Financial Aid

• Federal Direct Subsidized Loans are loans made to eligible undergraduate students who demonstrate financial need to help cover the costs of higher education at WCC. No interest is charge while a student is enrolled in school at least half-time, during the grace period, and through deferment periods.  Students will begin paying interest when repayment of the loan begins.
• Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans are loans made to eligible undergraduate students regardless of financial need. Interest is charged during all periods, even during the time a student is in school and during grace and deferment periods.
• Federal Direct PLUS Loans are unsubsidized loans made to the parents of dependent students. PLUS loans help pay for the education expenses up to the cost of attendance minus all other financial assistance.

1. Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This must be done each year before your loan can be processed.
2. Complete the Online Entrance Counseling.
3. Complete your Master Promissory Note (MPN).
4. Review the WCC Loan Fact Sheet.
5. Log into E-Forms on the Prowler Page and complete the WCC Loan Acceptance Form

New borrowers should complete all steps.

Returning borrowers should complete steps 1, 4, and 5.

The Federal Student Aid website provides additional information regarding the types of loans available, annual loan limit, repayment guidelines, etc. Anyone with questions regarding student loans should contact the Financial Aid office.

All students who receive a student loan at WCC must complete Exit Counseling when they drop below half time, graduate, or leave the college due to withdrawal.

All changes, corrections, or cancellations of accepted Federal Direct Loans must be communicated directly to the WCC Financial Aid Office using the WCC Federal Direct Loan Adjustment form.  No changes will be made to student loans until this form is received.

• You did not use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool when completing the FAFSA
• You used the IRS Data Retrieval Tool but changed some of the data on the FAFSA.
• You were selected randomly by the Federal Government
• The submitted FAFSA application has estimated, incomplete or contradictory data.

If your FAFSA is selected for verification, you will be sent a letter and emails to your WCC email account from the WCC Financial Aid Office. These will explain what documentation is needed from you. You may also log into Self-Service and choose Financial Aid to see what documents/information is needed.

Verification forms are completed by year. You may have to submit verification documentation for multiple years in a row.

• Independent students (those who were not required to use parent income) can find electronic forms on the WCC Prowler Student Portal under E-Forms. Once completed these forms will come directly to the financial aid office.
• Dependent students will find printable versions of the forms below. Students may also pick up hard copies of the forms in the Financial Aid Office.

2019-20 Financial Aid Forms (Fall 2019, Spring and Summer 2020)

If you were required to use your parents’ tax information, you will use the “Dependent” forms.

2019-20 High School Completion Status – Dependent
2019-20 High School Completion Status – Independent
2019-20 Marital Status Verification – Dependent
2019-20 Marital Status Verification – Independent
2019-20 Verification of Non-Filer – Dependent/Student
2019-20 Verification of Non-Filer – Dependent/Parent
2019-20 Verification of Non-Filer – Independent
2019-20 Household Members & Number in College – Dependent Save 
2019-20 Household Members & Number in College – Independent
2019-20 Verification of IRA Pension Rollover – Dependent
2019-20 Verification of IRA Pension Rollover – Independent
2019-20 Verification of Bachelor’s Degree

Priority Deadline:  If your Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal is submitted by the priority deadline, your classes will be held. If your appeal is denied, your classes will be deleted unless you make arrangement for payment. You will be notified through your WCC email account if your appeal is approved or denied.

Submission Deadline:  Deadline to submit a Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal for financial aid consideration for the current semester. Payment arrangements must be made in order to guarantee your classes are not deleted. Any forms submitted after the submission deadline will not be considered for current semester aid.

Federal and state regulations require that students receiving financial aid maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). WCC applies these standards to all federal and state financial aid funds in order to maintain a consistent procedure for all students receiving assistance.

In order to receive financial aid, students must make progress toward your degree as defined by the Financial Aid Office. There are three components to academic progress:

1.Grade Point Requirement (Qualitative Standard)

a.  Must maintain a cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.0
b.  Must not be suspended according to the College’s academic suspension procedure.

2.  Completion Requirement (Quantitative Standard)

Must complete at least 67% of all coursework attempted(see chart below)

3.  Maximum Time Frame

a.  Must complete program of study in a time frame not to exceed 150% of the published length of the program.
This is measured in credit hours attempted.

b.  Transfer hours are included in the calculation.

Wilkes Community College
Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy for Financial Aid Recipients

Purpose

Federal and state regulations require that students receiving financial aid maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP).  WCC applies these standards to all federal and state financial aid funds in order to maintain a consistent procedure for all students receiving assistance.

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Standards

In order to be eligible for financial aid, students must meet the following minimum guidelines.  ALL CLASSES, EVEN IF TAKEN IN HIGH SCHOOL OR WHEN NO FINANCIAL AID WAS RECEIVED STILL COUNT IN THE SAP CALCULATION.

1. Qualitative Standard
   1. Must maintain a cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.0.
   2. Must not be suspended according to the College’s academic suspension procedure.
2. Quantitative Standard
   1. Must earn 67 percent of the total cumulative credit hours attempted (e.g., if the student has attempted 12 credit hours in a semester, the student must have earned credit for at least 9 hours).
   2. Number of hours attempted: Total cumulative number of credit hours for which the student was enrolled at the general 10% point of each term.
   3. Total number of hours earned: Total cumulative number of credit hours from each term at WCC for which the student received a passing grade as noted on the student’s academic transcript.
3. Maximum Time Frame
   1. Must complete program of study in a time frame not to exceed 150 percent of the published length of the program for full-time students.  This will be measured in credit hours (e.g., if the academic program length requires 60 credit hours, maximum time frame cannot exceed 90 credit hours attempted).
   2. Transfer credit hours accepted from other institutions are included in the calculation of the maximum time frame.
   3. Once students have earned an associate degree from WCC, students may return and receive aid again as long as they are maintaining Satisfactory Academic Progress (67% cumulative completion rate and 2.0 cumulative GPA) until they run out of their 600% lifetime eligibility.  Students returning for a second degree or diploma will likely reach maximum time frame prior to completing the degree or diploma and will be required to submit an appeal in order to be considered for additional aid.

Special Notes

1. Withdrawal – Withdrawing from classes will affect a student’s ability to satisfy the quantitative standard. Before withdrawing from classes, students are encouraged to meet with a Financial Aid representative to discuss how withdrawing will impact their financial aid eligibility for future semesters.
2. Grades of “Incomplete” – Students will not be affected by “incomplete” at the time of review.  Should the grade become final before the review, the actual grade, credits attempted, and credits earned will be used to determine if the student is making SAP.
3. Repeated Courses – In accordance with WCC procedure, a student is permitted to retake courses.  For financial aid purposes, all hours attempted will continue to be counted in each component of the student’s academic progress. Financial aid will cover retaking a course one time if credit has already been earned (i.e., have a grade of A, B, C, or D).
4. Developmental (Non-Credit) Coursework – Developmental Education courses (designated by course numbers under 100, ex., DMA…, DRE…) are included in the calculation of satisfactory academic progress.
5. Summer Session – Credit hours attempted and earned during a summer session will be included in the calculation of Satisfactory Academic Progress.
6. Forgiveness of Grades – There is no provision in the federal regulations for the concept of forgiveness of grades.  Therefore, WCC must always include all courses when evaluating satisfactory academic progress.
7. Complete Academic Record – In order to measure a student’s satisfactory progress toward degree, diploma or eligible certificate programs, the student’s total record at WCC must be evaluated whether or not the student received financial aid for the entire time of enrollment.  This includes, but is not limited to, courses taken through Career and College Promise, the Wilkes Early College or the Ashe Early College.
8. Transfer Credits – Transfer credits will be factored into the completion rate requirement as attempted and completed credits which will impact a student’s Maximum Time Frame status.
9. Returning Students – Returning students are evaluated on a continuing basis from the first enrollment at WCC.  Returning students who were previously enrolled under an academic progress policy other than the current academic progress policy will be required to meet the standards of the current policy upon returning.

Review Process / SAP Status

It is the responsibility of the student to be aware of his/her Satisfactory Academic Progress status for financial aid eligibility.  To determine a student’s academic progress status and eligibility for financial aid, a student’s academic record will be evaluated at the end of each term.

• Satisfactory
  Students are considered to be satisfactory when they are maintaining a 2.0 cumulative GPA, have a 67% cumulative completion rate and have not hit max time.
• Warning
  The first term after failure to make satisfactory academic progress is known as “warning” status. Financial aid recipients will be granted one-term following the first term of failure to meet cumulative satisfactory academic progress. During the warning term, a student may continue to receive financial aid provided he/she is otherwise eligible. Warning statuses at WCC are WB (both GPA & Completion Rate), WG (GPA), and WC(Completion rate). If a student is able to regain satisfactory academic progress with the courses completed successfully during the Warning term, the Warning status is lifted.
• Warning Max Time Frame
  Students who are nearing the Maximum Time Frame status should receive a WM (Warning Max Time Frame) status to indicate they have almost reached 150% and have not completed a degree or diploma.
• Suspension Status
  Students who do not meet SAP (satisfactory academic progress) standards at the end of the warning term will be placed on suspension and will be ineligible for financial aid. Suspension statuses at WCC are SB (both GPA & Completion Rate), SG (GPA) and SC (completion rate)
• Max Time Frame
  Students who have attended for 150% of the published program length of their program and have not completed their program will be placed on Max Time Frame.  All hours transferred in and earned at WCC are counted in this calculation.  Students are usually not eligible to appeal a Max Time Frame status if their cumulative GPA is below 2.0 and their cumulative completion rate is below 67%.
• Probation (Approved Probation or MP 1, MP2, MP3 or MP4)
  If a status of Suspension is appealed and approved, a status of Probation is assigned.  This status requires students to maintain both a term GPA greater than or equal to 2.0 and a term completion rate equal to 75%.  If a student withdraws or fails a course during a term dropping the term completion rate below 75%, or does not maintain a term GPA of 2.0, the appeal is terminated and the student’s financial aid will be terminated. Probation status at WCC is AP (approved probation) or for Max Time Frame it is MP1, MP2, MP3 or MP4.
• Terminated
  A student who has previously had an appeal approved by the financial aid office and does not meet the requirements of the appeal will be terminated.  They will no longer receive financial aid assistance and will not have the option of subsequent appeals.  If a student is able to improve their completion rate to 67% and/or their GPA to 2.0 they may be able to receive financial aid in the future unless they are at Max Time Frame.  They will need to contact the financial aid office if they believe they should be eligible.

Appeal Process

Students who have become ineligible for financial aid due to a failure to meet the minimum guidelines for satisfactory academic progress or have reached maximum time frame to earn a degree, may appeal their status to the Financial Aid Office.

Appeals will be considered for special circumstances. These may include:

1. Extended student/family illness or injury (documentation required)
2. Death of a relative (documentation required)
3. Significant trauma in student’s life/personal issues/family emergency (documentation required)
4. Change of degree program or second degree

The appeal form is available on the Financial Aid website.  Students must provide information in the appeal form that documents the extenuating circumstances for each semester of unsatisfactory academic performance. Third party documentation must be submitted with the appeal for it to be considered.

The appeal form should be submitted to the Financial Aid office by the priority deadline for the semester that the student is trying to establish eligibility.  The Financial Aid Office and the SAP Appeals Committee will determine if the appeal is approved or denied.  Their decision is final.

Students appealing after the priority deadline should be prepared to pay for their semester expenses.  After the priority deadline has passed, but prior to the final submission deadline, the SAP Appeals Committee will meet on a regular basis to review appeals.  Appeals submitted after the final submission deadline will not be considered for current semester aid.

All appeals along with requested supporting documentation must be submitted to the Financial Aid Office, Wilkes Community College, Post Office Box 120, Wilkesboro, NC  28697.  Appeals will be reviewed by the SAP Appeals committee and approval or denial notices will be sent to the WCC student email accounts.  Note:  Students on probation are not eligible for the Federal Direct Loan Programs or for Federal Work Study.

Approved Appeals/Academic Plan

• Approved Probation (AP)
  Students who were suspended due to not meeting the cumulative GPA and/or 67% completion rate and are approved for probation will be placed on “Approved Probation” (AP) after they have met with a Student Services representative.  The must be done and the form turned in to the financial aid office before aid will be reinstated.Students who are on AP must earn a 2.0 GPA each term and successfully complete 75% of their classes each term until satisfactory academic progress is regained or graduation is achieved, whichever comes first.  Failure to meet these requirements will result in termination of financial aid.

Note:  Satisfactory academic progress is a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher and 67% successful completion of the total cumulative credit hours attempted.

• Maximum Time Frame
  Students who were suspended due to not meeting maximum time frame requirements and are approved for probation will be assigned a status of MP1, MP2, MP3 or MP4 (Approved Max Time Frame Appeal and number of semesters).  These students must earn a 2.0 GPA each term and successfully complete 75% of their classes each term.

A second appeal may be considered but cannot be submitted for the same issue that led to the first appeal, such as the same medical condition.  A student must have very unusual circumstances to warrant a second appeal.  As a result, very few second appeals are approved.

Denied Appeals

If a student’s appeal is denied or if he/she did not meet the conditions of an approved appeal, the following items should be considered.

• The student may attend at his/her own expense and earn the deficiency in either the credit hours, GPA or both. Note:  A student cannot make up a deficiency if the appeal was due to exceeding the maximum timeframe to earn a degree.
• If a student did not maintain satisfactory academic progress due to a deficiency in credit hours, he/she may take the credit hours at another institution as long as WCC accepts the transfer hours.
• Once the deficiency has been satisfied, a student should contact the Financial Aid Office so that his/her progress can be reevaluated.

Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal Forms

The SAP Appeal forms provides students that have lost their financial aid eligibility an opportunity to petition consideration for the reinstatement of their financial aid. This form must be completed and turned in with appropriate documentation for your appeal to be considered.

Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal Form
SAP Degree Evaluation Form

• To be eligible for financial aid, students must have transcripts for a high school diploma or its recognized equivalent on file with the Admissions Office, be enrolled in an eligible program of study (POS) leading to a degree or diploma and maintain satisfactory academic progress.
• Only those courses required and needed in the program of study (POS) can be counted towards eligibility for financial aid.
• Financial aid funds may be used to pay for tuition, fees, books and required supplies.
• The balance of funds, if any, will be mailed or direct deposited into a students account on the financial aid refund dates listed on the Financial Aid Calendar.
• WCC’s academic year begins in the fall semester and ends with the summer term.
• The Financial Aid Office reserves the right to review, adjust or cancel an award any time there has been a change in enrollment status, financial status, or failure to meet satisfactory progress regulations.
• Financial Aid awards will be available no earlier than 10 days prior to the start of the semester for students to charge against.

The award amount listed on Self-Service and on the award letter are based on full-time enrollment (12 SHC for Pell Grant and NCELS  and 15 SHC for NCCCG).  The award letter lists funding for the entire year. Your award will be reduced proportionately if you attend less than full-time.

Students who plan to attend less than half-time should contact the Financial Aid Office to determine their eligibility.

The following programs are eligible for federal/state financial aid at WCC:

• Associate in Arts
• Associate in Science
• Associate in Engineering
• Associate in Applied Science
• Associate in General Education
• All Diploma programs**
• Basic Law Enforcement Training ** (Daytime class only)

**Credit hours for the Dental Assisting Diploma (D45240) and Basic Law Enforcement Training Certificate (C55120) must be converted from contact/credit to clock hours according to the Department of Education’s formula. This will likely result in a partial payment of financial aid.  

If a student completely withdraws, drops out, or is suspended from Wilkes Community College, he or she must return unearned student aid. Unearned aid is the amount of disbursed title IV aid that exceeds the amount of Title IV aid earned. During the first 60% of the semester, a student earns funds in direct proportion to the length of time he or she remained enrolled. The period of time during which a student is enrolled is the percentage of aid earned by the student. A student who remains enrolled at or beyond the 60% point is deemed to have earned all aid for the term. The term “Title IV aid” includes Federal Pell Grants, Federal SEOG, Federal Direct Loan programs (subsidized and unsubsidized) and Federal Direct Parent Plus loans.

This Return to Title IV (R2T4), may be a combination of tuition, fees or books charged to the students account or a refund check. The amount of aid to be returned is calculated using the last date of attendance (LDA) for each course. Last date of attendance refers to an academically-related activity which is considered last date an assignment was submitted in an online course. The student will be notified in writing the amount owed to the college.

In some instances, the Financial Aid Office is required to return state funds, such as NC Community College Grant (NCCCG) and NC Education Lottery Scholarship (NCELS), to the College Foundation of North Carolina, INC. (CFI). If the student ceases enrollment and has received one or both of these grants, the student could owe a portion of these funds back, in addition to their R2T4 outstanding balance.

If students use Title IV funds to register for a course(s) but do not attend, the college is required by federal law to return all tuition and fees to the appropriate financial aid program.

Students who owe a return to any Title IV program will be notified in writing by the Financial Aid Office. Students who fail to repay as directed by the Financial Aid Office will not be allowed to register until the account has been settled. Students must pay all debt owed to the College in order to return in subsequent terms. The College will begin North Carolina Community College System collection procedures immediately.

Students who are enrolled in courses that start after the first day of the semester (like DMA, DRE, or mini-mester courses) will not receive financial aid payment for those courses until the course starts and they begin attendance in the course.

The Department of Education restricts enrollment in remedial courses to a total of 30 hours. Any remedial course above the 30 hour limit will not be covered by financial aid.