Financial Aid Policies

Eligibility for most financial aid programs is based on demonstrated financial need of the student and/or the student's family and on registered credit hours. In addition to the general requirements listed below, each financial aid program may also have eligibility requirements which are specific to that program.

To be eligible for federal financial aid programs (Federal Pell Grant, Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, Federal Work-Study, Federal Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans and Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loan), you must also:

• Be a citizen, national or permanent resident of the United States. Certain persons in process of becoming citizens or permanent residents may also be eligible.
• Be accepted by the College for admission as a regular student and demonstrate the ability to benefit from the selected program of study. Students enrolled in high school, post-secondary option students, early admit students, and students who apply for admission as visiting or guest students are not eligible for aid.
• Show your intent on the admission application as one of the following:
  • to obtain an associate degree for transfer to another college
  • to obtain an associate degree for the job market
  • to obtain a diploma
• Be enrolled in a financial aid eligible degree or diploma program.
• Be enrolled in courses that provide credit toward your declared financial aid eligible degree or diploma program. Courses taken as audit are not aid eligible.
• Financial aid can only be used for one repetition of a previously passed course.
• Meet the enrollment and attendance requirements for each program.
• To receive federal financial aid, you must meet one of the following academic requirements:
  • Have a high school diploma or equivalent, such as GED; OR
  • Have a high school diploma from a state approved home school; OR
  • Proof of completion of at least a 2-year program acceptable for full credit towards a bachelor's degree (an official college transcript must be on file with the Records Office showing that you earned an associate's degree or higher); OR
  • Satisfactory completion of 6 semester hours (other than developmental courses) applicable to a degree or diploma at SCC
• Comply with requirements concerning submission of a Statement of Educational Purpose. This is included on the financial aid application (FAFSA).
• Certify that you are not in default on any federal student loan with the Department of Education or another institution.
• Certify that you do not owe a refund to any federal aid program. This includes grant overpayments resulting from withdrawals.
• If selected for verification, submit all required documents as indicated in the Verification Policy.
• Maintain satisfactory academic progress as set forth in the Southeast Community College Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy.
• Students who are considered Incarcerated are not eligible for Financial Aid.*
  *Incarcerated Students: A student is considered to be incarcerated if he/she is serving a criminal sentence in a federal, state or local penitentiary, prison, jail, reformatory, work farm, or similar correctional institution. A student is not considered to be incarcerated if he/she is in a half-way house or home detention or is sentenced to serve only weekends. Incarcerated students are not eligible for federal student loans. In addition, a student incarcerated in a federal or state penal institution cannot receive a Pell Grant.” Federal Student Aid for Students in Adult Correctional and Juvenile Justice Facilities. (PDF)

Other Factors that may Affect Financial Aid - Developmental Hours

A student is limited to taking 30 developmental semester credit hours while receiving federal financial aid. Federal financial aid programs will not cover any developmental courses taken after reaching the maximum 30 semester hours. These courses include but are not limited to any course level beginning with a zero, i.e. MATH-0900, MATH-0950, ENGL-0850, and ENGL-0950. Developmental courses that are no longer available are still included in determining the 30 developmental credit hour limit.

Consortium Agreement

Credits earned at another institution under a Consortium Agreement will be used to determine enrollment status for the awarding of federal financial aid. Such courses will be treated in the determination of academic progress as if they were transfer credits.

All information is subject to change based on changes to federal law, regulation, or college policy and procedure. If changes are made, students must abide by the new policy.

Federal, state, or institutional aid awarded or adjusted is indicated on the award letter and is noted on the award summary on the SCC Hub Student Self-Service module. By accepting the award funds students agree to the terms and conditions set out below.

General Terms

Federal, state, and institutional student financial aid (including scholarships) can be used only to pay the cost of attending Southeast Community College.

The cost of attendance includes direct costs such as tuition, fees, on-campus housing, and meal plans, as well as indirect costs such as books, supplies, off-campus living expenses, transportation, and personal expenses.

Aid packages may require an adjustment to avoid an over-award, which is financial aid in excess of financial need. This will affect students who receive outside scholarships, Learn to Dream, Susan Thompson Buffett, etc. Students are responsible for satisfying any balance due on their student account that is created by adjustments to their aid.

Financial Aid cannot exceed the students total cost of attendance. This limitation applies to all financial aid regardless of the source. Awards will be adjusted and/or cancelled to ensure that this limit is not exceeded.

The Financial Aid office reserves the right to review and cancel any award at any time because of changes in financial need, academic status, academic history, academic program, graduation, or program funding.

All loans, including but not limited to, Federal Direct Loans, Federal Direct PLUS Loans, and private loans, must be approved by the US Department of Education or the lender. Students must complete all loan requirements such as Entrance Counseling and the Master Promissory Note. An origination fee will be assessed on each Direct Loan disbursement. This is a mandatory fee charged by the U.S. Department of Education to help offset the cost of processing the loan. The loan origination fee is a percentage of the amount of each loan and is subtracted from each disbursement prior to being applied to the student account.

This means the money a student receives will be less than the amount he/she actually borrows. Students are responsible for repaying the entire amount borrowed and not just the amount received. For more information about current loan origination fees, please visit the Federal Student Aid website. Within 14 days of disbursement, students may contact our office to cancel all or a portion of their loan(s).

If Federal Work-Study is offered in the financial aid award package, students must apply and be hired for an on or off campus job that is approved for the Federal Work-Study Program. Earnings are paid directly to the student based on hours worked, and cannot be credited to the student account.

Disbursement of financial aid, except work-study earnings, will be in the form of direct credit to the student account. Any credit balances created as a result of this aid will be disbursed according to guidelines established by the Student Accounts office.

Students can only receive Pell Grant funds from one school at a time. The maximum time frame for Pell Grant eligibility (set by federal law) is 12 full-time semesters or the equivalent of six years. Since the amount of a scheduled Pell Grant award a student can receive each award year is equal to 100%, the six-year equivalent is 600%. Students will receive a notice from the Financial Aid office when they are getting close or when this limit has been met.

If a student receives a Federal Direct Loan and/or a Federal Direct PLUS Loan, he/she must be enrolled at least half-time, defined as at least 6 credits per semester.

Students are required to notify the financial aid office at SCC of any scholarships, loans, or other forms of assistance from sources outside the college.

Students must maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) for Financial Aid as defined by SCC's Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy.

By accepting the aid posted to my account or by actively accepting loans, I understand and am agreeing to the following Terms and Conditions:

I agree that I must report any additional financial assistance missing on my award notice, such as scholarships, vocational rehabilitation funds, and employer tuition assistance. I understand that my aid may be adjusted if additional aid exceeds my demonstrated financial need or my cost of attendance.

I understand that the Financial Aid Office uses the students SCC email as the main point of contact and it is my responsibility to monitor my SCC email for communication from the Financial Aid Office.

I understand I may receive aid from only one school each term and accepting financial aid at Southeast Community College means I am not receiving aid for attendance at any other school for that same time period.

I understand that I must only be enrolled in classes required to complete degree requirements or specified program of study. You should refer to your degree requirements to determine that the coursework you are enrolled in is required. Federal law requires that you be degree-seeking and making Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) to receive Title IV Federal Financial Aid.

I understand that it is my responsibility to check my SAP status each term and review the published deadlines concerning SAP appeals. I also understand that late and/or incomplete SAP appeals will not be accepted.

I understand that if I withdraw or stop attending, my financial aid may be adjusted because the school is required to complete a Federal Return to Title IV Refund calculation to determine how much financial aid was earned. If Southeast Community College is required to return any funds to the US Department of Education, I will be required to repay those funds to Southeast Community College.

Once a student has fulfilled all the requirements needed to receive financial aid, and the funds have been received from the federal Department of Education, the funds are disbursed to the student’s account.

SCC disburses funds approximately three (3) weeks after the start of the payment period in which the student is enrolled, or after the student’s eligibility is determined, whichever event is later.

If a Direct Loan is originated for a single term only, the loan will be disbursed in two (2) separate disbursements. The first will be disbursed near the beginning of the term (three-week point, if all eligibility requirements have been met), and the second disbursement will be near the midpoint of the term.

Federal Work Study funds are not applied to the SCC Student Account. Hours of work are logged are approved by the FWS supervisor and submitted to payroll and are paid directly to the student via direct deposit only. Student is to use the funds earned to pay for educational costs such as off campus room and board, educational supplies, educational transportation costs, personal/misc. costs, etc.

Book accounts are available to students prior to disbursement if the student files are complete. A book account allows a student to use their financial aid funds to obtain necessary books and supplies through the Campus Store. This is available to students who will have a financial aid credit balance on their account once tuition and fees are satisfied.

Retroactive payments

Retroactive payments are reviewed at the time when the student meets all the eligibility requirements.

Pell is reviewed for when the student has a valid ISIR on file and for the successful completion of courses.

Direct loans are reviewed in a similar process. The review of a valid ISIR, completion of a minimum of six credit hours successfully, and the student is concurrently enrolled in a minimum of six (6) credit hours. If a student does not enroll concurrently in six or more credits that are successfully completed, direct loans cannot be disbursed for the previous completed payment period.

Post-withdrawal payments

If a student withdraws from SCC before completing a full term, financial aid will run a Return of Title IV calculation to determine if the student is eligible for a post-withdrawal payment. Post-withdrawal payments are made if the student is eligible for a portion of Title IV aid, but they withdrew or dropped before the TIV disbursements were made for the payment period .

Pell post withdrawal payments are applied to the SCC Student Account.

A Direct Loan Post Withdrawal Payment is offered and student has 14 days to accept. If student does not accept, the offer is removed after the 14 days. If the student accepts, the loan is originated then disbursed to the SCC Student Account during the next scheduled transmittal process.

Credit Balance

Once all of the institutional charges are satisfied for the term (tuition, fees, institutionally provided room and board, and books/supplies), any remaining funds are sent to the student or parent (in the case of a parent PLUS loan).

Credit balance refunds are sent to the student or parent within 14 days of the date the credit balance happens on the student account.

SCC has contracted with Union Bank & Trust to process credit refunds to the student. If a student has signed up for Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT), they will receive a direct deposit for their refund. Students not signed up for EFT will be issued a paper check.

If the student or parent wants SCC to hold the credit balance for another purpose, the student/parent must sign an authorization.

With a signed authorization, up to $200 of the credit balance may be used to satisfy charges from a previous year. Even with authorization, no more than $200 may be credited for a prior year’s charges.

Federal Pell Recalculation Policy

Southeast Community College awards Pell grants based on a projected full-time enrollment status. The Pell grant amounts are then prorated based on the enrollment level of the student during each term. The College utilizes the student’s latest census date for all classes as the enrollment lock date for the semester and Pell awards will be issued based on the enrollment level calculated at that time.

Mandatory Federal Pell Recalculations

Federal Pell recalculations will be made when the following occurs at any time during the term:

• If the student’s EFC changes due to corrections, updating, or an adjustment and the EFC change will change the amount of the Federal Pell award, the award must be recalculated for the entire award year.
• The student does not begin attendance in all classes within a term. The regulations do not require recalculation for changes to enrollment after the student has begun attendance in all of their classes.
• A change in enrollment status between terms.

The Financial Aid office is required by federal regulation to monitor student progress toward completion of a degree. Being eligible to enroll in classes does not mean the student has an eligible Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) status for financial aid. Academic records are reviewed for all students whether the student is currently receiving financial aid or not. SAP eligibility standards apply to the following financial aid programs:

• Federal Pell Grant
• Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant
• Federal Work Study Program
• Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant
• Nebraska Opportunity Grant
• Federal Direct Loan Program (Subsidized and Unsubsidized)
• Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loan
• Other programs as determined by the Office of Financial Aid

The review of a student’s SAP status is based on the entire academic record. This includes developmental courses taken at SCC, incomplete courses, withdrawals and repetitions. Transfer credit hours accepted by the college will be brought into the SAP calculation as completed credits.

After each term ends, a student’s SAP is calculated and posted as a notification on their Student Self-Service account. Students are notified via their SCC email account if they are not meeting minimum SAP requirements.

If a student is enrolled in two (2) programs, Financial Aid will use the program with the greatest number of credits to determine the student’s SAP status.

Students will be considered to have an eligible SAP status if they have:

• a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 or higher. If the student’s program requires a higher average GPA, the student’s eligibility will be based on the program’s standard.
• a cumulative completion rate (pace) of at least 66.7% of total credit hours attempted (see chart A), and
• have not exceeded 150% of attempted credits required for program completion (see chart B).

Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Statuses –

• Financial Aid Warning – Cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA)
• Financial Aid Warning – Cumulative Pace of Attempted vs. Completed Credits
• Financial Aid Warning – Both Pace and Cumulative GPA

Financial Aid Warning

A student who has not completed at least 66.7% of the total attempted credit hours (see Chart A), or is below the minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA (or higher if the program requires) is placed on Financial Aid Warning. The student has one term to correct the deficiencies in SAP. During this period, the student continues to be eligible for financial aid and is encouraged to seek tutoring or other support services for help.

Chart A

The total number of attempted credit hours are multiplied by 0.667 to obtain the minimum hours that the student must have completed successfully. For example:

Based on this chart, if a student has attempted 24 credit hours he/she must have successfully completed at least 16.01 credits. This cannot be rounded to 16 credits.

If a student does not attain SAP during the warning term, the student will be suspended from financial aid.

Ineligible SAP Status / Maximum Timeframe

To remain eligible for financial aid, a student must make sufficient progress to graduate within 150% of the attempted credit hours required for their program (see Chart B).

If the student does not complete the degree within the timeframe allowed, the student becomes ineligible for federal financial aid.

Example: A student’s program requires 60 credit hours to complete. The student has attempted 90 credit hours but still has 6 credit hours to take before completing the program. The student will not be eligible for federal student aid for the remaining 6 credit hours.

Ineligible SAP Status / Financial Aid Suspension

If a student has not corrected all the deficiencies in SAP after one term of Financial Aid Warning, or if a student has reached the maximum timeframe, the student becomes ineligible for financial aid.

Reinstatement of Financial Aid / Right to Appeal -

A student who is ineligible for financial aid can become eligible for financial aid again by fulfilling one of the following conditions:

• Achieve a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 or higher, and/or obtain a cumulative completion rate of at least 66.7% of total credit hours attempted.
• Successfully appeal the ineligible status by demonstrating unforeseen, documentable extenuating circumstances and detailing why they failed to maintain SAP and what has changed in their situation allowing him/ her to achieve SAP at the next evaluation.

A student with unforeseen, documentable, extenuating circumstances who has been denied financial aid may appeal in writing by obtaining a SAP Appeal Form from the Financial Aid Office or online. The student must submit the appeal and documentation explaining why the SAP standards were not met. The student must submit the appeal and supporting documentation before the appeal deadline for that term. The Financial Aid Office will respond to the student via their SCC email account regarding the appeal. The only information considered is the information submitted with the initial appeal.

For those students who are appealing because they have exceeded the maximum timeframe, the appeals committee will consider classes taken toward a second Associate’s degree, transfer credits and developmental courses.

If the Appeals Committee denied a student’s initial SAP appeal, the student may appeal to a secondary committee only if the student has additional information not submitted with the initial appeal. A separate committee reviews the secondary appeal. The student is notified of the review results via their SCC email. The decision of the Appeals Committee is final. There is no option for a third-level appeal, nor may the decision be appealed to the Department of Education.

The student is responsible to pay charges for the term if the appeal is denied.

Financial Aid Probation/Academic Plan

If a student’s appeal is approved, they will be placed on Financial Aid Probation/Academic Plan. While in this status, the student may receive financial aid for one payment period. In order to be eligible for subsequent payment periods, the student must meet the terms of the appeal.

Financial Aid Probation/Academic Plan Terms

• Successful completion of all the courses attempted during the enrollment period with no withdrawals from classes.
• Maintain a term GPA of 2.0 or higher.

Extended Probation:

• Successful completion of all courses attempted during the enrollment period with no withdrawals
• Term GPA of 2.0 or higher (per program requirements) and
• Follow the Academic Plan developed with a Financial Aid Counselor

Maximum Timeframe Appeal Approval (Timeframe Probation)
If a student’s appeal is approved for maximum timeframe, they will be place on financial aid “Timeframe Probation”. While on timeframe appeal approval (Timeframe Probation), the student may continue to be eligible for financial aid. To be eligible for subsequent enrollment period, the student must meet the terms of the appeal approval.

Timeframe Probation/Academic Plan Terms

• Successful completion of all courses attempted during the enrollment period with no withdrawals
• Term GPA of 2.0 or higher (per program requirements) and
• Follow the Academic Plan developed with a Financial Aid Counselor
• Have no future program degree changes

Other requirements may be listed on the appeal form or the approval notice.

Reinstatement of Financial Aid / student does not file an Appeal or Appeal is denied

Students who are ineligible can become eligible for financial aid by eliminating all academic deficiencies in their Satisfactory Academic Progress. These requirements are:

• Achieve the required cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 2.0 or better, and
• Satisfactorily complete enough credit hours to have a pace of completion of 66.7% or higher (see Chart A)

Students will be monitored at the end of each enrollment period for minimum SAP requirements and will have their SAP set to satisfactory status once these requirements have been met. Students will be notified via their SCC email account and are encouraged to apply for federal aid.

Subsequent periods of Financial Aid Warning, Appeal and Financial Aid Probation

Currently, SCC policy allows students to appeal financial aid suspension more than once. The subsequent appeal must be based on extenuating circumstances preventing the student from being successful and the extenuating circumstances must be different from prior appeals.

Other Factors that may Affect SAP

Developmental Hours
A student is limited to taking 30 developmental semester credit hours while receiving federal financial aid. Federal financial aid programs will not cover any developmental courses taken after reaching the maximum 30 hours. These courses include but are not limited to any course level beginning with a zero, i.e. MATH-0900, MATH-0950, ENGL-0850, and ENGL-0950. Development courses that are no longer available are still included in determining the 30 developmental credit hour limit.

Repeated Courses
Students may receive financial aid for repeating courses. However, if retaking a previously passed course, financial aid can only be used for one repetition of the course even if the second attempt results in a lower grade. Any courses that are repeated will be used in the calculation of a student’s Satisfactory Academic Progress status. Each repetition will count towards the attempted hours; however, only the course being counted in the CGPA calculation will be counted in completed hours for SAP. Limits on repeated courses are outlined in the college catalog.

Consortium Agreement
Credits earned at another institution under a Consortium Agreement will be used to determine enrollment status for the awarding of federal financial aid. Such courses will be treated in the determination of academic progress as if they were transfer credits. In the case of a Consortium Agreement, the SAP evaluations are performed based on SCC’s schedule instead of the schedule of the host school.

Transfer Credits
When a student transfers credit from another school to a SCC program, all credits transferred in will be considered for SAP

Academic Bankruptcy
Per federal regulations, if a student exercises their option to have credit hours and grades removed through “Academic Bankruptcy”, those credits and grades must still be included in the SAP calculation.

All information is subject to change based on changes to federal law, regulation, or college policy and procedure. If changes are made, students must abide by the new policy.

Federal law requires schools to calculate how much federal financial aid a student has earned if that student:

• completely withdraws, or
• stops attending before completing the enrollment period, or
• does not complete all modules (courses which are not scheduled for the entire enrollment period) for which they are registered.

Based on this calculation, Southeast Community College (SCC) students who receive federal financial aid and do not complete classes during an enrollment period could be responsible to repay a portion of the aid they received.

Federal financial aid covered under this regulation includes:

• Federal Pell Grant,
• Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant,
• Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant,
• Federal Direct loans (Subsidized and Unsubsidized), and
• Federal Direct Parent PLUS loans.

State grant and scholarship programs are not subject to this regulation, but follow the College's institutional refund policy.

How is the financial aid that is earned by the student calculated?
Students who receive federal financial aid must "earn" the aid they receive by staying enrolled in and attending their classes. The amount of federal financial aid assistance the student earns is determined on a pro-rated basis. Students who withdraw or do not complete all registered classes during the enrollment period may be required to return some of the financial aid they were awarded.

For example, if the student completes 30 percent of the payment period, the student earns 30 percent of the aid they originally were scheduled to receive. This means that 70 percent of the student's scheduled awards remain unearned and must be returned to the federal government.

Once the student has completed more than 60 percent of the payment period, the student has earned all their federal financial aid.

The following formula is used to determine the percent of unearned aid that must be returned to the federal government:

• The percent earned is equal to the number of calendar days completed up to the withdrawal date, divided by the total calendar days in the payment period (less any scheduled breaks that are at least 5 days long).
• The payment period for most students is the entire enrollment period. However, for students enrolled in modules (courses which are not scheduled for the entire enrollment period), the payment period only includes those days for the module(s) in which the student is registered.
• The percent unearned is equal to 100 percent minus the percent earned.

What is the withdrawal date?
The withdrawal date used in the return calculation of a student's federal financial aid is the actual date the official drop form is processed by the Registration Office or the date the student drops the courses on their WebAdvisor Account. If a student stops attending classes without notifying the college, the withdrawal date will be the last date of recorded attendance in class.

Who returns the unearned federal funds?
The college and the student are both responsible for returning unearned federal financial aid to the federal government. Amounts that must be returned will be applied in the following order:

• Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan,
• Federal Direct Subsidized Loan,
• Federal Direct Parent PLUS loan,
• Federal Pell Grant,
• Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, and
• The Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant.

The college must return the lesser of

• the total amount of unearned aid or
• institutional charges multiplied by the unearned percentage.

The student must return any remaining unearned aid not sent back by the College.

The student will be billed for any amount due the college resulting from the return of federal aid funds used to cover tuition and fees. For example, if the college is required to pay back federal funds used to pay a portion of a student's tuition for the enrollment period, the student then must pay the college for the unpaid portion of their tuition.

How do students repay the unearned funds?
The Financial Aid office will notify students, via their SCC email account, if they owe federal funds back to the government. The amount the school returns to the federal government becomes a school debt for the student. The student must repay to Southeast Community College the amount returned.

What happens if students do not repay?
If a student does not pay funds owed to the college, the student's records will be placed on financial hold. This means the student will not be permitted to register for classes or receive transcripts until the balance is paid in full.

What if the student is eligible for additional funds?
The Financial Aid office will notify students if additional federal funds can be disbursed. This is called a "post-withdrawal disbursement." Federal grants will automatically be applied toward the student's account within 45 days of determining the student withdrew. Federal Direct Loans must be accepted by the student (or parent, in the case of a PLUS loan), within 14 days of the notice. If the loan funds are not accepted, the loan funds will be cancelled. If the Federal Direct Loan post-withdrawal disbursement offer is accepted by the deadline, SCC will make the disbursement within 180 days of determining the student withdrew.

Official and Unofficial Withdrawals

Official Withdrawals

If a student officially withdraws from all classes, the Financial Aid Office will use the date of the withdrawal in the federal refund calculation. If the student withdraws from classes at different times, the Financial Aid Office will use the withdrawal date of the last class from which the student withdrew. The federal refund calculation will determine how much financial aid must be returned to the Department of Education.

Unofficial Withdrawals

If the student receives all “F” grades, or a combination of all “F”, “W”, or “NP” grades, the College must assume the student has unofficially withdrawn from the College. Instructors are required to enter a last date of attendance when submitting these grades. The most recent last date of attendance for the “F”, “W”, and/or “NP” grades will be used in the federal refund calculation.

Once it is determined how much federal aid must be returned, the funds will be returned in the following order, as required:

• Federal Unsubsidized Direct Loan
• Federal Subsidized Direct Loan
• Federal Direct PLUS Loan
• Federal Pell Grant
• Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant
• Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant

If you have questions about withdrawing from the College and the impact on your financial aid you are encouraged to contact the Financial Aid Office at 402-471-3333.

Verification Policy Statement

Verification is the process of confirming the accuracy of student reported data on financial aid applications. Only a portion of the student population is selected for verification.

Selection of Applications

The Financial Aid Office verifies those applicants identified by the Central Processing Service (CPS). Typically, the selection criterion translates into verifying thirty percent of the financial aid population at SCC. In addition, Aid Administrators may select a student for verification if there is a discrepancy or a condition which is unusual and warrants investigation.

Verification Exclusions

Listed below are certain circumstances where students do not have to complete verification. The Financial Aid Technician must identify and document in the student record why the student is not required to complete verification. Listed below are certain circumstances where students do not have to complete verification:

• Death of the student.
• The student is a resident of Guam, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (Palau).
• Students who are considered Incarcerated are not eligible for Financial Aid.*
  *Incarcerated Students: A student is considered to be incarcerated if he/she is serving a criminal sentence in a federal, state or local penitentiary, prison, jail, reformatory, work farm, or similar correctional institution. A student is not considered to be incarcerated if he/she is in a half-way house or home detention or is sentenced to serve only weekends. Incarcerated students are not eligible for federal student loans. In addition, a student incarcerated in a federal or state penal institution cannot receive a Pell Grant.” Federal Student Aid for Students in Adult Correctional and Juvenile Justice Facilities. (PDF)
• A dependent student whose parents cannot comply because of specified reasons (i.e., parents are deceased, are mentally incapacitated, the student does not know where the parents reside or the parents reside in another country and cannot be contacted by normal means).
• A student who does not receive Title IV funds.
• A student verified by another school if the verification was for the current award year and is or her FAFSA data has not changed. We must get a letter from the previous school stating it verified their application and the school provides the transaction number of the valid ISIR.
• A student selected for verification after ceasing enrollment and all disbursements made.
• An independent student whose spouse cannot comply because of specified reasons (i.e., spouse is deceased, is mentally incapacitated, the student does not know where the spouse resides or the spouse resides in another country and cannot be contacted by normal means).

Regulations allow situations when verification of household size is not required. The Financial Aid Office does not have a systematic way to track these exclusions.

All students selected for verification in groups V1 or V5 must submit a response to the household size question on the Verification Worksheet.

Conflicting Information

If SCC has conflicting information for an applicant or has any reason to believe their application information is incorrect, SCC is required to resolve any discrepancies discovered in a student's file.

Verification of Data Elements

SCC verifies only those data elements required by the federal government. However, the Financial Aid technician may ask for additional information if further investigation is needed to resolve a discrepancy.

Acceptable Documentation

Each year, the Department of Education publishes in the Federal Register and Dear Colleague Letters, acceptable documentation for each of the Verification Tracking Groups.

For an individual who was called up for active duty or for qualifying National Guard duty during a war or other military operation or national emergency, in lieu of IRS Form 4868, SCC must accept a statement from the individual certifying that he or she has not filed an income tax return or a request for a filing extension because of that service.

Verification of Nonfiling

Anytime a student is selected for verification, the following individuals who are nontax filers must submit an IRS Verification of Nonfiling Letter or other confirmation of nonfiling status from the IRS or other relevant tax authority, dated on or after October 1, 2017:

• For a dependent student, each parent who did not file a tax return; and
• For an independent student, the student and/or spouse who did not file a tax return.

The dependent student who is a nontax filer is not required to provide an IRS Verification of Nonfiling Letter or other confirmation of nonfiling status. All nontax filers, excluding dependent students, who are selected for verification must also provide:

• A verification worksheet or written statement from each nonfiler certifying for the tax year that the individual has not filed and is not required to file an income tax return, as well as listing the sources of income earned from work and the amount of income from each source; and
• A copy of a W-2 or equivalent document for each source of employment income.

SCC’s Discretionary Items

The Financial Aid technician verifies applicants identified by ED. The Financial Aid technician may also select a student for verification if there is a discrepancy or a condition which is unusual and warrants investigation (i.e., out of state student, number in household, and conflict in EFC).

If a student submits verification documentation, but was not selected (i.e., tax transcript, W2’s), the Financial Aid Office staff must verify the information on the document against the information on the FAFSA. If discrepancies are found corrections must be made.

Interim Disbursements

Because the Financial Aid Office is liable for disbursements made prior to verification, the Financial Aid Office policy does not allow interim disbursements. Students must complete the verification process before aid is awarded or disbursed. There are no exceptions.

If aid is awarded and disbursed, and afterward a new corrected ISIR transaction is received which selects the student for verification, all future aid must be cancelled until the verification process has been completed.

IRS Transfer or IRS Transcript

Students selected for verification will be directed to either go into the FAFSA and complete the IRS transfer or contact the IRS and request an IRS Tax transcript.

• Dependent students must submit their IRS transfer or transcript and the transfer or transcript of their parents.
• Independent students must submit their IRS transfer or transcript and their spouse's if applicable.

A signed paper copy of a IRS tax return (IRS 1040, IRS 1040A, IRS 1040EZ) is considered acceptable documentation for income and tax-related verification information.

If the Financial Aid technician finds it necessary to verify conflicting information, the student may be requested to provide additional information.

Non-citizen Spouse (Policy added July 1, 2017)

If a student is married but their spouse is a non-citizen and not residing in the U.S., the IRS allows the student to file as Head of Household if the student meets the criteria for filing as Head of Household for the tax year.

If a student indicates they are married but is filing as Head of Household, the student must have met the requirements for and must have filed as Head of Household and the student must provide:

• Information on the non-citizen spouse’s income in the form of a written, signed statement from the student if the spouse earned no income
• If the non-resident spouse lives in a country where tax filing is required, the student must supply a copy of the tax return, translated into U.S. currency if necessary
• If tax filing is not required, a written statement of equivalency of currency.

If the student does not meet the requirements for filing as Head of Household, the student must have filed as married (married filing jointly, or married filing separately) unless they meet the requirements of other statuses such as widowed or divorced during the tax year.

Procedure

Notification of Verification to Applicants

Students are initially notified of being selected for verification from the Department of Education through an email or paper Student Aid Report (SAR). In addition, the tracking letter sent out from the Financial Aid Office indicates to the student they have been selected for verification.

Verification Time Frame

Upon receipt of the FAFSA, when the student record is activated after receipt of a federal transmission, a tracking letter (email) listing missing items is sent to the student. This email informs the student of any additional information required to complete their financial aid file.

If the student is selected for verification, the tracking letter requests the appropriate verification documents (i.e., verification form, student and parent tax transcripts, etc.). Students are informed the majority of financial aid funds are awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis and that the file will not be processed further until the missing items are submitted to the Financial Aid Office.

Tracking letters are sent to students every 15 days informing the student of documents or information still outstanding for Verification. This process is handled electronically and notifications are sent out to students by email. If an email is rejected, then a Missing Information Letter is sent to the student by postal mail.

If a student submits an incomplete document, it is returned for completion. If a student does not submit the required information timely, reminder emails are sent to the student. If the student still does not respond, the application will become inactive and no further correspondence will be sent until new activity, such as a new ISIR, student submittal of paperwork, etc.

Documentation submitted to the Financial Aid Office must be legible, appropriate, and have the student's Social Security Number or Colleague ID number for identification purposes. If the student submits a document which is not legible or appropriate (i.e., a copy of a tax transcript in which the income numbers are not identifiable or a verification worksheet missing a signature), the documents will be returned and a request for additional documentation or corrections is requested. The return of documentation is recorded on the Colleague system as “incomplete” and a comment is made in the verification section of Colleague.

Students who fail to submit verification documents never have completed files so aid is not awarded to these students.

If a student submits documentation which appears fraudulent, the Financial Aid Office staff member must notify the Administrative Director of Financial Aid.

Once the requested information is received, Verification is completed, corrections are sent to the Central Processing System (CPS), corrections are imported into the Colleague system and an award notification email is sent out to the student with instructions on how to log in to SCC’s HUB/Web Advisor for Students to accept or reject their financial aid offer.

Document Collection Procedures

Required documentation items are tracked on the Colleague system and a missing document CRI code, along with a CRI tracking letter code are kept on the student’s computer file. When documents arrive, Financial Aid staff will enter a receipt date beside the document name on the Colleague tracking screen. When all required documents are received, the student is considered “complete” and ready to be verified. The Financial Aid technician runs reports to determine which students are “complete”.

Students assigned to the V4 or V5 Verification Tracking Group will have 45 days to supply the requested information. SCC must report back to the Central Processing System (CPS) within 60 days of sending out the first tracking letter.

To submit the verification results for Tracking Groups V4 and V5, the Administrative Director of Financial Aid will report the information via the CPS Online website. Results may be submitted either individually or as a flat file for up to 2,000 students.

Corrections to the FAFSA data are submitted to CPS via the CAPX function on the Colleague system. In order for verification to be completed and aid to be awarded, all required documentation must be received within 120 days after the last day of the student’s enrollment. Any necessary corrections to the FAFSA data must be submitted through FAA Access to CPS Online by the date announced annually by the Department of Education in the Federal Register.

Notification to Students

In order for the student to receive his/her financial aid offer the student must be accepted to the College in a degree seeking program. Students are notified of the results of verification in the form of an Award Notification email. The student is given instructions to log into the HUB/Web Advisor for Students at (thehub.southeast.edu), Financial Aid, Financial Aid Award Letter) to view the financial aid offer. By clicking on the Financial Aid Award Letter option, the student is given the Terms and Conditions to read and are required to enter the Financial Aid Year in order to view his/her financial aid offer. Once the student has viewed his/her offer the student needs to accept or reject the student loan offer. At Web Advisor for Students, Financial Aid, the student clicks on “Accept/reject my student loan awards”. The student is again given the Terms and Conditions to read, along with instructions and a link for completing a Master Promissory Note (MPN) and Entrance Counseling at www.studentloans.gov.

Taking Courses Outside Your Academic Program Degree Requirements

Federal regulations prohibit SCC from awarding financial aid to you for classes that do not count toward your degree. Most of our programs require elective credits and those courses are used to determine your financial aid eligibility. You can take classes outside your academic requirements but understand your financial aid eligibility will not include these classes. This may result in your financial aid award being reduced.

Your financial aid award is applied directly to your tuition bill. If your award amount is reduced, your tuition charges may still be fully covered.

Every student’s situation is different and we are here to help you make the best decision for you. Be sure to monitor your SCC student email account for important information from our office. If you are registered for a class that doesn’t apply to your degree or diploma, please follow these steps:

1. Speak with a college advisor to make sure your academic program plan is entered into our system correctly and matches your educational goals. Your advisor will identify the classes required for your SCC degree.
2. Visit our Financial Aid Office to see how taking classes outside your program requirements may affect your financial aid award package.

Types of Classes:

You can register for any class you want. The best way to maximize your financial aid eligibility is by taking classes that are required for your academic program at SCC. Be aware that taking classes outside your academic requirements may result in it taking longer for you to graduate and additional out-of-pocket expenses. You will want to speak with an academic advisor to see if there’s a similar course you can take that will apply to your academic requirements. Speak with our Financial Aid Office to determine if your financial aid package will be adjusted based on your registration.

Speak with your academic advisor to determine if these classes will be covered by your financial aid package:

• Transfer Classes: Once you complete requirements for your SCC degree or diploma, federal financial aid will not cover additional classes you might need to meet the needs of your transfer destination. You may still want to take these classes at SCC but you are responsible to cover the cost.
• Developmental Classes: The federal government considers these preparatory classes for successful completion of college level courses. Financial aid will pay a maximum of 30 credit hours each developmental courses. Speak with your Financial Aid Office for details about developmental courses and how they can affect your financial aid award.
• Intercollegiate Athletics Courses: If you are a student athlete, intercollegiate athletics courses count as elective courses in some, but not all, programs of study. If you are enrolled in a program of study where Intercollegiate Athletic courses are NOT part of your degree plan, check with the Financial Aid office to see how excluding this course(s) may affect your financial aid eligibility.

Southeast Community College
Financial Aid
financialaid@southeast.edu
402-437-2610

Federal financial aid regulations limit the number of times a student may repeat a course and receive federal financial aid for that course.

If a student receives a “W” or an “F” in a course:

• A student is allowed to repeat the same course and receive federal financial aid (in addition to assuming the office’s Satisfactory Academic Progress is met) until a “D-“ grade or better is earned for the class.

Once the student has achieved a “D-“ grade or better:

• Once the student has achieved a “D-“ grade or better, a student can repeat the same course a second time and still receive federal financial aid.
• If a student receives an “F” grade, or withdraws on the second attempt (after receiving a “D-“ or better on the first attempt) the class cannot be factored into federal financial aid enrollment eligibility on a third attempt.
• If a student receives a “D-“ or any other passing grade on the second attempt, and elects to repeat a class for a third time the class cannot be factored into federal financial aid enrollment eligibility.
• These rules apply whether or not a student received federal financial aid in earlier enrollments of the course.

Once a repeated class can no longer be counted within a student’s enrollment for federal financial aid purposes:

• It is irrelevant for financial aid purposes if a student is required to retake a class to meet major/program GPA requirements.
• It is irrelevant if a student has a personal desire to receive an improved grade.
• This is a federal regulation. There is no appeal process and the rule cannot be overridden by SCC.

Taking A Repeat Class Could Reduce Your Financial Aid Enrollment for Federal Financial Aid Eligibility.

Examples:

Source: Federal Register, Volume 75, Number 209, Page 66,868, Part 668, Student Assistance General Provisions Retaking Coursework 668.2 https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2010-10-29/pdf/2010-26531.pdf

The U.S. Department of Education has established regulations to prevent cases of fraud and abuse in the Federal Pell Grant and/or Federal Direct Stafford Loan Program by identifying students with unusual enrollment histories.

Upon reviewing completed FAFSA applications, the U.S. Department of Education will select students who have unusual enrollment history over the past four academic/award years. If selected, before a student can receive financial aid, the Financial Aid office is required to review the student’s file in order to determine financial aid eligibility.

What does Unusual Enrollment History mean?

Unusual Enrollment History (UEH) is defined as the specific pattern the U.S. Department of Education uses to select students who have received a Federal Pell Grant and/or Federal Direct Stafford Subsidized/Unsubsidized loans at multiple institutions over the past four academic/award years.

Per Department of Education, the UEH Flag is intended to address possible abuse in the Title IV student aid programs; specifically, when a student attends an institution long enough to receive a Title IV credit balance, leaves without completing the enrollment period, and then enrolls at another institution, repeating the pattern of remaining just long enough to collect a Title IV credit balance without earning any academic credit.

Students must be aware that there are federal limitations for receiving both Federal Pell Grant and Federal Direct Stafford Subsidized/Unsubsidized loan funding. Students who are receiving these funds but are not successfully moving toward degree completion are in jeopardy of losing eligibility to receive these funds.

What happens next?

When selected for Unusual Enrollment, the Financial Aid office will place an action needed item on the student’s self-service page. During this time, the office will review the student’s academic records already on file with the Institution. In addition, the office will review the student’s Federal Pell Grant or Federal Direct Stafford loan disbursements history over the past four award years. For example, For the 2021-2022 aid year, the office will review the student’s enrollment history during the 2020-2021, 2019-2020, 2018-2019, 2017-2018 aid years. By reviewing all of the student’s academic records, the office will determine if for each of the previously attended institutions, whether academic credit was earned during the award year in which the student received Pell Grant or Stafford loan funds. Academic credit is considered to have been earned if the academic records show that the student completed any credit hours or clock hours successfully.

During the initial review period, a selected student is not required to submit any documents to the office. If, however, the Financial Aid office cannot accurately determine a student’s enrollment history with the information on file, the office will notify the student of any additional documentation needed.

What will the office need?

If requested, students must submit either an official or unofficial transcript, or grade report, to the Financial Aid office. Once all transcripts have been received, our office will verify whether or not academic credit was received at each institution during the relevant years.

If after reviewing transcripts it is seen that the student did not earn credit at an institution he/she received Federal Pell Grant or Federal Direct Stafford loan disbursement, the student will need then be required to provide a written statement explaining personal/academic reasons why he/she failed to earn academic credit and present documentation to support this explanation.

Eligibility Approved

If the UEH review and/or documentation supports that the student did not enroll in multiple schools solely to obtain Federal Pell Grant and/or Federal Direct Stafford loan disbursements, the UEH flag will then be approved. The student will then be placed on Probation and be required to adhere to Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy https://www.southeast.edu/financial-aid-policies/. If student is currently not meeting the SAP standards, the student will have the option to submit a Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal to the Financial Aid office.

Eligibility Denied

If after reviewing a student’s records and any supporting documentation, the student is denied eligibility for financial aid due to unusual enrollment history, that student can submit an Unusual Enrollment History Appeal Form. Once the office receives the appeal form, the Financial Aid office will review the appeal along with any additional supporting documentation. If after review, the office determines that the student is eligible for reinstatement, the student will be notified accordingly.

If a student chooses not to appeal, that student has the option to regain financial aid eligibility after he/she has completed the reinstatement process. Reinstatement process includes, paying for one term out of pocket. Term requirements include, only enrolling in required program courses, 100% completion of enrolled program required credits (minimum of 6), and term GPA of 2.0. Once the term has been completed, the student can submit a request to have their financial aid reinstated.