Policies and Rights
- Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy
- Refund & Repayment Policy (for students who withdraw)
- Student Rights and Responsibilities
- Process for Student Off-Campus Purchases with FA Funds
- Year-round Pell Policy
Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy
Federal regulations require Pitt Community College to define minimum standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress which students must meet in order to receive the Title IV funds which includes Federal Pell Grant, Federal SEOG, Federal Work-Study, Federal Stafford Loan, and funds from other federal or state administered programs.
Measurable Satisfactory Academic Progress
To maintain satisfactory academic progress, students must earn a cumulative GPA according to the number of semester hours for which they have attempted as indicated below:
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ASSOCIATE DEGREE PROGRAMS, DIPLOMA/*ELIGIBLE CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS |
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Students must also pass 67% of the courses for which they register. (For example- A student who registers for 12 hours must pass 8 hours, a student who registers for 6 hours must pass 4 hours. This includes all grades). For purposes of determining enrollment status, students who, at the end of the drop-add period, are enrolled for 12 or more credit hours are considered full-time. Students enrolled for 9 to 11 credit hours are three-quarter time students and students enrolled for 6 to 8 credit hours are half time.
* BLET is currently the only eligible certificate curriculum.
Financial Aid Probation - Unsatisfactory Academic Progress
Students who fail to meet the requirements in Section A.1 or A.2 for any term are placed on FINANCIAL AID PROBATION and are considered to be making UNSATISFACTORY ACADEMIC PROGRESS. Students in this category may continue to receive Financial Aid for one additional term. If the requirements are not met at the end of this term, his/her Financial Aid will be terminated until the requirements are met.
Students who receive financial aid and withdraw from school for two consecutive TERMs will not be allowed to continue receiving financial aid until they have made satisfactory academic progress for this TERM. Unusual, verifiable circumstances may be appealed to the Financial Aid Committee.
Appeal Progress
Students may appeal their suspension/termination of eligibility for Financial Aid only for "extraordinary circumstances" to the Financial Aid Committee.
Appeals must be done in writing and accompanied by appropriate documentation and presented to the Director of Financial Aid.
Procedure for Reinstatement
Students who have had their Financial Aid eligibility terminated may be reinstated in one of the following ways:
- By approval from a Financial Aid Committee
- By enrolling at the college without the benefit of Financial Assistance until the requirements of A.1 and 2 are met.
Retroactive payments of Financial Aid for term when students were on probation is prohibited.
Non-Credit Courses
NON-CREDIT COURSES and Audit courses may NOT be included in a student's enrollment status for financial aid purposes.
Maximum Number of Academic Years to Receive Degree
Students are expected to finish their degree or program within 150% times the published amount of time the curriculum would normally require. (If a program requires 75 hours to complete. Students would be allowed 112 hours to complete curriculum). Students who attend beyond the allowable time will not be eligible to receive financial aid. The quantitative and qualitative standards must be cumulative and must include all periods of the student's enrollment, even those for which the student did not receive aid from the Student Financial Aid programs. Special circumstances may be appealed to the Financial Aid Appeals Committee.
Refund & Repayment Policy (for students who withdraw)
When a student recipient of Title IV Financial Aid funds drops classes or is dismissed from Pitt Community College prior to the 60% of an academic period, the institution will determine whether and to what extent such student received overpayment from such funds. This determination will be based upon any discrepancy between the amount of allowable costs (educational cost including room, board, books, supplies, transportation and miscellaneous expenses) incurred by the student up to the last date of class attendance and the amount of Title IV funds received by said student prior to that date.
Overpayment funds reimbursed to the institution by the student shall be credited to the specific Title IV program from which they were originally allocated. Amounts owed back to the Title IV program will be billed to the student. Amounts not paid will be turned over to the US Department of Education for collection. Any amounts that are not turned over will remain the student's responsibility. The student's registration and admission file at PCC will be flagged until the amount owed is repaid to the school.
Rights & Responsibilities
- You have the right to privacy
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All financial aid records and data submitted with your application for financial aid will be treated as confidential information and is subject to disclosure requirements under the Family Educational Right to Privacy Act (FERPA).
- You have the right to a complete explanation of the financial aid award process
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If you do not understand how your financial aid award was determined or do not believe your application was fairly evaluated, please contact your Financial Aid Counselor.
- You have the right to appeal
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PCC has established an administrative appeal process. Contact your Financial Aid Counselor for more information.
- You are responsible for reporting changes in your financial status
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Should you receive additional funds or financial support from any source, you must report this to the Financial Aid Office. The Financial Aid Office is required by law to consider all sources of aid when determining your eligibility for federal student aid funds.
- You are responsible for reporting any changes in your student status
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If you change your address, drop below half-time status, or withdraw from school, you must report this to the Financial Aid Office as soon as possible. We recommend you contact us before considering any action so that your Financial Aid Counselor can properly advise you on what effect, if any, such action may have on your financial aid.
- You are responsible for using financial aid funds only for educational purposes
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Education expenses include tuition, fees, room, board, books, supplies, and other living costs.
- You are responsible for promptly responding to all requests and inquires from us
- You are responsible for keeping copies of all documents and records you submit to us
- You are responsible for repaying your loans
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Acceptance of any loan carries a serious legal and financial obligation. Failure to meet this obligation may adversely affect your credit rating and could prevent other students at Pitt Community College from borrowing to finance their educational needs.
Process for Student Off-Campus Purchases with FA Funds
1. Student submits a request in writing to the FA Office, along with the class syllabus.
2. The FA Office will provide the student with a form that indicates the total financial aid, the total tuition and fee charges and the amount available to be used to purchase book and required supplies. This form will be signed by the FA director and will indicate to the vendor that PCC has authorized the charges. The form will also include instructions to the vendor for submitting the invoice. Student submits this form to the off-campus vendor.
3. FA Office flags the student account as "Pending" to prevent funds from being disbursed before purchase transaction is completed.
4. Vendor provides a written statement (on letterhead) to FA Office indicating that they have allowed the charge and will bill PCC.
5. Student charges the books/supplies and receives a receipt for the purchases.
6. Upon receipt of the written statement and the original receipt, the FA Office will create a requisition for payment to the vendor.
7. FA Office will change student account to "Active" so that funds may be disbursed.
8. The Business Office will place a MCRG charge on the student's account for the amount of the requisition.
9. Vendor submits the invoice and is paid.
