All students who apply for Federal financial aid (including Pell grants, Stafford loans, Parent PLUS loans, SEOG grants, Perkins loans) by filing the FAFSA must satisfy the following Financial Aid progress requirements:

This revised financial aid progress policy is effective as of Fall 2011.

KUTZTOWN UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA

FINANCIAL AID

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

 Financial aid progress requirements are not the same as the University’s academic policy.  Advice from an academic advisor may differ from what is needed to maintain financial aid eligibility.

 Students are determined eligible for Federal Title IV financial aid (Pell grant, SEOG grant, TEACH grant, Perkins loan, Work Study, Stafford, PLUS, and Graduate PLUS loans) and NJ CLASS loans when meeting the following eligibility criteria:

             1.  Demonstrate financial need, as defined by the individual financial aid programs;

            2.  Be enrolled or accepted as a degree-seeking student having achieved a high school diploma or equivalent;

            3.  Be a United States citizen or eligible non-citizen;

4.  Submit all required/requested forms to the appropriate agency or financial aid office by the established
     deadline dates;

            5.  Do not owe a refund on a grant or not be in default on a loan;

            6.  Be registered with Selective Service (males between the ages of 18-25);

            7.  Maintain satisfactory financial aid academic progress as outlined below.

FINANCIAL AID PROGRESS REQUIREMENT

Each student will be reviewed for satisfactory financial aid progress after every period of enrollment (fall/winter, spring, summer) regardless of receiving financial aid.

To be in good standing for federal aid, both undergraduate and graduate students must meet the following standards:

 1.      Successfully complete 2/3 of the total cumulative credits attempted.  Credits attempted are:

a.       all credits for which the student is enrolled at the end of the drop/add period at KU;

b.      the greater of either consortium credits attempted at another school OR the number of credits transferred into KU after admission; and

c.       credits attempted in certain study abroad programs.

 2.      Maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 at the end of each period of enrollment (fall/winter, spring, summer).

DEFINITION OF EARNED CREDITS

Earned credits are credits for which a grade of A, B, C, D or Pass in a Pass/Fail course has been received.  Grades of F, WF, NG, Audit, I, W, and Fail in a Pass/Fail course do not count as earned credits.

Only credits earned from a course in which the student was actually enrolled are counted in calculating financial aid progress.  AP credits, CLEP credits, credits received by challenge exam, and credits received as a result of placement testing to determine proficiency are not used to determine financial aid progress.

REPEATED CLASSES  (See Registrar’s Office website regarding maximum number of repeats permitted.)

Every time a class is repeated, it will be included in cumulative credits attempted.  However, the repeated course will only be counted as credits earned the first time a passing grade is received.

INSUFFICIENT PROGRESS FOR FINANCIAL AID

Financial Aid Warning

A student who does not meet satisfactory financial aid progress requirements will be placed on a term of financial aid warning in which they will still receive federal aid for that term only despite not meeting the progress requirements.  If the student has not regained satisfactory financial aid progress by the end of the warning term, the student’s future federal aid will be suspended until progress requirements are met or the student is granted a semester of an appeal.

 Financial Aid Suspension

A student who still does not meet the financial aid progress requirements upon completion of their financial aid warning term will have all future federal aid suspended until the financial aid progress requirements are met.  A student may appeal to have federal aid reinstated for one term by filing a written appeal with the Financial Aid Office (see appeals below).

 NOTE:  Taking classes at another institution will increase a student’s completion average but will not necessarily be enough
              to regain financial aid eligibility.  Consult with the Financial Aid Office on the best way to regain eligibility.

APPEALS TO FINANCIAL AID PROGRESS POLICY

A student who has been denied federal financial aid for failure to maintain satisfactory financial aid progress may appeal the decision using the appeal form to the Financial Aid Office Appeals Committee, Kutztown University, P.O. Box 730, Kutztown, PA 19530 or fax 610-683-1380.  By federal regulations, the grounds for an appeal are (1) the death of a relative of the student, (2) an illness or injury of the student, or (3) other extenuating circumstances.  An appeal form must be completed by the student and submitted with documentation (doctor’s note, hospital bill, copy of death certificate, etc.) to support the reason for the appeal.  The completed form must also explain steps the student will take to regain financial aid progress.

 The deadline to file an appeal is the first day of the semester for which an appeal is requested.  The student will be notified in writing of the Committee’s decision.  An appeal, if granted, will be for one term of enrollment.  It is possible that all aid may not be reinstated.  In most circumstances, only one appeal will be granted during the course of the student’s academic career at Kutztown University.

 NOTE:  A different and separate appeal process applies to the Pennsylvania (PHEAA) State Grant program.

 MAXIMUM TIMEFRAME TO RECEIVE FEDERAL FINANCIAL AID

Federal regulations require students to complete their degree within a timeframe that is no longer than 150% of the length of their degree program and version in effect at the time they are admitted.  This includes all semesters of enrollment and all credits accepted in transfer even if no financial aid was received.  Since most KU undergraduate degree programs are 120 credits, students must complete their degree program within 180 attempted credits (120 X 150%) to remain eligible for federal financial aid.  A change of major or the pursuit of a double major does not extend eligibility for financial aid.

A student may receive the equivalent of six years of Pell Grant funding over his or her lifetime.  Since the maximum amount of Pell Grant a student can receive each year is equal to 100%, the six-year equivalent is 600%.

 REENTRY TO KUTZTOWN UNIVERSITY

A period of non-enrollment does not reinstate financial aid eligibility.  Students who reenter Kutztown University after a break in enrollment will have all previous coursework measured using this financial aid progress policy.

Approval of Academic Forgiveness does not affect financial aid eligibility.  If you return to the University and are not making academic progress for financial aid, please see “Appeals to Financial Aid Progress Policy” above.

 PENNSYLVANIA (PHEAA) STATE GRANT PROGRESS POLICY

Academic progress for the Pennsylvania (PHEAA) State Grant is measured based on how a student was paid in the last academic year (summer, fall, spring) a state grant was received.  For every term a full-time grant was received, 12 new credits must be earned.  For every term a part-time grant was paid, 6 new credits must be earned.

 NOTE:  If a student repeats a course for which he/she received a passing grade, the repeated course will not count
             towards the number of new credits needed to satisfy the state grant progress requirement.

Revised 1/2013