How to Apply
 

• All applicants should complete the FAFSA or the Renewal FAFSA. The Federal Processor electronically submits your application to ABAC's Office of Financial Aid (OFA) if you have listed ABAC as a school to receive the information.  This form will be used to determine your eligibility for aid which includes the Federal Pell Grant, Federal Perkins Loan, Federal Work-Study, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, Leveraging Educational Assistance Program, Federal Stafford Loan, and Federal Parent (PLUS) Loan.

• Applications for each upcoming academic year are available in the OFA in January.  For priority processing your FAFSA should be electronically submitted to the Federal Processor by May 1. Applications submitted later may delay your Award Letter. The OFA begins processing completed applications when tuition rates are determined by the Board of Regents in April each year. Processing applications can take four weeks or longer during peak processing times.

• When completing the FAFSA, ALL required items must be answered. Failure to do so may delay your Award Notification Letter.

• Use your full legal name when applying for aid. Do not use nicknames, abbreviations, or middle names as first names.  The U.S. Department of Education requires that the name used when applying for aid match your name on Social Security Administration records. You will be asked for other information if there is a conflict. 

  Financial Aid Awards 
 

• Each year, the OFA receives requests for more funds than are available. Although Federal Pell Grant and Federal Stafford and Federal PLUS Loans are available to eligible students year-round, other funds are awarded to eligible students on a first-come, first-serve basis. 

• The OFA uses your permanent home address on file in the Registrar's Office. Contact the Registrar's Office for information about changing your address. 

• The OFA reserves the right to review and cancel awards at any time if you fail to meet the requirements of the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy or because changes in your financial or academic status, academic program, resident status, enrollment status, etc. All student financial aid awards are contingent upon the availability of funds. 

• Aid awards are made for the normal academic year consisting of the Fall and Spring semesters. Summer semester is considered a trailer to the normal academic  year. Students interested in receiving aid for Summer Semester must complete a one page Application for Summer Aid, which is available during the Spring semester. The Application for Summer Aid serves as an official notice of your intent to enroll during the Summer term. 

  Enrollment Status
 

• Non-degree seeking students are not eligible for federal or state aid.  HOPE Scholarship recipients may contact the OFA to request information on receiving HOPE as a transient student at another HOPE eligible institution. 

• This table below details the number of hours required for financial aid recipients to be classified as indicated.  These requirements are important when considering your eligibility for various types of aid. 

• Your official enrollment status is determined each term at the end of the Drop/Add period. If you enroll full-time, then drop below full-time during the drop/add period, your award amounts may be decreased. 

Code of Conduct

In compliance with the requirements of the Higher Education Opportunity Act (H.R. 4137) as signed into law on August 14, 2008, the following is the Code of Conduct regarding student loans for the Office of Financial Aid at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College.  

• Does not require students to use a particular lender or in any way limit the choice of lenders for students. 

• Does not recommend external lenders to students or their parents, and does not maintain a list of lenders that are preferred over other lenders (we do provide a list of lenders as possible suggestions – which in no way should be recognized as preferring one over another).;

• Will process loan applications through any lender a student or parent chooses.

• Does not solicit or accept anything of value from any lender in exchange for any advantage sought by the lender to make educational loans to students enrolled at, or admitted to, the College.

• Prohibits employees of the financial aid office, or any employee who otherwise has responsibilities with respect to educational loans, from taking from any lender any gift worth more than nominal value.

• Prohibits employees of the financial aid office, or any employee who otherwise has responsibilities with respect to educational loans, from entering into any type of consulting arrangement or other contract to provide to a lender services relating to educational loans.

• Prohibits employees of the financial aid office, or any employee who otherwise has responsibilities with respect to educational loans, who serve on an advisory board (or commission or group) relating to educational loans established by a lender or group of lenders from receiving anything of value from the lender or group of lenders in connection with serving on such advisory board (or commission or group).

• Prohibits external lenders’ employees, representatives or agents from providing staffing services to the financial aid office.

• Prohibits external lenders’ employees, representatives or agents from identifying themselves to students of the College or their parents as employees, representatives or agents of the financial aid office.

• Does not assign for any borrower, through award packaging or other methods, a loan to a particular lender, and does not refuse to certify or delay certification for any loan based on the borrower’s selection of a particular lender or guaranty agency

  Fee Payment
 

• All fee payments, including financial aid payments, are due in the Business Office.  If you pre-register for classes for an upcoming term, note the Payment Deadline on your Fee Invoice. Your schedule will be canceled if you fail to pay your fees by this date. 

  Additional Requirements

• You must report to OFA any aid you receive or expect to receive from an outside source regardless of when you receive notification of the award. This includes scholarships, grants, loans, and assistantships or fee waivers. The receipt of such aid may result in a reduction, cancellation, and/or repayment of your award(s).

• The OFA urges all students, including transfer students, to carefully review the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy for Student Financial Aid Recipients.

• Students applying for Title IV aid as eligible non-citizens whose citizenship status is not confirmed on the SAR must provide the OFA with appropriate documentation (Alien Registration Receipt Card Form I-151 or Form I-551, a passport, or I-94) showing that they are permanent residents or other eligible non-citizens. The OFA will then initiate a secondary confirmation with the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). This must be received before students will be awarded any aid. United States citizens also have to provide documentation if their citizenship is not confirmed on the SAR.

• Dropping a class during the official Drop/Add period at the beginning of a term will result in a review of aid eligibility for that term. Hours which are dropped do not count toward HOPE eligibility or Satisfactory Academic Progress standards, although repayment may be required if student aid has already been disbursed for those hours. No grades are posted for dropped hours. Hours from which you withdraw each term will be considered as enrolled/attempted hours for purposes of determining HOPE eligibility and Satisfactory Academic Progress standards. Withdrawing from a course will result in a grade of W or WF.

Monday, March 16, 2009 10:35 AM