Financial Aid SCHOLARSHIPS Location: Administration Building, Room 210E Telephone: 626-6029 Supervisor: Jackie Cutler In accordance with state law, the college 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 Effiong Location: Administration Building, Room 101 Telephone: 626-6581 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. ACT Family Financial Statement (FFS) is the preferred application. After students have properly completed and sent in their FFS 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. Priority Deadline—May 1st is the priority deadline for submitting the SAR to the Financial Aid Office. Students submitting the SAR after May 1st 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 either reinstated through the appeal procedure, or have absented themselves from the institution for a period of one year, as the policy dictates, and have then applied for readmission to Weber State. 6. Progress Eligibility—In addition to maintaining academic standards a student must satisfactorily complete (receive grades other than I, W, UW, NC, E and Audit—) a specified number of hours as outlined below. a. Criteria. — Freshmen will be required to complete at least 75 percent of the hours that qualify them as either full-time, three-quarter, or half-time financially-aided students. Sophomores, juniors, and seniors will be required to satisfactorily complete 100 percent of the hours that qualify them as full-time, three- quarter, or half-time financially-aided students. 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 minus 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 minus credit hours. If the student satisfactorily completes only 10 hours, that student would receive two minus credit hours and would be placed on financial aid warning status as explained in (b) through (e). 18 Financial Aid General Informatior Exception: Stafford Loan recipients must complete, with passing grades, a minimum of six credit hours per quarter to remain eligible for the Stafford Loan. b. Eligibility Status — For freshmen and sophomores: Warning = 1 to 6 minus credit hours (or credit hours fewer than those that qualified them as full, three-quarter or half-time). Probation = 7 to 12 minus credit hours. Suspension = 13 or more minus credit hours. For juniors and seniors: Warning = 1 to 3 minus credit hours. Probation = 4 to 6 minus credit hours. Suspension = 7 or more minus credit hours. Note: Students will be allowed one quarter on probation, even if their first quarter deficit is greater than the suspension criteria identified above. Suspension refers to suspension from financial aid eligibility, as opposed to suspension from Weber State. c. Reinstatement — Students suspended from financial aid eligibility can regain eligibility by: (1) Continuing their enrollment without financial aid, and reducing their credit-hour deficiency to zero. (2) Remaining out of school for one year or more. Upon readmission they would be eligible for aid on a probationary status. Their aid would continue on probation as long as they reduce their credit-hour deficit by at least one credit hour each quarter until they are back in good standing (zero deficit). 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). 7. Major Program — Students reaching sophomore status (45 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. 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 1 st is the priority deadline, Student Aid Reports (SAR) and supporting documents received by the office of Financial Aid on or before July 15th will assure students of receiving available funding awards or checks in time for Autumn registration. SAR's received later than July 15th 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: 1. Request an interview with a Financial Aid administrator; 2. Write a letter addressed to the Financial Aid Committee, explaining their circumstances, and turn this letter in at the Financial Aid office. The Financial Aid Committee meets on an "as needed" basis. The Committee action will be reported to appealing students through the Financial Aid office. Student Services Interdisc. Programs Allied Health Sciences Arts& Humanities Business & Economics Education Natural Sciences Social Sciences Technology 19 Continuing Education