FINANCIAL AID RENEWAL

Unless otherwise stated, all forms of financial aid generally are renewed, providing there is satisfactory academic progress and good standing, demonstrated financial need, and availability of funds. However, students must apply for financial aid each year by filing a valid FAFSA before March 15.  The university cannot guarantee renewal of awards for applications that are received after that date.

EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
Awards, scholarships and/or financial assistance received from sources other than those offered by the University financial assistance program are considered to be educational resources that, when combined with University assistance, may not exceed the direct cost of education as determined by the Financial Aid Office.

Special Circumstances

Scholarships or other awards received from university or non-university sources must be included toward meeting “need” if any “need-based” assistance is part of an award. The receipt of outside or additional funds may result in reduction or cancellation of funds already awarded.

FINANCIAL AID DISBURSEMENT
All financial aid funds are awarded for the entire academic year, one half of which is credited to each fall and spring semester. With the exception of some VA Educational Benefits, aid funds are applied directly to student charges at the beginning of each regular semester. Federal Work Study awards are paid out as they are earned. Entrance interviews are also required before federal loans can be disbursed. The Financial Aid Office will notify students on how to satisfy the entrance interview requirement.

Institutional aid is not available during summer terms or for study abroad. No financial aid funds will be disbursed before the end of drop and add in any academic term and aid disbursements will be applied to a student’s direct educational expenses first. Additionally, delays in disbursement may occur, and students whose total aid awarded will exceed their direct educational expenses should anticipate the possibility of delays and plan to pay rent, books, and other outside expenses from savings or other sources until a minimum of thirty days after the beginning of each academic term.

ACADEMIC ELIGIBILITY FOR FINANCIAL AID

Jacksonville University Scholarship Renewal Policy
Jacksonville University scholarships are awarded to first-year students for eight semesters or until the undergraduate degree is conferred (whichever is earlier). Transfer student scholarships are awarded for the period specified in students’ initial scholarship notification letter or until the undergraduate degree is conferred (whichever is earlier).

Scholarship renewal is contingent upon students’ cumulative grade point average. A 2.50 cumulative GPA is required for renewal of all Jacksonville University scholarships, unless a specific GPA renewal requirement is attached to the scholarship, as in the case of Honors Scholarships and Talent Scholarships. GPA’s are not rounded up.

Scholarship recipients must maintain good academic standing in accordance with the following:

  • GPA’s will be checked at the end of each spring term.
  • A student will be given a one-year probationary period if the cumulative GPA falls below a 2.50 (or the GPA required for the scholarship).
  • If the cumulative GPA does not meet the minimum standards after the probation period, but is at least a 2.0, the student will retain 75% of the original scholarship amount.
  • Scholarships are suspended for any student failing to earn a 2.0 cumulative GPA at the end of their fourth semester.
  • Students falling below a 2.0 cumulative GPA after any semester, including their first semester, will be placed on “scholarship alert” and notified that they are in danger of losing their scholarship.

Scholarship renewal eligibility will be checked at the end of each subsequent spring term. At the time the cumulative GPA is at or above the minimum for the student’s scholarship, the Jacksonville University scholarship may be reinstated at the original value. It is the student’s responsibility to contact the Office of Financial Aid and request reinstatement of the scholarship at the end of any term if the cumulative GPA has met the minimum standards for renewal.

Basic Standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress - The basic standards of satisfactory academic progress apply to all federal, state and institutional student aid programs unless specific higher renewal requirements are required. The basic standards of satisfactory academic progress for financial aid is that a student have a Cumluative Grade Point Average of 2.0 at the conclusion of the Spring Semester, and also have a percentage of earned-credits to attempted-and-aided-credits greater than, or equal to, 66 percent.  Students placed on continued probation, suspension, or who have been dismissed are not eligible for aid until the probationary status is removed. 

Recipients of Jacksonville University Leadership Scholarships are required to complete 12.5 hours of community service during the regular fall and spring semesters as an additional condition for renewal of the awards.

Basic Credit Hour Requirements  - Students are expected to earn a minimum number of credit hours as determined for their enrollment status; i.e., full-time, three quarter-time, half-time, to maintain satisfactory academic progress. For a full-time student, a minimum of 24 credits must be earned in the academic year. Three quarter-time students must earn a minimum of 18 credits during the academic year, and half-time students must earn a minimum of 12 credits during the academic year.

Credits for federal, institutional, and some external aid programs may be banked from previous terms and counted toward the final number of hours a student needs in a given year. Banked credits may only be used to replace credits lost due to failure of a class or withdrawal from a class after the refund period. Failure to earn the required number of credits will result in cancellation of aid if the percentage of earned-credits to attempted-and-aided-credits falls below 66 percent.

The following is the required number of credit hours earned for each year a student is enrolled:

 Year  

 Enrollment Status

Undergraduate

Graduate

 One

 Full-time

24 credits

18 credits

 3/4-time

18 credits

14 credits

 Half-time

12 credits

10 credits

 Two

 Full-time

48 credits

36 credits

 3/4-time

36 credits

28 credits

 Half-time

24 credits

20 credits

 Three

 Full-time

72 credits

54 credits 

 3/4 time

54 credits

42 credits

 Half-time

36 credits

30 credits

 Four 

 Full-time

96 credits

No aid needed

 3/4-time 

72 credits

No aid needed

 Half-time 

48 credits

40 credits

                 
Students are allowed up to five years to finish their degree. As some programs do not allow students to receive aid beyond the fifth year of study, if you plan on going beyond the fifth year, please contact the Financial Aid Office. Students are no longer eligible for aid after completing 180 credit hours toward a first bachelor’s degree. The time frame for progress towards degree completion, does not automatically increase if you change your major or pursue a double major.  Also, in some circumstances, students with appropriate disability documentation may qualify for full-time status with reduced course loads.

State of Florida Standards of Academic Progress  - Eligibility for renewal of state awards is determined once a year, at the end of the spring term. The state requires that a student have at least a 2.0 cumulative grade point average and meet the institution’s definition of satisfactory academic progress. Failure to have a 2.0 cumulative grade point average at the end of the spring term will result in the student being placed on financial aid warning unless the student also failed to meet the University’s definition of satisfactory progress in which case their aid would be revoked. Students placed on financial aid warning must have a 2.0 cumulative grade point average by the end of the following academic year or their state aid will be revoked, regardless of University standards. Students are also required to earn a minimum of 24 credits annually for renewal. Completion and CGPA requirements are different for the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program.

Scholarships and Academic Progress  - Some institutional scholarship programs have a higher grade point requirement for renewal. Though the grade point requirements differ, the basic standards for completion apply (see "Basic Standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress" above).

Appeals - Satisfactory academic progress is reviewed once per academic year at the end of the spring semester, or at the end of the summer session if you choose to enroll (summer deferment form required.)  Students who believe that extenuating circumstances (i.e. documented disability, illness, accident, or death of family member) have contributed to their failure to maintain satisfactory progress may request that the Financial Aid Appeals Committee review their case. To do this, students must submit a written appeal to the Director of Financial Aid within 30 days of notification of the academic insufficiency. Failure to appeal by this date will result in an automatic denial of the appeal. Students appealing on the basis of disability-related problems should contact the Coordinator for Disabled Student Services who will assist with the appeal process.


WITHDRAWALS AND REFUNDS
Students who receive Title IV federal student aid funds and who withdraw, drop out, are dismissed or take a leave of absence prior to completing 60 percent of a semester are subject to Federal Return of Funds requirements. The applicable Title IV financial aid programs include Federal Pell Grants, Federal SEOG Grants, Federal ACG and SMART Grants, Federal Perkins Loans, Subsidized and Unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loans, and Federal PLUS Loans. For those students, the Financial Aid Office recalculates federal financial aid eligibility based on the following formula:

Percent of                                       Number of days completed up to withdrawal date  
Federal financial       =           -------------------------------------------------------------
aid earned                                              Total number of days in the semester 


The withdrawal date is defined as the actual date the student began the institution’s withdrawal process, the student’s last date of recorded attendance or the midpoint of the semester for a student who leaves without notifying the institution. An example of the withdrawal and refund policy follows.

For Example - For a semester that begins on August 30 and ends on December 15 (with no scheduled breaks), the denominator used to determine the amount of federal student aid earned by a student who withdraws fully would be 105 days. The 60 percent point of the semester would be October 31. A student who withdraws on October 1 (day 33) would have earned 33/105, or 31.43 percent, of the federal student aid disbursed for the semester. The Financial Aid Office will recalculate the student award and return 68.57 percent of the federal student aid to the federal student aid programs. If $1,000 in Federal Stafford Loan funds were disbursed, the University would be required to return $686 to the lender of the funds. The student would then owe Jacksonville University $686, plus any other unpaid charges due.

The Return of Title IV Funds requirement is part of the Higher Education Amendments of 1965 as reauthorized in 1998 and applies to any student who received Title IV funding, as described above. Return of funds to the federal programs is not the same as Jacksonville University’s institutional policy on refunds and withdrawals and may result in a balance due the University even when the account balance was zero at the time of withdrawal.

The Return of Title IV Funds requirement does not apply to students who withdraw from one or more classes, but continue to be enrolled in at least one class during the semester. It does not apply to state or institutionally funded financial aid. For students who withdraw fully during one of the institution’s published refund periods, any institutional awards previously distributed will be prorated in proportion to the amount of charges to be refunded.  Students who fail all coursework during a particular semester, are subject to Return of Title IV Funds based on last date of academic activity.  Proof of academic activity beyond 60% of the term is needed in the financial aid office to prevent the Return of Title IV Funds for the coursework failed.

Any individual who receives student financial assistance and is considering withdrawal from the University should contact the Financial Aid Office to determine the effect of withdrawal on aid eligibility and/or charges.

 

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