Maintaining Financial Aid
Obtaining aid is just the first step in your journey to pay for college.
Satisfactory Academic Progress
Maintaining your eligibility for financial aid each year requires making steady academic progress towards your degree or certificate in a “reasonable amount of time.” This is called Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). Each campus maintains a SAP policy which specifies the minimum GPA you need to maintain and what percentage of your courses you must pass.
If you fall below this standard and lose your financial aid, your campus will give you a chance to appeal. It is important to take advantage of this and make a case for why you should be able to maintain aid based on the campuses policy.
This tool can help you to write a letter for your appeal.
Note that if you receive a Chafee grant, different rules apply. Talk with the foster youth counselor or the financial aid office to find out if you can continue to receive the Chafee grant even if you lose your other financial aid.
Overpayments
If you drop a class after you have received your financial aid, you may be required to pay back the aid. Make sure to talk with a financial aid counselor before you drop any classes so that you understand the implications for your financial aid. You could also end up with an overpayment if you don’t report all of the money that you receive for college to your financial aid office.
