Financial Aid SCHOLARSHIPS Location: Administration Building, Room 210E Telephone: 626-6029 Supervisor: Jackie Cutler In accordance with state law, the University annually awards scholarships to qualified students. The scholarships include academic and activity awards. The scholarship deadline is February 1 for the following academic year. Community, business, professional and fraternal organizations also award scholarships to Weber State students. These private or sponsor scholarships are open to all qualified students. Stipends are for either partial or full educational expenses as determined by the individual scholarship grant. For detailed information, contact the Scholarship Office. FINANCIAL AID Director: Richard Ejfiong Location: Administration Building, Room 101 Telephone: 626-7131 Financial Aid Eligibility The Financial Aid Program consisting of grants, loans, and opportunities to work was established to assist students in receiving an education that otherwise might not be available to them. The belief that educational opportunities should be accessible to all students, regardless of race, religion, social or economic background, has been and will continue to be the motive behind the service of those who administer the Weber State Financial Aid Programs. The general criteria for eligibility to participate in the grant, loan, or work program of Financial Aid is enumerated as follows: Financial Aid and Eligibility Criteria 1. Citizenship—Students must be: U.S. Citizens, U.S. Nationals, U.S. Permanent Residents, or refugees with an 1-94 record. All permanent residents must have valid ID cards from the U.S. Government. 2. Application—Students must establish their financial need by means of the appropriate financial aid applications which may be secured from the Office of Financial Aid or High School Counselor. AFSA (Application for Federal Student Aid) is the preferred application. After students have properly completed and sent in their AFSA form, they will receive a Student Aid Report (SAR) in the mail. This report must be signed and brought in to the Financial Aid Office at Weber State in order to be processed for financial aid. 3. Priority Deadline—May 1st is the priority deadline for submitting the SAR to the Financial Aid Office. Students submitting the SAR after May 1 st may find that some funding sources are depleted. 4. Matriculation—Students must either be enrolled or be accepted for enrollment (matriculated) at Weber State. 5. Academic Eligibility—A student must maintain the academic standards of the institution (listed on pages 6-7) in order to receive Federal funding. Students suspended from the institution will be eligible for financial aid when they are reinstated to the institution and if their request for continued financial aid is approved by the Financial Aid Hearing Committee. Exception: Stafford loan recipients must maintain a 2.0 GPA for academic eligibility unless otherwise approved by the Financial Aid Hearing Committee. 6. Progress Eligibility—In addition to maintaining academic standards a student must satisfactorily complete (receive grades other than I, W, UW, NC, T, E and Audit) a specified number of hours as outlined below. A. Criteria — All financially-aided students will be required to satisfactorily complete 100 percent of the hours that qualify them as full- time, three-quarter, or half-time. For the purpose of Financial Aid, students are classified according to the following schedule: Undergraduate Students: Full-time = 12 (or more) credit hours Three-quarter time = 9 credit hours Half-time = 6 credit hours Not eligible = 5 credit hours or fewer Graduate Students: Full-time students - 6 or more credit hours Not eligible - 5 credit hours or fewer A student classified as full-time, who completes fewer than 12 credit hours per quarter will accumulate deficit credit hours which could lead to a loss of Pell Grant eligibility. Example: A full-time student carrying 15 credit hours would have to satisfactorily complete at least 12 hours to avoid receiving deficit credit hours. If the student satisfactorily completes only 10 hours, that student would receive two deficit credit hours and would be placed on financial aid warning status as explained in (B) through (E). Exception: Stafford Loan recipients must complete, with passing grades, a minimum of six credit hours per quarter to remain eligible for the Stafford Loan. 18 Financial Aid General Information B. Eligibility Status — The number of plus or deficit hours will place students in the following categories: (1) Satisfactory Progress: Zero or a plus number of hours. (a) Freshmen and Sophomores • Progress Warning: 1-10 deficit hours • Progress Probation: 11 or more deficit hours (must reduce deficit hours by at least 2 each quarter to avoid progress disqualification). (b) Juniors and Seniors • Progress Probation: 1 or more deficit hours (must reduce deficit hours by at least 2 each quarter or bring deficit hours to zero to avoid progress disqualification). (2) Progress Disqualification: Financially-aided students on probation who fail to reduce deficit hours by at least 2 credits each quarter or bring deficit hours to zero will not be eligible for financial aid. C. Reinstatement — Students disqualified from financial aid eligibility can regain eligibility by: (1) Continuing their enrollment without financial aid, and reducing their credit-hour deficiency to zero. (2) Appealing to the Financial Aid Appeals Committee for exception. Note: Financially-aided students must apply for financial aid each year, and those meeting the need criteria will be eligible to continue receiving aid as long as they also meet the progress criteria outlined above. Satisfactory progress of financially-aided students will be tracked by the Eligibility Office, and students will be notified quarterly of their status. D. Repeat Courses — Courses being repeated do not count toward the total credit-hour load for financial aid eligibility. E. Remedial Courses — Students who are required to register for remedial (non-degree) courses may count the credit hours for those courses toward their total credit-hour load for financial aid eligibility as long as they are passed at a satisfactory level (C- or better), and only during their first year of study. 7. Major Program— Students reaching sophomore status (75 or more hours) must declare an academic major and should begin enrolling in appropriate courses leading to completion of that program. 8. Maximum Eligibility — Undergraduate students lose their grant eligibility for continued financial aid when they: (a) have graduated with their first bachelor's degree; or (b) have completed sixteen quarters as a full-time student or the equivalent as a part-time student, or any combination thereof. For example: half-time students will be eligible for 32 quarters of aid as long as they meet all other criteria; or (c) have attempted 240 credit hours. Students are further advised that although the Financial Aid office will assist, advise, and consult, the student is solely responsible for the completion of the appropriate financial aid application. It is the responsibility of the student to provide copies of a valid Student Aid Report (SAR) to the Financial Aid office. Even though May 1st is the priority deadline, Student Aid Reports (SAR) and supporting documents received by the office of Financial Aid on or before July 1st will assure students of receiving available funding awards or checks in time for Autumn registration. SAR's received later than July 1st will be processed as quickly as possible but with no assurance that awards or checks will be ready for Autumn registration. Financial Aid Waiver Request Procedure Students who are denied initial granting or continuance of financial aid, and who feel their denial was based on an error or misunderstanding, may request eligibility by exception through the following steps: Student Services Interdisc. Programs Applied Science & Technology Arts& Humanities Business & Economics 1. 2. Request an interview with a Financial Aid administrator; Education Write a letter addressed to the Financial Aid Committee, explaining their circumstances, and turn this letter in at the Financial Aid office. Science The Financial Aid Committee meets the first Thursday of each month. The Committee action will be reported to Health appealing students through the Financial Aid office. Professions Financial Aid Programs The financial aid programs of grants, loans, and work opportunities available to eligible students are identified and described as follows: College Work-Study (CWS) Students may be eligible to work part-time to earn part of their education expenses if they are enrolled at least half- time as an undergraduate or graduate student and have demonstrated financial need as determined by the FFS or the Federal application. The Financial Aid office arranges jobs on campus or off campus with public or private nonprofit agencies. Career Services handles the posting of Social & Behavioral Sciences 19 Continuing Education