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Financial Aid
A college education is a major investment and St. Norbert College can help make that education investment affordable. Because many families cannot finance a student’s education in full, supplemental assistance is offered and often required.

Over 90% of our students receive some form of financial aid. To achieve our goal of helping students obtain an affordable and quality college education, St. Norbert College allocates funds each year for distribution to students whose families lack necessary funds. Over $32 million in financial aid is available annually at St. Norbert College in the form of scholarships, grants, student employment and loans.

Eligibility
St. Norbert College believes that the primary responsibility of financing a college education rests with the family. However, because many families can not finance a student’s education in full, supplemental assistance is often required.

Basic to the concept of such financial assistance is the determination of “financial need”. Most financial aid at St. Norbert is awarded on the basis of financial need. Financial need can be defined as the difference between the total cost of education (tuition and fees, room and board, books and supplies, personal expenses and transportation) and the portion of those costs which can be reasonably expected to be met by the family. To equitably determine a family’s ability to provide for the cost of education, each student’s Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is evaluated under a Federal methodology to establish financial need.

Award Notification
In determining a student’s Financial Aid Award, the Financial Aid Office reviews each student in terms of need and academic ability. Only students who have been admitted to the college will be considered for financial assistance. Awarding of financial assistance begins March 15, 2009. Thereafter, students will be awarded aid within four weeks of the receipt of their processed forms. All financial aid awards are made for a given academic year.

Award Appeal Process
Any student is entitled to appeal the “Financial Aid Award.” If the appeal is based on changes in the family financial situation, a written appeal detailing the pertinent information should be submitted to the Financial Aid Office. The appeal decision will be in the form of written notification.

Renewing Financial Aid
Financial aid is renewable as long as the student maintains satisfactory academic progress and continues to demonstrate financial need. St. Norbert College funds are renewable for a maximum of eight semesters. Students must reapply for financial aid each year by completing the necessary forms.

Disbursement of Financial Aid
The amount of any St. Norbert College Grant or Scholarship, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG), Federal Pell Grant, Wisconsin Tuition Grant or TIP Grant will be credited to the student’s account as long as all paper work is complete in the Financial Aid Office. Loans will credit the student’s accounts upon approval and completion of Promissory Notes and Entrance Counseling.

It is the policy of St. Norbert College that should a credit balance occur on the student’s account after all charges have been covered, the College will notify the student in writing that such a credit exists and the College will refund the credit amount to the student by check after the College’s add/drop period.

Enrollment Status
Enrollment status is based on the number of courses in which a student is enrolled. Students who take 3 or more courses each semester are considered full-time. Students taking at least 1.5 but less than 3 courses are half-time, while those taking less than 1.5 courses are classified as less than half-time. Students must maintain at least a half-time status to be considered for some forms of financial assistance. Students must maintain full-time status as an undergraduate student to be eligible for institutional grants and scholarships.

Satisfactory Academic Progress
Federal regulations require St. Norbert College to establish satisfactory academic progress standards for student financial aid recipients. St. Norbert College standards of academic progress measure a student’s performance in the following three areas: completion rate, cumulative grade point average (GPA), and maximum time frame. The Financial Aid Office is responsible for ensuring that all students who receive federal, state and institutional financial aid are meeting these standards.

Completion Rate and Cumulative G.P.A. Standard

After 4 semesters:
Minimum G.P.A. – 2.0
Minimum Course – 13
Expected Standard- 16

After 6 semesters:
Minimum G.P.A. – 2.0
Minimum Course – 20
Expected Standard – 24

After 8 semesters:
Minimum G.P.A. – 2.0
Minimum Course – 28
Expected Standard – 32

The following are considered when evaluating a student’s academic progress:
Withdrawal, incomplete and failure are considered attempted but not earned courses
Passing courses received for pass/fail courses are considered attempted and earned courses; failing grades in pass/fail courses are considered attempted but not earned courses.
Repeated courses are included in the calculation of both attempted and earned courses. A student is allowed to repeat a course only twice.

Audit courses are not considered courses attempted or earned
Remedial courses are included in the calculation of both attempted and earned courses.
Transfer credits, including those received through approved study abroad programs or consortium agreements, do not count in the calculation of the GPA, but they are included in the calculation of both attempted and earned courses.
If a student changes majors, only the hours from the previous major(s) that will count towards the student’s new degree requirements are included in the calculation of attempted and earned hours.

Maximum Time Frame
Students will not be eligible to receive financial aid if they attempt more than 150 percent of the normal credits required for a degree. At St. Norbert, this means that a student in a degree program requiring 32 courses for graduation will be eligible for financial aid during the first 48 courses attempted as a degree-seeking student. All attempted courses are counted, including transfer courses, whether or not financial aid was received or the course work was successfully completed.

Academic Progress Reviews
Academic progress will be reviewed at the end of each semester. Those students not meeting the requirements stated above will be placed on Financial Aid Probation during the next enrollment period (two semesters) and will receive a letter of probation.

Probation
The student may continue to receive financial assistance during the probationary period. At the end of the probationary period the student will:
Be removed from probationary status if both cumulative G.P.A. and completion rate standards are being met; or
Be suspended from receiving assistance from federal, state and institutional sources and will receive a suspension letter.

Suspension
Students who do not meet the above standards are no longer eligible for federal, state or institutional assistance until they have taken classes, using their own funds, and have raised the cumulative G.P.A. and completion rate standards to the appropriate level.

Appeal Procedure
To appeal the suspension of financial aid, a student must, within 15 days of notification, submit to the Director of Financial Aid a signed and dated letter of appeal explaining why he or she should not be suspended. Some situations that may cause a student to fail to meet academic progress standards include:

Family difficulties, such as divorce or illness
Death of a parent or relative
Interpersonal problems with friends, roommates, significant others
Difficulty balancing work, athletics, family responsibilities, etc.

Financial difficulties
The Director of Financial Aid will consider the appeal and render a decision, which will be conveyed in writing to the student within two weeks of the student’s appeal.

Reinstatement
A student can raise their G.P.A. and/or credit deficiencies by taking additional course work at St. Norbert College without receiving federal, state or institutional assistance. A student can eliminate credit deficiencies, but not GPA deficiencies, by successfully completing course work at another institution without receiving aid at that institution; that course work must be transferable to St. Norbert College. Transfer credits used to satisfy credit deficiencies cannot be credits that were earned prior to the period in which the student incurred the deficiencies. Students can also submit a copy of their St. Norbert College transcript to verify grade changes, including the removal of incompletes, if this will result in the removal of deficiencies.

Student Responsibilities
A financial aid recipient is required to:
Provide valid information on financial aid applications.
Keep the Financial Aid Office informed of changes in the family financial situation.
Notify the Financial Aid Office of any assistance received from outside sources.
Meet all filing deadlines.
Accept or reject any Financial Aid Award.
Comply with all terms and conditions governing the Financial Aid Award.
Use all financial aid funds for educational related expenses.
Comply with the requirements for LOAN entrance and exit counseling.
Notify Financial Aid Office and lenders of any changes in name, permanent address, and enrollment status.
Maintain copies of all correspondence with the Financial Aid Office and outside agencies.
Notify the Financial Aid Office of any changes in housing status.