Financial Aid

Financial Aid Recipient Obligations and Information

Satisfactory Academic Progress

Video: What does SAP stand for?

General Requirements

Any student receiving Federal Student Financial Aid at Craven Community College (CCC) must maintain satisfactory academic progress in the course of study they are pursuing in order to continue receiving aid. CCC’s satisfactory academic progress (SAP) requirements are:

  1. Maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 2.00.
  2. Pass two-thirds (67%) of the cumulative course work attempted. Course work attempted includes withdrawals, automatic withdrawals, incompletes, and repeated courses. Developmental course work or courses taken at another institution do not count toward courses attempted or passed.
  3. Complete degree requirements within 150% of the published program length for a full-time student. For example, a student in the college transfer curriculums must complete the degree by the time they have attempted 96 credit hours (64 x 150%). Students who exceed this maximum time frame will not be eligible for any further aid.

Satisfactory academic progress requirements will be monitored at the end of each semester.

Financial Aid Warning Period

Students who do not meet the requirements in (1) or (2) above will be placed on warning and notified of their status through their campus email by the Financial Aid Office. Students may continue to receive financial aid while on warning.

Continued eligibility for aid is determined at the end of the warning term. Students still not meeting the requirements in (1) or (2) above will be placed on Financial Aid Suspension and financial aid will be terminated until the requirements are met.

NOTE: Students cannot receive funds from any financial aid program while on financial aid suspension.

Appeal Process

A student may appeal suspension from financial aid in the case of extenuating circumstances. Appeals generally will be considered when the student has experienced: 1) an extended illness or hospitalization; 2) an accident which incapacitates the student; 3) an extended illness of an immediate family member which results in greater family responsibilities for the student; or 4) a grade change.

The procedure for an appeal is as follows:

  1. The student must indicate in writing to the Director of Financial Aid the reason why he/she did not meet the satisfactory academic progress requirements. Documentation from the student’s advisor, family physician or others involved in the situation is required to support the appeal.
  2. The student must also indicate in writing their plan of action to improve. This should also include a timeline to be meeting satisfactory academic progress.
  3. For appeals as to the 150% rule, the student must document why they are in the program and length of time for completion.
  4. An Appeals Committee will reconsider extenuating circumstances to determine whether reinstatement of aid is justified and will notify the student in writing of the decision.

Reinstatement of Aid after Suspension

If a student’s aid is reinstated after suspension, then the student is placed on probation. Students may continue to receive aid each semester even if the cumulative satisfactory progress requirements are not met as long as the following conditions are met:

  • GPA must be a 2.5 or better for semester if cumulative GPA is below a 2.0;
  • The student has not attempted the maximum number of hours (150% of the published program length); and
  • The student must earn passing grades in all attempted hours each semester or its equivalent, which is two short sessions.  A short session is one-half the length of a full semester.

All CCC courses attempted, developmental, repeated and/or completed (all grades including F, AW, W, and I) in the student’s program of student will be assessed each semester. 

NOTE: For financial aid purposes:

a) Students cannot receive financial aid for audited classes and credit by exams and these classes are not counted as hours attempted;
b) Classes dropped during the “drop/add period” are excluded from financial aid satisfactory progress determinations;
c) When a student enrolls in a class and subsequently switches to another section of the same class, that class is not counted twice when computing the hours attempted.

Aid may NOT be used to preregister while on probation.

A student who fails to adhere to these conditions will be re-suspended. Students who are re-suspended will not be allowed to re-appeal.

The Financial Aid Administrator will notify the student of their status through the student’s college email when placed on probation or suspension. However, it is the student’s responsibility to track his/her progress and not totally rely on the school’s notification.

Receiving Financial Aid

Students who have completed the aid process and are eligible for financial assistance will be able to view their Award Letter on Web Advisor. The award letter will indicate the types and amounts of aid for which the student is eligible. Pell award will be adjusted according to the number of credit hours attending; i.e. three-fourths time (9-11 hours), half-time (6-8 hours) and less than half-time (1-5 hours).

Grant checks will be mailed according to the dates listed on the financial website under Important Dates at www.cravencc.edu.

NOTE: Make sure your address is correct in Student Services.

Students receiving the Pell Grant, the North Carolina Community College Grant (NCCCG) and the North Carolina Education Lottery Scholarship (NCELS) may charge their tuition, fees, and books against their grants during pre-registration and registration.

NOTE: Students will be responsible for any amount owed that aid does not cover. This must be paid by the end of preregistration/registration.

You have to be attending a class in order to receive financial aid for that class (including loans). If a student has some classes that begin at the beginning of a term and some classes that begin at a later date (Late-start and B-Term classes), this can affect a student’s Pell grant refund at the first published disbursement date and can prevent a student from getting a loan disbursement at the first published disbursement date for that term.

For example, if a student is enrolled for 5 credit hours in a class that begins the first day of the semester and 2 credit hours for a B-Term class, the student’s Pell Grant will be adjusted to an amount the student is eligible for 5 credit hours for the first published disbursement date of the term. Once B-Term begins, the student will be 7 credit hours and the student’s Pell Grant will be adjusted again to include this class. If a student wanted to receive a loan, the student would not be eligible for the loan disbursement until after B-Term begins.

To receive a loan, a student has to be attending at least 6 credit hours.

Conditions of Financial Aid

  1. To receive SEOG, NCCCG, Federal Direct loan and, in some cases, Pell Grant funds, you must be enrolled at least half time (six hours). Enrollment status is checked before disbursement can be made.
  2. Enrollment status for financial aid purposes is determined at the end of drop/add and when Attendance Rosters are received in the Financial Aid Office.
  3. Audited courses or credit-by-examination courses are not counted in the enrollment status and may result in a repayment.
  4. Up to 30 credit hours of developmental course work and all prerequisite courses are counted in enrollment status.
  5. Only tuition and fees may be charged against your Pell Grant during pre-registration. Books and supplies may be charged beginning approximately one week before the first day of classes. Charging of your tuition, fees, books and supplies against your grant will end with drop/add each semester.
  6. No one other than the student may charge against the student’s account. The student will be held liable for any charges that exceed his/her financial aid awards.
  7. Students receiving Federal Student Aid must maintain satisfactory academic progress. There are three components to this requirement:
    1. Maintain a minimum 2.00 cumulative grade point average;
    2. Pass two-thirds (67%) of all course work attempted (attempted course work includes withdrawals, automatic withdrawals and incompletes -- it does not include remedial course work);
    3. Complete program of study within 150% of the published program length.
      (See also ACADEMIC PROGRESS at www.cravencc.edu)
  8. Financial Aid recipients must reapply for aid every academic year. Applications for the upcoming year are available in January.

Tuition Refund Policy

As mandated by the North Carolina Legislators, Craven Community College follows the state refund policy as established by the North Carolina Community College System. This state policy provides for a 100% refund of tuition if a student requests a refund prior to the first day of class for the enrollment period. This policy also provides for a 75% refund of tuition up to the 10% point of the semester. The student activity fee is refundable in the same manner as the tuition.

NOTE: This policy is subject to change by the North Carolina Community College System.

Return of Unearned Federal Aid

Effective Fall 2000, students receiving federal aid, who withdraw from school before the 60% of the semester, may owe a portion of the aid already received for the semester. This will be figured by the Financial Aid office and prorated according to the federal guidelines. Students will be notified in writing as to the repayment amount. If a student fails to make the repayment, the student’s account will be referred to the U.S. Department of Education for collection. This must be repaid before any additional federal aid can be awarded at any college.

What are my Responsibilities as a student?

It is your responsibility as a Financial Aid Student to:

  1. Review and consider all information about the school’s program before I enroll
  2. Pay special attention to my application for student financial aid, complete it accurately, and submit it on time
  3. Know and comply with all deadlines for applying or reapplying for aid
  4. Provide all documentation, corrections, and/or new information requested by either the financial aid or the agency to which I submitted my application
  5. Notify my school of any information that has changed since I applied
  6. Read, understand, and keep copies of all forms I’m asked to sign
  7. Repay any student loans I have; when I sign a promissory note, I am agreeing to repay my loan
  8. Complete entrance and exit counseling as required by the college
  9. Notify my school of a change in name, address, or attendance status; I must notify my lender also
  10. Satisfactorily perform the duties of a Federal Work Study student
  11. Understand my school’s refund and repayment policy
  12. Report the source and amount of any other financial assistance received outside of the school
  13. As a Financial Aid Student, register for all classes before term begins. Classes may not be added once the student has registered for classes and the semester has begun.