Financial Aid Terms and Conditions

STATEMENT OF EDUCATIONAL PURPOSE

  • I agree to use all federal and state financial aid received for educationally related expenses only. 

CORRESPONDENCE

  • Your Sandhills email account will be the primary method used by the Financial Aid Office to communicate about financial aid. It is important to check your student email account frequently.

FEDERAL ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

  • You must be in an eligible program of study for financial aid. It is your responsibility to ensure that you are in an approved financial aid program.
  • To be eligible for federal and state financial aid, you must maintain Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) towards your degree. Your cumulative GPA, completion rate, and maximum time limits for completion of your degree will be monitored each semester. For more information, and to view our policy please CLICK HERE
  • Foundation courses are counted when determining satisfactory academic progress for continuation of financial aid.
  • You cannot receive federal financial aid at two schools simultaneously.
  • Class attendance is required. Failure to attend classes will result in your financial aid being recalculated.
  • Contact the Financial Aid Office before dropping or withdrawing from class, because doing so may result in you owing funds to Sandhills or losing eligibility for financial aid.
  • A Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) must be completed annually.
  • You must be a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen.
  • You must not be in default on a federal grant or loan.

FINANCIAL AID OFFERS

  • Your financial aid Cost of Attendance (COA) is based on an allowance for direct costs (tuition and fees) and indirect costs (housing, meals, etc.) for full-time enrollment. Your financial aid awards may not exceed your COA.
  • Your financial aid awards are based on the assumption that you will be attending full-time. A minimum of 12 credit hours is considered full-time for financial aid purposes for the Fall, Spring, and Summer terms for all programs. Your grant awards will be adjusted based on actual enrollment as of the financial aid freeze date.
  • You may only receive financial aid for up to 30 credit hours of foundation course work.
  • You must be attending at least half-time (six credits) at the time of state grant disbursement.
  • If you withdraw from all classes prior to the 60% point of the term, you may be required to repay a percentage of your federal financial aid.
  • The North Carolina State Grant programs require a repayment of funds if you withdraw prior to the 35% point of the semester.
  • Students may repeat a previously passed course one time.
  • Students may repeat a failed course until it is passed. However, each attempt counts as an attempted course in the computation of your (SAP) completion rate.

8-WEEK COURSES

  • If you enroll in the standard sixteen week or 1st 8-week semester, you must register for all classes, including 2nd 8-week courses by the financial aid freeze date. Students will not receive additional grant funding for 8-week courses added after the standard term freeze date.
  • Financial aid funds will not be credited/paid for late start 8-week sessions until your attendance is confirmed.

COURSES NOT REQUIRED FOR YOUR PROGRAM OF STUDY 

  • You are expected to be familiar with the course requirements for your program of study. Courses not required for completion of your degree, with the exception of foundation courses, cannot be considered when determining your eligibility for financial aid. Upon review of your schedule prior to disbursement of financial aid, if you are registered for courses not required for your program of study, your financial aid will be adjusted. Therefore, it is imperative that you review the requirements of your program of study. If you have questions about your program requirements please contact your advisor.

BOOKS & SUPPLIES

  • You understand that you are not required to purchase books and supplies in the SCC Bookstore. The SCC online bookstore makes course books and supplies conveniently available for purchase. Financial aid recipients can either use aid in excess of tuition/fees to make course book/supply purchases from the SCC online bookstore, or they can submit a Textbook Allowance Request for a possible funding allowance toward a course book/supply purchase from a non-SCC vendor. Awarded aid recipients who will have aid in excess of tuition/fees, who have decided to make course book/supply purchases from a non-SCC vendor, may complete this form and submit it to the Financial Aid Office by 5pm on the Tuesday prior to the term. SCC will process up to one request per term and notify you if your request is denied. If approved, the lesser of your requested amount or your budgetary book/supply allowance (up to $500 for Full-Time, $375 for ¾-Time, $250 for Half-Time and $125 for Less-Than-Half-Time) will be refunded to you by check. Requests will be processed by the Friday prior to the term.

CHARGES

  • You understand that any charges not covered by financial aid are your personal responsibility. This includes charges that result from a decrease to your initial financial aid after the semester has started. With your acceptance of this Terms and Conditions statement, you authorize the use of your financial aid credit balance for tuition/fees for courses not within your program, book store charges, and other school related charges such as parking fines, library fines, lab fees etc. and prior year charges of $200 or less and all prior term charges within the same academic year.