Policies & Procedures
In compliance with federal and state regulation, Southeast Technical College requires all students to maintain satisfactory academic progress toward the completion of a degree, diploma or certificate in order to receive financial aid. In addition, students are required to complete Exit Counseling upon graduation, termination, or dropping their enrollment status below half-time.
Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)
According to regulations governing the federal financial aid programs, a student must be enrolled in a program of study leading to a degree or certificate and must be making satisfactory academic progress according to the standards and practices of the institution in order to continue to be eligible for the federal programs (Federal Pell Grants, Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant, Federal Direct, Federal PLUS, and Federal Work-Study), as well as all state and institutional programs. All students participating in federal aid programs must comply with the standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) as outlined in the Southeast Tech academic catalog for full-time and part-time status and regardless of program of study. SAP is defined as progressing in a positive manner toward fulfilling requirements for the degree or certificate in a given program of study.
Please note that other entities providing funding for students may require the student to maintain a certain number of credits and/or cumulative grade point average (GPA). This includes, but is not limited to, funding from Vocational Rehabilitation, Department of Labor and Regulation, Tribal Funding, Southeast Tech Foundation Scholarships, and scholarships from outside organizations.
SAP is the measurement of a student’s performance (credits completed and cumulative GPA) in meeting the institutional degree or certificate requirements.
Southeast Tech manages SAP for both academics and financial aid. The same SAP standards are applicable to both areas. Thus, if a student is suspended for academics, he/she is also suspended for financial aid.
- Credits completed = all coursework where credit is earned with a grade A, B, C, D, CR, or P.
- Credits attempted = all coursework where credits were completed PLUS all coursework with a grade of AU, I, F, W, and NC.
- Fractions 0.5 and above will be rounded up. For example, 66.6% will be rounded to 67%.
Note: A student must have a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher to graduate.
- Fails to maintain these standards at the end of the review period.
- Fails to remove himself/herself from Financial Aid Warning even though he/she has completed a term of acceptable academic work.
- Does not satisfactorily remove himself/herself from Financial Aid Warning and does not complete a term of acceptable academic work.
- Has satisfactorily completed acceptable academic work to meet the minimum standards of SAP. The option to transfer in a successful semester from different school may only be used once while a student is attending Southeast Tech. All coursework must apply toward the student’s program(s).
- A student placed on warning or probation is required to take Southeast Tech’s academic recovery course. The academic recovery course credits cannot be used in the calculation for full-time or part-time status for financial aid purposes.
Incomplete // “F” Grades // Withdrawals:
Incomplete grades, “F” grades, and withdrawals will reduce the completion ratio, because
they are counted as attempted but not earned credits. They also count against the
maximum attempted hours for a student’s degree (150 percent rule). If an Incomplete
grade is not completed within the required time frame and becomes an “F,” or if a
student withdraws from a class, or a receives a failing grade in any required class,
the student will usually need to repeat the class. The repeated credits will be used
to determine the amount of successfully completed classes. If an Incomplete grade
changes to a grade after the SAP review has been completed, the grade change will
be reflected as necessary. An Incomplete grade that is later completed for a grade
can potentially increase a student’s GPA and/or increase the successful completion
percentage.
Change of Program (without graduating from a program) or Adding an Addition Program(s):
If a student changes majors, the credits earned under all majors will be included
in the GPA calculation, as well as the maximum attempted credits and the calculation
of credits attempted an earned.
Remedial Coursework:
Non-credit remedial coursework does not count toward quantitative or qualitative standards.
For-credit remedial coursework does count toward quantitative and qualitative standards.
Repeated Coursework:
A student may repeat a completed course one time and receive federal aid for the retake.
Individual programs may have course requirements that are stricter than the Department
of Education requirements for satisfactory progress. Repeated coursework does count
toward maximum time frame (150% rule) and toward GPA requirement of satisfactory progress.
Withdrawals:
Withdrawals will count toward attempted credits and toward maximum time frame (150%
rule).
Dismissal and Return:
A student who is suspended or choose not to attend because of SAP failure will not
be automatically eligible for financial aid upon his or her return. A student must
meet both qualitative and quantitative standards of SAP. Absence does not restore
eligibility for financial aid or academic acceptance. It remains the responsibility
of the student to be knowledgeable of his or her SAP status when returning to school
after dismissal or choosing not to return because of SAP failure.
Summer Term Courses:
All hours attempted and completed in the summer term are treated as any other semester
hours in determining SAP status. SAP will be checked following the summer term.
Maximum Financial Aid for Program(s):
The maximum time frame a student can receive federal aid for each undergraduate program
in credit hours is a period no longer than 150% of the published length of the program
in credit hours. For example, a degree program requiring 64-degree credits to complete
the degree has a maximum of 96 credit hours attempted in which the student can receive
federal aid.
Coursework that a student transfers to Southeast Tech will be evaluated and included
on the transcript only for credits that apply toward the student’s Southeast Tech
degree. Transfer credits must meet the minimum academic standard of the degree. Transfer
credits will count toward earned and attempted cumulative credits in relation to the
150 percent maximum time frame rule.
Credits while not receiving Title IV:
All credits appearing on a student’s transcripts will be counted in calculations for
determining SAP status, including those that may have been during terms in which the
student was not receiving Title IV Aid.
Appeal of Financial Aid / Academic Suspension can be granted only in instances in which extenuating circumstances occur. Some examples of circumstances can include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Death of a Family Member (The name and city of residence of the deceased AND a statement of the student’s relationship with the deceased are required.)
- Illness or Injury to the Student / Medical (An explanation of the nature of the illness or injury and the dates the student was affected by the illness or injury AND documentation from a medical professional / establishment or insurance provider are required.)
- Other Mitigating Circumstances (A detailed explanation of the specific traumatic event or unexpected circumstance that the student did not have control over and what the student has done to overcome the event or circumstance such that he/she can go on to meet the standard of Satisfactory Academic Progress AND supporting documentation from a third party [i.e. physician, social worker, counselor, police] are required.)
- Proof of Academic Success: (A student has completed at least 6 credits successfully with a GPA of 2.0 or higher in the most recent semester of attendance – failed or dropped courses during that time will count negatively in the appeal.)
Lack of awareness of withdrawal policies, requirements for Satisfactory Academic Progress, or unpreparedness for college coursework will not be accepted as reasons for the purpose of an appeal.
The circumstances should be clearly documented. When a student desires to appeal the Financial Aid Suspension, he/she must submit a formal appeal to the Financial Aid Office prior to the first day of the semester the student is returning to attend Southeast Tech. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that the form is submitted prior to the deadline; failure to do so will result in the appeal not being heard. The meeting of the Appeal Committee for the purpose of hearing appeals will be held on an as-needed basis. The student will be notified immediately of the decision of the Committee, including any stipulations or recommendations accompanying the reinstatement of financial aid. A letter reiterating the Committee’s decision will be sent to the student after the decision has been made.
A student may only appeal suspension once during his/her entire time of attendance at Southeast Tech. If the appeal is approved, the student will be placed on probation. A student is required to take an academic recovery course at Southeast Tech.
During probation, which lasts one term, a student is expected to successfully meet the terms outlined in the SAP plan. A student may continue in subsequent semesters as long as he/she continues to meet the terms of the SAP plan. A student will need to meet the 2.0 cumulative GPA requirement and successfully complete at least 67% of his/her credits attempted to be eligible to graduate. A student may receive federal aid while on Financial Aid Probation if otherwise eligible.
Reinstatement of financial aid does not imply waiver of any other school policy, rule, regulation, procedure, etc.
Exit Counseling for Federal Student Loan Borrowers
Students who have accepted federal student loans to help them cover the cost of their
education are required by federal law to complete exit counseling upon graduation,
termination or if their enrollment status drops to less than half time. Exit counseling
must be completed even if you intend to continue your education elsewhere.
Exit counseling provides important information such as loan repayment, grace period
and billing options, as well as collecting updated borrower information. It will typically
take 30-40 minutes to complete.
-
Social Security number
- Date of birth
- Driver's license number
- Permanent email address
- Names, addresses and telephone number of three references
- Department of Education FSAID to sign your FAFSA
- Log in to studentaid.gov using your FSA ID.
- Select “Complete Loan Counseling” on the left-had navigation bar.
- Scroll down to “Exit Counseling” and use the blue Start button.
- Add Southeast Technical College at the school you wish to notify and then click Continue.
- Complete the Exit Counseling as instructed. Be sure to answer all questions on each page before proceeding. Once completed, you will receive a confirmation of completion statement.
Entrance Counseling for Federal Student Loan Borrowers
During entrance counseling, you will learn about the following:
- What a Direct Loan is and how the loan process works
- Managing your education expenses
- Other financial resources to consider to help pay for your education
- Your rights and responsibilities as a borrower
All students taking out Direct Subsidized Loans or Direct Unsubsidized Loans: If you
have not previously received a subsidized or unsubsidized loan under the Direct Loan
Program or a subsidized or unsubsidized Stafford Loan under the Federal Family Education
Loan (FFEL) Program, you’ll be required to complete entrance counseling.
- Log in to StudentAid.gov using your FSA ID.
- Select "Complete Counseling" on the left-hand navigation bar.
- Select "Entrance Counseling" under "Choose Counseling Type."
- Once you are signed in, select “Complete Counseling” from the list of seven items in the middle of the page.
- Be sure that Southeast Technical College is now listed and checked at the top of the “Select Schools to Notify” box and then click “Continue.”
- Complete the Entrance Counseling as instructed. Be sure to answer all questions on each page before proceeding. Once completed, you will receive a confirmation of completion statement.
Important Financial Aid Dates
Financial aid information is subject to change at any time due to changes in federal,
state or sponsoring agency regulations. Other important financial aid information
is available through the Financial Aid Office for continuing aid, transfer students
and other referral sources.
No financial aid will be made available to students until after the add/drop period.
During the add/drop period, students’ attendance will be monitored. At the end of
the add/drop period, each student’s enrollment status will be reviewed, and their financial aid eligibility will be determined based on that enrollment. Pell
Grants will not be adjusted after the add/drop period if enrollment changes. Grants, scholarships
and loans will be transferred to the student’s account. Once this has been done, “refund”
checks will be issued during the financial aid disbursement dates for students with
excess financial aid funds after bills have been paid in full. Students without financial
assistance will be required to pay any outstanding bills. This will coincide with
final fee payment. Every student must go through the fee payment process. The funds
will be used by the Business Office to pay student housing and/or students’ tuition
and fees. Staff will verify that students are maintaining academic requirements to
remain eligible for financial aid, and that students are carrying enough credit hours
to continue their eligibility.
Note: New borrowers will be required to complete loan counseling prior to disbursement
of their loan funds at www.studentaid.gov.
Calculation of Refunds & Earned Financial Aid
A student who officially withdraws from Southeast Tech earns his or her financial aid based on the period of time he or she remained enrolled. Students who terminate their enrollment from Southeast Tech earn their financial aid according to the following formula.
During the first 60% of the semester, a student ‘earns’ Title IV Funds in direct proportion to the length of time he or she has remained enrolled. The percentage of enrolled time is derived by dividing the number of days the student attended (based on the date that an official termination form is submitted to the Registrar) by the number of days in the semester. The calculation uses calendar days and not actual class days. A tuition refund percentage chart is available in the Business Office upon request.
If a student did not receive all of the funds that he/she had earned, he/she may be due a post-withdrawal disbursement. If the post-withdrawal disbursement includes loan funds, the school must get the student’s permission before disbursing the funds. The student may choose to decline some or all of the loan funds so as not to incur additional debt. The school may automatically use all or a portion of a student’s post-withdrawal disbursement of grant funds for tuition and fees. The school needs the student’s permission to use the post-withdrawal grant disbursement for all other school charges. If a student does not give his/her permission, the funds will be offered to the student. However, it may be in a student’s best interest to allow the school to keep the funds to reduce any debt at the school.
Southeast Technical College will follow the U.S. Department of Defense Return of Unearned Tuition Assistance (TA) Funds requirements as described in the Department of Defense Voluntary Education Partnership Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). These requirements involve returning the funds to the Department of Defense directly and not refunding TA funds to the student.
- Direct Unsubsidized Loan
- Direct Subsidized Loan
- Parent Plus Loan
- Federal Pell Grant
- FSEOG
- left Southeast Tech without completing the required termination paperwork; or
- stopped attending all classes before the 60% mark of semester; or
- received no earned grades (passing or failing);
Please note: When an unofficial withdraw is applied, Southeast Tech has the right to bill the student for the federal funds that are sent back to the Department of Education. Also note that students who receive at least one A, B, C, D, P, I or earned F grade in a given semester will not be considered an unofficial withdraw for that semester.