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Hastings College Academic Catalog
2004-2006
Financial Aid
Financial Assistance
The basic premise of the Hastings College
student assistance program is that the student and/or the
parents have the primary obligation to pay for the education
of the student. Parents are expected to provide, as well as
they are able, the basic essentials of life whether the student
lives at home, off-campus or on the College campus. The students
are expected to use their own savings and to accept employment
during the vacation periods as well as the school year to
assist in meeting the expense of their education. It is only
when these responsibilities have been adequately met that
the College or the government will accept additional responsibility
through programs of student financial assistance.
To help deserving students and to stimulate
high standards of scholarship, Hastings College maintains
scholarships and loan funds to assist needy students, talented
students, and those students who maintain a high scholastic
average. All applicants should submit the Hastings College
Application for Admission and Financial Aid. Students applying
for federal/state aid (Federal Pell Grant, FSEOG, Federal
Perkins Loan, Federal Stafford Loan, Federal Work-Study, Nebraska
State Grant) will also need to complete a Free Application
for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Award preference will
be given to those FAFSA forms processed and received by the
Financial Aid Office prior to May 1.
Financial assistance may be in the form
of a Federal/State Grant, a Hastings College Grant, Academic
Scholarship, Special Skills Scholarship, employment, loan,
or a combination of all seven. The specific categories and
amounts are determined by the Scholarship Committee. Only
full-time students are eligible for institutional financial
assistance. All financial aid is granted on a yearly basis.
At the beginning of the spring semester in February, returning
students should reapply for all aid that they are currently
receiving.
At no time will students be permitted to
use any financial assistance if they fail to observe the rules
of attendance and the rules of good conduct consistent with
the ideals and regulations of the College or fail to make
satisfactory academic progress.
Satisfactory Academic Progress
The Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended
by Congress in December of 1987, mandates institutions of
higher education to establish minimum standards of “satisfactory
progress” for students receiving federal financial aid
(Pell Grant, Federal S.E.O.G., Federal Work-Study, Federal
Perkins Loan, Nebraska State Grant or Federal Subsidized and
Unsubsidized Stafford Loan).
Guidelines are established to encourage
students to successfully complete courses for which aid is
received. Successful Completion is defined as receiving one
of the following grades: A, B, C, D, Cr. or P. Courses transferred
from other institutions during the period of matriculation
at Hastings College will be included in the number of semester
hours earned.
Academic
Progress Procedures (Full-time students)
Students will be considered full-time, for
financial aid purposes, if they are registered for at least
twelve hours at the end of the college’s drop/add period.
An academic year is defined, for financial aid purposes, as
being the period of time beginning with the first day of classes
fall semester and terminating twelve months later. Students
who are not completing courses at the minimum level as outlined
on the following chart are considered to be making unsatisfactory
academic progress.
STANDARD OF SATISFACTORY ACADEMIC PROGRESS
-
| Full-Time Students |
| the completion of this
academic year |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
| A student must have successfully
earned at least this many semester hours |
24 |
48 |
72 |
101 |
127 |
| With at least this cumulative
grade point average |
1.5 |
2.0 |
2.0 |
2.0 |
2.0 |
Procedures (Part-time Students)
Students will be considered half-time
for financial aid purposes, if they are registered for six
to eight hours at the end of the college’s drop/add period.
Students will be considered three-quarter time for
financial aid purposes, if they are registered for nine to
eleven hours at the end of the college’s drop/add period.
Half-time and three-quarter time students
will be considered to be making satisfactory progress by passing
six or nine hours per semester respectively.
New Applicants
Incoming students with no previous
college experience are assumed to be making satisfactory academic
progress at the time of application.
Continuing students, applying for
federal aid for the first time, must have a least a 2.0 cumulative
G.P.A. and have completed the appropriate number of hours for
their year in school.
Transfer students
are assumed to be making satisfactory academic progress regardless
of prior postsecondary experience. However, in the case of
an applicant who received assistance at a prior institution,
and for whom the Financial Aid Transcript indicates failure
to maintain academic progress, no such assumption will be
made. The students will not be eligible to receive federal
or state aid until they have passed at least 12 hours at Hastings
College with at least a 2.0 cumulative G.P.A.
Notification
The Office of Financial Aid will notify
by letter any student receiving financial assistance who does
not meet minimum satisfactory progress and whose aid is being
terminated. The notice will be addressed to the student’s
most current local address on file with the Financial Aid
Office. It shall be the responsibility of the student to inform
the Financial Aid Office of any changes in local address.
Appeal
Any student wishing to appeal the suspension
of his/her financial aid may appeal in writing to: The Scholarship
Committee, c/o The Director of Financial Aid, Hastings College,
Hastings, NE 68901. The appeal should include (a) reasons
why the students did not achieve minimum academic requirements,
and (b) reasons why his/her aid should not be terminated.
The student will receive written notification of the Committee’s
Decision.
Probationary Period
Students who appeal the suspension of their
Title IV aid, and have their appeal upheld, will be placed
on a one semester probation. If at the end of the semester,
the student has attained the level of progress stipulated
by the Scholarship Committee, the student will be considered
to be making satisfactory academic progress and will be removed
from the probation. If the student does not attain the level
of progress stipulated by the Scholarship Committee their
Title IV aid will be suspended.
Re-establishing Eligibility
Students who have had their financial aid
suspended because of unsatisfactory academic progress can
re-establish eligibility by successfully completing, without
the Title IV aid, twelve semester hours with a minimum grade
point average of 2.0 at which time they will be placed on
one semester probation and be eligible to receive Title IV
aid.
Incomplete, Withdrawals, Repetitions,
and Audit Classes
Incompletes, withdrawals and audit classes
will NOT be considered when determining the number of hours
a student has successfully completed. Repeat classes WILL
be considered when determining the number of hours a student
has successfully completed and when looking at the maximum
allowable time frame for completion of the educational program.
Maximum Allowable Time Frame
The maximum allowable time frame for completion
of a student’s undergraduate educational program at Hastings
College is 190 semester hours. Students that change their
majors will need to complete their undergraduate programs
within the 190 semester hour limit.
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