards for your current semester and/or jeopardize future aid.
Federal Financial Aid: Maintaining Eligibility
The following standards for maintaining eligibility apply to Pell, Federal Direct Student Loans, PLUS, FSEOG, Academic Competitiveness Grants, and College Work/Study:
Grade point average
Students who fall below College academic standards (the grade point average required to avoid academically dismissal) must apply to the Academic Standing Committee for reinstatement. The decision of the committee will determine if a student may return to the College. After reinstatement, a student who wishes to re-establish eligibility for financial aid must apply for a waiver showing extenuating circumstances. Contact the Financial Aid Office for the form.
Required accumulated credits
Each semester, after final grades are complete, total accumulated credits will be checked. Any deficiency must be made up to remain eligible for further federal financial aid. The following table shows the required academic progress.
| Required Credits Attempted | % of Credits Successfully Completed |
|---|---|
| 1-11 | 0% |
| 12-30 | 50% |
| 31-45 | 60% |
| 46-90 | 70% |
| Over 90 | No Federal Aid |
- Grades of W, I, and Audit are not considered passing grades and do not count toward accumulated credits.
- Equivalent credits are not included as Credits Attempted or Credits Successfully Completed.
- Repeated courses will count as Credits Attempted regardless of the reason for repeating, or the grade received.
If you fall below the required completion rate, you will be given a one-time probationary semester to regain eligibility. After the probationary semester, if you have not regained eligibility, you may apply for a waiver showing extenuating circumstances. Contact the Financial Aid Office for the form.
Second degree
Students who are pursuing a second degree or who have completed a degree program change may apply for a waiver to be granted additional limited financial aid eligibility beyond the maximum time listed. Contact the Financial Aid Office.
State Financial Aid: Maintaining Eligibility
Full-time community college students may receive six semesters of New York State Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) aid. To maintain eligibility, you much achieve the following TAP standards by the end of each semester.
| After Award 1 (6 TAP points) | First Semester |
|---|---|
| Completed 6 credit hours | |
| GPA 0.50 or better | |
| Actual credits accumulated: 3 credit hours | |
| After Award 2 (12 TAP points) | Second Semester |
| Completed 6 credit hours | |
| GPA 0.75 or better | |
| Actual credits accumulated: 9 credit hours | |
| After Award 3 (18 TAP points) | Third Semester |
| Completed 9 credit hours | |
| GPA 1.30 or better | |
| Actual credits accumulated: 18 credit hours | |
| After Award 4 (24 TAP points) | Fourth Semester |
| Completed 9 credit hours | |
| GPA 1.50 or better | |
| Actual credits accumulated: 30 credit hours | |
| After Award 5 (30 TAP points) | Fifth Semester |
| Completed 12 credit hours | |
| GPA 2.0 or better | |
| Actual credits accumulated: 45 credit hours | |
| After Award 6 (36 TAP points) | Sixth Semester |
| Completed 12 credit hours | |
| GPA 2.0 or better | |
| Actual credits accumulated: 60 credit hours | |
- “Completed credits” may be actual or equivalent credits, passed or failed.
- “Actual credits accumulated” must be actual credits passed.
- If you repeat a course in which you have already received a passing grade, that course will not count for TAP eligibility.
- Grades of W, I, and Audit are not considered course completion.
Loss of Eligibility for Financial Aid
The College attempts to notify students who fall below the eligibility standards. However, it is your responsibility to be aware of the standards and your own progress. You can check your status on your self-service Banner account.
Reinstatement of financial aid
If you become ineligible for financial aid due to failure to meet minimum standards for Good Academic Standing and/or Satisfactory Academic Progress, it may be possible to
re-establish eligibility if unusual circumstances can be proven. Ordinarily, documentation is required and circumstances must be of a one-time nature, such as illness or injury.
Contact the Financial Aid Office regarding questions on academic standards, reinstatement of aid, or regulations.
If you withdraw from the College
Return of “unearned” Title IV funds
Federal policy assumes that federal financial aid is based on the period of time enrolled. If a student withdraws from the College within the first nine weeks of classes, the federal government does not view the student as having “earned” all of the funds awarded. In that instance, the College is required to return the “unearned” portion of the aid to the government. The College bears potential liability for any federal aid disbursed to students before the ninth week of classes. While Cayuga makes an attempt to disburse aid at the earliest possible time, the College must be fiscally prudent in making disbursements.
Federal regulations govern the return of Title IV funds (Ford Federal Direct Student Loans, Pell, FSEOG) for students who completely withdraw from Cayuga prior to completing 60% of the semester: The percentage of the period that the student remains enrolled is determined by dividing the number of days the student attended by the number of days in the semester. Calendar days are used, but breaks of at least five days are excluded from both the numerator and denominator. In the case of “aid not earned” in federally funded grants or scholarships, the student is expected to repay the “unearned” portion to the College. Failure to do so will result in the student becoming ineligible to receive further federal financial aid. (This policy is based on 34 CFR, Section 668.22 of Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended.)
Withdrawal date
For financial aid purposes, the date of withdrawal from the College is
- The date you began the College’s withdrawal process or officially notified the College of intent to withdraw, or
- The midpoint of the period if you leave without notifying the institution, or
- Your last date of attendance at a documented academically related activity, in lieu of any other withdrawal date, or
- If you leave without notification because of circumstances beyond your control, a date determined by the College related to those circumstances.
