Financial Aid and Bursar Policies

Financial Aid and Bursar Policies jgastley3

Code of Conduct Regarding Private Lending and Student Choice

Code of Conduct Regarding Private Lending and Student Choice agarton3
Review Date

The Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), including all employees or agents of Georgia Tech and its affiliated organizations, adheres to the principles of openness and transparency in relationships with lenders offering educational loan programs.

Students and parents are encouraged to consider the following before applying for a private educational loan:

Students are strongly encouraged to first pursue the availability of free or lower-cost financial aid with the Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid.

Directions on how to apply for Title IV federal grants, loans and work-study are available at www.finaid.gatech.edu/apply or by calling or visiting the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid.

A private education loan may reduce eligibility for free or lower-cost federal, state, or school student financial aid.

Georgia Tech prohibits conflicts of interest between the responsibilities of its employees and the personal interests of an employee or family member of an employee. Georgia Tech bans any revenue-sharing arrangements with any lender, whether for institutional or personal gain.

Employees of Georgia Tech or its affiliated organizations shall not accept anything of value for serving on an advisory board, commission, or group established by a lender, guarantor, or group of lenders.

Georgia Tech employees are bound by state law and institutional polices related to the receipt of gifts or gratuities. All employees, as well as their family members, are prohibited from accepting a gift with more than nominal value from anyone that the employee or Georgia Tech interacts with on official state business or from any other prohibited source. Gifts include, but are not limited to: (1) Food (including meals) (2) Lodging and (3) Personal Services.

Georgia Tech does not allow any officer or person involved with student loans to either solicit or accept gifts from a lender, guarantor or servicer of student loans where that gift has more than nominal value.

Georgia Tech does not allow its financial aid staff or anyone in a position of having influence over student loan decisions to consult with lenders for a fee, payment, or other financial benefit.

Georgia Tech will not assign a borrower's loan to a particular lender.

Georgia Tech will not refuse or delay certification of any loan based on a borrower’s selection of a lender or guarantor.

Georgia Tech will not request or accept any offer for student loan funds in exchange for: (1) a specified number of loans made or (2) a specific loan volume.

Georgia Tech will not accept any offer from any lender to provide call center staffing or financial aid office assistance.

Grade Substitution Policy

Grade Substitution Policy jgastley3
Last Revised
Review Date
Policy Owner
Registrar
Policy Statement

(effective with the entering Fall 2005 first-time freshman class.)

First-time freshman students who receive a grade of D or F in a course within their first two terms in residence are eligible to repeat the course and have the original grade excluded from the computation of academic average. Grade substitution may be used only once per course, with a maximum of two courses total. More information is outlined at www.registrar.gatech.edu.

Impact of Grade Substitution Policy on the HOPE Scholarship:

All credit hours attempted after high school graduation are calculated when determining HOPE Scholarship eligibility, even if a course is forgiven by the institution. Therefore, if a student utilizes the Grade Substitution policy and repeats a course, the credits and grades issued in both occurrences are included in the HOPE calculations. For example, if a student takes MATH 1501 (Calculus I) and earns a "D" in the course, retakes the course and earns a "B", then applies for a grade substitution, both Calculus courses would be included in his HOPE Attempted Hours and GPA." Note that HOPE is also subject to the Satisfactory Academic Progress policy discussed below. Visit www.finaid.gatech.edu/hope for more information on the HOPE Scholarship.

Impact of Grade Substitution Policy on Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

Georgia Tech's SAP policy has three components. See "Satisfactory Academic Progress" for the complete policy.

The quantitative and maximum time frame standards refer to number of attempted hours and are not impacted by this policy. It is important to note, however, that repeated coursework does not count as additional hours earned for purposes of determining Satisfactory Academic Progress. This is true whether or not grade substitution is requested for the repeated class.

The Qualitative Standard, the third component of the SAP Policy, looks at a student's official cumulative GT GPA to determine if it meets the requirement for the student's grade level. If a student's official GPA is recalculated, eligibility from that date forward is evaluated based on the new GPA. Any change in eligibility would not be retroactive to prior terms. Similarly, decisions about eligibility may not be based on anticipated changes to GPA. The requirements are that the student must maintain a cumulative minimum grade point average of 1.7 as a freshman, 1.9 as a sophomore, 2.0 as a junior and senior, and 2.7 as a graduate student

Institute Policy for Scholarship/Fellowship Payments And the Payment of Prizes/Awards to Students

Institute Policy for Scholarship/Fellowship Payments And the Payment of Prizes/Awards to Students jbarber32
Review Date
Policy Owner
Bursar’s Office
Contact Name
Gloria J. Kobus
Contact Title
Bursar
Contact Email
gloria.kobus@business.gatech.edu
Policy Statement

To ensure that Georgia Institute of Technology is in compliance with all Federal, State, private, and Institutional policies, the Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid (OSFA) must be aware of all types of student assistance (federal, school, state, private, etc.) received by students regardless of the source.

  1. All monies awarded to students must be administered in a way that ensures any information the school receives is communicated to and coordinated by the Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid (OSFA) in collaboration with the Bursar’s Office.
  2. Awards must comply with all fund specific requirements/restrictions.
  3. Students must be enrolled in course work to be eligible to receive the payment. Payments requested for any non-current term either past or future, co-op, or internship work periods must be reviewed/approved by the Director of OSFA.
  4. If required, awards will be adjusted to resolve any over award situations, including adjustments to awards that exceed the student’s total cost of attendance.
Policy Terms

Student
A student is defined as an individual who is enrolled at Georgia Tech during the term academic year in which payment is intended.

Scholarship
A scholarship is defined as any amount paid to an undergraduate student “for the purpose of aiding his study, training, or research,” and does not represent compensation for personal services. The grantor/donor specifically intends the funds to be spent by the grantee to defray the expenses of the student’s studies. Funds received by the Institute for this purpose will be recorded in projects beginning with 997 in the Institute's Financial System.

Fellowship
A fellowship is defined as any amount paid to a graduate student “for the purpose of aiding his study, training, or research,” and does not represent compensation for personal services. The grantor/donor specifically intends the funds to be spent by the grantee to defray the expenses of the student’s studies. Funds received by the Institute for this purpose will be recorded in projects beginning with 998 in the Institute's Financial System.

Stipend
A stipend is defined as a fellowship/scholarship payment that is either a one time or multiple disbursement during a term; requires the recipient to perform tasks or submit required deliverables to be eligible for payment; or is specified by the Donor as a stipend. These payments will be disbursed from the corresponding project beginning with 998(fellowship) and account782000 and 997(scholarship) and account 782000.

Tuition & Fees
Tuition and Fees is defined as a fellowship payment made to the student by funds specifically earmarked to pay towards a student’s cost of tuition and Institute mandated fees, either in full or the differential amount along with a waiver in which the total of the award does not exceed the student’s cost of tuition and Institute mandated fees. These payments will be disbursed from the corresponding project beginning with 998 and account 782200.

Allowance
An allowance is defined as a fellowship payment made typically as a reimbursement for costs the student incurs that are not qualified as tuition and fees or as a stipend payment. This includes health insurance, lab equipment, computers, etc. These payments will be disbursed from the corresponding project beginning with 998 and account 782100.

Prize/Award
A prize/award is defined as a payment made to a student in the nature of an award or recognition for some sort of special achievement, special skill, special knowledge, or special renown in a certain area, or can represent an award won in a contest of some sort. An example of an award would be an award for the best poster. When paying an award, the grantor/donor does not specifically intend that the grantee spend the award amount “for purpose of aiding his study, training, or research”. Funding should come from sources that permit the award payment, such as Georgia Tech Foundation and Georgia Tech Research Corporation, etc. NO STATE FUNDS ARE ALLOWED TO PAY PRIZES AND AWARDS. These funds will be disbursed from the appropriate project and account 751120 (not allowed through projects beginning with 997/998 unless payments meet exception below). Awards made to students are considered income and will incur the appropriate tax treatment.

Exception:
Please note that awards can also be included in the category of scholarship/fellowship if the grantor/donor specifically intends for payment to offset or defray the expenses of the student's studies.

Cost of Attendance (COA)
COA is defined as the sum of educationally related expenses for each term. COA is determined annually by the Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid based upon components defined by the US Department of Education and applied to all funds administered by and/or through OSFA.

Student employee
A student employee is defined as a Student who was employed in some capacity during the current calendar year in which prize/award payment is being requested.

Procedures

All requests for payments to students will be reviewed by the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid and paid as follows:
Scholarships/Fellowships (payments being requested from funds classified in projects beginning with 997/998 in Institute Financial System) will be awarded and disbursed by the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid utilizing the Banner Student System. These payments will be applied to the student's account. All awards will be reviewed to determine if any adjustments must be made to previously awarded financial aid. The federally funded loan programs are the most common program requiring adjustments. Please complete the following form for making these requests.
Prize/Awards (payments being requested from funds NOT classified in projects beginning with 997/998 in Institute Financial System) are considered income and the procedures below will be followed.

  • Student employees: If payment is being requested for a student employed by GIT in the current calendar year, then disbursement will be made by Georgia Tech Payroll Department and is subject to federal and state income tax with holdings. Please complete the following form for making these requests.
  • Student non employee: If student is NOT an employee in the current calendar year, then the payment will be disbursed by the Bursar's Office through the Banner Student System and applied to the student's account. The recipient may receive a 1099 form if annual payments meet/exceed certain levels as established by the IRS. Please complete the following form making these requests.

Internal Revenue Service Resources related to student payments.

U.S. Citizens or Resident Alien Student Payments
(Any tax responsibility under the IRS regulations belongs to the student.)

  • A student who receives a scholarship/fellowship payment for which they are not required to perform services may exempt the portion of the award that is used for qualified tuition and related expenses. Any portion of the award used for other expenses, such as room and board or travel, is considered part of the student's gross income and must be reported on their individual tax return.
  • Payments received by a student for prizes and awards are considered income. If payment is made to an employee then payment will be subject to federal and state income tax withholdings. If payment is made to non employee then the recipient may receive a 1099 form if the annual payments meet/exceed certain limits.

For more information on tax obligations related to scholarship/fellowship/prize/award payments made to U.S. Citizens and Resident Aliens can be found below.
http://www.irs.gov/publications/p970/ch01.html
Non U.S. Citizens Student Payments

  • Nonresident alien students receiving Scholarship/Fellowship payments that do not represent compensation for services is reportable by the Institute to both the IRS and the student on IRS Form 1042S. The portion of the fellowship/scholarship used for qualified tuition and related expenses is exempt from U.S. tax. The remaining portion of the payment is subject to tax and is considered part of the student's gross income and must be reported on their individual tax return. The Institute will withhold tax at the rate of 14% on this taxable portion unless the award is exempt under a tax treaty between the U.S. and the student's home country. The student must supply the Institute with IRS Form 8233 in order to claim the benefit of a tax treaty.
  • Payments received by a student for prizes and awards are considered wages. If payment is made to an employee then payment will be subject to federal and state income tax withholdings. If payment is made to non employee then the recipient may receive a 1042S form if the annual payments meet/exceed certain limits and the Institute will withhold tax on the taxable portion of this payment.

For more information on tax obligations related to scholarship/fellowship/prize/award payments made to Non resident alien students can be found below.
http://www.irs.gov/Individuals/International-Taxpayers/Taxation-of-Nonresident-Aliens.

Mandatory Student Insurance

Mandatory Student Insurance jgastley3
Last Revised
Review Date
Policy Owner
Bursar’s Office
Contact Name
Trina Hall
Contact Title
Assistant Director - Student Account Services
Contact Email
trina.hall@business.gatech.edu
Policy Statement

Certain groups of students are required to purchase health insurance. Students for whom insurance is not mandatory may purchase insurance voluntarily.

Mandatory Groups:

Undergraduate and Graduate International Students holding "F" or "J" visa status.

Undergraduate and Graduate Students enrolled in academic programs that require proof of health insurance.

Graduate Students receiving Qualified Graduate Assistantships, defined as any type of graduate assistantship of at least 1/3 time. This includes general graduate assistantships, teaching assistantships, laboratory assistantships, and research assistantships, regardless of the source of funds; as well as Graduate School Assistantships and Graduate Recruitment Opportunity (GRO) assistantships.

Graduate Students receiving Qualified Fellowships, defined as fellowships administered by the Institution that provide funding for the student in an amount equal to or greater than the prevailing in-state tuition rate for graduate students. Such fellowships include, but are not limited to, Institution Presidential Graduate Fellowships, National Research Service Awards, National Science Foundation Fellowships, and other state and federally funded fellowships.

Graduate Students receiving Qualified Training Grants, defined as state or federally funded training grants administered by the Institution that provide funding for the student in an amount equal to or greater than the prevailing in-state tuition rate for graduate students.

Procedures

Students who meet the requirements for mandatory health insurance are assessed insurance charges on their student account. Payment is due on the published payment deadline each semester. To view Insurance Rates for the current semester visit the Bursar website at: http://bursar.gatech.edu/content/mandatory-student-insurance.

The Georgia Tech insurance provider is Blue Cross Blue Shield. Visit the BCBS site and click on Mandatory Plan to see additional plan information and a benefits summary.

Voluntary Student Plan:
To purchase health insurance voluntarily, visit Blue Cross Blue Shield. Next, click the Voluntary Plan button to see voluntary rates, plan description, and the benefits summary.

Insurance Waivers:
Students in the mandatory groups have the option to waive the student insurance if they have a pre-approved insurance plan. Waivers are processed by Blue Cross Blue Shield, the insurance carrier. To apply for a waiver, go to Blue Cross Blue Shield, click on the Mandatory Plan button, select the Enroll/Waive tab and click the Waive Coverage button to provide the information required.

For more information about the student insurance plans, please visit Blue Cross Blue Shield.

Policy History
Revision Date Author Description
10-2014 Bursar's Office Update to policy

Refunds

Refunds agarton3
Last Revised
Review Date

Return of Title IV Funds Policy
A calculation is made for all financial aid recipients to determine whether a student who completely withdraws during a term has "earned" the monies disbursed. A student "earns" his/her aid based on the period of time they remain enrolled. During the first 60% of the term a student "earns" financial aid in direct proportion to the length of time he/she remains enrolled. The earned and unearned aid is determined by a daily prorated ratio. Basically, if you canceled enrollment at the 20% point of the term, you earned 20% of the financial aid you were originally scheduled to receive. The 80% of the amount of unearned Federal financial aid or a portion of the 80% of unearned aid will be returned (canceled from your account). Once you have completed more than 60% of the term, you have earned all the federal assistance that you were scheduled to receive. Specific percentages by date are published by the Bursar's Office.

A daily roster is generated by the Office of the Registrar that identifies students who have completely withdrawn from the institution. The Registrar's office records and publishes the official date of withdrawal.

The percentage of the period that the student remained enrolled is derived by dividing the number of days the student attended by the number of days in the term. The withdrawal date is:

  • The date the student notified the institution of intent to withdraw (initiation of withdrawal process) or
  • The midpoint of the term for a student who leaves without notifying the institution of their intent to withdraw.

The responsibility to repay unearned aid is shared by the institution and the student in proportion to the aid each is assumed to possess. Georgia Tech will use the Return of Financial Aid - Refund Policy worksheet to determine the amount the student and/or the institution must refund (canceled from your student account) to the appropriate programs. The Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid and the Bursar's Office will cooperatively verify the accuracy of each refund calculation.

Institution's Return of Funds
Once the institution's portion of the return of funds has been calculated the OSFA will reduce the student's original financial aid award and return the funds within 45 (forty-five) days to the appropriate program(s) in the order specific in this policy. If this creates a "balance" on the student's account in the Bursar's office, the Bursar will notify the student of the obligation. The student will be responsible for paying the debt to the Bursar immediately. The student will not be allowed to register or receive an official transcript until the debt has been paid in full.

Student's Return of Funds
Once the student's portion of the return of funds has been calculated, the Bursar's Office will notify the student of the amount he/she must repay. The student must pay Georgia Tech the full amount of his/her debt and Georgia Tech will return the funds to the appropriate programs within 45 days. To continue eligibility past 45 days, the student must pay the overpayment in full to Georgia Tech's Bursar's office.

Unearned Title IV aid shall be returned to the following programs in the following order by both the student and the Institute:

  1. Unsubsidized Stafford Loan
  2. Subsidized Stafford Loan
  3. Perkins Loan
  4. Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students (PLUS)/Graduate PLUS
  5. Pell Grant
  6. Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG)

Post-Withdrawal Funds
If the amount disbursed to the student is less than the amount the student earned, the amount maybe considered a post-withdrawal disbursement. Post-withdrawal eligibility can be used to credit outstanding charges on a student's account. Georgia Tech has 30 (thirty) days from the date of the institution determined that the student withdrew, to offer any amount of the post-withdrawal disbursement to the student, (or parent for PLUS). The student (or parent) may accept or decline some or all of the post-withdrawal disbursement that is not credited to the student's account. The student or parent must respond within 14 days from the date that the institution sends the notification to be eligible to receive the post withdrawal disbursement. If the student (or parent) does not respond to the institution's notice, no portion of the post-withdrawal disbursement that is not credited to the student's account may be disbursed.

HOPE/Zell Miller Scholarship Only Refund
If a refund is due and the student received HOPE/Zell Miller funds but did not receive federal Title IV funds, then such amounts must be refunded to HOPE/Zell Miller. These amounts are refunded by applying the institution's Refund Policy to the student's original HOPE/Zell Miller award for tuition.

Title IV and HOPE/Zell Miller Refund
If in addition to HOPE/Zell Miller funds, the student also received federal Title IV funds, then refund amounts are distributed proportionately. OSFA then determines the amount of the federal Title IV refund as prescribed by the federal "Return of Title IV Funds" policy.

Financial Aid Calculated Examples:

The calculation for the amount of Federal financial aid to return (cancel from your student account) is based on the lesser amount of:

Institutional charges: (Tuition, Mandatory fees, Special course fees, Housing and Meal charges (if you live on campus)

OR:

Federal Aid awarded: (Subsidized and Unsubsidized Stafford Loan, Perkins Loan, Parent or Grad PLUS Loan, Pell Grant, Supplemental Education Opportunity Grants (SEOG))

The lesser amount of the institutional charges or federal aid awarded is then multiplied by a daily prorated ratio based on your certified date of withdrawal. The result is the amount of aid to be returned.

 

  Example1: Example2:
Institutional Charges    
Tuition $3,859 $3,859
Recreation Fee 54 54
Health Fee 154 154
Transportation Fee 81 81
Technology Fee 107 107
Activity Fee 123 123
Athletic Fee 127 127
Special Institution Fee 272 272
Campus Housing 3,900 3,900
Total $8,677 $8,677
Financial Aid Awarded    
Unsubsidized Stafford $990 $3,713
Subsidized Stafford Loan 2,723 2,723
Perkins Loan 1200  
Pell Grant 2,250  
SEOG 2,000           
Total $9,163 $6,436

Example 1: Since the total institutional charges are less than the total financial aid awarded, the cancellation of aid will be calculated using the $8,677 because it is less than the Federal Financial Aid Awarded of $9,163.

If your date of withdrawal is at the midpoint of the term, $8,677 would be multiplied by 50% to calculate $4338.50 to return from your Federal Financial Aid funds. For the example, the entire $990 Unsubsidized Stafford Loan would be returned to the servicer (canceled from your account) as well as $2723 of the Subsidized Stafford Loan and $625.50 of the Perkins Loan. Therefore $990 + $2723 + $625.50 = $4,338.50 is the amount of aid to be returned (canceled from your account).

Example 2: Since the financial aid awards are less than the total institutional charges, the cancellation of aid will be calculated using $6,436 because it is less than the total institutional charges of $8,677.

If your date of withdrawal results in a 31% term completion earned rate, then the unearned percentage is 69%. Therefore, we would multiply $6,436 by 69% to calculate $4,441 to return from your Federal Financial Aid funds. For this example, the entire $3,713 Unsubsidized Stafford Loan would be returned to the servicer (canceled from your account) as well as $728 of the Subsidized Stafford Loan. Therefore $3,713 + $728 = $4,441 is the amount of aid to be returned (canceled from your account).

Unofficial Withdrawal Policy:
Financial aid funds are awarded under the assumption you will attend school for the entire term. If you unofficially withdraw (leave and do not properly provide official notification of withdrawal), you may no longer be eligible for the full amount of aid funds you were originally scheduled to receive.

Official Notification Not Provided

  1. One category of unofficial withdrawal happens if you did not complete the withdrawal process or otherwise notify the school of the intent to withdraw due to illness, accident, grievous personal loss or other circumstances beyond your control. If the failure to properly withdraw is beyond your control, the withdrawal date is the date you no longer were able to attend class.
  2. A second category of unofficial withdrawals encompasses all other withdrawals where official notification is not provided to the school. For these withdrawals the withdrawal date is the midpoint of the term, unless otherwise documented.

Time Frame of Withdrawal Date for an Unofficial Withdrawal
For Unofficial withdrawals, a school must process aid adjustments for unofficial withdrawals within 45 calendar days from the earlier of; (1) the end of the payment period or period of enrollment, (2) the end of the academic year, or (3) the end of the student's educational program.

At the end of each term, our office identifies students who did not successfully complete any courses. For students who do not earn a passing grade in any course, a notice will be sent to instructors asking for verification of the last date of attendance at an academically related activity. Examples of academically related activities are:

  • Examinations or quizzes
  • Tutorials
  • Computer-assisted instruction
  • Academic advising or counseling
  • Academic conferences
  • Completing an academic assignment, paper, or project
  • Attending a study group required by the institution where attendance is taken

In the absence of evidence of a last day of attendance at an academically related activity, the student who failed to earn a passing grade in any class is considered to be an unofficial withdrawal. Also, if attendance documentation is not received, a return of financial aid funds calculation will occur using the midpoint (50%) as the point for the unofficial date of withdrawal.

Satisfactory Academic Progress

Satisfactory Academic Progress jgastley3
Last Revised
Review Date
Policy Statement

The Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, requires institutions of higher education to establish and apply standards of academic progress that must be met by all students in order to qualify and remain eligible for assistance from the Title IV student financial aid programs. Georgia Tech has elected to apply the standards set forth below to all students who receive aid from any of the following programs: Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG), Helping Outstanding Pupils Educationally (HOPE), Federal Work-Study (FWS), Federal Perkins Loan, Federal Direct Student Loan, the Federal Direct Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students (PLUS), the Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan, and Institute grants and scholarships. The standards against which applicants for and recipients of financial assistance are measured include both qualitative and quantitative measures.

Qualitative

You must maintain a cumulative minimum grade point average of:

1.7 as a freshman,

1.9 as a sophomore,

2.0 as a junior and senior,

3.0 for a Masters program, effective Summer 2012 (previously 2.7)

and a 3.0 for a PhD program

Quantitative/Pace

You must also satisfactorily complete a cumulative minimum of 75 percent of all credit hours for which you are registered at the end of each Phase III registration.

The academic record of each aid recipient is reviewed at the end of each semester. The review includes all semesters of attendance at Georgia Tech, whether or not financial aid was received. If you fail to meet either of the above requirements, you will be placed on financial aid warning until the next review; you will remain eligible for assistance while on warning status.

If you are already on warning and have not removed the deficiencies and met both the qualitative and quantitative cumulative minimums at the end of the next semester of attendance, you will be placed on financial aid suspension; you will not be eligible for further assistance until such time as the cumulative minimums have been met. Courses in which the following grades are received constitute credit hours satisfactorily completed: A through D; S for pass/fail courses. Courses in which the following grades are received do not constitute credit hours satisfactorily completed: F - failure; I - incomplete; U - failure of pass/fail course; W - withdrawn. Courses audited may not be used to qualify for financial aid and are not counted in determining the number of hours for which you have registered. Courses repeated do not replace the original grade. Your scholastic average will include both grades, and both times the course is taken will count as hours for which you have attempted. Repeated coursework, however, does not count as additional hours earned for purposes of determining Satisfactory Academic Progress.

If you are required to take PREP (developmental) courses, you must pass all requirements within the first three semesters in residence. Such courses are taken on a pass/fail basis and are not counted in determining the number of hours for which you have registered.

Courses completed at other institutions are not used in determining eligibility under the qualitative measure. However, transfer hours accepted for credit toward a degree from Georgia Tech will be counted for purposes of the maximum time frame (see next section). Such hours will be counted by subtracting them from the hours normally required for graduation in your program of study. Effective Fall 2011, accepted transfer hours are calculated into the quantitative/Pace requirement.

Maximum Time Frame - Undergraduates

The Higher Education Act requires that institutions establish a maximum time frame in which students receiving Title IV funds are expected to complete the program of study and beyond which they no longer qualify for assistance. At Georgia Tech, eligibility to receive Title IV assistance ends when you have registered for 133 percent of the number of hours required for graduation in your program of study, including any transferred hours accepted for credit toward the degree. For an undergraduate student, this equates to approximately six academic years of course work, depending on the specific major.

Maximum Time Frame - Graduates

Maximum time frames for graduate studies are: master's - 6 semesters; doctoral - 12 semesters. Graduate students whose programs of study cannot be accomplished within these maximums must furnish documentation from their department to support any extension. OSFA knows and understands that several factors contribute to a graduate student's academic progress. The standard we utilize looks at hours attempted and terms enrolled, but we recognize that your graduate/thesis advisor is the authority that we need to depend upon to help us properly document our files and assess your situation appropriately.

Grade Substitution Policy

For more details on the impact of the grade substitution policy on financial aid , please visit: Grade Substitution Policy

Appealing a Satisfactory Academic Progress Suspension

Information on appealing a suspension of your financial aid due to not meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress standards can be found on our Appeals page.

Student Appeals

Student Appeals jgastley3
Last Revised
Review Date
Policy Statement

The OSFA routinely makes decisions concerning a student's eligibility to initially receive or continue to receive student financial aid. You may appeal in writing all decisions that impact your eligibility to receive student financial aid. The appeal decision is made by the counselor, who is charged with the overall processing and updating of the individual student file. Procedures have been developed in an effort to expedite the appeals process, to reach consistent decisions, and to center the initial decision at the counselor level.

The following is a chronological list of the general procedures for a student appeal:

  • You appeal in writing, requesting that special consideration be given to a specific situation.
  • The committee uses professional judgment to make a decision on the request.
  • If the appeal is approved, you are notified as to the specific restrictions of the approval.
  • If the decision is denial, the appeal is automatically presented to the Internal Review Committee.
  • The committee approves or denies the appeal and notifies you.
  • The committee's decision should be considered final. However, if there is additional information/documentation, you may appeal the decision to the Associate Director of the OSFA, providing the new support for your request.

Following are the most commonly requested exceptions to the policy, including a brief description of the minimum documentation required.

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

If an appeal is approved for the following situations, SAP status will be updated to "probation".

GPA/75 percent minimum credit hours:

You must complete and submit an Appeal of Financial Aid Suspension form explaining the causes beyond your control that brought about the current situation. You should include with this form any documentation that would support the appeal (i.e., hospital records, etc.).

Maximum time frame:

You must complete and submit an Appeal of Financial Aid Suspension form explaining why you have exceeded the maximum time frame, including valid reasons for an extension (e.g., transfer hours, change of major, etc.). The form must include a specific list of the courses you are required to take in order to complete your degree. The maximum number of attempted hours allowed through appeal is 150% of the number of hours required for the degree program.

Dependency

Independence is granted in cases with unusual circumstances where there is a legal or physical obstacle to obtaining parental information. For example, a dependent student whose parents are institutionalized, incarcerated, or under a restraining order would be considered a likely candidate for independent status. In such a case, you must submit a detailed letter explaining your position, accompanied by a court document verifying a legal obstacle to obtaining parental information, or two notarized statements (from a counselor, member of the clergy, teacher, etc.) verifying a physical obstacle.

Adjustment to Income

The OSFA will consider adjusting your (or your parent's) income figures to reflect a change in employment if the change was involuntary, permanent, and resulted in substantial loss of income. You must submit a letter explaining the change in income. The letter must include valid reasons why the OSFA should consider an adjustment. You also must submit substantial third-party documentation of income change (e.g., separation from employment notice). Additionally, you must submit a statement of projected income to include sources of income and any other supporting documents such as check stubs or letters from employers. Click here for additional information on Special Circumstances Appeals.

Cost of Attendance

Eligibility for financial aid is based on standardized cost of attendance figures. Certain other costs in excess of these amounts may be taken into consideration.

Forms

Voluntary Student Fees

Voluntary Student Fees jgastley3
Last Revised
Review Date
Policy Owner
Bursar’s Office
Contact Name
Trina Hall
Contact Title
Assistant Director - Student Account Services
Contact Email
trina.hall@business.gatech.edu
Policy Statement

Voluntary Student Fees - If a student is registered for 4 or more billable hours during the current semester, these fees are included in the mandatory fees already assessed to the student account. Sign up is not required for students registered for 4 or more billable hours to have access. Eligible students (see definition below) can elect to pay fees voluntarily and receive access to the services and activities these fees support.

The elective fees to choose from are:

  • Campus Recreation Center (CRC) Fee
  • Health Services Fee
  • Athletics Fee

 

Eligibility requirements to elect these fees are as follows:

  • Students registered for 1-3 billable hours during a semester
  • Co-op students and interns for the current semester
  • Students not registered for the current semester who were registered the immediately preceding semester
  • Students not registered for the current semester who are pre-registered for the immediately subsequent semester (previously enrolled students only)

 

Charges and payments made for voluntary fees are posted to the student's account the next business day. The individual departments (Health Services, CRC, Athletics Dept) grant access to the services as soon as practical after that posting.

For additional information and to pay Voluntary Student Fees, please click here .

Policy History
Revision Date Author Description
10-2014 Bursar's Office Updates to verbiage