Policies and Procedures

 

The College of the Sequoias' Financial Aid Office Guide is made available to prospective and current students and their families to provide an overview of the policies and procedures that pertain to the eligibility and awarding of federal and state financial aid.  The Financial Aid Office encourages all students and their families to become familiar with the referenced document. 

An overview of the College of the Sequoias’ financial aid policies and procedures may be found below along with helpful links.  Questions should be directed to the Financial Aid Office.

 

 600% Lifetime Eligibility for Pell Grant

 

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You are eligible to apply for a Pell Grant until you earn a Bachelor's Degree.  However, you may now only receive Pell Grant for six fulltime equivalent years (600%).  For example, if you received a Pell Grant at full-time status for four semesters and at 1/2 time status for one semester, you will have used 2 1/4 years or 225% of your eligibility.  It is extremely important that you make good use of your eligibility and plan well so that you can achieve your academic goal before exhausting your Pell Grant eligibility.

We recommend these steps:

  • If you do not have a current Student Educational Plan, make an appointment as soon as possible with your academic counselor.
  • Tell your counselor you only want to take courses required for your educational program.
  • Follow your Student Educational Plan very carefully to take advantage of your remaining Pell Grant eligibility.
  • Do not frequently change your program (major); the Pell Grant eligibility clock will continue to tick and will not be reset when you change your program.
 

 High School Diploma or Equivalent Required

 
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You must have a high school diploma or the equivalent to receive federal aid, such as the Pell Grant, Federal Work Study, and Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG).  The high school diploma must be issued by a recognized accrediting institution and may not be obtained or purchased from a diploma mill.  High school diploma equivalencies include:
 
  • High School Diploma from a foreign school (if it is equivalent to a U.S. high school diploma) 
  • General Educational Development (GED) Certificate
  • California High School Proficiency Exam
  • Homeschooling at the secondary level as defined by state law
 Exception: Students who did not graduate with a high school diploma or the equivalent may be eligible for Title IV federal student  
 aid if they meet the following conditions prior to July 1, 2012.
  • Enrolled in an eligible educational program (major)
  • Enrolled in classes that were prescribed for an eligible educational program (major) 
 Students who meet these conditions may:
  • Contact the Financial Aid Office to sign up to take the Ability-to-Benefit (ATB) test
  • Inform the Financial Aid Office when they have successfully passed six (6) units of degree applicable courses 
 

 Assembly Bill 540 (AB 540) – California Nonresident Tuition Exemption Law

 
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Any student, other than a nonimmigrant, who meets all of the following requirements, shall be exempt from paying nonresident tuition at all public colleges and universities in California. The student must have attended a California high school (public or private) for three or more years and have graduated from a California high school or attained the equivalent. Office high school transcripts must be submitted to the College of the Sequoias’ Admissions & Records Office. The student must also file an affidavit with the college stating that he/she has filed an application to legalize his/her immigration status or will file an application as soon as he/she is eligible to do so. The nonresident student meeting the criteria will be exempted from paying nonresident tuition but will not be classified as a California resident. AB 540 does not make the student eligible for federal or state financial aid. For more information, please contact the College of the Sequoias’ Admissions & Records Office.

Are you eligible for the AB 540.pdf
 

 Dependency Override

 
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The U.S. Department of Education states that eligibility for financial assistance is based on the assumption that the parents or guardians of students are primarily responsible for paying for a college education. If the directions on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) require parent/guardian information then by law the student is required to provide their information.
In extreme hardship cases, the College of the Sequoias' Financial Aid Office may be able to assist students who are technically dependent according to federal regulations but who does not or cannot have contact with their parent. In such cases, the student must complete a "Request for Dependency Override" form. The student will need to provide written documentation from a third party professional (e.g., minister, psychologist, social worker, etc.) confirming the above. Additional documentation may be requested if warranted by the institution. The "Request for Dependency Override" form may be found online or to request a hardcopy of the form, please contact the College of the Sequoias'' Financial Aid Office. The form along with all applicable documentation including a completed FAFSA should be submitted for review to the Financial Aid Office located in the Sequoia Building Room 105.
 
 

 Payment Schedule

 
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The College of the Sequoias’ Financial Aid Office is responsible for creating and publicizing the payment schedule for federal and state financial aid to all eligible students.  The payment schedule is e-mailed to the student via their college district issued e-mail account (giant.cos.edu) and it is posted on the Financial Aid Office website.  The majority of federal and state financial aid disbursements are made by means of the COS Debit Card which is sent to financial aid recipients via U.S. mail.  A copy of the payment schedule may be found online or to request a hardcopy of the payment schedule, please contact the College of the Sequoias’ Financial Aid Office. 
 
 

 Eligibility Limitations

 
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Provided that a student meets all other eligibility criteria, he/she may receive Title IV financial aid at College of the Sequoias until he/she has: attained an Associate of Arts (A.A.) or an Associate of Science (A.S.) or higher from a regionally accredited college or university; or has not exceeded the maximum timeframe allowed for the completion of their educational program. Once one or both of the above are achieved, the student is disqualified from receiving financial aid. Units attempted and degrees completed at regionally accredited institutions will be counted toward the progress standards. The student has the option to file an appeal of their disqualification provided that his/her educational goal requires completion of additional coursework. A completed counselor-approved Student Educational Plan (SEP) is required to be submitted along with the appeal. The appeal and SEP should be submitted to the College of the Sequoias’ Financial Aid Office prior to the established deadline each term.
 

 Eligible Majors

 
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To receive Title IV federal financial aid at the College of the Sequoias, a student must be enrolled in an eligible program for the purpose of completing an Associate of Arts (A.A.), an Associate of Science (A.S.), transfer requirements or vocational certificate program that requires a minimum of sixteen (16) units.
The “Eligible Majors for Financial Aid Eligibility” flyer indicates the academic programs at College of the Sequoias that are considered both eligible and ineligible for financial aid. Please be aware that although the student may receive an award letter, in an ineligible major is selected, financial aid will not be disbursed to the student.
If the student wishes to change his/her major, contact the Admissions & Records Office and ask for a “Request Form for Official Student Demographic Change” form. Students requiring assistance selecting an academic program should consult with an academic counselor.
 

 Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) – Written Consent Form

 
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Federal regulations “provides that an agency or institution may not have a policy or practice of disclosing personally identifiable information from education records without the “written consent” of the parent or eligible student” (Federal Register – Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act). College of the Sequoias’ Financial Aid Office provides a “Written Consent Form” to students who wish to consent to a family member or third party to have access to his/her financial aid records.
 
 

 Overpayment Policy

 
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If the student receives financial aid and never attends class, full repayment will be required. If the student made an error on the financial aid application that decreases eligibility, repayment will be required. The National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) will be notified and the student will not be eligible to receive additional payments at any postsecondary institution until payment arrangements are made. The student may contact the College of the Sequoias’ Financial Aid Office to repay the amount due. Federal financial aid overpayments not paid by the end of the academic year will be referred to the Collection Department of the U.S. Department of Education. The student must then make payment arrangements directly with the U.S. Department of Education to regain financial aid eligibility. State financial aid overpayments shall be paid directly to College of the Sequoias.
 
 

 Procedures for Reinstatement of Financial Aid Eligibility

 
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Self-Reinstatement:  A student may have financial aid self-reinstated by earning a cumulative 2.0 GPA and by earning a cumulative 67% pace of unit completion but must not have exceeded the maximum attempted unit timeframe of 150% allowed for the completion of their educational program.

Approval of SAP Appeal with Resulting Probation Status:  A student may submit a SAP Appeal Form accompanied by supporting documentation (if required) and have his/her appeal approved.  In this scenario, students are placed on Probation status for that term only, and must be in Good Progress status or have met conditions of their approved appeal by the end of that term.
 

 Remedial Courses

 
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Students are permitted to attempt up to thirty (30) remedial semester units at College of the Sequoias as long as they provide preparation for courses required for an Associate of Arts (A.A.), an Associate of Science (A.S.), vocational certificate or transfer program. Remedial courses are not counted towards the maximum timeframe allowed for the completion of their educational program and will not be considered upon appeal.
 

 Return to Title IV Funds

 
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Federal Regulations require that students who receive Federal Title IV Student Financial Aid and withdraw from all classes prior to completing 60% of the semester may be required to repay all or a portion of financial assistance received. At College of the Sequoias, the Federal Pell Grant Program, the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant and Direct Loans are subject to these repayment provisions.
Students who receive federal financial aid and withdraw prior to the following dates may be billed for a portion of their financial aid:
Fall Semester 2012 - October 31, 2012
Spring Semester 2013 - April 4, 2013
Summer 2013 - 60% point of the Summer Session
Students who fail all courses attempted will also be subject to repayment provisions. The Financial Aid Office will assume that students who fail all classes only attended 50% of the semester. A calculation for repayment will be made based on that assumption. If such a student was actually in attendance past the 50% point, he/she must submit written documentation from an instructor within forty-five (45) days of the repayment notification.
 
 

 Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy for Financial Aid Recipients

 
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The U.S. Department of Education requires, as a condition of receiving Title IV federal student aid, that students be making satisfactory academic progress toward and associate degree, vocational certificate of at least sixteen (16) units, or transfer to a
four-year college or university.  This policy is also applied to state student aid.
 
At College of Sequoias (COS), students are considered to be meeting the satisfactory academic progress standards if the following four requirements are met:

1. 2.0 Cumulative Grade Point Average:  A student must maintain a 2.0 cumulative grade point average (GPA).  This includes all GPA units at COS and those from other regionally accredited colleges and universities that have been evaluated by the COS Admissions & Records Office and applied to the student's academic record.  GPA units are those with grades of A, B, C, D, or F. 
2. 67% Cumulative Pace of Unit Completion:  A student must complete at least 67% of the total number of units they attempt (passed hours divided by attempted hours).  All courses with grades A, B, C, D, or F, as well as W, I, NC, NP, NG, and repeated courses will be counted towards the total attempted units.  Units from regionally accredited colleges and universities that have been evaluated by the COS Admissions & Records Office and applied to the student's academic record will be counted. 
3. Degree Earned:  The student has not earned an associate degree or higher from a regionally accredited college or university. 
4. Maximum Attempted Unit Timeframe:  A student has not exceeded the maximum attempted unit timeframe allowed for the completion of their educational program. The units required to complete a vocational certificate vary. Completion of an associate degree normally requires 60 units. Based on federal regulations, a student is allowed a maximum attempted unit timeframe not to exceed 150% of the length of an educational program.  Example:  150% of a 60 unit program (60 x 1.5) equals 90 attempted units, at which time the student would be disqualified.  All courses, including remedial, ESL, repeated courses, and courses taken while pursuing other majors, with grades of A, B, C, D, or F, as well as W, I, NC, NP, NG, will be counted as attempted units applied to the maximum attempted unit timeframe allowed.  Courses from other regionally accredited colleges or universities that have been evaluated by the COS Admissions & Records Office and applied to the student's academic record will also be counted toward the maximum attempted unit timeframe.
 
 

 Special Circumstances

 
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In cases where family income is expected to be substantially less than the previous year or if you have a special circumstance that warrants review of College of the Sequoias’ Financial Aid Office (e.g., excessive medical costs), you may request a review of family contribution and financial aid eligibility. The “Special Circumstances Request” form is available online or a hardcopy may be requested by contacting the Financial Aid Office and should be submitted with suggested documentation as referenced on the form.
 
Last Updated: 4/1/2013 10:45 AM