Sandhills Community College - Financial Aid

Financial Aid - Basic Requirements

1.	You must file a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online or by contacting FAFSA. One application is filed each academic year. Additional applications are required for student loans, institutional scholarships and work-study.
2.	You must enroll as a degree-seeking student in an eligible program.
3.	You must only take courses that are needed to fulfill graduation requirements in your degree program.
4.	You must have an official high school or GED transcript on file with our admissions office.
5.	You must have an official college transcript on file with our admissions office for any colleges that you previously attended.
6.	You must be a U.S. citizen or an eligible non-citizen.
7.	You must demonstrate financial need.
8.	You must be making satisfactory progress in your course of study.
9.	You must not be in default on a federally subsidized education loan.
10.	You must not owe a refund on a Federal Pell Grant or Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant.
11.	You must have a valid EFC (Estimated Family Contribution) on your Student Aid Report.
12.	You must not have been convicted of a drug-related offense within the past year.
If you or your family has unusual circumstances (such as loss of employment) that might affect your need for student financial aid, please contact the Financial Aid at (910) 695-3743.

Awarding Financial Aid
1.	To apply for financial aid, a student must submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online. It is necessary that you put our school code on the application. Sandhills Community College school code is 002961.
2.	The school will receive an electronic copy of the results of the FAFSA within 1to 2 weeks after submission. . An award letter will be mailed to all eligible admitted students.
3.	All students selected for verification shall be advised of documentation required for verification upon review of the student aid report by the Financial Aid Office. Students will be notified of required documentation by mail or during an interview.
4.	The Financial Aid Office will reprocess students who present information that conflicts with the original information submitted on the FAFSA.
5.	Students must return a completed and signed copy of the Financial Aid Authorization form.
6.	Students cannot receive any type of funding over the cost of attendance (COA).
7.	Cost of attendance components consist of: Tuition and Fees Books and Supplies Transportation Room and Board Personal/Miscellaneous Expenses
8.	Financial aid cannot be disbursed without valid official high school or GED and college transcripts.
9.	Remaining financial aid funds will be disbursed each semester after the Financial Aid Office verifies the students attendance through faculty rosters. A refund will not be processed until all instructors have notified the Financial Aid Office confirming class participation. For participation verification received after the initial due date, Pell refunds will begin using attendance verification sheets two weeks after the second disbursement of Financial Aid refund checks.
	PLEASE NOTE: The award letter is divided into two terms, fall and spring or spring and summer. If the student attends full time both terms, then all available funds will have been used. If the student attends less than full time during the fall or spring term then there may be remaining funds for the summer term.

Definition of a Full-Time Student

Generally, most financial aid is paid based on the number of credit hours a student is taking that apply towards graduation. In many cases students can take less than full time credit hours and still receive a pro-rated portion of their financial aid. Following is a chart showing the % of aid paid for full-time and less than full-time enrollment. This rule applies every semester, including summer semester.

Full time	12 or more credit hours	100%
¾ time	9 – 11 credit hours	75%
½ time	6 – 8 credit hours	50%
less than ½ time	Less than 6 credit hours	25%

In some instances, students may not qualify to receive aid at less than full-time enrollment. Please check with Financial Aid if you have any questions regarding your credit hours. The determination of enrollment status (full, ¾, ½, or less) is, by federal regulations, different for the following programs of study:

Autobody Repair (D60100)
BLET-Basic Law Enforcement Training (C55120)
Cosmetology Instructor (C55160)
Esthetics Technology (C55230)
Practical Nursing (D45660)

This determination of enrollment status is different because the programs have one or more courses that cannot be used toward a two-year degree program. Enrollment status determination for the above programs involves totaling for each course the clock/contact hours a student takes each semester. The total hours are then divided by 30 to obtain the converted credits. The converted credits are then used to determine the enrollment status.