NWCCD is eligible to participate in Title IV programs by meeting the definition of an institution of higher education as defined by the US Department of Education. Title IV funding includes Federal financial aid that each individual student is eligible to apply for by competing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid at www.fafsa.gov. Federal financial aid programs at NWCCD includes the Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, Federal Work-Study, Subsidized and Unsubsidized loans, as well as Parent Plus loans. The FAFSA application must be completed every year to determine federal financial aid eligibility.
To be eligible for federal financial aid, applicants must meet the general eligibility requirements, including:
- Have a valid Social Security Number
- Be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen
- Have a high school diploma or a recognized equivalent such as the HiSET/GED or completed home schooling at the secondary level
- Be registered for Selective Service, if you are male (ages 18 to 25) you must register
- Be enrolled in an eligible degree requirement or certificate program
- Demonstrate financial need
- Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements
- Certify that you will use federal aid for educational purposes only by signing the statement on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
Additional information for each program is listed below, or you can visit www.studentaid.gov for additional information. To complete the FAFSA application, please visit www.fafsa.gov. The school code for both Sheridan, SC Johnson County, and Gillette College is 003930.
Verification is a process required when a student’s Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is selected by the U.S. Department of Education or NWCCD. The process allows NWCCD to check the accuracy of the information the student and, in the case of a dependent student, the student’s contributor(s), provided on their FAFSA form.
A FAFSA form may be selected at random, or the form may be incomplete or have conflicting information that must be resolved. A student will receive a copy of their FAFSA Submission Summary (FSS) once their FAFSA has been processed, which can be 3-5 business days after the FAFSA form has been submitted. When a student is selected for verification, there will be a message on their FSS stating that their FAFSA was selected. In addition, the Financial Aid Office will assign verification requirements to the student’s NWCCD Hub account Financial Aid Self-Service page, and an email will be sent to the student’s personal email address on record. Learn more about FAFSA Verification here.
In order to maintain federal financial aid eligibility, students must meet the standard requirements of Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) towards a degree or certificate at NWCCD. A student’s academic history starts the first semester the student is enrolled at NWCCD and is monitored regardless of whether he/she has previously received financial aid at NWCCD. NWCCD’s SAP standard requirements include maintaining a cumulative 2.0 GPA and completing at least 67% of credits attempted. In addition, students must complete their degree program within 150% of the program length to maintain federal financial aid eligibility. SAP is reviewed on all students by the Financial Aid Office after the end of each semester of enrollment.
When failure to meet and maintain NWCCD’s SAP standards are caused by extenuating circumstances, federal regulations allow those students to submit an appeal for reconsideration. The SAP appeal process is administered by the Student Appeals Committee. Instructions to submit an appeal are available by contacting the Financial Aid Office or by visiting the Student Appeals portal page on the NWCCD Hub. For more information, visit NWCCD’s Procedure 5041.32 Satisfactory Academic Progress.
A student must earn his or her federal financial aid funds through classroom attendance/participation each term. When a student who is receiving federal financial aid fully withdrawals from all classes enrolled for the semester, the Financial Aid Office is required to determine the percentage of federal financial aid funds that the student earned while enrolled for the semester.
When a student officially withdrawals from the semester, the R2T4 calculation is based on the student’s notification to withdraw, or date of determination. The date of determination is defined as the date the student submits their institutional withdrawal form (paper or online) to the Records Office. After the student completes the withdraw process, a Return to Title IV (R2T4) calculation is performed in the Financial Aid Office using the student’s date of determination for the semester. The R2T4 calculation determines the percentage of federal financial aid that the student earned during the period of attendance, and whether the student will have to repay a portion of the financial aid funds that they received. If the student received more financial aid funds than they were entitled to during their period of attendance, the student’s account will be updated to reflect a balance owed to NWCCD.
If a passing grade was not earned on all attempted courses, and the student’s LDA was before the last week of the semester, the student is considered to have not earned the failing grades and is treated as an unofficial withdrawal. The R2T4 calculation is performed based on the student’s most recent LDA.
Withdrawing from classes will potentially affect a student’s financial aid eligibility, both for the current semester and for subsequent semesters, if the withdrawal results in a failure to maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress standards. NWCCD strongly encourages students to meet with the Financial Aid Office prior to withdrawing from classes so that each student may make an informed decision. Once an R2T4 calculation is ran, the Office of Financial Aid will send an email to the student’s personal email and a text message to the student’s phone number on record, notifying them they may now have a balance on their account an owe money back to the college.
