Many students attending Greenfield Community College receive financial aid from federal, state, institutional, and private or community resources. Receiving financial aid carries certain obligations for the College and for students. Students should be aware:

• A particular academic program and enrollment status may impact the financial aid award.   For example, developmental courses, withdrawing from the college, or repeating courses may affect the status of a student’s aid. 

• Costs associated with attending the College may not be covered entirely by financial aid.

• All financial aid programs are subject to changes in regulations and procedures.

Verification Policy

Verification is the process by which the College compares the information on the FAFSA application with source documents provided by the student to verify the accuracy of the application information. These policies are used in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Education and the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education verification guidelines. The College will verify the information on FAFSA for all students who are selected for verification by the U.S. Department of Education. In addition, GCC may select files for verification to resolve conflicting information. Financial aid will not be awarded to those selected for verification until all documents required are submitted and the verification has been completed.

Notification to Students

Upon receipt of the FAFSA, an email with instructions on how to access MyGCC (the student information portal) is sent to the student. The email informs the student to access MyGCC to determine what forms or additional information are required to complete their financial aid file. Links to the forms are contained within MyGCC. Additional emails are sent if and when more documents are needed. Students are instructed to return the documents within 10-business days in order to complete their file and be awarded financial aid. Once the verification process is complete, students will receive an email with instructions on how to access their awards through MyGCC.

Documentation

Documentation submitted to the College must be legible, accurate, and have the student's GCC ID Number for identification purposes. If the student submits a document which is not legible, appropriate, or unidentifiable, the documents will be returned and a request for additional documentation will be requested. Please note that failure to reply to requests for documentation from our office may result in delayed aid or denial of aid. Students who fail to submit verification documents to complete their file will not be awarded aid for that aid year. 

Correction Procedures

In most cases, the Student Financial Services (SFS) Office will submit corrections to the federal processor based on the documentation submitted by the student. If the student needs to make the change, such as supplying consent with a FSA ID, the student will be notified by email. Packaging of aid will occur after a corrected and valid ISIR has been received by the SFS office. GCC does not make provisional aid offers. 

Conflicting Information Policy

Prior to Disbursement
All conflicting information must be resolved before any federal student aid funds are disbursed to the student.

After Disbursement
Conflicting information can result from information that the Student Financial Services Office collects or has access to, such as financial aid applications, tax documents or eligibility documents. Information that the college collects in the admission’s application can also cause conflicting information if the information differs from the FAFSA application. This could include information about the student’s citizenship status, state residency, high school completion status, or previous college degrees earned. 

When the College receives an updated FAFSA for a student who has already been reviewed and packaged and disbursed, the updated application is reviewed. A request for additional documentation from the student may be made to resolve new conflicting information. No further disbursements can be made to students until these documents/information are received and reviewed. In some cases, students must repay federal aid if the new information determines that the student was not eligible for their original awards. Some students must repay all aid received if they have not responded to the request for additional information and did not submit all required verification documents by the Student Financial Services deadline. 

Citizenship Policy

If the applicant's citizenship cannot be determined through the FAFSA database match process with other federal agencies, the financial aid office must request additional documentation from the applicant.  Examples of documents to establish eligibly are:

• An Alien Registration Receipt Card (Form I-151, I-551)

• An Arrival-Departure Record (Form I-94 or I-94A)

Submitted immigration documents will be sent to DHS for secondary confirmation. DHS must respond within 15 business days. If DHS does not respond, GCC will resend the documentation for a secondary confirmation and will wait for a response.

Packaging Policy

Financial aid award notifications are sent to students throughout the academic year as files are submitted, completed and packaged. Eligible applicants will be packaged with federal and state grant aid based on their eligibility and according to fund availability. While Federal Work Study, Federal Direct Loans, and Federal Parent Plus Loans are available to many students, they are generally packaged by request only. Federal Work Study is packaged for most students expressing an interest in the program and will never replace or reduce grant aid. If a loan was not a part of the original package, the student can request a loan by contacting the SFS office. Loans are awarded last in a student's package. 

Standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress

Federal and State regulations require that all financial aid recipients maintain specific academic standards called Satisfactory Academic Progress or SAP. Except for some private and institutional funds all forms of financial aid (grants, loans, work-study, and scholarships) are affected by this policy. These standards are applied to a student’s entire academic history at Greenfield Community College including periods when financial aid was not received. 

The financial aid office evaluates student academic progress at the end of each semester based on three criteria: Cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA), Maximum Time Frame, and the Progression Rate (%).  

1. Grade Point Average (GPA): the student must have a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA 

2. Maximum Timeframe is measured to ensure students are taking required courses to complete their certificate or degree within 150% of the credits required for the program of study. For example, if the published length of your credit program is 60 credits, the maximum time frame is 90 credits (that is, 60 X 1.5). This means that you receive financial aid during the period of time you are attempting up to 90 credit hours only (including transfer credits). Once the student has attempted 150 percent of the credit hours allowed in her program, they are no longer eligible for financial aid at Greenfield Community College.

3. Rate of Progression:  Students must complete all credits each semester at a rate of 67% of their attempted cumulative credits.  All program credits, including transfer and remedial credits will be taken into consideration whether or not aid was received. 

Grades F (Failed), I (Incomplete), W (Withdrawal), NC (No Credit), and O (insufficient) will count as attempted credits. 

Financial Aid Warning

The financial aid office evaluates the student’s academic progress at the end of every semester.  Failure to meet any one of the three Standards of Financial Aid Satisfactory Progress (SAP) will result in unsatisfactory financial aid progress and the student will be put on financial aid warning.  If you are placed on warning you will receive a copy the financial aid warning form. This form will remind you of the Standards of Financial Aid Satisfactory Progress and guide you with the steps you can take at GCC to remain in good standing. Students who are on financial aid warning can still receive financial aid at GCC and their progress will be evaluated at the end of each period of enrollment.  

Financial Aid Probation

If, at the end of a financial aid warning period the student still is not making SAP, the student is no longer eligible for financial aid without submitting an appeal form for continued financial aid.  The student can let us know of any extenuating circumstances that prevented academic progress along with the steps that they will take toward academic success, like working with their academic advisor and the tutoring center.

At GCC, if the appeal is approved the student will be placed on financial aid probation with an academic plan.  The conditions of the academic plan will be outlined for the student on a case-by-case basis and may include some of the following conditions:  

• Successfully complete all the classes (100%) for which you are enrolled for the semester, without withdrawal; 

• Earn a minimum GPA of 2.0 for each class during that semester.

• Enroll less than full-time, or for a specified number of reduced credit hours;

Students placed on financial aid probation can still receive financial aid but they must meet the requirements under their plan in order to remain on financial aid.  If, at the end of the probationary term, the student has met as all of the conditions of the academic plan, they will continue to receive financial aid and remain eligible as long as all 3 Standards of SAP are met.  

SAP Appeals

Appeals are evaluated on an individual basis.  If a student has extenuating circumstances, they have a right to appeal (in writing) explaining why they didn't make satisfactory progress and tell us the steps that they will take to ensure progress in the future. Examples of extenuating circumstances include medical, personal or family problems, change of major or military service.  

Financial Aid SAP appeal forms are submitted to Student Financial Services and are reviewed by the director of financial aid and the financial aid coordinator. Please be aware that the review period takes approximately two weeks; however, due to the limited time between semesters the student may not receive notification prior to the start of the following semester.  

GCC does not have a deadline for students to submit the financial aid SAP Appeal but we recommend that you submit the appeal within 30 days of the ensuing semester.  The financial aid office cannot guarantee financial aid for appeal forms that are submitted late or after the semester has already begun.

If a student is currently receiving financial aid or their FAFSA application is being reviewed, their application and/or aid will be placed on hold until a decision is made on the appeal. If the student has a tuition bill for the following semester, they must make his own payment arrangements. 

If an appeal is denied, the student is disqualified from receiving financial aid at GCC but can continue to take classes at their own expense. The student is notified by letter once their appeal is reviewed.

Reinstatement

You can regain eligibility for financial aid consideration by successfully completing additional credits at your own expense for as many terms as needed for you to rehabilitate your record, providing you are still within maximum allowable credits.  The financial aid office will request an official transcript for the registrar’s office and Academic Advising Center to determine if you qualify for re-evaluation.  Students who are eligible for reconsideration will be notified in writing. 

Maximum Time Frame Warning

Once the student has reached 110% of her program length, they will be sent an alert notifying her that they are approaching the maximum length of time for financial aid eligibility.  The student is still eligible to receive financial aid at this point in time, but may be required to enroll in only those classes that fulfill their degree requirements.  An academic plan may be sent to the student to discuss with their academic advisor.  

Students approaching 150% maximum time frame may be place on provisional financial aid status.

Avoiding Warning & Probation

• Have an academic plan in place. Following an academic plan will help you know which classes are required to earn a degree or certificate at GCC.   Also, get familiar with the college catalog, it has important college policies that every student should know and it lists all your degree or certificate requirements. 

• Focus on degree requirements.  Make sure that you’re not only taking electives; completing the academic requirements earns you the degree and helps to ensure successful transfer to a four year college or university

• Attend class on a regular basis. Excessive absences lead to missed assignments and falling behind on coursework. 

• Complete the semester. Completing all courses of enrollment is important to maintain financial aid eligibility.  Multiple withdrawals and incompletes will have a negative impact on your ability to receive financial aid at GCC.

• Talk to a financial aid counselor before you withdraw. We understand that extenuating circumstances happen and sometimes withdrawal cannot be avoided.  A financial aid counselor can give you guidance about your financial aid status to help you to maintain financial aid SAP.  

Repeated Coursework

Students who have received credit for a class and wish to repeat that class are not eligible for financial aid to cover the charges for that class. You are eligible to receive financial aid for a course for which you are replacing a grade of “F” or “W”.  Credits for repeated courses count only once as credits earned and only once in a student's GPA; however, these credits are counted as attempted credits when assessing if the student meets the quantitative SAP standard. The most recent grade for any repeated course is used in calculating GPA. 

Transfer credits that are accepted by GCC are not included in the rate of completion but are counted toward the maximum timeframe and are counted as degree credits attempted to determine the minimum GPA requirement.