/Institutions/University-of-Science-and-Arts-of-Oklahoma/json/2023-2024/2023-2024-Course-Catalog-local.json

/Institutions/University-of-Science-and-Arts-of-Oklahoma/json/2023-2024/2023-2024-Course-Catalog.json

Financial Aid Policies

Student Responsibility
Students are responsible for knowing and understanding the criteria for financial aid eligibility. This includes, but is not limited to, enrollment status, continuation of institutional scholarships, Satisfactory Academic Progress status, the Return of Title IV Funds refund and complete withdrawal policy, student loan history and repayment, etc. We strongly encourage students to carefully read all correspondence. Important documents such as tax returns, scholarship agreements, financial aid offers, loan paperwork, etc. should be stored in a safe and easily accessible location. Students are encouraged to ask questions of and visit with the Financial Aid Office directly regarding matters of financial aid. Students are required to monitor their Science & Arts student email account. The student email account is the primary method of contact regarding all financial aid correspondence. Keep all sensitive information such as user IDs, passwords, and security questions private. Do not disclose personal information to other individuals, including the FSA ID for federal student aid.

Class Attendance Policy for Financial Aid Eligibility
Class attendance is essential for student success and financial aid eligibility. Federal, State, and Institutional aid eligibility is based on final enrollment at the end of the designated add/drop period of each term. Federal aid and cost of attendance calculations also require that the courses be degree eligible. A student who does not begin attendance in some or all classes may result in a change in enrollment status. Aid eligibility is adjusted accordingly and may be reduced or canceled. A student is considered to have begun attendance in all classes if the student attends at least one day of class for each degree eligible course. A student is considered not to have begun attendance in any class in which the school is unable to document that attendance. Faculty monitors and reports attendance and non-attendance for all classes to the Financial Aid Office at the end of the first two weeks of each term. Federal Pell Grant is adjusted for and is not disbursed for non-attended classes. Attendance in online courses requires active engagement in the course and is not satisfied by signing in only. It is the student’s responsibility to attend class and/or contact the professor regarding arranged courses or extenuating circumstances that prohibit attendance within the first two weeks of each term to establish proof of attendance.

Financial Aid Disbursements
The process of disbursing financial aid varies for each program. Science & Arts Financial Aid begins this process as soon as possible after the designated last day to drop classes for each term.

After an enrollment audit is complete and verification of eligibility is confirmed, the first type of aid applied is scholarship waivers. This includes tuition, student fee, room, and meal plan waivers. Waivers are not the same as cash scholarships funded by Foundation or Alumni Scholarship resources. Completion of waiver disbursements is usually within 3-4 weeks, or earlier, after the start of each term.

Federal Direct Loans (subsidized, unsubsidized, and PLUS) for most students are disbursed after scholarship waivers. Completion of Master Promissory Notes and appropriate Loan Counseling are required for Direct Loan disbursements. First time freshmen borrowers will not receive a Federal Direct Loan disbursement until 30 days of the term are completed. See also “William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program”.

Federal Grants require confirmation of attendance from faculty. See also “Class Attendance Policy for Financial Aid Eligibility”. Disbursement of federal Pell, IASG, CFHS, and SEOG is made after faculty attendance reports are reviewed, usually 2-4 weeks, or earlier, after the start of each term. Disbursement of state OTAG is also within this time frame.

Oklahoma’s Promise requires an eligibility claim to the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education. This claim is submitted by the end of the third week of classes. Disbursement is made after Science & Arts receives the approved funding from the State for the submitted eligibility claim. Processing time for the State varies, but is usually available 6-7 weeks, or earlier, after the start of each term.

Institutional Foundation and Alumni Scholarships require purchase order requests to the appropriate offices. These scholarships are disbursed after the appropriate offices provide the requested funding to the Bursar’s Office. These scholarships are normally available 6-7 weeks, or earlier, after the start of each term.

Federal Work-Study pay is processed on a bi-weekly basis and is issued directly to the student. See also “Federal Work-Study Program“.

Outside aid (private sector scholarships, tribal funds, etc.) disbursements are made as soon as possible after the receipt of the funds from the source, after the designated last day to drop classes for each term.

Students eligible for a refund from all aid programs, except Federal Work-Study, will receive payments according to how they request refunds within their MyUSAO preferences. Questions regarding billing and refund eligibility should be directed to the Bursar’s Office.

Late applications or students requiring additional documentation for the aid program will not receive disbursement of that program’s funds until all required documentation is received and processed, and eligibility is confirmed. Late aid disbursements are processed as soon as possible. Applications still incomplete at the end of each term may not be eligible for late disbursements after the last day of the term.

Study Abroad
A student’s enrollment in a program of study abroad, that is approved for credit by Science & Arts, may be considered as enrollment at Science & Arts for the purpose of applying for Title IV assistance.

Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy
Students at Science & Arts must maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) toward a degree, as stipulated in this policy, to receive federal and State financial aid from the following programs: Federal Pell Grant, Federal SEOG (FSEOG or SEOG), Iraq & Afghanistan Service Grant (IASG), Children of Fallen Heroes Scholarship (CFHS), Federal Work Study (FWS or CWS), Oklahoma’s Promise (OKP or OHLAP), Oklahoma Tuition Aid Grant (OTAG), Federal Direct Student Loans (subsidized and unsubsidized), and Federal Direct PLUS Loans for parents. Other aid programs not listed may also fall under this policy. SAP is measured quantitatively by completion rate, or “pace” (total credit hours successfully completed / total credit hours attempted), and qualitatively by GPA. There is also a total credit hour attempted limit, or “maximum timeframe”, allowed to complete a BS or BA degree at Science & Arts.

Other resources such as institutional and outside scholarships, Vocational Rehabilitation, tribal funding, Workforce Oklahoma, etc. may not be affected. Courses attempted, but not completed, during the spring 2020 term are forgiven from the total hours attempted and pace calculation due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

SAP REQUIREMENTS FOR COURSEWORK AT SCIENCE & ARTS AND ALL ACCEPTED INSTITUTIONS

Minimum Graduation/Retention GPA	2.00
Minimum Graduation/Retention GPA for Teacher Education/Certification Programs	2.50
Minimum Pace % of Total Credit Hours Successfully Completed (Standard rounding rules apply in the calculation of pace percentage.)	67%

 

MAXIMUM TIMEFRAME LIMIT (Automatic Federal Financial Aid Suspension)

Maximum Total Credit Hours Attempted Allowed for Earning a BS or BA Degree	150% of 124 credit hours = 186 maximum attempted credit hours
OR it is mathematically impossible to complete a BS or BA degree before reaching 186 total attempted credit hours. This formula applies to those students with a pace of less than 100% and/or have less than 124 credit hours successfully completed. If the result of the formula calculation is equal to or greater than 186, maximum timeframe is exceeded.	(124 - successfully completed hours) + total attempted hours = result to compare to 186

SAP EVALUATION
SAP is calculated for all enrolled students at Science & Arts at the end of each fall, spring, and summer term. Transfer or returning students are evaluated for entry after review of all previous transcripts and the student is accepted for admission or readmission.

Students who do not meet the minimum SAP requirements are placed on federal FINANCIAL AID WARNING. Students on financial aid warning are eligible to receive federal and State aid for one additional term. Financial aid warning status applies only to GPA and pace requirements.

Students attending the term on federal financial aid warning status, and at the end of the term again do not meet the minimum SAP requirements, are placed on federal FINANCIAL AID SUSPENSION. Students on federal financial aid suspension are not eligible for federal and/or State financial aid. Students may appeal the financial aid suspension status (see APPEALS); or reestablish aid eligibility on their own by meeting the minimum requirements by the end of the next term of enrollment. If successful, aid reinstatement is not retroactive and may only apply to the following term after SAP standards are achieved. Students reaching the maximum timeframe limit are automatically placed on federal financial aid suspension and cannot reestablish aid eligibility on their own.

Students granted a federal financial aid appeal approval are on federal FINANCIAL AID PROBATION. Students attending on appeal approval and on federal financial aid probation are eligible for federal and State aid for one term. If during the review of a federal financial aid appeal it is determined to not be possible for the student to meet the minimum SAP requirements in one term, the student may be considered for placement on an ACADEMIC PLAN (see ACADEMIC PLAN).

Notices of federal financial aid warning and suspension are sent to the student email accounts after each term’s SAP evaluations are complete, usually within 1-3 days of final grades posting. It is the student’s responsibility to know their SAP status. Notification to new transfer and returning students required to reapply for admission is sent to the personal email address provided on the application for admission. If the new or returning student indicates on the application of admission that they do not wish to apply for federal financial aid, or the student is accepted as nondegree seeking, a notice may not be sent.

Rules are applied uniformly to all students, continuing and new, even if financial aid was not received previously.

Aid eligibility is reestablished after the student improves their academic record to meet the minimum standards. In cases of suspension due to reaching the maximum timeframe, aid eligibility can only be continued if an extension of aid eligibility is approved by the Financial Aid Appeals Committee, through the appeals process.

Academic notice, probation, and suspension are separate from Financial Aid SAP policies. See Academic Policies in the University of Science & Arts of Oklahoma catalog.

TRANSFER AND RETURNING STUDENTS
Transfer students and returning students who are transferring back to Science & Arts must submit all prior transcripts before SAP eligibility is determined. All transfer hours accepted by Science & Arts for transcript posting count toward SAP minimum requirements and the maximum timeframe limit.

Transfer and returning students who do not meet the minimum SAP requirements or have met the maximum timeframe limit are entered on federal financial aid warning or suspension accordingly.

Students who leave Science & Arts with an approved appeal and return after nonattendance, and have not attended another institution, may reenter on federal financial aid probation, or on an academic plan depending on their circumstances, when they return; provided the leave of absence is not for a period of more than one year.

Students who leave Science & Arts in good academic standing and return after a period of nonattendance, and did not attend another institution, are in good standing when they return; provided the minimum existing SAP standards are met at the time of return.
Students who leave Science & Arts on federal financial aid suspension status and return after a period of nonattendance, and did not attend another institution, will reenter on federal financial aid suspension, provided the minimum existing SAP standards are still not met at the time of return.

REPEATED COURSES
Federal regulations indicate that federal financial aid may be paid for repeated coursework previously taken in the program but may not include more than one repetition of a previously passed course. Courses passed with a grade of D or better may be repeated once toward enrollment status for federal financial aid eligibility determination. Courses passed with a grade of D or better twice are excluded from federal financial aid enrollment status.

GRADES
For federal financial aid purposes, all grades of A, B, C, D, RP, P, RF, F, W, WP, WF, AW, I, N, and NP, and their equivalents from other institutions, are credit hours attempted.

Grades of A, B, C, D, RP, and P are counted as credit hours successfully completed. CLEP and Advanced Placement (AP) credits count as hours attempted and successfully completed. Audit (AU) classes are not eligible for federal financial aid and are not counted as hours attempted or successfully completed.

Remedial classes count as hours attempted for pace and successfully completed (with a grade of RP), or not successfully completed (with a grade of RF), but do not affect GPA.

Grade changes processed by the Registrar are reviewed on a weekly basis by the Financial Aid Office. If a student who is on federal financial aid warning, probation, suspension, or on an academic plan receives a grade change that improves their GPA and/or pace to the required minimum standards; the student’s SAP status may be updated for the current term, including reinstatement of federal aid eligibility for suspended students. The update of status is not retroactive for a previous term.

APPEALS
Appeals of federal financial aid suspension are accepted. Successful appeals should exhibit extenuating circumstances affecting student performance. Extenuating circumstances include (but are not limited to) illness, severe injury, or death in the family.

Appeals of federal financial aid suspension are due by the designated last day to add classes of each term. Late appeals may not be considered.

The federal financial aid suspension appeal form is available online at usao-gcgxy.formstack.com/forms/suspension_appeal. Paper copies of the appeal form and the SAP policy are also available in the Financial Aid Office, Troutt Hall 112. PDF copies of the appeal form and the SAP policy are also included in the notification of federal financial aid suspension. The SAP policy PDF is also included with all other SAP notices, and the initial aid offer to students each year.

Appeals must be signed and include a personal explanation of extenuating circumstances affecting student performance and information on the improvement of these circumstances, a complete current mailing address, and a list of classes enrolled in or plans to enroll in for the upcoming term. Students must also acknowledge the reason for their federal financial aid suspension status. Students appealing for reaching the maximum timeframe must provide a list of all terms and classes still required to achieve the BA or BS degree(s). Extenuating circumstances must also include documentation such as, but not limited to, medical documentation, obituaries, death certificates, counseling appointment schedules, tutoring and/or mentoring records, signed statement from professional outside third party detailing circumstances, police reports, court documents, etc.

Incomplete appeals are not considered.

Appeals are reviewed by the Financial Aid Appeals Committee. The Financial Aid Appeals Committee does not meet with students. Decisions are sent to the student email account following the committee meeting, by the designated last day to drop classes of each term.

Students must meet all conditions of appeal approval to continue receiving aid until they meet all minimum requirements. The conditions of an appeal approval may include enrollment changes such as a reduction in hours or a change in courses, or counseling recommendations. Changes to the financial aid package may occur due to committee requirements regarding changes in credit hours.

All decisions of the Financial Aid Appeals Committee are final.

ACADEMIC PLAN
The Financial Aid Appeals Committee may recommend an academic plan for some students.

The academic plan must bring the student up to minimum SAP requirements by a certain point in time. Students attending on academic plans are evaluated at the end of each term to verify the requirements of the academic plan are met. It is possible to require an academic plan through graduation.

Students who do not meet the requirements of the academic plan are placed on federal financial aid suspension.

Minimum GPA and pace requirements not specifically addressed by the academic plan must also be maintained.

Students placed on suspension after not meeting the requirements of the plan may reestablish SAP by meeting the minimum SAP requirements on their own, except in cases of exceeded maximum timeframe. Aid may be reinstated after the term when minimum SAP requirements are established. The student may also appeal the suspension status through the appeals process.

STUDENT RESPONSIBILITY
Students are held responsible for their SAP eligibility and their status at the end of each term. It is the student’s responsibility to know their SAP status. It is also the student’s responsibility to monitor their student email account. It is the student’s responsibility to work with faculty regarding incomplete coursework and grade change submissions to the Registrar. If questions arise, contact the Financial Aid Office. NOTE: SAP total hours attempted for federal financial aid eligibility may differ from the total hours attempted on academic transcripts due to grades such as W, RP, and RF, which are not counted toward academic attempted credits but must be included in evaluating SAP. Also, the cumulative GPA on a grade report may differ from the student’s retention/graduation GPA.

Policy for Title IV Aid Recipients Who Withdraw
Students who receive Title IV funds or have met the conditions that entitle them to a late disbursement, who withdraw from all their Title IV eligible courses at Science & Arts prior to the end of the payment period, will be subject to the Return of Title IV (R2T4) funds policy. Title IV funds includes: the Pell Grant, Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant, Supplemental Education Opportunity (SEOG) Grant, Subsidized Stafford Direct Student Loans, Unsubsidized Stafford Direct Loans and Parent Plus Loans.

Students are awarded Title IV funds under the assumption they will attend school for the entire period for which the assistance is awarded. When a student withdraws, the Financial Aid Office will determine the date of the withdrawal and calculate the amount of Title IV funds earned while enrolled in classes according to the following R2T4 funds formula: number of days attended divided by the number of days scheduled in the payment period. Breaks of at least five days are not included in this calculation. If the percentage completed exceeds 60% of the payment period a student is considered to have earned all of their Title IV funds. If the student has not completed 60% of the payment period a recalculation of aid will be performed.

When performing the recalculation of aid, if the amount of Title IV funds disbursed exceeds the amount of Title IV funds earned, the unearned funds must be returned. If the amount of Title IV funds disbursed to the student is less than the Title IV funds earned, the student may be eligible to receive a post-withdraw disbursement.

Science & Arts must include Title IV funds that were disbursed or could have been disbursed in the recalculation of aid. A recalculation of Title IV funds may be completed based on regulatory calculations before a R2T4 is completed.

Return to Title IV Withdraw Policy
A student is considered withdrawn when they do not complete all the days of the payment period. The date of the withdrawal will be determined by whether the student is an official or unofficial withdraw.

A student who notifies Science & Arts they intend to withdraw is considered an “official withdraw”. The withdrawal date may be designated as the date the student notifies Science & Arts of their intent to withdraw, begins the withdraw process, or the documented last date of academic engagement that is earlier or later than the date a student begins the withdraw process. Complete withdraws are processed through the Registrar’s Office; however, the withdraw process begins with the Student Success Center (Nash Library 306).

A student who stops attending all courses at Science & Arts prior to the end of the term without notifying the institution is considered an “unofficial withdraw”. The withdrawal date for an unofficial withdraw may be designated as the midpoint of the term or the last date of academic engagement.

A student who fails to earn a passing grade in any course in the payment period is considered to be an unofficial withdrawal. Unearned grades include: incompletes (I), withdraws (W), administrative withdraws (AW), remedial fails (RF), and fails (F). When faculty report grades at the end of the term they are required to report the last date of attendance or academic engagement for all F’s. Once grades are posted, the Financial Aid Office identifies all Title IV students who did not receive any passing grades and processes them under the unofficial withdrawal policy.

All withdrawals will impact Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP).

Modules
A student who is enrolled in modules, or a course that does not span the entire length of the payment period, will be considered withdrawn if they cease to attend, or fail to begin attendance in a scheduled course that is included in the payment period. Students who withdraw from modules but are still enrolled in other courses may have their aid recalculated to reflect their enrollment.

Students who are considered withdrawn will be subjected to R2T4 calculations if they do not meet the following exceptions:

1. A student who completes all requirements for graduation.
2. Successfully completes Title IV-eligible coursework in one module or combination of modules that equals 49% or more of the number of countable days in the payment period.
3. Successfully completes Title-IV eligible coursework equal to or greater than half-time enrollment (6 credit hours) for the payment period.
4. Confirming attendance in writing for a Title-IV eligible course in a later module.

Students who meet the above exceptions may have their Title IV aid recalculated per applicable program regulations.

Return Policy for Unearned Funds
The Financial Aid Office will calculate the amount of federal funds that must be returned according to the Return of Title IV funds formula for students who do not complete 60% of the payment period. Any unearned funds will be returned to the appropriate Title IV programs. Aid amounts are returned to Title IV programs in the following order: Unsubsidized Direct Loan, Subsidized Direct Loan, PLUS Loan, Federal Pell Grant, Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant, and SEOG grant.

Science & Arts will email students, within 30 days of determining a student has withdrawn, if they are determined to need an R2T4 recalculation and are eligible for a post-withdraw disbursement or will have unearned funds returned on their behalf. A student will have 14 calendar days to accept or decline additional Title IV Aid after being notified of an eligible post-withdraw disbursement.

Any unearned Title IV funds will be returned to the appropriate Title IV program within 45 days of the date Science & Arts determines a student officially or unofficially withdraws from all courses before the end of the payment period. If Science & Arts returns federal funds on behalf of a student, the student should check with the Bursar’s Office (Troutt 220) to see if a bill is now owed for previously paid charges.