Financial Aid
The Financial Aid Office administers financial assistance programs to benefit-eligible students and families who are unable to afford the cost of a college education. Not all financial aid policies and procedures are listed in this catalog. Visit Financial Aid for additional information including how to apply, how to receive your funds, and rights and responsibilities.
Types of Aid
Financial aid comes in four types:
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- Grants
- Loans
- Work-study programs
- Scholarships
These types may be combined in a financial aid package to help pay for educational expenses. Generally, scholarships and grants do not have to be repaid.
State & Federal Regulations
Austin Community College (ACC) complies with all state and federal regulations governing student financial aid programs. These policies can change unexpectedly in response to legislative action or U.S. Department of Education interpretation. In the event of changes after this catalog is published, the Financial Aid Office will comply with the most current regulations and interpretations.
Eligibility
To qualify for financial aid, you must:
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- Be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen.
- Have a high school diploma or GED.
- Enroll or be accepted at Austin Community College (ACC). Your ACC application must be on file.
- Major in an eligible program of study and take eligible courses.
- Meet Selective Service requirements, if applicable.
- Not be in default on any federal student loan or owe a federal grant repayment.
- Not be convicted for possession or sale of illegal drugs while receiving federal aid.
- Meet FAFSA criteria for financial need (for most financial aid programs).
- Maintain academic standards of progress for financial aid students.
Some factors limit financial aid:
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- If you received a full-time Pell Grant for more than six years, you are no longer eligible for this award.
- If you have high student loan debt, you may be denied additional loans.
- If you are a co-enrolled or summer transfer student, you must obtain financial aid from your home college or university. Contact your home institution to request a consortium agreement that allows you to apply your financial aid to Austin Community College (ACC) classes.
- If you are a first-time borrower on or after July 1, 2013, there is a limit on the maximum period of time (measured in academic years) that you can receive Federal Direct Subsidized Loans.
- The U.S. Department of Education established regulations to prevent fraud and abuse in the Federal Student Aid program by identifying students with unusual enrollment histories. Students who have been selected for unusual enrollment will have to appeal in order to be eligible for financial aid.
- Further information regarding eligibility can be found on the ACC Financial Aid website.
Priority Dates to Apply for Financial Aid
Because some types of funds are limited, we recommend you submit your financial aid application (FAFSA) by the priority dates. Students who submit their application after the priority dates are still eligible for financial aid but may need to pay their tuition before the payment due date.
| Priority Dates for Financial Aid | |
|---|---|
| Fall | April 1 |
| Spring | October 15 |
| Summer | March 1 |
You must check your Austin Community College (ACC) email and/or ACC’s Self-Service Financial Aid site for important deadlines.
Course Withdrawal & Financial Aid Repayment
You may be required to repay financial aid if you drop or withdraw from your classes. Check with the Financial Aid Office at any ACC campus to determine your requirement for repayment.
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- If the withdrawal occurs before the first day of classes, you must repay all your financial aid.
- If the withdrawal occurs on or after the first day of classes, the Financial Aid Office uses a federal formula to determine the amount of financial aid you must repay.
- Within 45 days of the date you withdraw, you must repay the funds to ACC, which will return those funds to the federal aid programs from which they came.
Official Withdrawal
If you withdraw from all classes during a semester or session, the date you withdraw is your official withdrawal date unless documented otherwise. The official withdrawal date is used to determine if you may need to repay financial aid.
Unofficial Withdrawal
Under federal regulations, students earning unsatisfactory grades in all classes for a semester are considered unofficially withdrawn, unless they engaged in some academic activity beyond the 60-percent point of the semester. At ACC, unsatisfactory grades are F, I, IP, U, NP, and W.
For any student for whom the last date of academic activity cannot be documented as occurring on or after the 60-percent point of the semester, the withdrawal date will be considered the mid-point of the semester unless documented otherwise.
Any student who is considered an unofficial withdrawal and who has a required repayment will be responsible to repay those funds before receiving additional federal financial aid at ACC or any other institution.
Satisfactory Academic Progress
Federal regulations require students who receive financial aid to meet a set of standards identified for Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP).
Determine Your Academic Progress
Your Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) status is determined when you apply for financial aid. It is based on all previous academic history. Once you receive aid, your academic progress is evaluated at the end of every semester.
It is your responsibility to monitor your academic progress and meet with an advisor, completion counselor, or success coach before you encounter difficulties that threaten your financial aid eligibility. The Austin Community College (ACC) website provides online GPA calculators and course completion calculators to keep track of your academic progress.
| Make Satisfactory Academic Progress — Meet All Three standards to be Eligible for Financial Aid | |
|---|---|
| Grade Point Average | Maintain a cumulative 2.0 or higher GPA for ACC classes (see below for included classes) |
| Course Completion | Successfully complete 67% of attempted credits |
| Degree Progress | Demonstrate progress toward finishing your declared degree or certificate within a 150% maximum time frame. For example, if you seek an associate degree requiring 60 credits, complete the degree within 90 attempted credits. |
Financial Aid Eligibility – Progress Status
| Status | Description | Consequence |
|---|---|---|
| Good Standing | Student is meeting academic standards or has no academic history. | Fully eligible for financial aid |
| Financial Aid Warning | Student did not meet standards for cumulative GPA and/or 67% completion rate. | Eligible for financial aid but must reach all standards by the end of the next semester to maintain eligibility |
| Warning Maximum Timeframe | Student is approaching the maximum timeframe for their declared degree program. | Eligible for financial aid but, if a student does not complete their degree within the established maximum timeframe for their program, they will eventually be placed on Maximum Timeframe Suspension |
| Financial Aid Suspension | Student is not meeting cumulative GPA and/or 67% completion rate and is not eligible for the Warning status. | Ineligible for financial aid |
| Maximum Time Frame Suspension | According to the major on file, the student has attempted too many credit hours to be eligible for aid. | Ineligible for financial aid |
Classes Used in Progress Calculations
Use these course guidelines when calculating your Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress:
Grade Point Average (GPA) — Courses Included:
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- ACC credit classes you completed or attempted with following grades A, B, C, D, and F
- Dual credit and early college high school classes
- Study Abroad classes
- Developmental Education classes
- ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) classes
- All grades assigned for repeated classes
DO NOT Include:
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- ACC classes you attempted with the following grades: I, IP, W, S, U, P, and NP
- Transfer classes accepted at ACC from other colleges and universities
- Audited classes
- Military credit
- Continuing Education classes
- Credit earned through examination (AP, IB, and other test credit)
Completion Rate — Courses Included:
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- All ACC credit classes completed or attempted with the following grades: A, B, C, D, F, I, IP, S, W, U, P, and NP
- Dual credit and early college high school classes
- Study Abroad classes
- Developmental Education classes
- ESOL classes
- Repeated classes will be counted as “attempted” multiple times, but they will be counted as “completed” only once.
DO NOT Include:
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- Transfer classes accepted at ACC from other colleges and universities (see note)
- Audited classes
- Military credit
- Continuing Education classes
- Credit earned through examination (AP, IB, and other test credit)
Maximum Timeframe — Courses Included:
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- All ACC credit classes completed or attempted with the following grades: A, B, C, D, F, I, IP, S, U, W, P, and NP
- Transfer classes accepted at ACC from other colleges and universities
- Early College Start classes
- Study Abroad classes
- Repeated classes (all occurrences)
DO NOT Include:
-
- Developmental Education classes
- ESOL classes
- Audited classes
- Continuing Education classes
Note: Transfer classes are not calculated in the completion rate but do count in maximum time frame.
Re-establish Your Eligibility
You can re-establish your financial aid eligibility by raising your GPA and completion rate to the minimum standards or, if appropriate, completing a Financial Aid SAP Appeal. Here are some examples of circumstances in which we encourage a Financial Aid SAP Appeal: illness, injury, death of a relative or close friend, divorce, loss of employment, childcare issues, transportation issues, or other unforeseen events.
Financial Aid SAP Appeal
The Financial Aid SAP Appeal allows the ACC Financial Aid Office to consider granting you aid while you work to get back to the minimum SAP requirements. Refer to ACC’s Maintain Your Financial Aid webpage for instructions detailing how to submit a SAP Appeal.