Student Financial Aid

The Office of Student Financial Aid supports the University goal of providing postsecondary education opportunities by assisting qualified Athens State University students in the pursuit of their educational goals with funds from grants, scholarships, loans, and work-study programs from federal, state, and private sources. The Office is committed to:

Ensuring compliance with federal, state and institutional regulations and policy requirements governing student financial aid services;
Maintaining funding sources by ensuring program integrity through ongoing staff training and continuing education, external audits, and self-evaluations;
Maximizing funds available for Athens State University students to meet their costs of attendance, supplementing the efforts of students and parents in meeting educational goals; and
Providing quality financial assistance services effectively and efficiently.

For questions regarding financial aid, contact the Office of Student Financial Aid: (mail) Athens State University Office of Student Financial Aid, 300 North Beaty Street, Athens, AL 35611; (phone) 256-233-8122; (email) finaid@athens.edu. Students may also visit the Financial Aid webpage at https://www.athens.edu/admissions/financial-aid/. The Student Financial Aid Office is located on the lower-level of the Sandridge Student Center.

Financial Aid for Degree-Seeking Graduate Students
The only financial aid funds available to degree-seeking graduate students are Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans (also known as Direct Stafford Loans) and Federal Graduate Direct PLUS Loans.

Federal Student Direct Unsubsidized Loans
Federal Student Direct Unsubsidized Loans are available to graduate degree-seeking students; there is no requirement to demonstrate financial need. The Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan Program allows degree-seeking graduate students to receive loans with the following benefits:

Loans have a low fixed-interest rate.
No repayment is required while the student is enrolled.
Loan acceptance is not based on the student’s credit history.
Students may borrow up to $20,500 per year (as of this catalog’s publication).

Students who are required to take undergraduate prerequisites prior to full admission to a graduate program will be eligible for loans as long as they have not reached their aggregate undergraduate loan limit. As of this catalog’s publication, students are eligible to borrow up to $12,500 per year in undergraduate loan funds.

Eligibility Requirements for Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans

Student must be a U. S. citizen or eligible non-citizen.
Student must be registered with Selective Service (if required).
Student must be accepted for admission to a graduate program as a degree-seeking student.
Student must be enrolled as a degree-seeking graduate student in at least six (6) semester hours.
Student must maintain satisfactory academic progress (see below).
Student must not in be in default on a federal student loan or owe a repayment of Title IV federal aid funds.
Student must not be receiving aid at more than one school during the same enrollment period.

Federal Graduate Direct PLUS Loans

Federal Graduate Direct PLUS Loans may be available to graduate and professional students. A student must exhaust all Direct Unsubsidized Loan eligibility for the year before applying ($20,500 per year as of this catalog’s publication). Eligibility depends on the cost of attendance minus all resources including any unsubsidized loans. Students are not eligible if they have adverse credit without a credit worthy co-signer. Interest accumulates while attending school, but loan payments are deferred while enrolled at least halftime.

A new Master Promissory Note and entrance counseling will have to be completed for first time Grad PLUS borrowers. Direct PLUS loans are not available to students taking undergraduate prerequisites to be admitted into a graduate program.

Basic Steps for Applying for Aid
Students must apply for aid each academic year. Additional details can be found on the Student Financial Aid webpage: Transfer Guide and Process.

Apply for a U.S. Department of Education Federal Student Aid ID (FSA ID)
Apply for an FSA ID at https://studentaid.gov/fsa-id/create-account/launch. Click the “FSA ID” link to create an FSA ID; you will be asked to create a username and password and enter your email address. You will receive a secure code by email at the address you entered asking you to confirm your email address with the code. The FSA ID will be your electronic signature for the FAFSA, renewal FAFSA, and Master Promissory Note for loans. Parents of dependent students must also have their own FSA ID to sign the FAFSA electronically.

Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
Students can apply for Federal Aid at https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa. This application is required to determine a student’s eligibility for federal grant and loan programs. The results of this application are mailed to each student and electronically transmitted to each institution listed on the student’s application. Athens State University’s School Code is 001008.

Apply for a Direct Student Loan
Students requesting loan funding for the first time must fulfill the one time online requirements of Entrance Counseling and completion of a Master Promissory Note at www.studentaid.gov. The Master Promissory note requires a Federal Student Aid ID (FSA ID) number to complete. The Financial Aid Office receives direct electronic confirmation of the completion of these requirements.

Federal Requirements on Satisfactory Academic Progress for Graduate Students Receiving Aid
All graduate students must comply with the Federal Requirements for Satisfactory Academic Progress as outlined below:

Graduate Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

Graduate students must maintain a cumulative 3.00 GPA of all graduate coursework.

All students must successfully complete 67% of all coursework attempted. All W’s, I’s, F’s, repeated coursework and audited coursework count as unsuccessful completions. See the Impact of Withdrawal on Financial Aid page for additional details.

Students must complete their first graduate degree’s requirements within 150% of the usual time frame for degree completion. Athens State University generally requires 30 semester hours to earn a first graduate degree.

If you are seeking a second degree, you must complete the requirements within 130% of the time frame for the degree. An advisor’s plan of study is required to be on file in Financial Aid for all students pursuing an additional degree. You must follow this plan. Example: if the plan of study calls for an additional 20 hours of study, financial aid will be available for no more than 26 semester hours of credit beyond the first degree. You must maintain a 3.00 on all course work and complete 67% of all coursework attempted. If you do not follow your degree plan or you exceed 130% of the second degree, financial aid will be placed on Maximum Timeframe Suspension (MAX.) No further aid will be available.

If at the end of a semester of enrollment, your completion rate is lower than 67% and/or your cumulative GPA falls below 3.00, your status will be WARNING. (See information below regarding WARNING status.) If at the end of your WARNING semester you fail to regain compliance with SAP, your status will be SUSPENDED. (See information below regarding how to appeal a SUSPENDED status.)

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Potential Timeline

WARNING Status– The first time you fall short of meeting the required completion ratio or GPA(s) or you are nearing the Maximum Timeframe to complete your degree, your status will be WARNING. You remain eligible to receive financial aid while in WARNING A WARNING status is for one semester only.

SUSPENDED Status – After attending one semester on WARNING status, if you do not meet the required completion ratio or required GPA(s), your status becomes SUSPENDED status. You are no longer eligible to receive any financial aid until the required standards are met or you successfully appeal.

MAX Status – If you receive a MAX status, you are no longer eligible for financial aid. You may wish to discuss with your advisor the option of a first undergraduate degree in liberal studies with the hours on your transcript.

PROBATION Status – After being placed on a SUSPENDED status, AND you have successfully appealed and financial aid has been reinstated, the student is eligible to receive financial aid. This status is only for one term and quite often will carry conditions and/or stipulations for continued eligibility.

Reinstatement Process

A student has two options to seek to regain federal financial aid eligibility:

Regain Satisfactory Academic Progress by completing courses that raise your Completion Ratio and/or cumulative GPA to the outlined standards using payment methods other than federal financial aid.

Complete a Financial Aid Suspension Appeal form and submit all required supporting documentation for consideration.* See more information below.

*Please note: The process, detailed below, is for appeals related to the suspension and reinstatement of financial aid. Students who have also been suspended from the University for unsatisfactory academic performance must file a separate appeal concerning the University suspension. Additional information on this process can be found in the Standards of Academic Performance policy.

Student Appeals

Students on SUSPENDED status may submit an appeal for aid reinstatement due to extenuating circumstances. Student appeals must include:

A completed Financial Aid Suspension Appeal form.

A typed explanation of:
- Unusual or mitigating circumstances that you believe prevented or hindered you in making satisfactory academic progress; AND
- What has changed and/or corrective actions and steps being taken to prevent future problems.

Supporting documentation relevant to the circumstances and your request for reinstatement of aid (e.g., doctor’s statements, hospital discharge records, death certificate, etc.).

RECOMMENDED: At least one letter of support from someone (not a family member) who can attest to the extenuating circumstances (e.g., medical doctor, clergy, professional, etc.).

The appeal documentation must be provided to the Office of Student Financial Aid no later than 30 days prior to the tuition payment deadline for the upcoming semester. Failure to provide all documentation within the prescribed dates will result in a delayed determination.

Once the Office of Student Financial Aid has made a decision on your appeal, you will be notified via your Athens State University email account. If you have an approved appeal, your status will be PROBATION. Many times, conditions are required. Generally, PROBATION continues until you have regained SAP, provided you have no W’s, I’s or F’s in the enrollment periods of the probation. Failure to follow all conditions related to your probationary status will result in financial aid being terminated.
If you have previously had your financial aid suspended and you are appealing for a second time, the appeal and all supporting documents will be sent to the Financial Aid Suspension Committee. The Committee will review the appeal and notify the student via Athens State University email account. The Committee’s decision is final and there will be no further appeal reviewed for that financial aid suspension case. The Committee reviews appeals on an intermittent basis which could result in an appeal review taking at least two weeks.

If your appeal is denied or you decide not to appeal, you must complete the hours necessary and achieve the grades required to return to compliance with SAP.

Federal Regulations on Return of Funds for Students Receiving Title IV Aid (Financial Aid)
The federal regulations in effect at the time of publication of this catalog are given below. Regulations are subject to change; for additional details, see the Financial Aid Regulations on the University website.

Title IV funds are awarded to students under the assumption that the student will attend school for the entire period for which the assistance is awarded. When a student fails to complete the term, the student may no longer be eligible for the full amount of Title IV funds he or she was scheduled to receive, and the institution and/or the student may be required to return funds according to federal regulations. The Title IV program included in these regulations that apply to a graduate student at Athens State University are Federal Direct Loans. Federal Work-Study funds are not included.

Federal refund regulations require Athens State University to determine the amount of aid “earned” by each student receiving Title IV funds who withdraws from all classes prior to the 60% point in the term. A student completing 60% of the term is considered to have “earned” 100% of the Title IV funds the student was scheduled to receive during the period.

Any student earning a passing grade in at least one course for the term are not subject to the federal Return to Title IV Funds regulations. Students are strongly encouraged to consult the Office of Student Financial Aid prior to withdrawing or dropping out of the term.

Calculations are based on the student’s official withdrawal date. For unofficial withdrawals, calculations are based on the last date of an academically related activity that the student participated in, the mid-point of the term, or the date the school determines the student ceased attendance due to illness, accident, grievous personal loss or other circumstances beyond the student’s control. Unofficial withdrawals dates are determined by the faculty, identifying the last date of activity for courses where a student earned an ‘F’, ‘I’, or ‘W’. The withdrawal date must be determined within 30 days of the end of the term, academic year or student’s program, whichever is earlier.

The institution must return the amount of Title IV funds for which it is responsible no later than 45 days after the date of the determination of the date of the student’s withdrawal. Athens State University offers all degree programs in a credit hour, term-based format. As a credit hour, term-based degree program, the following formula is used to compute aid to be returned:

(Days Enrolled / Days in Term) x Title IV Aid Awarded and Disbursed = Aid Earned
(Any break of five days or more is not counted in the days in the term)
Aid Disbursed – Aid Earned = Aid to be Returned

If a student earned less aid than was disbursed, the institution would be required to return a portion of the funds and the student would be required to return a portion of the funds. When Title IV funds are returned, the student borrower will owe a debit balance to the institution.

If a student earned more aid than was disbursed, the institution will owe the student a post-withdrawal disbursement, to be paid within 120 days of the student’s withdrawal.

Responsibilities of Students Receiving Financial Aid

A student receiving financial aid has the responsibility to:

Review and consider all information about a school’s program BEFORE enrolling.
Pay special attention to the application for student financial aid, complete it accurately, and submit it on time to the appropriate person, office or agency. Errors can delay or prevent receiving aid.
Know all the deadlines for applying or reapplying for aid and meet them.
Provide all documentation, corrections, and/or new information requested by either the Student Financial Aid Office or the agency to which the application was submitted.
Notify the University of any information that has changed since an application was submitted for financial aid.
Read, understand, and keep copies of all forms requiring signature(s).
Repay any student loans. When a student signs a promissory note, the student is agreeing to repay the loan.
Complete an entrance and exit interview for the University if the student has a Federal Direct Student Loan.
Notify the University of any change in name, address, or attendance status. If a student has a loan, the lender must also be notified of any changes.
Satisfactorily perform the work agreed upon, if the student is employed in a federal work-study job.
Understand the University’s refund policy as specified in this catalog.

Rights of Students Receiving Financial Aid

A student has the right to ask the University:

For the names of the University’s accrediting and licensing organizations.
For a copy of the documents describing the institution’s accreditation or licensing.
About the University’s programs, instructional, laboratory, and other physical facilities, and about the faculty.
About the cost of attending, and about the University’s policy on refunds to students who drop out.
About the types of financial assistance that are available, including information on all federal, state, local, private and institutional financial aid programs.
About financial aid personnel, where their offices are located, and how to contact them for information.
About the procedures and deadlines for submitting applications for each available financial aid program.
How the University determines financial need, including cost of education and resources available.
How much of one’s need, as determined by the University, had been met.
How and when financial aid is received.
To explain each type and amount of assistance in the financial aid package.
About the interest rate on any student loan, the total amount to be repaid, the length of time for repayment and when repayment must start, and what cancellation or deferment provisions apply.
If offered a federal work-study job— about the kind of job, the hours to be worked, the duties of the job, the rate of pay, and how and when wages are paid.
To reconsider an aid package, if a student believes a mistake has been made, or if enrollment or financial circumstances have changed.
About the requirements for satisfactory academic progress, and the consequences of unsatisfactory progress.
About the special facilities and services that are available to persons with disabilities.