Applying for and Receiving Financial Aid

Students demonstrate their intent to withdraw from a course by completing the electronic withdrawal form available in MySCAD. The withdrawal form is processed automatically and is effective immediately upon receipt of the request by the registrar's office. The date the registrar receives notice is the official date of withdrawal for calculation of any financial refund. Students who do not withdraw according to the withdrawal policy are responsible for all charges incurred.

Students who partially withdraw (drop one or more classes but remain enrolled in at least one course for that quarter) before the end of the drop/add period will have financial aid (as applicable) adjusted based on the change in enrollment. See policies on cancelled enrollment and account credits at scad.edu/studentaccounts for details on tuition adjustments. After the end of the drop/add period, no adjustments are made for partial withdrawal.

Students who completely withdraw from the university are subject to a recalculation to determine eligibility. This calculation is used to determine the percentage of financial aid (if applicable) earned by the student. Unearned financial aid is returned to the funding program(s) according to federal and state regulations. This process takes place as soon as possible and not later than 45 days after withdrawal date. Students who withdraw after completing 60 percent of the quarter are not subject to recalculation and are considered to have earned all financial aid (as applicable).

Calculation for Federal, State and Outside Funds

1. To determine the amount of federal financial aid that is considered earned, a calculation is performed based on Department of Education guidelines. The calculation used is the number of calendar days the student attended divided by the number of calendar days in the term (calendar days completed/total calendar days in the term = percent earned). After the calculation is completed the unearned portion must be returned to the appropriate program(s).
2. State aid is reviewed and aid is returned according to state program regulations. Additional information is located at www.GAcollege411.org.
   
3. Other outside financial aid resources are reviewed and handled on a case-by-case basis following any special handling requirements of the funding entity.
4. Summer term financial aid eligibility is determined by enrollment in all sessions (10 week and either 5-week). Students enrolled for the second 5 week session who drop their course(s) in the first 5-week session will be treated as a withdrawn student, and subject to the withdrawal calculation, unless they provide a written statement to student financial services indicating their intention to attend courses in the second 5- week session.
5. After the calculation is completed the appropriate adjustments (if any) are made to the student's financial aid awards and student account. Funds are returned in the following order: Direct Loan, PLUS, PELL, SEOG, HOPE, GTEG, and outside resource funding (as applicable).
6. Once adjustments are made and funds are returned to the appropriate programs, a letter is sent notifying the student of changes to financial aid and an updated billing statement is sent notifying the student of changes made to the student account.
7. If the student received a refund prior to withdrawing, the student may have to repay some or all of the disbursement, depending on outcome of the calculation.
8. If a balance owed remains on the student account it is due immediately.
9. If a credit balance remains, the balance is first applied toward any outstanding charges; if excess remains thereafter, that amount is refunded to the student.
   
10. Loan exit counseling packets are initiated and mailed within 30 days, as required by law, to students who totally withdraw, graduate, do not return, or drop below halftime enrollment.
    
11. The last date of attendance is reported to the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) by the Registrar utilizing the National Student Clearing House. This serves as notification to lender(s) of the student withdrawal.
    
    

Students demonstrate their intent to withdraw from a course by completing the electronic withdrawal form available in MySCAD. The withdrawal form is processed automatically and is effective immediately upon receipt of the request by the registrar's office. The date the registrar receives notice is the official date of withdrawal for calculation of any financial refund. Students who do not withdraw according to the withdrawal policy are responsible for all charges incurred.

Students who partially withdraw (drop one or more classes but remain enrolled in at least one course for that quarter) before the end of the drop/add period will have financial aid (as applicable) adjusted based on the change in enrollment. See policies on cancelled enrollment and account credits for details on tuition adjustments. After the end of the drop/add period, no adjustments are made for partial withdrawal.

Students who completely withdraw from the university are subject to a recalculation to determine eligibility. This calculation is used to determine the percentage of financial aid (if applicable) earned by the student. Unearned financial aid is returned to the funding program(s) according to federal and state regulations. This process takes place as soon as possible and not later than 45 days after withdrawal date. Students who withdraw after completing 60 percent of the quarter are not subject to recalculation and are considered to have earned all financial aid (as applicable).

Calculation for Federal, State and Outside Funds

1. To determine the amount of federal financial aid that is considered earned, a calculation is performed based on Department of Education guidelines. The calculation used is the number of calendar days the student attended divided by the number of calendar days in the term (calendar days completed/total calendar days in the term = percent earned). After the calculation is completed the unearned portion must be returned to the appropriate program(s).
2. State aid is reviewed and aid is returned according to state program regulations. Additional information is located at GAcollege411.org.
3. Other outside financial aid resources are reviewed and handled on a case-by-case basis following any special handling requirements of the funding entity.
4. Summer term financial aid eligibility is determined by enrollment in all sessions (the full 10-week quarter rather than only one 5-week session). Students enrolled for the second 5-week session who drop their course(s) in the first 5-week session will be treated as a withdrawn student, and subject to the withdrawal calculation, unless they provide a written statement to student financial services indicating their intention to attend courses in the second 5-week session.
5. After the calculation is completed, the appropriate adjustments (if any) are made to the student's financial aid awards and student account. Funds are returned in the following order: Direct Loan, PLUS, PELL, SEOG, HOPE, GTEG and outside resource funding (as applicable).
6. Once adjustments are made and funds are returned to the appropriate programs, a letter is sent notifying the student of changes to financial aid and an updated billing statement is sent notifying the student of changes made to the student account.
7. If the student received a refund prior to withdrawing, the student may have to repay some or all of the disbursement, depending on outcome of the calculation.
8. If a balance owed remains on the student account, it is due immediately.
9. If a credit balance remains, the balance is first applied toward any outstanding charges; if excess remains thereafter, that amount is refunded to the student.
10. Loan exit counseling packets are initiated and mailed within 30 days, as required by law, to students who totally withdraw, graduate, do not return, or drop below halftime enrollment.
11. The last date of attendance is reported to the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) by the Registrar utilizing the National Student Clearing House. This serves as notification to lender(s) of the student withdrawal.

Students with extenuating circumstances, such as personal illness, injury, or death in family may appeal in writing for reinstatement of financial aid lost due to unsatisfactory academic progress. Appeals should be submitted by email to financialaid@scad.edu using the Unsatisfactory Progress Appeal form. The appeal must be submitted in a timely fashion and supporting documentation may be required. Appeals must address the reason why satisfactory progress was not attained, and should also provide information as to how the problem will be avoided in the future. A decision from the financial appeals committee regarding the appeal is made in writing to the student within 30 days following receipt of the appeal. The decision is final.

Students granted an appeal approval are placed on financial aid probation for a period of one quarter.  During the probationary period, the student must meet satisfactory academic progress standards or meet the standards of a prescribed academic plan. Students with an approved appeal are evaluated on an individual basis to determine what prescribed academic plan will be the most beneficial in order to meet satisfactory academic progress guidelines. Following the completion of the probationary period, students are re-evaluated at the end of that quarter. Failure to meet satisfactory academic progress standards or the terms of the prescribed academic plan by the end of the probationary period will result in removal of financial aid. Students who have met the terms of their financial aid probationary period either by making satisfactory academic progress or by meeting the terms of their prescribed academic plan are evaluated for satisfactory academic progress at the next regular review period. Students may not submit an appeal for two consecutive review periods.   

Academic plans are administered by the financial aid office and prescribe the number of hours needed to regain satisfactory academic progress for financial aid purposes.  Financial aid administrators consult with academic advisers to develop academic plans which ensure standards are met in a reasonable amount of time and promote student success.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 is a federal law designed to protect the privacy of a student's educational records. All FERPA rights transfer from the parent to the student when a student attends a post secondary institution, regardless of parental information that may have been required when applying for financial aid. Therefore, we are unable to discuss matters with members of the student's family (parents, spouses, siblings, grandparents, etc.) or other third parties without the express written consent from the student him/herself.

All financial aid records are kept in locked areas with restricted access. These records are considered private and will not be released without express authorization from the student. An Authorization for Release of Information form is available on the university's website and can be completed by any student who wants to authorize the release of his or her information to parents or any other third party.

All financial aid records are maintained in the financial aid office at SCAD and may be accessed by a student through appointment. Due to the income sensitive nature of the financial aid records, a student's access is limited to his or her personal information, such as document receipt dates, aid awarded, aid disbursed, aid cancelled, student loan indebtedness, lender information, etc. A student may also request photocopies from the university of his or her personal information in those files. Original documents turned in to SCAD become university property and will not be released. All requests made by a student will be addressed within 15 business days of receiving the request.

All students receiving Federal Title IV financial aid, Georgia state financial aid or SCAD grant aid must adhere to the university's policy on satisfactory academic progress. The Higher Education Act as amended by U.S. Congress mandates that higher education institutions establish minimum standards of "satisfactory academic progress" for students receiving financial aid.

 

Requirements to meet satisfactory academic progress include the following: Students must pass 67 percent of all coursework attempted; undergraduate students must earn a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 on a 4.0 point scale; graduate students must earn a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 point scale.

Satisfactory academic progress standards are evaluated as follows: Degree-seeking students in a program longer than one year are evaluated annually. Students enrolled in a degree program of one year or less are evaluated at the end of each payment period (quarter).

Requirements to meet satisfactory academic progress standards:

1. Student must be enrolled in a degree-seeking program.
   
2. Student must meet SCAD standards for continued enrollment as specified in the academic policies section of the catalog and online.
   
3. Previously passed courses repeated more than one time do not count toward enrollment when determining financial aid eligibility.
   
4. Full- and part-time students must successfully pass at least 67 percent of all coursework attempted. All hours attempted count for the purpose of this review.
   a. Incomplete grades have no impact on hours attempted or hours earned.
   b. Course withdrawals count as attempted hours.
   c. Course repeats count as attempted hours. 
   d. All transfer credit accepted by the university count as both attempted and earned hours.
5. Undergraduate students must earn a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 on a 4.0 point scale. For repeated courses, the highest grade earned counts for the purpose of this evaluation.
   
6. Graduate students must earn a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 point scale. For repeated courses, the highest grade earned counts for the purpose of this evaluation.
   
7. Undergraduate students must complete degree requirements by the following standard:
   
   

   Enrollment Status	Must Be Completed Within
   Full-time	18 quarters
   Part-time	Equivalent of 18 quarters full-time attendance

   
   
8. Graduate students must complete degree requirements by the following standard:
   
   

   Length of Program	Enrollment Status	Must Be Completed Within
   One year	Full-time	7 quarters
   One year	Part-time	Equivalent of 7 quarters full-time attendance
   Two years	Full-time	13 quarters
   Two years	Part-time	Equivalent of 13 quarters full-time attendance

   
   
9. Maximum attempted coursework toward degree or certificate cannot exceed:
   
   

   Degree	Hours Required	Maximum Hours Attempted
   B.A., B.F.A.	180	270
   M.A., M.Arch.	45	70
   M.A.T.	60	90
   M.F.A., M.U.D., M.Arch.	90	135

   
   
   

The Process
After completion of the academic year (end of spring quarter) or earlier according to the policy, a review is conducted of all students receiving Federal Title IV financial aid, Georgia state financial aid and SCAD grant aid. Failure to achieve the required hours and GPA, as described in the policy, results in removal of financial aid. Students are notified in writing of failure to meet the satisfactory academic progress standard. 

Financial aid eligibility may be reinstated after successfully making up the deficiency. If credit hour deficiency is made up at another institution, proof is required. In order to take coursework at another college, students must be in good standing and must have the coursework approved by the SCAD registrar's office. Students who do not obtain the proper preapproval of outside coursework are required to re-apply for admission in order to return to SCAD. Once the deficiency has been rectified, students should notify their adviser or email financialaid@scad.edu to request aid reinstatement for the next quarter(s). GPA deficiency can be made up only at SCAD. Students who do not meet the minimum standard due to an extreme one-time circumstance may appeal the aid suspension. 

All students receiving Federal Title IV financial aid, Georgia state financial aid or SCAD grant aid must adhere to the university's policy on satisfactory academic progress. The Higher Education Act as amended by U.S. Congress mandates that higher education institutions establish minimum standards of "satisfactory academic progress" for students receiving financial aid. 

Requirements to meet satisfactory academic progress include the following: students must pass 67 percent of all coursework attempted; undergraduate students must earn a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 on a 4.0 point scale; graduate students must earn a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 point scale.

Satisfactory academic progress standards are evaluated as follows: degree-seeking students in a program longer than one year are evaluated annually. Students enrolled in a degree program of one year or less are evaluated at the end of each payment period (quarter). 

Requirements to meet satisfactory academic progress standards:

1. Student must be enrolled in a degree-seeking program.
2. Student must meet SCAD standards for continued enrollment as specified in the academic policies section of the catalog and online.
3. Previously passed courses repeated more than one time do not count toward enrollment when determining financial aid eligibility.
4. Full- and part-time students must successfully pass at least 67 percent of all coursework attempted. All hours attempted count for the purpose of this review.
   a. Incomplete grades have no impact on hours attempted or hours earned.
   b. Course withdrawals count as attempted hours.
   c. Course repeats count as attempted hours.  
   d. All transfer credit accepted by the university count as both attempted and earned hours.
5. Undergraduate students must earn a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 on a 4.0-point scale. For repeated courses, the highest grade earned counts for the purpose of this evaluation.
6. Graduate students must earn a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0-point scale. For repeated courses, the highest grade earned counts for the purpose of this evaluation.
7. Undergraduate students must complete degree requirements by the following standard:
   
   

   Enrollment Status	Must Be Completed Within
   Full-time	18 quarters
   Part-time	Equivalent of 18 quarters full-time attendance

   
   
8. Graduate students must complete degree requirements by the following standard:
   
   

   Length of Program	Enrollment Status	Must Be Completed Within
   One year	Full-time	7 quarters
   One year	Part-time	Equivalent of 7 quarters full-time attendance
   Two years	Full-time	13 quarters
   Two years	Part-time	Equivalent of 13 quarters full-time attendance

   
   
9. Maximum attempted coursework toward degree or certificate cannot exceed:
   
   

   Degree	Hours Required	Maximum Hours Attempted
   B.A., B.F.A.	180	270
   M.A., M.Arch.	45	70
   M.A.T.	60	90
   M.F.A., M.U.D., M.Arch.	90	135

   
   
   

SCAD utilizes "active confirmation" on all student direct loans prior to crediting the loan to the student's account. Active confirmation is the process requiring the student to accept the loan amount(s) he/she wants to borrow for the specified aid year. If any changes are made to the loan amount(s) prior to the loan crediting to the student's account, the loan is reset to offered status and the student must accept the new loan amount.

After the loan is credited to the student's account, SCAD utilizes "passive confirmation" on all student direct loans. Passive confirmation is the process where students must notify SCAD if they no longer want to receive the loan after receiving notification that the loan amount has changed. SCAD sends students an updated award letter as notification of changes to financial aid.

Direct loan amounts can change upon further review of eligibility, generally resulting in funds being reallocated between subsidized and unsubsidized loans. If the student no longer wants to receive the loan, they must return payment to the school and the loan will be returned.

Pell Grant recipients may be eligible for finances to purchase books and supplies prior to the end of the first week of class. To be eligible, students must have received the Pell Grant, must have a Federal Title IV credit balance for the quarter, and must have met all requirements for disbursement 10 calendar days prior to the start of the quarter. Eligibility is reviewed each quarter.

Once a student is determined eligible for the book provision policy, they have access to their credit balance (up to US $800) via their SCAD Card account.

A Federal Title IV credit balance is created when all federal financial aid funds exceed allowable charges (tuition, housing and meal plan) for the quarter.

An eligibility review is completed approximately 10 days prior to the start of the quarter. The financial aid office will email eligible students letting them know they are eligible for the book credit. Active confirmation is required; meaning you (the student) must respond to the e-mail requesting that the credit be applied to your SCAD Card account. You can specify the amount you want, up to your maximum available, as indicated in the e-mail.  If you have not previously completed a SCAD Card and debit account agreement, you must complete one to receive the credit. The credit is added to your SCAD Card on the first day of class and can be used at SCAD's bookstore, Ex Libris.

If you do not want a book credit applied to your SCAD card, you do not need to do anything.

If you withdraw or cancel your classes, you must return the funds to SCAD.

Pell Grant recipients may be eligible for finances to purchase books and supplies prior to the end of the first week of class. To be eligible, students must have received the Pell Grant, must have a Federal Title IV credit balance for the quarter, and must have met all requirements for disbursement 10 calendar days prior to the start of the quarter. Eligibility is reviewed each quarter.

Once a student is determined eligible for the book provision policy, they have access to their credit balance (up to US $800) via their SCAD Card account.

A Federal Title IV credit balance is created when all federal financial aid funds exceed allowable charges (tuition, housing and meal plan) for the quarter.

An eligibility review is completed approximately 10 days prior to the start of the quarter. The financial aid office will email eligible students letting them know they are eligible for the book credit. Active confirmation is required, meaning you (the student) must respond to the email requesting that the credit be applied to your SCAD Card account. You can specify the amount you want, up to your maximum available, as indicated in the e-mail.  If you have not previously completed a SCAD Card and debit account agreement, you must complete one to receive the credit. The credit is added to your SCAD Card on the first day of class and can be used at SCAD's bookstore, Ex Libris.

If you do not want a book credit applied to your SCAD card, you do not need to do anything.

If you withdraw or cancel your classes, you must return the funds to SCAD.

A student who wishes to be degree-seeking at two or more postsecondary institutions concurrently may receive federal/state financial aid at only one college. Once a student has requested financial aid to attend SCAD, he or she may not apply for federal/state aid at any other institution. Transient students who receive the Georgia HOPE scholarship may be eligible to receive it while in transient status and should contact their staff adviser for details. Currently enrolled SCAD students who wish to attend another college or university as a transient student and transfer credits back to SCAD must pursue transient status through the registrar's office at SCAD before taking classes at the other institution.

Employees working in the financial aid office may not engage in activities that present a conflict of interest while serving as an agent of the university administering private educational loans. Activities considered to be a conflict of interest include, but are not limited to: revenue-sharing arrangements with a lender; accepting gifts of any value from a lender, a guarantor, or a loan servicer; any contracting arrangement that provides a financial benefit from a lender or affiliate of a lender; directing borrowers to particular lenders, or refusing or delaying loan certifications; offers of funds for private loans; accepting staffing assistance for financial aid office and/or call center; and accepting compensation for participation on advisory boards.  This policy does not replace or affect any other policies.  For the full policy employees should refer to the Staff Handbook.

SCAD has authorized the National Student Clearinghouse to provide degree verifications. The National Student Clearinghouse can be contacted on the Web or at the following address:

National Student Clearinghouse
2300 Dulles Station Blvd., Suite 300
Herndon, VA 20171