Financial Aid Progress Requirements
This revised policy is effective with measuring progress for Fall 2011 financial aid eligibility.
Financial aid progress requirements are not the same as the University's academic policy. Advice from an academic advisor may differ from what is needed to maintain financial aid eligibility.
Students are determined eligible for Federal Title IV financial aid (Pell Grant, SEOG Grant, Work Study, Stafford, PLUS, and Graduate PLUS Loans) and NJ CLASS Loans when meeting the following eligibility criteria:
1. Demonstrate financial need, as defined by the individual financial aid programs;
2. Be enrolled or accepted as a degree-seeking student
3. Be a United States citizen or eligible non-citizen;
4. Submit all required/requested forms to the appropriate agency or financial aid office by the established deadline dates;
5. Do not owe a refund on a grant or not be in default on a loan;
6. Maintain satisfactory financial aid academic progress as outlined below.
FINANCIAL AID PROGRESS REQUIREMENT
Each student will be reviewed for satisfactory financial aid progress after every period of enrollment (fall/winter, spring, summer) regardless of receiving financial aid.
To be in good standing for federal aid, both undergraduate and graduate students must meet the following standards:
1. Successfully complete 2/3 of the total cumulative credits attempted at KU*. Credits attempted are:
- A. all credits for which the student is enrolled at the end of the drop/add period at KU;
- B. the greater of either consortium credits attempted at another school OR the number of credits transferred into KU after admission; and
- C. credits attempted in certain study abroad programs.
2. Maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 at the end of each period of enrollment (fall/winter, spring, summer).
- NOTE: Taking classes at another institution will increase a student's completion average but will not necessarily be enough to regain financial aid eligibility. Consult with the Financial Aid Office on the best way to regain eligibility.
DEFINITION OF EARNED CREDITS
Earned credits are credits for which a grade of A, B, C, D or Pass in a Pass/Fail course has been received. Grades of F, WF, NG, Audit, I, W, and Fail in a Pass/Fail course do not count as earned credits.
Only credits earned from a course in which the student was actually enrolled are counted in calculating financial aid progress. AP credits, CLEP credits, credits received by challenge exam, and credits received as a result of placement testing to determine proficiency are not used to determine financial aid progress.
REPEATED CLASSES (See Registrar's Office website regarding
Every time a class is repeated, it will be included in cumulative credits attempted. However, the repeated course will only be counted as credits earned the first time a passing grade is received.
INSUFFICIENT PROGRESS FOR FINANCIAL AID
Financial Aid Warning
A student who does not meet satisfactory financial aid progress requirements will be placed on financial aid warning. A student on financial aid warning may receive federal financial aid for that term only, despite not meeting the progress requirement. If the student has not regained satisfactory progress by the end of the warning term, the student will be placed on suspension. The student is ineligible for future aid until financial aid progress requirements are met or the student is granted a semester of an appeal.
Financial Aid Suspension
A student who still does not meet the financial aid progress requirements upon completion of their financial aid warning term will have all future federal aid suspended until the financial aid progress requirements are met. A student may appeal to have federal aid reinstated for one term by filing a written appeal with the Financial Aid Office (see appeals below).
NOTE: Taking classes at another institution will increase a student's completion average but will not necessarily be enough to regain financial aid eligibility. Consult with the Financial Aid Office on the best way to regain eligibility.
APPEALS TO FINANCIAL AID PROGRESS POLICY
A student who has been denied federal financial aid for failure to maintain satisfactory financial aid progress may appeal the decision in writing to the Financial Aid Office Appeals Committee, Kutztown University, P.O. Box 730, Kutztown, PA 19530. By federal regulations, the grounds for an appeal are (1) the death of a relative of the student, (2)
The deadline to file an appeal is the first day of the term for which an appeal is requested. Appeals will not be accepted for a semester that has ended. The student will be notified in writing of the Committee's decision. An appeal, if granted, will be for one term of enrollment. It is possible that all aid may not be reinstated. In most circumstances, only one appeal will be granted during the course of the student's academic career at Kutztown University.
NOTE: The above appeal process does not apply to the Pennsylvania (PHEAA) State Grant Program.
MAXIMUM TIMEFRAME TO RECEIVE FEDERAL FINANCIAL AID
Federal regulations require students to complete their degree within a timeframe that is no longer than 150 percent of the length of their degree program and version in effect at the time they are admitted. This includes all semesters of enrollment and all credits accepted in transfer even if no financial aid was received. Since most KU undergraduate degree programs are 120 credits, students must complete their degree program within 180 attempted credits (120 X 150 percent) to remain eligible for federal financial aid. A change of major or the pursuit of a double major does not extend eligibility for financial aid.
REENTRY TO KUTZTOWN UNIVERSITY
A period of non-enrollment does not reinstate financial aid eligibility. Students who reenter Kutztown University after a break in enrollment will have all previous coursework measured using this financial aid progress policy.
Approval of Academic Forgiveness does not affect financial aid eligibility. If you return to the university and are not making academic progress for financial aid, please see "Appeals to Financial Aid Progress Policy" above.
PENNSYLVANIA (PHEAA) STATE GRANT PROGRESS POLICY
Academic progress for the Pennsylvania (PHEAA) State Grant is measured based on how a student was paid in the last academic year (summer, fall, spring) a state grant was received. For every term a full-time grant was received, 12 new credits must be earned. For every term a part-time grant was paid, six new credits must be earned.
NOTE: If a student repeats a course for which he/she received a passing grade, the repeated course will not count toward the number of new credits needed to satisfy the state grant progress requirement.