Student Rights and Responsibilities

Students have the right to know:

• The financial aid programs available at Sandhills Community College.
• The policies and procedures necessary to be considered for financial aid.
• The method used for calculating need and the criteria used in selection of recipients.
• The various programs in the financial assistance package and how the amount was determined.
• The refund and withdrawal policies.
• The process for distributing financial aid to students and the frequency of those distributions.
• The school's procedure for facilitating eligible students to acquire necessary books and supplies by the seventh day of each payment period, along with the process for opting out.
• The special facilities and services available to those needing accommodations for disabilities.
• The right to know the deadlines for submitting the financial aid application and required documents.
• The right to request an explanation of the various programs in your financial aid package.
• The right to know how the Office of Financial Aid and Veterans Services determines whether you are making satisfactory academic progress and what happens if you are not.

Students are responsible for:

• Ensuring all required forms are completed accurately and submitted by designated deadlines, along with the accuracy of information provided in the financial aid application to the College.
• Keeping the Office of Financial Aid and Veterans Services informed of any changes in address, name, marital status, financial situation, or any additional changes in the student record.
• Reading and understanding all forms sent and/or signed and keeping copies of forms.
  Informing the Office of Financial Aid and Veterans Services about any scholarships, grants, or external resources obtained while receiving financial assistance from the College.
• Notifying the Office of Financial Aid and Veterans Services if the student withdraws from the College or changes enrollment status.
• Maintaining satisfactory progress to be considered for financial aid.
• Comply with the terms of any agreements that they must sign (ex. Work-study contract).
• Performing, in a satisfactory manner, the work that is agreed upon in a work-study position.
• Understanding the college’s refund policy and the Office of Financial Aid and Veterans Services policies pertaining to the return of federal and state funds.
• Completing a new Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) every academic year. 

Eligibility for assistance is based on the assumption that students and their parents are primarily responsible for paying for a student's education. If the directions on your financial aid application instruct you to provide parents' information, then for financial aid purposes, you are considered dependent on your parents.

In extreme hardship cases, the Financial Aid Office may be able to assist a student who is technically dependent, but who does not or cannot have contact with his/her parents. This will apply to situations where the student's physical or emotional welfare is jeopardized by contact with the parents or other situations as deemed appropriate by the Director of Financial Aid.

To request consideration for dependency override, the student must complete the form, provide written documentation from a third party professional (e.g., minister, psychologist, social worker, etc.) supporting the situation, and additional documentation as warranted by the situation. Incomplete forms will not be processed.

Please note: Students will not be considered independent for financial aid purposes if the sole reason is that the student is attempting to prove self-sufficiency, or the parent(s) refuse to provide financial information on the financial aid application.

For questions or more information, email financialaid@sandhills.edu. 

In cases where family income for the award year is expected to be substantially less than family income for the tax year in review, or if you have special circumstances we should take under advisement, you may request a review of family contribution and financial aid eligibility. Review of the form by SCC Financial Aid is required to determine financial aid eligibility.

For questions or more information, email financialaid@sandhills.edu. 

All financial aid recipients are required to meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) according to Federal regulations and policies set by Sandhills Community College (SCC). The intent of these policies is to ensure that students who are receiving financial aid are making measurable progress toward completion of an approved degree, diploma, or certificate program in a reasonable period of time and within a reasonable number of credit hours attempted in their program of study.

Students that receive financial aid through SCC must maintain a cumulative 2.0 grade point average, must complete 67 percent of all the credit hours attempted, and must complete their program of study within 1 and 1/2 times the normal credit hours required to complete the program. The Financial Aid and Veterans Services Office will check the students’ grades and progress at the end of each semester to be sure they are meeting the standards. Students that do not meet the standards may be placed on a one semester warning period during which time they will need to meet the minimum standards or lose eligibility for financial aid until the standards are met. 

Policy Beginning Fall 2024

Policy Beginning Fall 2025

Students who have been disqualified from receiving financial aid may appeal to the Financial Aid Office to waive the satisfactory progress requirements only where there are extenuating circumstances. A student may submit written documentation to the Financial Aid Office by completing the Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal Request form. Within this request, the student is asked to explain the circumstances surrounding the semesters that lead to their current suspension status, identify which appeal category best applies to their circumstance, and give a personalized statement and documentation of the circumstance cited.

Students who have exceeded the maximum allowable timeframe to complete a program of study may appeal by completing the Maximum Timeframe Appeal Form. These students must explain what caused them to exceed the Maximum Time Frame allowed for their major and how many credits are required to complete it. They must provide a graduation plan completed and signed by their academic advisor that lists the courses needed to graduate and when each course will be taken. If the plan is considered reasonable, the student may receive financial aid with their progress being monitored for one or more semesters until the degree is completed, as long as the conditions set forth are met.

The Net Price Calculator is intended to provide estimated net price information (defined as estimated cost of attendance - including tuition and required fees, books and supplies, housing and food (meals), and other related expenses - minus estimated grant and scholarship aid) to current and prospective students and their families based on what similar students paid in a previous year.

Students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) in order to be eligible for, and receive, an actual financial aid award that includes Federal grant, loan, or work-study assistance. For more information on applying for Federal student aid, go to https://studentaid.gov.