Download Individual Policies In PDF FORMAT
	SATISFACTORY ACADEMIC PROGRESS POLICY
	RETURN OF TITLE IV FUNDS POLICY

The following financial policies are in effect.

SATISFACTORY ACADEMIC PROGRESS POLICY (Effective Starting Fall 2007)
(SATPROG REVISED 11/06 Effective Starting Fall 2007)
In accordance with the U.S. Department of Education regulations, financial aid recipients must maintain satisfactory academic progress toward the achievement of a degree or certificate. The law and federal regulations require that progress be determined using both qualitative and quantitative measures. All credits attempted in any semester of enrollment at Hawaii Community College (HawCC), regardless of aid status, will be counted when calculating both qualitative and quantitative measures of Satisfactory Academic Progress. The student’s academic progress will be evaluated at the end of the Fall and Spring semesters.

MINIMUM STANDARDS FOR ACADEMIC PROGRESS

1. All financial aid recipients must be enrolled as a classified student in an eligible degree or certificate program of study that is at least 16 credits and 15 weeks in length.
2. Students must maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.0. (credits and grades excluded under the Amnesty Policy will be included in the calculation of the financial aid GPA).
3. Students must successfully complete (pass) at least 67% of all credits attempted.

CREDIT COMPLETION REQUIREMENT

1. All students, including students who completely withdraw during a semester, will be assessed credit completion requirements based on their enrollment on the HawCC Census Date (last day to withdraw from semester long courses without a “W”) including funded consortium credits.
2. The following grades will be considered as credits attempted but not successfully completed: F, W, N, I/F, NC, and any grade considered as a non-passing grade by either the home or the host institution for consortium credits.
3. An I/F grade is calculated as no credit received until the grade is changed by the Instructor and added to the student’s academic record by the Records Office. If students need the completed grade to change their financial aid status (probation/suspension), they must notify the Financial Aid Office when the grade has been added to their transcript. The Financial Aid Office will not automatically review for an incomplete grade changes.
4. Audited classes are not eligible for financial aid and are not counted toward credit completion requirement calculation.
5. Students must successfully complete (pass) at least 67% of all credits attempted.

Example: Since she started attending HawCC, Kuu attempted 60 credits. She only successfully completed (passed) 50 credits because she withdrew from a few classes and failed one. The calculation is 50 credits divided by 60 credits equals 83%. Therefore, Kuu has met HawCC’s credit completion requirement.

TIME FRAME OF AID ELIGIBILITY

1. Students will be allowed 150% of the number of credits required for the completion of their certificate or degree (the calculation will be rounded down to the nearest whole number of credits).
2. Students who change their major, without completing their certificate or degree, will have all credits previously attempted counted toward the new time frame.
3. Students who have completed a degree or certificate and are working on a subsequent degree or certificate will have any previously attempted credits that exceeded the first time frame and any credits that transfer to the new degree or certificate counted toward the time frame of the new degree or certificate.
4. ALL semesters of previous enrollment at HAWCC, regardless of aid status, will be counted toward time frame.
5. ALL transfer credits accepted by HAWCC will be counted toward time frame for completion of the degree or certificate.
6. Students may receive payment for repeating a course. Each attempt will be counted toward time frame.
7. Audited classes are not eligible for financial aid and are not counted toward time frame.
8. A student is allowed thirty (30) remedial credits that are not counted toward the time frame. Remedial credits are program specific (e.g. ENG 21 is a remedial course for the LBART AA but it is not a remedial course for AG AAS). ESL courses do not count against the thirty (30) credit limits.

Example: An Associate of Arts (AA) degree requires 60 credits. A student is eligible to receive federal Title IV funds for a total of 90 credits (60 credits X 150% = 90 credits).

FINANCIAL AID PROBATION

Students who have ATTEMPTED LESS THAN 25 credits and do not meet the credit completion requirement and/or the cumulative GPA requirement will be placed on financial aid probation if they meet the following conditions:

1. Students who have a credit completion rate of at least 50% but less 67%.
2. Students who have a cumulative GPA of at least 1.0 but less than 2.0.

IMPORTANT: At the end of the probationary semester, students must maintain or achieve a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 and have a credit completion rate of at least 67%.

While on financial aid probation, students are still eligible to receive financial aid. The Financial Aid Office may use Professional Judgment to extend a student’s probationary period beyond one semester.

Students will be notified in writing that they have been placed on probation.

FINANCIAL AID SUSPENSION

Students will have their financial aid suspended and they will not be eligible for financial aid in subsequent semesters in the following cases:

1. Students who have a credit completion rate of less than 50%
2. Students who have a cumulative GPA of less than 1.0.
3. Students who have Attempted twenty-five (25) or more credits who have a cumulative GPA of less than 2.0 and/or a credit completion requirement of less than 67% of attempted coursework.
4. If at the end of the probationary period, a student has a cumulative GPA of less than 2.0 and/or a credit completion rate of less than 67% of attempted coursework.
5. Student has exceeded the maximum timeframe for his/her degree or certificate.

Students will be notified in writing that they have been suspended. Students will remain suspended until they once again meet satisfactory progress standards. Students may regain eligibility through the normal application of the satisfactory progress calculation of their subsequent coursework, if the calculation restores them to “Good Standing” (cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 and a cumulative credit completion rate of at least 67%).

REINSTATEMENT
 
To regain financial aid eligibility, a student must earn sufficient grades and/or complete the necessary credits to meet the qualitative (cumulative GPA of at least 2.0) and a credit completion rate of at least 67%. Financial aid eligibility can not be reinstated for students who have exceeded the maximum timeframe for their degree or certificate.

APPEAL OF FINANCIAL AID SUSPENSION/TERMINATION

The only basis for an appeal will be an extraordinary circumstance ((e.g. accident, illness, death of an immediate family member, etc.). A student must complete and submit a HAWCC APPEAL OF SATISFACTORY ACADEMIC PROGRESS POLICY form explaining in detail the specific reasons which contributed to the student’s lack of progress, documentation to substantiate the student’s statement. Students will be notified in writing of the decision.

RETURN OF TITLE IV FUNDS POLICY

The Higher Education Amendment of 1998 required schools to implement The Return of Title IV Refund Funds policy when a Title IV funds recipient withdraws from school.  A Title IV recipient is defined as a student who has received Title IV funds (excluding Federal Work Study funds but including Federal PLUS loan funds) OR has met the conditions that entitle the student to a late disbursement.   

The Amendment makes clear that Title IV funds are awarded to students with the assumption that he/she will attend school for the entire enrollment/payment period.  If a student receiving the above-mentioned assistance completely withdraws from school or ceases to attend classes, the Financial Aid Office is required to calculate the amount of funds the student earned prior to their withdrawal and calculate the amount that was unearned and must be returned to reimburse the appropriate Title IV programs.  After the 60% point, the student is deemed to have earned 100% of the Title IV funds.

The withdrawal date is used to determine the point in time that the student withdrew or ceased to attend so that the percentage of the enrollment/payment period completed can be determined. A student’s withdrawal date will vary depending on the type of withdrawal.  If a student officially withdraws, the date the institution would use would be the day the student started the withdrawal process or notifies their intent to withdraw whichever is earlier. However, the school may choose to use an earlier last date of attendance at an academically related activity as the student’s withdrawal date.  If a student does not notify the institution that he/she has withdrawn, the date that the student withdrew would be the date the institution became aware that the student ceased to attend classes. The percentage of Title IV aid earned is equal to the percentage of the enrollment/payment period the student completed.
 
In cases in which funds must be returned, the school will reimburse the Title IV programs via the tuition revenue account.  As a result, any tuition refunds due to the student will first be returned to reimburse the Title IV programs.  Students will be billed for any unpaid institutional charges that result from the return of funds to the Title IV programs.  In addition, the student may be required to directly repay a portion of the Title IV funds that were received.  In such cases, the Business Office will send the student a repayment promissory note which details the amount that must be repaid, the federal aid program that must be repaid, and the date the repayment is due.  Any repayment outstanding or unpaid will be referred to the U.S. Department of Education for collection and legal disposition.  Furthermore, a financial obligation will be placed on the student’s account by the institution, which will prohibit the student from registering in the future semesters, receiving academic transcripts, or receiving any additional federal aid funds. 

In some cases, a student may be eligible to receive a “post-withdrawal” disbursement after the student completely withdraws from school when the amount of aid earned is less than the amount of aid disbursed.  In such cases, the Financial Aid Office will notify the student of the “post-withdrawal” disbursement via an award letter. 

For Loans only, the post-withdraw notification must be returned to the Financial Aid Office within fourteen (14) days or the “post-withdrawal” disbursement will be cancelled.

NOTE: The HawCC Tution Refund Policy is published in the Hawaii Community College catalog.  

1. Students who are completely withdrawing from school must obtain a complete withdrawal form from the Records Office or the Financial Aid Office. This form requires the student to provide a last date of attendance for the last class attended. Students who do not officially withdraw from school may receive “F” grades for all courses.
2. Students who are completely withdrawing from school must present the complete withdrawal form to the Financial Aid Office for signature.  The Official Withdrawal Process begins when the student submits the withdrawal form to the Financial Aid Office for signature.  All refunds and repayment amounts will be rounded to the nearest cent.
3. Finally, students who are completely withdrawing from school must return the complete withdrawal form, with all required signatures, to the Records Office.  It is only at this point that the student will be officially withdrawn from all classes.

NOTE: Withdrawal form all classes during a term

Withdrawal form all classes during a term may result in a change in institutional changes for the term. Please consult the Hawaii Community College Catalog for the complete Tution and Fees Refund Policy.

Financial Aid Policies PDF Format

  Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy (Effective Starting Fall 2007)

  Return of Title IV Funds Policy

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