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Financial Policies

Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy

Federal law (Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended) mandates that institutions of higher education establish minimum standards of satisfactory academic progress for students receiving any federal financial aid. Eligibility for Saint Vincent College institutional grants and scholarships will follow the regulations for federal aid.  In addition, the Pennsylvania State Grant program and programs from other states also have their own established academic progress standards.

Students must meet these standards of academic progress to continue to receive funds from each source.

The academic records of all students will be reviewed annually after each spring semester to calculate the percentage of attempted credits the student has successfully completed and to determine the cumulative grade point average the student has earned. Any student not meeting the standards set by this policy will be ineligible for aid until the deficiencies have been made up.  An appeal process is available to students who have experienced personal illness or accident, death of an immediate family member, or other extraordinary circumstances. 

Note:  The FAFSA must be filed yearly to determine eligibility for federal and state aid.  

Resources

  • Federal Student Aid

    Federal Student Aid 

    Pell, SEOG, Direct Loans, PLUS Loans, Federal Work Study

    Cumulative GPA Requirement:
    1.50 cumulative GPA for freshman completing the first year.
    2.00 cumulative GPA for all other students

    Credits Earned Requirement Maximum Time Frame
    All students must have earned at least 67% of the cumulative number of credits attempted, including all credits attempted at Saint Vincent and all credits transferred in from other institutions that count toward the degree.

    Total credits attempted cannot exceed 150% of the credits required of the published length of the program.  All courses with a grade designated as G,IP,W & WF and repeated course are considered attempted.

  • Pennsylvania State Grant

    Pennsylvania State Grant

    PHEAA - PA Higher Education Assistance Agency

    Cumulative GPA Requirement
    No minimum cumulative GPA required

    Credits Earned Requirement Maximum Time Frame
    Full-time students must complete a total of 24 credits over the 2 semesters of full-time study within an academic year.  Part-time students must complete 12 credits over the 2 semesters of part-time study within an academic year.

    PHEAA grants are awarded for a maximum of 8 full-time semesters.

  • Saint Vincent College Scholarships and Grants

    Saint Vincent College Scholarships and Grants 
    Full time enrollment is required.  Scholarships and Grants are awarded for a maximum of 8 full-time semesters, excluding summer and winter intersessions.  

    Cumulative GPA Requirement
    1.5 cumulative GPA for freshmen completing the first year. 
    2.00 cumulative GPA for all other students - except where noted otherwise at the time of awarding. 
     
    Credits Earned Requirement & Maximum Time Frame
    Students must be full-time.  Credits earned requirement follows the federal aid policy - must successfully complete 67% of attempted credits.

    Total credits attempted cannot exceed 150% of the credits required of the published length of the program.  All courses with a grade designated as F, G, IP, W, & WF and repeated courses are considered attempted.  

  • Financial Literacy

    Personal financial literacy is more than just being able to balance a checkbook, compare prices or get a job. It also includes skills like long-term vision and planning for the future, and the discipline to use those skills every day.

    The Higher Education Opportunity Act (sections 1041 and 1042) requires that the Secretary of the Treasury in consultation with the Secretary of Education and other agencies enhance financial literacy among postsecondary students through developing initiatives, programs and curricula that improve student awareness of short- and long-term costs associated with student loans and other debts and assisting students in navigating the financial aid process.

    The following information is available to help educate our students and families and assist them in making informed decisions to reach their financial goals.

    General Financial Literacy Resources

    • pnc.financialliteracy101.org -  Before you borrow, understand the ins and outs of paying for college.
    •  www.CashCourse.org - CashCourse.org serves as a great resource for students as it speaks to many of the common financial pitfalls they may be encountering during their college years. 
    • www.mappingyourfuture.org - Mapping Your Future is a free resource for career, college, financial aid, and money management information. The goal is to help individuals achieve life-long success by empowering students, families, and schools with web-based information and services. 
    • www.youcandealwithit.com - YouCanDealWithIt.com provides practical advice about paying for college and managing your debt. 
    • www.annualcreditreport.com - Students should request a free annual credit report. This will allow you to pull your credit report from all three credit reporting bureaus. 
    • www.myfico.com - Get the details on your FICO score, understand positive and negative influences, how to monitor it and full access to customer support. View more information about FICO scores. 
    • www.MyMoney.gov - This is the U.S. government's website dedicated to teaching all Americans the basics about financial education. 
    • https://studentloans.gov/myDirectLoan/index.action – Financial Aid Awareness explains your student loan questions. 

  • Student Lending Code of Conduct

    Saint Vincent College is committed to providing students and their families with the best information and processing alternatives available regarding student borrowing. In support of this and in an effort to rule out any perceived or actual conflict of interest between Saint Vincent College officers, employees or agents and education loan lenders, Saint Vincent College has adopted the following:

    • Saint Vincent College does not participate in any revenue-sharing arrangements with any lender.
    • Saint Vincent College does not permit any officer, employee or agent of the school who is employed in the financial aid office or is otherwise involved in the administration of education loans to accept any gifts of greater than a nominal value from any lender, guarantor or servicer.
    • Saint Vincent College does not permit any officer, employee or agent of the school who is employed in the financial aid office or is otherwise involved in the administration of education loans to accept any fee, payment or other financial benefit (including a stock purchase option) from a lender or affiliate of a lender as compensation for any type of consulting arrangement or contract to provide services to a lender or on behalf of a lender relating to education loans.
    • Saint Vincent College does not permit any officer, employee or agent of the school who is employed in the financial aid office or is otherwise involved in the administration of education loans to accept anything of value from a lender, guarantor, or group of lenders and/or guarantors in exchange for service on an advisory board, commission or other group established by such a lender, guarantor group of lenders and/or guarantors. Saint Vincent College does allow for the reasonable reimbursement of expenses associated with participation in such boards, commissions or groups by lenders, guarantors, or groups of lenders and/or guarantors.
    • Saint Vincent College does not assign a lender to any first-time borrower through financial aid packaging or any other means.
    • Saint Vincent College recognizes that a borrower has the right to choose any lender from which to borrow to finance his/her education. Saint Vincent College will not refuse to certify or otherwise deny or delay certification of a loan based on the borrower’s selection of a lender and/or guarantor.
    • Saint Vincent College will not request or accept any offer of funds to be used for private education loans to students from any lender in exchange for providing the lender with a specified number or volume of Title IV loans, or a preferred lender arrangement for Title IV loans.
    • Saint Vincent College will not request or accept any assistance with call center or financial aid office staffing.

  • Withdrawals and Title IV Refund Policy

    The federal government mandates that students who withdraw from all classes may only keep the federal financial aid (i.e., Title IV funds) they have "earned" up to the time of withdrawal. Title IV funds that have been disbursed in excess of the earned amount must be returned by the college and/or the student to the federal government.  Thus, the student could owe aid funds to the college, the federal government, or both.  

    The Financial Aid Office is notified when a student has officially withdrawn from the college.  The calculation for Return of Title IV funds is based upon the date on which a student initiates the withdrawal process by indicating intent to withdraw.  

    To determine the amount of aid the student has earned up to the time of withdrawal, the Financial Aid Office divides the number of calendar days the student has attended classes by the total number of calendar days in the semester (minus any scheduled breaks of 5 days or more).  The resulting percentage is then multiplied by the total federal funds that were disbursed to the student account for the semester.  

    This calculation determines the amount of aid earned by the student that he or she may keep.  For example, if the student attended 25% of the term, the student will have earned 25% of the aid.  The unearned amount (total aid disbursed minus the earned amount) must be returned to the Department of Education by the college and/or the student.  The Financial Aid Office will notify and provide instructions to students who are required to return funds to the Department of Education. 

    If you are considering withdrawing from classes, remember to contact the Financial Aid office before you do so. Meeting with a financial aid officer will help you understand how withdrawing will affect your situation. 

    Funds are returned to the following Title IV source in this order:

    Unsubsidized Federal Direct Loans
    Subsidized Federal Direct Loans
    Federal Direct Graduate PLUS loans
    Federal Direct PLUS (parent) loans
    Federal Pell Grants
    Federal SEOG

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