Federal regulations require students who receive Title IV aid be enrolled in a certificate/degree program at their institution and require standards of satisfactory academic progress.  Students must meet the following minimum standards at Coastal Bend College each semester.

Standard 1: Grade Point Average (GPA) Requirement:  

Total Hours Attempted:       Minimum GPA:                                                   

0-11                                     N/A
12-20                                   1.50
21-40                                   1.75
41-Graduation                     2.00

Standard 2: 67% or Higher Completion Rate Requirement:  

A student must have a cumulative course completion rate of 67% or higher in order to receive financial aid and maintain appropriate timeframe/pace.     

                            Formula: Hours Earned / Hours Attempted= >67%
          
Standard 3: Maximum Timeframe to complete a program:  

Students must complete their program of study within 150% of the length of the degree or certificate program measured in semester hours. All courses taken in which grades of I, W, Q, or F were earned, in addition to transfer credits accepted by the institution, apply toward the 150% rule.

For Students Who Do Not Meet Satisfactory Progress:  

A student who does not meet the satisfactory academic progress requirements after one semester will be placed on financial aid warning. The student may receive financial aid for one semester after they are put on warning. If after this one semester the student does not meet the satisfactory academic progress requirements, the student’s financial aid will be suspended. Students whose aid is suspended are not eligible for any type of financial aid/student loans until they have met the satisfactory academic progress requirements.

Appeal Process:  

Students whose financial aid has been suspended may appeal for reinstatement of financial aid due to extenuating, documented circumstances such as illness, death in the family or undue hardship.  Suspension appeal forms can be obtained in the financial aid office.  Students are responsible for writing their own appeal answers, providing all relevant third-party documentation and enclosing a signed degree plan from an Academic Success Coach.  Failure to provide the required documentation will result in the denial of the student's appeal.  Appeals will be processed by the Financial Aid Committee.  All financial aid awards remain cancelled until the student follows the appeal procedures and receives a written notification of reinstatement/approval.

Appeals submitted at the beginning of a semester may take longer to receive a response.

Appeal Approval/Denial:    

The student will be notified of the decision in writing within a week after the meeting. A student who has a successful appeal is placed on Financial Aid probation and eligible to receive Title IV aid. If a student appeal is approved and requires more than one payment period to meet satisfactory academic progress he/she will be placed on an academic plan for one payment period. The Financial Aid Representative will review academic plan at the end of the period to determine if the student is meeting the requirements of the academic plan. Student will continue to receive Title IV aid as long as the student continues to meet requirements. Failure to adhere to the conditions of the academic plan will result in the cancellation of all future financial aid assistance.

If appeal is denied the student will be ineligible for future financial aid until they have met the minimum required standards. 

Remedial & Repeated Coursework:  

A student may only receive aid for the first 30 hours of remedial coursework regardless of whether or not aid was received for those courses. Grades earned in remedial coursework do not count towards a student’s GPA requirements, but do count towards a student’s 150% maximum aid eligibility and 67% requirement. Once a passing grade is earned in a course (D or higher), the student may only receive aid to retake the course ONE time. A student may receive aid to retake a failed course as many times as needed until a D or higher is received and satisfactory progress requirements are being met. Note that additional fees may apply after the 3rd attempt of a course.

Withdrawals & Possible Repayment of Financial Aid Received:
Financial aid recipients who withdraw or stop attending classes before completing at least 60% of the semester may have to pay back a portion of their loan/grant money. The amount of financial aid that you have earned up to the withdrawal date is determined by a specific federal formula. The percentage of the refund is equal to the number of days attended divided by the number of days in the semester.   

If you received more financial assistance than you earned, the excess funds must be returned. You will have 45 days to pay the repayment in full, make arrangements for payment with CBC, or make arrangements for payment with Department of Education. If no action is taken within the 45 days, your overpayment will be reported to the Department of Education and you will no longer be eligible for financial aid at CBC or any other college until the overpayment is paid.