Offer Letter Conditions/Policies and Procedures
1. All Students are offered initially for an academic year – either on Semesters for Fall/Spring or on T-Terms for T1-T4 (see #2 below).
2. Your offer is divided into either two or four disbursements based upon your home location; ϱ is Semester based (two disbursements) while TROY Support Centers, Phenix City, TROY Online, Montgomery, Dothan, and unknown locations are T-Term based (four disbursements). You can check your offered disbursement pattern on Financial Aid Self-Service. Once your financial aid is transmitted, you cannot change your attendance pattern.
3. All new and continuing federal loan borrowers must complete a Master Promissory Note (MPN) for the Federal Direct Student Loan Program. Your loan is not guaranteed until the MPN is completed. This sequence must be followed: return the offer letter, ϱ certifies the loan, and then you complete the MPN and Entrance Counseling. To complete an MPN and Entrance Counseling, please login at v and complete the steps. Once your FAFSA is received, always request (in writing with documentation) for the financial aid office to make changes to your FAFSA data or your disbursements could be canceled or reversed. This is especially true if we have reviewed your data with a process called Verification.
4. Student loan funds can only be disbursed for the period of the loan request. If you cease to be enrolled, drop below half-time, or graduate, all loan funds for future disbursements will be canceled. Financial Aid is credited to your student account after the last day of free drop/add (approximately one week after classes have begun).
5. If you did not/will not attend Fall Semester or T-Term 1, your offer will be canceled when we determine you are not enrolled. You will need to submit a Student Loan Request to inform ϱ of your intent to attend a different semester or term. Check our website or 1-800-414-5756 for more information. We will check Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) again prior to reactivation of your offers.
6. Scholarship questions should be directed to the department or agency that selected you for the scholarship. If you signed a scholarship agreement, you should review that document first. If we renew your scholarship prior to May for the approaching Fall, we will check your eligibility for renewal after grades are issued. If you do not meet the required renewal standards, your offer will be canceled and you will be notified.
7. Transfer of Funds Certification By accepting my offer through Financial Aid Self-Service, I authorize ϱ to transfer any student aid funds received to my student account for payment or charges related to my enrollment (including appropriate fines, fees, books, etc.). See University Store for book charge policy.
8. POLICIES GOVERNING FINANCIAL AID OFFERS
STUDENT EMPLOYMENT: Any amount listed on your financial aid offer letter for student employment is only an estimate of potential earnings. Students offered employment would be paid minimum wage for actual hours worked, not to exceed 13 hours per week. Students will be notified of the job assignments after accepting work study.
COURSE LOAD: You must enroll full time each Semester/T-Term at the appropriate level in order to receive maximum financial aid benefits. Only courses required for your degree will be eligible for financial aid and VA benefits. If any course is not properly assigned on your program evaluation, you can request an official program evaluation through the Registrar’s Office. If you drop hours your aid may be reduced or canceled. Students offered graduate loan amounts are only eligible based on their graduate course load which counts toward their graduate degree. Six Month Contract Learning courses, transient courses, and certification program courses are NOT eligible to receive federal assistance. Only full-time students may receive the full Pell Grant amount. The grant is prorated for three-quarter, half-time, or less-than-half-time enrollment. A loan may be received as long as the student is enrolled at least half-time.
| Academic Level - Attendance Pattern | Undergraduate - Semesters | Undergraduate - T-Term | Graduate- Semesters | Graduate - T-Term |
| Full Time | 12 | 6 | 8-9 | 6 |
| Three Quarter Time | 9-11 | 4-5 | 7 | 4-5 |
| Half Time | 6-8 | 3 | 4-6 | 3 |
(NOTE: class attendance is required to receive any type of financial aid. Students
reported for non-attendance by faculty will have their aid reduced or canceled.)
WITHDRAWALS: Students who withdraw are required to notify the Financial Aid Office and may be required to repay all or part of any financial aid offered for that Semester/T-Term. You will be billed for any overpayment. If you have any questions, click here. You will not be able to register for an approaching Semester/T-Term until any balance owed is repaid.
PELL GRANT – (Can only be used at one institution for the same enrollment period.) Multi-Institution Adjustments: Awards are based on the total eligibility for the offer year. If a Pell Grant is received at another institution for the same offer year, your student account will be adjusted and you will be responsible for any balance. Typically, until we bill the Department of Education for your disbursed Pell Grant, we are not informed of your use of it at another institution (until that institution also bills the Department of Education) for the same offer year. You may avoid this problem by printing your offer letter, writing on it that you have used part of your Pell Grant eligibility at another institution, list the name of the institution and submit to the Financial Aid Office. You should indicate whether the amount you received was for full time, three quarter time, half time or less than half time enrollment and the number of semesters or quarters you received it.
SUMMER OFFERS: All offers are set up for the Fall and Spring Semesters/T-Terms only. Students desiring assistance for summer will be required to complete a separate application to determine if funds are available for Summer Semester/T-Term 5. You can view your offer online via the TROY Self-Service Portal. ALL STUDENTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO SAVE FUNDS FOR THIS PERIOD.
CHANGE OF STATUS/ADDITIONAL OFFERS: ϱ reserves the right to adjust or cancel any aid if your academic or financial status changes OR if you receive additional types of aid that change your eligibility.
AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS: All financial aid commitments are contingent upon the total receipt of federal and state allocations.
9. Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Requirements
Minimum Standards & Practices
Beginning July 1, 2011, the Satisfactory Academic Progress standards will change in accordance with new federal regulations.
ϱ is required by Sec. 484(c) of the Higher Education Act 1965, as amended to establish Standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress for students receiving assistance through Title IV programs (Pell Grant, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, Federal Work-Study, State Grant and Federal Direct Student Loan Programs.) ϱ has adopted the following as its official policy governing a regular student’s satisfactory academic progress.
Satisfactory Academic Progress is not to be confused with “good standing”. A student can meet the ϱ standards of "good standing" and be allowed to enroll but may not meet the minimum standards of "Satisfactory Academic Progress" to receive financial aid while enrolled.
Grade Point Average and Completion Rate
To receive Title IV funds (Federal Direct Loan, Plus Loan, Pell Grant, Work-Study, State, or Supplemental Grant), a student must be making “satisfactory academic progress” toward completing his/her academic program.
For purposes of this standard, students must maintain a 2.0 undergraduate (3.0 graduate) cumulative grade point average (GPA) and successfully complete 67% of all hours attempted, including repeated courses, dropped courses, withdrawals, incompletes, and F/FA grades.
This standard is measured annually and begins immediately for graduate students and at the end of the first year for undergraduate students. Satisfactory Academic Progress will also be checked any time you make application for additional aid.
Maximum Eligibility
In addition to the above measures, the maximum length of a student’s program may not exceed 150% of the minimum length required to complete the program. The academic records office according to the published standards in the University Bulletin establishes the length of each program. Courses, which transfer from another post-secondary institution, will reduce the time frame accordingly.
Examples: (1) If your degree is a 120 hour program: 120 x 150% = 180 attempted hours maximum time frame. You are eligible for only the first 180 hours attempted. (2) If you transfer and bring 70 hours credit into a 120 hour program: 120 x 150% = 180 – 70 = 110 hours maximum time allowed for degree funding.
However, if at any point it’s determined the student will not be able to meet the 150% time frame by graduation, the student becomes ineligible for federal aid.
Example: a student has already attempted 170 hours and is in a program that has a 180 hour maximum, but still has 30 hours left to complete the program; the student will not be eligible for federal aid because the program cannot be completed within the 180 hour time frame (170 + 30 = 200).
Second Degree Issues
Students who are working toward a degree level which they have already completed (AS, BS, MS, etc.) or who are working toward a degree which is lower than the one they hold, will have their maximum length of program established at no more than 150% of the normal time frame minus any credits, which transfer from any post-secondary institution.
However, if at any point it is determined the student will not be able to meet the 150% time frame by graduation, the student becomes ineligible for federal aid.
Students will not be eligible for federal aid when seeking a third degree above the second degree which is already attained.
Example: Students will not be eligible for federal aid if working on a third master’s degree.
Preparatory Coursework
A student may apply for a Federal Direct Loan for prerequisite coursework that is necessary to be admitted in an eligible program. The courses must be part of an eligible program offered by ϱ. If enrolled at least half time in these prerequisite courses, the student is eligible for loans for one consecutive 12-month period (not per program) beginning on the first day of the loan period.
Example: a student has a bachelor’s degree with a major in mathematics and wants to enroll in a graduate computer science program but needs 12 more semester hours of computer science coursework to meet the admission requirements. The student may receive a Federal Direct loan if enrolled at least half time in undergraduate prerequisite courses that are required for enrollment in the graduate program.
Notification and Reinstatement
A student who is notified of his/her ineligibility for financial aid funds due to failure to meet these standards may submit a written letter of appeal for reinstatement. The written letter must state the basis for the appeal and include a copy of his/her current academic transcript along with supporting information. All documentation submitted must be original documents; faxed or photocopied appeals will be denied automatically. All letters written on your behalf must be notarized and be on official letterhead. Submission of this appeal does not guarantee approval. If you enroll in classes before your appeal is reviewed, you are responsible for payment of tuition and other education expenses out-of-pocket.
Financial Aid Suspension
Financial Aid Suspension status is assigned to a student who fails to make Satisfactory Academic Progress. A student who is placed on Financial Aid Suspension may only receive financial aid if the student re-establishes eligibility by meeting the standards set forth in this policy.
Financial Aid Probation
Financial Aid Probation is assigned to a student who fails to make SAP and who has successfully appealed and has had financial aid reinstated. A student who is placed on financial aid probation may receive financial aid for one term/semester. At the conclusion of the term/semester, if the student meets the Standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress, the student will be eligible for financial aid reinstatement.
If the student fails to meet overall Satisfactory Academic Progress at the end of the probation, the student’s academic performance for the term/semester will be evaluated against the student’s Financial Aid Probationary Academic Plan.
The Financial Aid Probationary Academic Plan requires that the student:
1. Must be at least half-time and have completed 100% of those classes for credit.
2. Must have a grade point average of 2.0 for undergraduate students or 3.0 for graduate students.
3. Must not withdraw, drop, or have an incomplete during the probationary term/semester.
If you do not meet the above requirements, you will be ineligible to receive financial aid until you meet the satisfactory academic progress standards. No additional appeals will be accepted for failing to meet the Financial Aid Probationary plan. Also, the student is responsible for their bill for classes and other charges.
The student is responsible to contact the Financial Aid Office after the grades are transcribed by the records office for the probationary term/semester to request a SAP reevaluation for eligibility for financial aid for the next term/semester. Due to time requirements for the records office to add the grades to the transcript, the student will not be able to apply for book vouchers and should be prepared to purchase their books for the subsequent term/semester.
The professional Financial Aid Office staff will review each appeal and respond to the student in writing stating the reason for reinstatement or upholding the denial of financial aid. If your appeal is denied, the decision of the appeal committee is final. If the student is enrolled in classes during the appeal and is denied, they are financially responsible for the payments for the classes and other charges.