Federal Grants, Loans, and Work-Study

To receive federal student aid, a recipient must be accepted as a regular student into an approved program, be a citizen or eligible non-citizen, make satisfactory academic progress, enroll in courses required for the approved program, and complete the free application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). If the FAFSA is selected for verification or flagged for additional documentation, required paperwork must be submitted before any federal financial aid can be awarded. See below for eligibility requirements for each federal aid program.

Direct Loans

This government-insured loan program with low interest rates is available through the Department of Education. The FAFSA and Master Promissory Note must be completed before a Direct Loan will be originated and disbursed. Amounts borrowed may not exceed annual loan limits, aggregate loan limits, or cost of attendance when combined with other estimated financial assistance. When a student graduates or enrollment drops below half-time, loans may begin repayment as early as 30 days and not later than six months. Contact the Financial Aid Office to determine when loans will go into repayment.

Federal Pell Grants

This federal grant is awarded to eligible undergraduate students based on their calculated financial need. The FAFSA determines Pell eligibility, and the Department of Education determines the amount of Pell awarded. Pell awards will be prorated according to enrollment status and EFC (Expected Family Contribution). The FAFSA is available beginning October 1, and can be completed via https://student aid.ed.gov/sa/fafsa.

Federal PLUS Loans

Parent PLUS loans are credit-based loans available to parents of dependent students to help cover college expenses. The PLUS application may be submitted via https://studentloans.gov. The credit check will remain valid for 180 days. If denied, the student will become eligible for the independent annual unsubsidized loan amounts, or the parent may choose to have the PLUS denial endorsed. If approved, the PLUS loan may be scheduled up to, but not exceeding, the cost of education when combined with all other estimated financial assistance. The FAFSA must be completed prior to filling out the PLUS application, and the Master Promissory Note must be completed prior to disbursement.

Federal SEOG

The Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant is awarded only to Pell-eligible students. Priority order is based on lowest EFCs (Expected Family Contribution). The number of awards will be based on availability of funds.

Federal Work-Study

This program provides on-campus jobs for students who need financial aid, thus giving them an opportunity to earn money to help pay educational costs. The Federal Work-Study award varies according to funds provided to the University and aid received from other programs. Students will be paid at least the current federal minimum hourly wage. Students must first complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and must be making satisfactory academic progress.

Veterans Benefits

Veterans who wish to receive educational benefits must apply for benefits by completing the Veterans Online Application at https://benefits.va.gov/gibill. The Certificate of Eligibility must be submitted to the School Certifying Official (SCO) no later than the first day of class. Each student is required to submit a new Certification Request to the SCO upon registration each semester. This is to be submitted to the SCO no later than seven days prior to the start of classes. These Certification Requests are available through Piedmont’s School Certifying Official or the Registrar’s Office. The School Certifying Office will compile the certification to the VA in conjunction with the following supporting documents:

• Student’s semester schedule
• Student’s copy of semester billing statement
• Student’s copy of semester financial aid resources
• Disbursement Roster (copy) from the VA showing payment of requested funds

Verification Policy

Verification is the process of confirming the accuracy of students’ information as reported on the FAFSA application. The University is notified by the U.S. Department of Education of applications that require verification. In addition, the Financial Aid Office may select a student for verification if there is a discrepancy. The U.S. Department of Education gives the University the authority to request copies of certain financial documents from the student and spouse or parents in order to accomplish this task. The student may be notified by the Department of Education and by the Financial Aid Office that verification is required. Documents can include, but are not limited to, student and spouse or parents’ Tax Return Transcripts, W-2 forms, and verification worksheet. Links to the verification worksheets are available on the Financial Aid Student Terminal (FAST) page of the website. Instructions are on the worksheets.

The student is required to submit all information requested for the verification process in a timely fashion. The student’s financial aid cannot be processed until the verification is complete. All financial aid must be processed in its entirety before the end of the semester to satisfy the debt on the student’s account. Failure on the part of the student to fulfill his/her financial obligation to the University can result in the student’s removal from class attendance.

If the verification reveals changes that need to be made to the FAFSA, the Financial Aid Office will make those on behalf of the student.

Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy

The Financial Aid Office of Piedmont International University administers financial aid programs from federal and institutional sources. The U.S. Department of Education requires that schools develop and implement policies by which academic progress is evaluated and monitored for all students, including those who have not received financial aid in previous semesters.

Students must meet Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements to receive any financial aid, including grants, scholarships, loans, and Federal Work Study. This policy includes standards for Qualitative and Quantitative measures. The academic records of all students are reviewed after the end of each payment period. Notification will be sent from the Financial Aid Office notifying those with insufficient academic progress when they are being placed on Financial Aid Warning or Suspension.

Definition of Attempted Hours

• The hours for which the student is registered as of the last day of the add/drop period
• All transfer hours that are relevant to the students current academic program (transfer hours are applicable to rate of completion but not toward a student’s GPA)
• All hours taken, even if the student did not receive financial assistance during these time periods

Definition of Completed Hours

• The hours for which a letter grade of A, B, C, D, or P is received. Transfer hours are included.

Qualitative Standard Cumulative

GPA is composed of all attempted hours at the current academic level and is calculated by the Registrar’s Office. To meet the qualitative standards, students must meet the minimum cumulative GPA as determined by their classification and program. Courses taken under the “repeat” policy may be considered for appeal.

Student Classification	Required Minimum Cumulative GPA for Program
Certificate and Associate’s Programs	2.00
Education Bachelor’s Programs
0-60 hours earned	2.50
61+ hours earned	2.75
All other Bachelor’s Programs
(0-60 hours earned)	1.80
(61-90 hours earned)	1.90
(90+ hours earned)	2.00
Master of Arts in Ministry	2.00
Master of Arts in Biblical Studies*	2.50
Master of Divinity	2.50
Accelerated Master of Divinity	3.00

 

* M.A.B.S. Ph.D. preparation track students can graduate with a 2.50 GPA, but must graduate with a 3.00 GPA to qualify for admission to the Ph.D. program.

Quantitative Standard

The student must complete the required number of attempted hours of coursework at his/her current level. The requirements are as follows:

Certificate and Associate’s Programs	67%
Bachelor’s Programs
Freshman	50%
Sophomores	67%
Juniors	67%
Seniors	67%

Withdrawals after the last day of the add/drop period, incompletes, repeated courses, failure grades, and transfer hours relevant to student’s current degree will count as attempted credits. The student may not receive federal financial aid for more than 150 percent of the degree program as measured in credit hours, but will lose eligibility at the point where it is known he is unable to complete his degree program within the 150 percent time frame. All coursework is included, whether the student received federal financial aid during that period or not. The student may appeal the completion rate or 150 percent rule on the basis of coursework not applicable to the current degree program, but the SAP may only be reset one time.

Satisfactory Academic Progress Review

Students will be reviewed for satisfactory academic progress at the end of each payment period. If a student fails to meet either the qualitative or quantitative standard for his/her degree program and classification at the end of the payment period, the following rules will apply:

Institutional Aid

Institutional Aid will be awarded in direct correlation to the student’s academic standing following catalog policies. It is possible for a student to receive institutional aid while not qualifying for federal aid. A student will receive institutional aid during semesters of Academic Warning, Financial Aid Warning, and Financial Aid Probation, but will not receive institutional aid while on Financial Aid suspension, nor after readmission from a semester of suspension. Institutional Aid will be reinstated when Federal Aid Eligibility is reinstated.

Federal Aid

To maintain eligibility for Title IV aid after failing to make Satisfactory Academic Progress, students will be placed on Financial Aid Warning, Financial Aid Probation, or an Academic Plan upon approval of an academic plan.

Financial Aid Warning

Any student who does not meet either the qualitative or quantitative standard for his/her degree and/or classification at the end of any payment period will be placed on Financial Aid Warning for one semester. Federal financial aid eligibility will continue for the warning semester. After one period of Financial Aid Warning, a student who does not meet the Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements will not be eligible for financial aid unless an appeal is made and approved.

Financial Aid Probation

A student who fails to make Satisfactory Academic Progress following their Financial Aid Warning semester will lose Title IV eligibility unless the student successfully appeals.

If an appeal is granted and the institution determines the student has the capability to make SAP, the student will be placed on Financial Aid Probation. If the student on Financial Aid Probation is not making SAP, or not meeting the standards as outlined in the academic plan as proposed by the Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeals Committee, the student will become ineligible for Federal Student Aid. The student will be placed on Financial Aid Suspension.

If an appeal is granted and the institution determines that more than one payment period will be necessary for the student to make Satisfactory Academic Progress, the student may be placed on an academic plan. The plan may specify when the student will be able to make SAP again, or may carry the student through the completion of their degree program. The student must meet the requirements of the plan at the end of each payment period in order to receive Title IV funds. The student may appeal in writing to change the academic plan, and must document why the change is requested and how he/she will be able to make Satisfactory Academic Progress under the changed plan.

Financial Aid Suspension

A student who fails to make Satisfactory Academic Progress after the Financial Aid Warning semester or who fails to meet the requirements of his/her academic plan will lose eligibility for Federal Student Aid. The student is placed on Financial Aid Suspension. Eligibility will be reinstated after the student has met both the qualitative and quantitative standards.

Academic Warning

Any student who does not meet either the qualitative or quantitative standard for his/her degree and/ or classification at the end of any payment period will automatically be placed on Academic Warning.

Academic Suspension

After an initial warning semester, any student whose semester GPA or completion rate doesn’t meet the requirements for his/her degree and/or classification is placed on academic suspension. A student whose semester GPA and rate of completion meet the requirements but whose cumulative GPA and rate of completion do not meet the requirements will be placed on Academic Warning. It is possible to be on Academic Warning and Financial Aid suspension during this semester. After a semester on Academic Warning, a student whose cumulative GPA and rate of completion do not meet the requirements is placed on academic suspension.

The suspension will last for a period of one semester, and the student must reapply for admittance and must meet any standards mandated by the Admissions Committee at that time. Students reentering from Academic Suspensions will be readmitted on Academic Warning, will be guided by an approved academic plan, and will not qualify for Federal Financial Aid or institutional scholarships until they meet 29 appropriate GPA and rate of completion requirements.

Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal

The appeal must be made by letter to address the specific areas of deficiency. If the student did not make SAP based on completion rate, the letter should address why the student did not complete the courses and why the current circumstances will be different. Examples of supporting documentation include doctor’s letter regarding medical condition, legal documents, and counselor’s letter for emotional crisis.

A student is responsible to monitor his/her grades throughout the semester. It is a good idea to document any instances where a student tried to get assistance to avoid a failed course, meetings with professors, tutoring sessions, and email correspondence to show ongoing issues, etc.

Incomplete grades at the time of the SAP evaluation will be treated as a failed course with 0% towards GPA and no earned credits. When the incomplete has been satisfied and the professor has updated the grades with the Registrar’s Office, SAP will be reevaluated.

Financial aid eligibility will be restored when:

• The student agrees to an Academic Plan
• The student reaches SAP again