Financial Aid...General FAQs
HOW OFTEN DO I NEED TO APPLY FOR FINANCIAL AID?
HOW IS MY FINANCIAL AID ELIGIBILITY DETERMINED?
DOES FINANCIAL AID PAY FOR AUDITED CLASSES?
CAN I USE MY FINANCIAL AID TO BUY BOOKS?
WHAT IF ONE OF MY CLASSES IS CANCELED?
WHAT HAPPENS IF I PAY MY FEES AND RECEIVE
FINANCIAL AID LATER?
HOW WILL MY FINANCIAL AID BE AFFECTED IF I DROP
CLASSES?
HOW WILL I KNOW HOW MUCH FINANCIAL AID I’M
GETTING?
WHAT IS
A FINANCIAL AID "PACKAGE"?
WHAT IS
VERIFICATION?
HOW OFTEN DO I NEED TO APPLY FOR FINANCIAL AID?
Students must apply for financial aid each academic year. Renewal
applications are mailed by the Federal Processor each fall for the
following academic year. Each academic year at Columbus State starts
Summer Quarter and ends the following Spring Quarter. Apply as soon as
possible after January 1st in order to be considered for all types of
financial aid. Applications received will be considered on the basis of
funds available for Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)
and Federal Work-Study (FWS).
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HOW IS MY FINANCIAL AID ELIGIBILITY DETERMINED?
Financial need is determined by an analysis of the family’s previous
year’s income, assets, number of family members and number of family
members in college. This results in an amount the family is expected to
contribute for education (Expected Family Contribution).
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DOES FINANCIAL AID PAY FOR AUDITED CLASSES?
No, financial aid does not pay for courses for which you receive no
credit.
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CAN I USE MY FINANCIAL AID TO BUY BOOKS?
After tuition and fees are paid, if a student has remaining financial
aid available for the quarter, the remaining funds will be deposited in
the student’s bank account. These funds can be used for books and other
educational expenses.
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WHAT IF ONE OF MY CLASSES IS CANCELED?
A 100% refund of fees is given if a class is canceled. Because of this,
financial aid will be reduced accordingly. In order not to risk a
reduction in financial aid and possibly owing a balance, it is the
student’s responsibility to add classes that will bring him or her up to
the required minimum hours.
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WHAT HAPPENS IF I PAY MY FEES AND RECEIVE
FINANCIAL AID LATER?
If financial aid is awarded after tuition and fees are paid for the
quarter(s), it is possible to receive retroactive payment, provided a
student is in good academic standing, not on a financial aid
restriction, and submits all required documentation by the deadline
date. A retroactive award is based upon the number of credit hours the
student actually completed during a given term.
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HOW WILL MY FINANCIAL AID BE AFFECTED IF I DROP
CLASSES?
If a student drops a class after their financial aid has been paid they
may be put on Financial Aid restriction. In addition, if a student drops
before the ‘freeze’ date, CSCC is legally obligated to return funds to
any aid program for which the student is no longer eligible.
The Financial Aid Office policy requires a student to complete all
add/drop changes by the financial aid FREEZE DATE which is the end of
the 100% refund period for a class section. (Contact the Quarter
Schedules page for
specific dates.) If a student adds or drops classes anytime up to this
date, financial aid will be adjusted. If changes are made after this
date, financial aid will not be adjusted. However, students receiving
Federal Stafford Loans must maintain 6 credit hours throughout the
quarter. The following summarizes the hour drop policy.
|
AWARD |
3/4 TIME (9-11 HRS) |
1/2 TIME (6-8 HRS) |
LESS THAN 1/2 TIME (1-5 HRS) |
|
Federal PELL Grant |
3/4 of full-time award, except for small awards
|
1/2 full-time award, except for small amounts
|
Prorated based on federal guidelines |
|
Federal SEOG Grant |
Same as full-time amount |
Same as full-time amount |
$0 |
|
Federal Work Study |
Same as full-time amount |
Same as full-time amount |
$0 |
|
Federal Subsidized or Unsubsidized Stafford
Loan of Federal PLUS Loan & most Alternative and Nursing Loans |
Same as full-time amount |
Same as full-time amount |
$0 |
|
Ohio Instructional Grant (OIG) |
$0 |
$0 |
$0 |
|
Ohio College Opportunity
Grant (COG) |
3/4 of full-time award |
1/2 of full-time award |
1/4 of full-time award |
A student may owe funds back to the aid programs as a result of schedule
changes made prior to the FREEZE DATE.
The amount of aid a student is eligible for has no relationship to
instructional charges or other incurred costs of attendance.
Non-attendance in classes is considered a reduction of hours and aid
will be adjusted.
Dropping, not attending, and withdrawing from classes may affect a
student's Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) as monitored by the
Financial Aid Office in accordance with Federal Regulations. Failure to
meet SAP can result in the cancellation of Federal and Institutional
aid.
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HOW WILL I KNOW HOW MUCH FINANCIAL AID I’M
GETTING?
If a student is eligible for financial aid, he or she will receive a
Financial Aid Award Letter. This letter tells:
Type(s) of award(s) student will receive.
Amount(s) available per quarter.
Terms & conditions student agrees to meet while receiving aid.
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WHAT IS
A FINANCIAL AID "PACKAGE"?
The financial aid "package" is an offer of one or more types of
financial aid to help a student meet educational cost.
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WHAT IS
VERIFICATION?
Any student who applies for federal student aid can be randomly selected
for verification. Once selected for verification a student must submit
certain written documents to confirm information on the application.
These documents may include a signed copy of the student, spouse and/or
the parent’s federal tax forms from the previous year and a verification
form.
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