FINANCIAL AID

Student Financial Assistance Programs

The College offers financial assistance to students through federal, state, institutional, and scholarship programs. A brochure entitled Financial Aid Facts explains the nature and process of financial aid programs and the various types of aid. Another brochure describing scholarships is published at each Campus. Both of these brochures answer many questions and address concerns regarding financial assistance, and students are encouraged to pick them up in the Financial Aid Office.

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and scholarship applications may be obtained from the Financial Aid Office at each Campus. Follow the instructions included with the application(s) to apply for any type of financial assistance. All students are encouraged to apply for financial aid as early as possible before the start of a new academic year. It is important to ask questions, read all information carefully, keep copies of everything, and answer all questions on the application(s) accurately. All decisions regarding financial aid eligibility are made by the Financial Aid Office.

For more information call:

Financial Aid Procedure

General Student Eligibility Requirements for all Financial Aid Programs

The applicant must:

1. Be a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen.
2. Have a high school diploma, a GED, or demonstrate the ability to benefit from instruction by passing an approved test.
3. Have a valid social security number.
4. Be enrolled as a regular student in an eligible program of study leading to a degree or diploma. Payment of any financial aid funds requires that students take courses that are approved for their respective Technology; no payment will be made for courses not approved for a particular Technology. New students must apply for admission in order to select a Technology. Undeclared students (students with Technology designation UND or NTD) are not eligible for financial aid.
5. Less than full time enrollment (fewer than 12 credits) may result in either a lower payment or no payment for a semester, depending on the financial aid program and student eligibility.
6. Maintain satisfactory academic progress as defined by the College's Academic Standing Policy.
7. Not be in default on a previous student loan nor owe a refund on any federal grant received at Delaware Tech or any other institution the applicant may have attended.
8. Demonstrate financial need based on federal or institutional policies.
9. Comply with all procedures for verification.
10. Meet any other requirement passed into law and regulation at any time by the Federal government or any policy change made by the College or any other applicable entity and any procedure required by the Financial Aid Office in order to ensure that a proper financial aid decision can be made.

Applying for Financial Aid

The College will attempt to assist any student seeking financial aid. Financial aid eligibility decisions are made by each campus for all financial aid programs.

New students must apply to the College for admission at the campus of their choice. Students who do not complete the admission process cannot be considered for financial aid.

The steps for applying for financial aid are as follows:

1. Apply each academic year.
2. Obtain the financial aid application (the Free Application for Federal Student Aid - FAFSA) from any campus. This application is appropriate for applying for all types of federal, state and institutional aid. Scholarship programs require a separate application.
3. Complete the FAFSA using the appropriate federal 1040 income tax form, as filed by the students and parents, and any other supporting documents like W-2 forms, state tax returns, social security statements, welfare statements, bank statements, investment statements, and so on. It is important to complete the application correctly.
4. Return the completed FAFSA to the campus which will be attended. Each campus will electron- ically process the FAFSA. Students are urged not to mail the FAFSA.
5. Complete all institutional forms and supporting documentation as requested by campus.
6. The campus will receive an electronic Institutional Student Information Record which will be used to determine eligibility for financial aid. Students who mailed their FAFSA will receive a paper Student Aid Report which should be submitted to the FAO for processing.
7. Student loans are available either through the Federal Family Educational Loan Program (FFELP) or the Federal Direct Student Loan Program (FDSL). The student must contact the individual campus Financial Aid Office to determine which particular loan program pertains to that campus. There are different application procedures for each of these loan programs.

Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Requirements

A student must meet GPA and completion rate and maximum time frame requirements in order to be eligible to receive financial aid. Refer to the Delaware Tech Academic Standing Policy. Table I, listed under Academic Standing Policy in this publication, indicate the minimum required CUM GPA and course completion rate.

GPA Requirements:

1. A student placed on Academic Warning is considered as making satisfactory academic progress, thereby remaining eligible for financial aid.
2. A student placed on Academic Probation loses financial aid eligibility. However, if the student meets with his/her advisor, completes an Academic Action Plan, and notification of such is forwarded to the Financial Aid Office, eligibility for financial aid payment will be reinstated. A student who fails to meet this requirement of will not be eligible for financial aid payment.
3. A student who is on Academic Suspension is not eligible for financial aid.

Completion Rate Requirements:

1. Students must successfully complete, on a cumulative basis, 67% of all credits attempted. A student who does not meet the 67% completion rate requirement is ineligible for financial aid payment.
2. All noncompletion grades (WP, WR, O, U, R, I) are used in the completion rate calculation.
3. A student may appeal the loss of financial aid eligibility due to completion rate if there are mitigating circumstances. The appeal must be submitted to the Financial Aid Office.

Maximum Time Frame for a Degree or Diploma:

1. A financial aid applicant is restricted to a maximum number of credits for which he/she can receive financial aid.
2. The Maximum Time Frame (MTF) is 150% of the credits required for an eligible degree or diploma program. Example: If 60 credits are required for a specific AAS degree, the MTF for the degree program would be 90 credits (60 x 150% = 90). If 40 credits are required for a specific diploma, the MTF for that diploma program would be 60 credits (40 x 150% = 60). The MTF for each diploma and degree technology differs based on the number of credits required for the program.
3. The MTF is based on the number of credits attempted.
4. A student who exceeds the MTF is ineligible for additional financial aid.
5. A student who earns a degree is considered to have reached his/her MTF and is no longer eligible for financial aid.
6. A student may request an MTF extension for mitigating circumstances.
7. Maximum Time Frame for remedial courses:
   1. Basic and Pre-tech classes are considered remedial courses. Basic classes are not eligible for Federal financial aid payment, but are used in calculating the remedial MTF.
   2. The MTF for a student enrolled in remedial courses is 30 semester hours. This MTF value is separate from the degree or diploma MTF value.
   3. No extension is permitted for a student who exceeds the 30-credit remedial limit.
8. Maximum Time Frame for English as a Second Language (ESL)
   1. The MTF for a student enrolled in ESL courses is 3.33 full-time equivalent semesters. This MTF value is separate from the degree or diploma MTF value.
   2. A student who exceeds the MTF for the ESL program may request an extension. However, GPA and completion rate requirements must also be met.

Federal Financial Aid Refund Policies

Students who receive Federal financial aid and withdraw from all classes are eligible for a refund of tuition and fees using one of the following policies:

First-Time Students: Students attending any campus of Delaware Tech for the first time are eligible for pro-rata refunds calculated up through the first nine weeks of the fall and spring semesters, according to the chart below. No refunds are given after the ninth week of these semesters. Pro-rata refund calculations for the summer semester will be modified based on the number of weeks in the term with no refund given beyond the 60% point.

Returning Students: Students returning to any campus of Delaware Tech are eligible for refunds up through the first eight weeks of the fall and spring semesters, according to the chart below. No refund is given after the eighth week of these semesters. Refund calculations for the summer term will be modified based on the number of weeks in the term with no refund given beyond the 50% point.