KEEPING YOUR AID

Causes for Award Adjustments

You fail to begin your classes
You withdrawal from the college
Your enrolled hours change – you drop below full-time or below half- time or you STOP attending your classes
You received additional financial aid, including scholarships, veterans benefits, etc.
Your tuition rate changes (out-of-state to in-state)

Satisfactory Academic Progress Standards

The Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy is comprised of three standards:

Cumulative GPA – students must meet the college’s good standing requirements in order to maintain eligibility. A student must earn the minimum cumulative combined GPA below for the total number of semester credit hours attempted:

Attempted Hours	Required Quality GPA
0.0 – 14.0	no minimum
14.1 – 26.0	1.0
26.1 – 40.0	1.4
40.1 - 48.0	1.7
48.1 - 56.0	1.9
above 56	2.0

(The hours attempted include developmental and collegiate hours)

Completion Rate – students must earn a minimum of 67% of all credit hours attempted at Chattanooga State by the end of each Spring term. Grades of A, B, C, or D count as earned credit. Grade values of W, I, F, and AU are not passing grades and will count against the student.
Time Limitation

A student will be allowed to receive financial assistance until he/she has attempted the maximum of 150% of the hours required to complete their program of study. Most associate degree programs require 60 hours; therefore the maximum attempted hours are 90. The maximum attempted hours limit for technical and associate degrees that differ from the standard 60 will be calculated according to the length of each program. Technical Certificates will be evaluated individually because required hours for programs differ.
The calculation of attempted hours will include all hours transferred to Chattanooga State as well as all hours attempted at Chattanooga State.
R/D (transitional studies) such as DSPM (developmental math) or DSPW (developmental writing) credits above 30 hours will be counted in the calculation of attempted hours for each student.
The Financial Aid Office reviews the maximum time limitation at the end of each semester.

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Notification

When it is determined that a student is ineligible for Financial Aid, they will be notified promptly in writing. Students may also review their academic status on Banner Self-Service.

Appeal Process

Students are allowed to appeal any termination of financial aid.
The appeal must be in writing and accompanied by appropriate supporting documentation, including an educational plan signed by an advisor.
Students must provide documentation of extenuating circumstances beyond their control that significantly contributed to their academic performance. Examples would include death of an immediate family member, an extended medical illness and/or a disability.
All documentation is subject to verification by a college official.
A student whose financial aid is reinstated as the result of an appeal must meet all conditions established in order to continue financial aid eligibility.
Students will not be granted more than 3 appeals during their matriculation at Chattanooga State.

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Probation

Students who do not meet satisfactory guidelines and have never received Financial Aid at any institution will be placed on probation in order to establish eligibility.
Students failing to meet satisfactory academic progress during this period will become ineligible for financial aid the following semester.

Exceptions

Chattanooga State reserves the right to deny or cancel a student’s financial aid in the event of extraordinary circumstances that may not be covered in the current policy.
The college guarantees prompt notification of ineligibility and explanation of the appeal process if a student is denied financial aid under this exception.

Tennessee Technology Center – SAP Standards

Qualitative Standards

The student must receive an “S” (satisfactory) in programs which are graded by student progress.
Students enrolled in programs where letter grades are given must receive passing grades (No I’s, D’s, F’s, or W’s).
A grade of “U” (unsatisfactory), “W” (complete withdrawal), or “F” (failing) will cause the student to be ineligible.

Quantitative Standards

Students must complete 91% of the scheduled hours each payment to remain eligible for subsequent payments.
Excused absences in excess of the allowed 9%, and any unexcused absences must be completed before the student will be eligible to receive aid in future payment periods.
Failure to complete 91% of the scheduled clock hours in any payment period will cause the student to become ineligible.
Payment will not be made for the next payment period until the deficit hours from the previous payment period are completed. Payment will be pro-rated based on the hours remaining in the payment period after deficit hours are completed.
EXAMPLE: A student is enrolled full-time (30 hours per week) in their first payment period of attendance. The student received a Pell Grant for this payment period. The student completed 325 clock hours. They enroll at the beginning of the next semester but are not eligible for payment since they did not complete 91% of the clock hours in the previous payment period. After the student has attended 105 hours (430-325=105) they will be eligible for payment. Pro-rated payment will be calculated as follows: 325/1290 x annual Pell Grant award = pro-rated Pell Grant award. Appeal form and copy of current semester time sheet must be submitted to the Financial Aid Office when deficit hours are completed.

Time Frame

The maximum time frame for an Tennessee Technology Center student to receive financial aid is 1.5 times the number of clock hours needed to complete a certificate. A student may make one (1) program change without prior clock hours being counted in the over-all time frame.

Example: 1290 clock hours x 1.5 = 1935 clock hours.

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