Kingsborough CC Catalog

To be eligible for Federal Financial Aid, a student must:

Be a citizen or eligible non-citizen of the United States.

Have a valid Social Security Number.

Have a high school diploma or High School Equivalency (HSE) diploma, either through passing the General Education Development (G.E.D.) exam or Testing Assessment Secondary Completion TM (TASC ) or the student must pass an independently administered test approved by the U.S.

Department of Education, or meet other standards that New York State establishes that are approved by the U.S. Department of Education.

Be enrolled in an eligible program as a regular student seeking a degree or certificate.

Maintain academic progress (as defined in the Satisfactory Academic Progress Requirements for Federal Aid Programs section).

Not owe a refund on a federal student grant or be in default on a federal student loan.

The Pell grant is available to eligible matriculated full-time or part-time students. Students must meet federal academic standards to receive this grant. The award amount is based on need, which is determined by the FAFSA.

IMPORTANT NOTES A.

There is a limit to the total amount of Pell a student may receive in his/her lifetime, which is equal to 600%. Pell may be awarded for a maximum of 30 equated/developmental credits, excluding English as a Second Language (ESL) courses.

Non-degree students and those holding foreign student visas are NOT ELIGIBLE to receive federal financial aid.

The Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) is a federally sponsored program, administered by the College and is available to exceptionally needy students. In order to receive FSEOG, a student must be a Pell grant recipient. The FSEOG is an extremely limited fund, which is generally awarded to the earliest FAFSA applicants. The maximum grant awarded annually is based on the availability of funding.

The Federal Work Study (FWS) Program provides part-time jobs to students with financial need, allowing them to earn money to help pay for their educational expenses. The program encourages community service work and work related to the student's course of study. Employment may be located on, or off- campus, and may take place during the academic year (including vacation periods) and/or during the summer months. Students are paid by the hour. Wages for the program are at least equal to the current federal minimum wage. The amount earned by the student cannot exceed the total FWS award. When assigning work hours, the employer/supervisor and work study coordinator will consider the student's award amount, his/her class schedule and the student's academic progress. Recipients are required to maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). The FWS is an extremely limited fund which is generally awarded to the earliest FAFSA applicants. Eligibility for this program is based on need. Need is determined by the FAFSA.

NOTE:

Acceptance of the FWS award does not guarantee employment.

Although the Federal Perkins Loan Program (FPL) is no longer funded, any student who previously received a loan is expected upon completion of study, withdrawal from the college, or upon falling below half-time (6 credits), to complete an Exit Counseling Session. There will be a nine-month grace period before repayment of the loan begins at a 5% simple interest rate for up to a 10-year repayment period.

The William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) Program is the largest federal student loan program. Under this program, the U.S. Department of Education is your lender. There are two types of Direct Loans available:

Direct Subsidized Loan:

Direct subsidized loans are for students who have demonstrated financial need. The federal government subsidizes these loans, so the loans do not accumulate any interest until the student begins repayment. Subsidized student loans are interest-free loans that are backed by the federal government.

Direct Unsubsidized Loan:

There is no requirement to demonstrate financial need. Interest accrues from the time the funds are disbursed until the loan is paid in full. A borrower can choose either to pay the interest or allow it to accumulate until repayment begins. The government guarantees the loan, but does not subsidize the interest, which means the government does not pay the interest while the student is in school.

In order to receive any of the above federal loans, an applicant must attend at least half-time (six credits), be in good academic standing, and maintain satisfactory progress toward their degree. The loan amount borrowed cannot exceed the Cost of Attendance minus the Student Aid Index (SAI) minus Other Financial Assistance. Loan proceeds cannot be disbursed until 30 days after the first day of class, and will be disbursed in two separate installments. Loan repayment begins six months after the student is no longer in attendance, falls below six credits per semester, or the student graduates. Direct Loans have a six- month grace period before payments are due. Borrowers can take up to 10 years to repay the loan.

NOTE:

All loan recipients who complete their degree requirements, withdraw from the college, or fall below six (6) credits must complete an Exit Counseling Session by visiting https://studentaid.gov/ .

IMPORTANT NOTES A.

All loans are subject to an origination fee before they are disbursed. The origination fee for the corresponding year in which a student requested federal student loans can be found by visiting https://studentaid.gov/understand-aid/types/loans/interest-rates B.

Federal student loan Interest rates are set annually, with new rates taking effect on July 1st of each year. Interest rates for all federal student loans and for the corresponding year in which a student requested federal student loans can be found by visiting aid/types/loans/interest-rates Annual Loan Limits for Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans Subsidized Dependent Students st Year $3,500 nd Year $4,500 Independent Students st Year $3,500 nd Year $4,500 1.

The Direct Parent PLUS Loan:

These loans are made to parents of dependent undergraduate students to help pay for education expenses not covered by other financial aid. The Parent PLUS loan is not need- based, but requires credit approval.

A Direct Consolidation Loan allows students to consolidate (combine) multiple federal education loans into one loan. The result is a single monthly payment instead of multiple payments. Loan consolidation gives access to additional loan repayment plans and forgiveness programs. There is no application fee to consolidate your loans. A Direct Consolidation Loan has a fixed interest rate for the life of the loan.

Loans must be in repayment (or have entered the grace period) before they can be consolidated. If the loan is in default, the loan can be consolidated only if, before applying for consolidation, satisfactory repayment arrangements have been made with the holder of the loan. You can apply for a Direct Consolidation Loan by visiting https://studentaid.gov/loan-consolidation/ the application online, or you can download and print a paper application for submission by U.S. mail.

https://studentaid.gov/understand- Total Subsidized & Unsubsidized Unsubsidized $2,000 $5,500 $2,000 $6,500 $6,000 $9,500 $6,000 $10,500 . You can complete and submit NOTE:

Consolidation does not increase existing loan limits.

A student is awarded Title IV Federal Aid with the assumption that they will complete the entire period for which they were awarded. The Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, requires a student to earn Title IV funds on a pro rata basis. When a student ceases enrollment in all courses in a given session or module after the session or module begins, the U.S. Department of Education requires the college to determine if the student earned some portion of the federal aid awarded.

Depending on a student's eligibility, federal financial aid awards, such as the Pell Grant, FSEOG, or Direct Loans, are awarded based on the student's Enrollment Intensity as of the end of the add/drop period. Enrollment Intensity is the percentage of full-time enrollment at which a student is enrolled, rounded to the nearest whole percent (see chart below).

Enrolled Credits Enrollment Status Enrollment Intensity 12 (or more) Full-Time Three-Quarter Time Half-Time Less Than Half-Time The last day to add/drop courses is the seventh day of classes of a term, which is the Financial Aid Certification of Enrollment Date. On the Financial Aid Certification of Enrollment Date, the Office of Financial Aid will lock in a student's Enrollment Intensity for the entire term (this includes the 12-week session and 6-week module).

For example, if a student starts the term with 12 or more equated credits, but drops courses to 6 equated credits by the end of the add/drop period, then the student's financial aid awards will be down to the new Enrollment Intensity based on eligibility. This means that the student may incur a balance and will be required to repay Kingsborough Community College a portion of the refunds or financial aid awards he/she may have received.

On the seventh day of the 12-week session, a student's Enrollment Intensity is locked for the term, which means financial aid award amounts will be based on enrollment at the time the Office of Financial Aid 100% 92% 83% 75% 67% 58% 50% 42% 33% 25% 17% 8% locks it in. Courses that are dropped after the seventh day of classes, but before the official withdrawal period begins, will be assigned a grade of "WD" for financial aid purposes. A student who receives all "W" type grades ("W," "WA," "WD," or "WU") in a given session or module will have the federally mandated Return of Title IV Aid (R2T4) calculation performed. Based on this calculation, a portion of the aid might need to be returned to the Federal Government and the student might incur a balance due to Kingsborough Community College.

To qualify for Federal or State financial aid, one of the requirements, is that a student must complete registration and begin attending their classes. If a student receives a financial aid payment (made to the college or made to the student as a refund) for classes, he/she never attended a "WN" grade is assigned to the student and the student must return the payment immediately to Kingsborough Community College.

To avoid receiving an overpayment of financial aid, it is important that a student drops any courses well before the first day of classes if they will not be attending Kingsborough Community College. Students will be held responsible for any charges and over payments of financial aid they have received and do not return due to failure to start attendance at Kingsborough Community College.

For further details regarding financial aid go to https://www.kbcc.cuny.edu/financialaid/homepage.html

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) is defined as the successful completion of coursework toward an eligible degree or certificate. Federal regulations require the Office of Financial Aid to monitor the academic progress of students receiving financial aid. Students must remain in good academic standing to receive funding under the Federal Student Aid Programs.

Kingsborough Community College's SAP Standards:

Applies to all students who wish to establish or maintain financial aid eligibility.

Applies to the student's entire academic record, whether or not financial aid was received for prior terms of enrollment.

Includes a minimum grade point average, minimum completion rate, and total number of credits earned and/or semesters enrolled.

Federal regulations require the College to establish and apply reasonable standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress for the purpose of the receipt of financial assistance under the programs authorized by Title IV of the Higher Education Act. The programs subject to this rule include, but are not limited to the Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG), Federal Work- Study (FWS), Federal Direct Loans (Subsidized and Unsubsidized), and Federal PLUS (Parent) loans.

Failure to meet the requirements listed below will result in the suspension of financial aid eligibility.

There are three components to maintaining SAP:

Grade Point Average (GPA), Pace of Progression (Completion Rate), and Maximum Timeframe.

These standards are all cumulative, meaning that the Office of Financial Aid looks at a student's entire academic record. Each of the components is further discussed below.

Minimum GPA:

To be in good academic standing a student at Kingsborough Community College must earn a minimum grade point average based on the number of credits they have attempted. The table below shows the minimum GPA standards required for students to maintain eligibility for federal student aid:

Credits Attempted Required Cumulative GPA 0.5 – 12 a minimum GPA of 1.50 12.5 – 24 a minimum GPA of 1.75 24.5 and over a minimum GPA of 2.00 2.

Pace of Progression (Completion Rate):

A student is also required to maintain a pace that will enable them to successfully complete a percentage of all attempted credits each academic year. To maintain "pace" requirements, a student at Kingsborough Community College must earn a certain percentage of the total number of credits they attempt according to the table below.

Attempted* Earned % Attempted* Earned % *Attempted credits and credits earned are accumulated at the end of each term. Attempted credits include All credits from courses for which a student is registered as of the first day of the term (this
includes credits taken during enrollment as a non-degree student).

All credits for courses in which the student registered, but subsequently withdrew from or failed.

Transfer credits from another school that are accepted and applied towards a degree/major by
Earned credits include:

All credits completed with grades of "A," "B," "C," "D,"
Transfer credits that are accepted and applied towards a degree/major by Kingsborough
Community College Grades of "F," "FIN," "W," "WA," "WD," "WU," "INC," "NC" however, they do not count as earned credits.

Incomplete Grades (INC):

Incompletes are counted as attempted credits. A student can make up an "INC" grade by the end of the 10th week of the following session. Only then will the course/credits be counted towards the grade point average calculation and completed credits. If a student does not complete that course by the end of the 10th week of the following 12-week session, the "INC "will change to a failing grade ( "FIN" ) which negatively affects the GPA.

Developmental (Remedial) Courses:

Developmental hours are not counted towards the grade point average, attempted credits, or completed credits. A student will not receive federal student aid for more than 30 developmental hours.

Transfer Credits:

Transfer credits approved and applied towards a degree/major by Kingsborough Community College are counted towards attempted and completed credits. Transfer credits are not counted towards the grade point average.

Repeated Courses:

All repeated courses affect the financial aid Satisfactory Academic Progress calculations. A repeated course, along with the original attempted course, will be counted as attempted credit hours. For further information on repeated courses reference the Readmission Under the Forgiveness Policy:

Federal Student Aid does not consider the Forgiveness Policy when determining if students are maintaining Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). The Financial Aid Office counts all attempted and completed credits since a student's first semester at Kingsborough Community College. The total number of attempted and completed credits is used to determine if students are maintaining SAP. Additionally, students' cumulative grade point average (GPA) is used to determine if they are maintaining SAP. A student readmitted under the Forgiveness Policy may not meet the SAP standard in their first semester of re-enrollment.

Readmission Under the Forgiveness Policy and the Academic Plan:

Students who are readmitted under the Forgiveness Policy must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.00 or higher and meet SAP under the new academic progress to maintain their financial aid eligibility.

This plan will be emailed to students as appeals are submitted and approved.

Maximum Timeframe:

A student must complete their degree or certificate within a maximum timeframe, which is equal to 150% of the published length of their chosen degree program or certificate measured in academic years. For example, if the length of an A.A., A.S., or A.A.S. degree program is 60 "CR" or "P" .

or "Z" count as attempted credits, Grades section of this catalog.

credits, the maximum period to receive Financial Aid may not exceed 90 (60 X 1.5 = 90) attempted credits. Students who have reached the maximum time frame will become ineligible for financial aid.

IMPORTANT NOTES A.

Repeated courses can generally be counted towards degree requirements. However, each time a student attempts courses, they are included as part of the attempted credit record.

Readmitted, transfer, or second degree students may have special situations that impact their SAP calculation.

Students readmitted to Kingsborough Community College under the Forgiveness Policy should meet with a SAP counselor to discuss the impacts of the Forgiveness Policy as it relates SAP standards.

In order to determine students' compliance with the SAP standards, the Office of Financial Aid reviews academic records once per year; at the end of each academic year (Spring term) once grades have been posted and finalized by the Registrar. SAP review includes all terms of the student's attendance, including summer and winter modules. Students attending classes during the summer module, will have their SAP re-evaluated after summer grades have been posted and finalized by the Registrar.

Students who are meeting SAP will be eligible to receive federal student aid. Students who fail to meet SAP will not be eligible to receive federal student aid.

Readmission:

A student who is readmitted to Kingsborough Community College must be considered a matriculated (degree seeking) student to be eligible for federal student aid. Readmitted students must meet all SAP requirements upon readmission to be considered for federal student aid.

If a student fails to meet one of the SAP criteria, they will be placed on financial aid suspension for the following academic year and will be ineligible to receive federal student aid, such as the Pell grant, FSEOG, Federal Work Study, and Federal Direct Student Loans.

Students who lose financial aid eligibility due to not meeting SAP requirements may:

Earn the necessary GPA or credits to meet the minimum requirements while not receiving federal financial aid 2.

Submit a SAP Appeal.

When a student becomes ineligible for financial aid due to a failure to meet SAP standards, an opportunity is given to appeal for further financial aid consideration. In some cases, a student's failure to be in compliance with one or more areas of the SAP policy is due to events beyond their control. If such extenuating circumstances can be documented for the specific term(s) when the SAP standards were not met, a student may submit a SAP Appeal with supporting documentation to a SAP Counselor in the Office of Financial Aid. Appeals are considered on an individual basis; depending on the nature of the appeal, the number of appeals the student has submitted and/or the student's academic record.

SAP appeals must be based on extenuating circumstances, which affected the student's academic performance. Examples of possible extenuating circumstances are:

serious illness,
severe injury,
death of a family member, or
other similar situations.

SAP appeals are reviewed on a continuous basis. The student will be notified as to whether the appeal is approved or denied. If the appeal is approved, the student becomes eligible to receive federal student aid.

Examples of Supporting Documentation (Must be Examples of Circumstances Behind SAP Failure on Letterhead) The student's own illness Medical bill or letter from physician(s) Death of a family member Copy of death certificate Physician's statement, police report, documentation Illness or accident of a close relative from a third-party professional Detailed personal statement. For work-related Other personal circumstance or work-related issues issues, letter from employer is needed with hours worked per week, etc.

Failing pace or maximum attempted because of Personal statement, proof of academic advisement excessive transfer units, change of major, or consultation or other as advised by SAP Specialist.

academic performance Additionally, an appeal will only be approved if the student can meet SAP standards by the end of the academic year for which the appeal is being submitted. Please note there are no limits in which an appeal can be submitted, however, students cannot use the same extenuating circumstances as prior appeals. In addition, approval for students submitting more than one appeal is not guaranteed.

IMPORTANT Submission of a SAP appeal does not guarantee an adjustment to a student's award nor prevents the accrual of late fees of any unpaid tuition balances. Students are responsible for their tuition and any late fees they may receive regardless of their appeal.

A SAP appeal must be submitted and approved before a student can be placed on SAP probation. The student is given specific requirements that must be met in order to maintain financial aid eligibility in the future.

IF SAP requirements are still not met within the probationary term the student will again become ineligible for financial aid and may need to submit another SAP appeal.

If it is determined that the student will require more than one semester to meet SAP, the student will be placed on probation with an Academic Plan. At the end of the term, the student must meet SAP or meet the requirements of the Academic Plan.

NOTE:

Students whose financial aid eligibility has been reinstated under an academic plan and are making progress under that plan are considered to be eligible students for Title IV purposes.