Financial Aid

Contact Information
Financial Aid Services, Georgia Gwinnett College
1000 University Center Lane
Lawrenceville, GA 30043
Phone: 678-407-5701
Fax: 678-407-5925 ggcfinancialaid@ggc.edu
http://www.ggc.edu/admissions/financial-aid

Eligibility for Financial Aid

Eligibility depends on many factors. To receive aid from the Federal Student Aid (FSA) programs offered at Georgia Gwinnett College, students must satisfy the following:

• Be enrolled or accepted for enrollment as a regular student working toward a degree in an eligible program of study. Currently, GGC’s certificate programs are not eligible for Federal Student Aid.
• Have a high school diploma or a General Education Development (GED) Certificate.
• Be a U.S. Citizen or an eligible non-citizen.
• Have a valid Social Security Number.
• Not be in default on a federal education loan or own an over-payment on a federal student grant.
• Make Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP).
• Sign a statement on the FAFSA certifying that the student (1) will use federal and/or state student financial aid only to pay for attending an institution of higher learning, (2) is not in default on a federal student loan or has made satisfactory arrangements to repay it, (3) does not owe money back on a federal student grant or has made satisfactory arrangements to repay it (4) will notify the school if he or she defaults on a federal student loan.

Applying for Financial Aid

A student must complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at https://studentaid.gov in order to be considered for federal financial aid at Georgia Gwinnett College. Beginning with the 2024-2025 aid year, the student and all required contributors must also consent to data sharing between Federal Student Aid (FSA) and the Federal Internal Revenue Service (IRS). If a required contributor does not consent to data sharing, the student will not be eligible for Federal Student Aid. A “contributor” is a person whose demographic, income, asset and tax information is required to determine a student’s eligibility. Contributors include the student, the student’s spouse (if the student is married), the student’s parent (if the student is dependent) and the parent’s spouse or partner.

Students who successfully complete the FAFSA should receive a Student Aid Index (SAI). This should be communicated to the student on the FAFSA Submission Summary sent to the student by Federal Student Aid. Students can also view their FAFSA status, SAI and other FAFSA submission data in the FAFSA submission portal at https://studentaid.gov.

When completing the FAFSA, use the Federal School Code of 041429. The FAFSA serves as the initial application for all Federal Grants and Loans in addition to being one of the ways a student can apply for HOPE Scholarship or Zell Miller Scholarship. Once Financial Aid Services receives a completed FAFSA, the student will be evaluated for financial aid based on the U.S. Department of Education’s federal methodology of needs analysis.

The deadline to have the financial aid file complete is July 6 for Fall Semester, December 1 for Spring Semester and April 15 for Summer Semester. A complete financial aid file is more than just a completed FAFSA. In order to meet the financial aid document deadline, students should complete the FAFSA as soon as possible, but no later than June 1 for Fall Semester, November 11 for Spring semester, and March 1 for Summer semester.  Files completed after these dates will still be processed in the order of receipt, however they may not be processed in time for the appropriate term’s payment deadline.

Students completing their financial aid files after the posted deadlines should be prepared to pay out-of-pocket and be reimbursed for any aid, they are eligible for and accept once the file has been processed.

Students admitted for dual enrollment will have different requirements based on the Dual Enrollment Scholarship Program regulations.

Cost of Attendance

These figures are an estimate of direct (charged to the student and appearing on their bill) and indirect costs to attend GGC. These figures are based on a student attending 15-20 credit hours and enrolled in on campus, GGC coursework.

For students off campus, but not living with their parents the Cost of Attendance for 2024-2025 is:

For students on campus the Cost of Attendance for 2024-2025 is:

For students living with their parents the Cost of Attendance for 2024-2025 is:

*The tuition rate may vary depending on the number of credits taken and what rate the student is being charged. Students taking fewer than 15 credits, eCore, or GA Film Academy (GFA) courses may have a different actual cost. All COA figures are an estimate.

** If a student is being charged the new out of country tuition rate, an adjustment can be made to their cost of attendance to reflect the accurate cost of tuition.

Types of Financial Aid

HOPE Scholarship

Georgia’s HOPE Scholarship is available to Georgia residents who have demonstrated academic achievement. The scholarship provides money to assist students with the educational costs of attending college in Georgia.

Eligibility for HOPE Scholarship:

• Students must be designated as a HOPE scholar by GSFC (Georgia Student Finance Commission) out of high school, as defined by the HOPE program, or earn at least a 3.0 grade point average at the college level at specific credit-hour checkpoints.
• Be enrolled as a degree-seeking student
• Meet the residency requirements determined by the Georgia Student Finance Commission
• Meet U.S. citizenship or eligible non-citizen requirements
• Be in compliance with Selective Service registration requirements
• Be in compliance with the Georgia Drug-Free Postsecondary Education Act of 1990
• Not be in default or owe a refund on a student financial aid program
• Maintain satisfactory academic progress
• Must have a completed GSFAPP, the state application, or current-year FAFSA on file prior to the end of the term in which the student is eligible for HOPE.
• Must meet academic rigor by high school graduation of at least two (2) full credits for 2015, at three (3) full credits for 2016 and at least four (4) full credits for 2017 from the academic rigor course category list provide by GSFC.
• Must be within their eligibility expiration date (as determined by Georgia Student Finance Commission).

The HOPE scholarship covers up to $133.93 per credit hour of college level courses in the 2024-2025 school year. It does not pay for any learning support courses, institutional fees or books.

If the student graduated from a Georgia high school after May 1, 2007 or later, the student may view his initial HOPE eligibility status at www.gafutures.org.

If the student graduated from a Georgia high school before May 1, 2007, but never attended a college or university, he/she will need to submit an official high school transcript to the GSFC for a complete review.

Checkpoint Requirements

Students may continue to receive the HOPE Scholarship if they have a 3.00 or better HOPE GPA at each checkpoint. Check points are:

• At the end of each Spring semester.
• At the end of the semester where the 30, 60, and 90 credit hours are attempted.
• Freshman recipients who enroll in fewer than 12 hours for each of their first three terms are checked at the end of the third eligible term rather than at the end of Spring semester.
• Checkpoint calculations are performed by GSFC in the CHECS system.

Gaining HOPE Eligibility after enrolling at GGC

Students not meeting the academic requirements following high school may be eligible to receive the HOPE Scholarship after attempting 30 semester hours of college-level coursework. The student must meet the Georgia residency and U.S. citizenship requirements set forth above and have a HOPE GPA of 3.00 at the end of the term in which the 30th semester credit hour is attempted. Students who have attempted more than 30 hours of coursework must have had at least a 3.00 HOPE GPA at the end of the semester in which the 60th or 90th hours were attempted in order to gain HOPE. Students may only lose HOPE Scholarship two times. After the second time HOPE has been lost, the student will never be eligible to receive HOPE Scholarship again.

Attempted means all college level course work, including grades of W, taken after high school graduation regardless of whether HOPE paid for the course or not. Learning Support courses taken before Fall 2011 and after high school graduation are also included in attempted hours. The GPA for HOPE includes all college level coursework that counts towards a degree attempted after high school graduation.

HOPE Limits:

A college degree-seeking student is ineligible for the HOPE Scholarship if the student has:

1. Received payment from any combination of HOPE Scholarship, Zell Miller Scholarship, HOPE Grant and Dual Enrollment Program funds (through Spring term 2011) totaling 127 semester (190 quarter) hours of credit; or
2. Attempted 127 semester (190 quarter) hours of college degree credit, regardless of whether or not HOPE funds were received while attempting the hours; or
3. Earned a baccalaureate (four-year) college degree, regardless of whether or not HOPE funds were received while earning the degree, or
4. Has passed their eligibility expiration date (as determined by Georgia Student Finance Commission).

HOPE for Transient Students

Transient students who are eligible for HOPE Scholarship funds must have their home institution provide a HOPE Transient Certificate through the SURFER system to Georgia Gwinnett College before receiving HOPE Scholarship funds. Transient students should plan to pay full semester’s bill by the published tuition and fees due date. Eligible transient students will be reimbursed the eligible HOPE Scholarship amount certified by their home institution.

For complete information on HOPE eligibility, please refer to the GAfutures.org website.

Zell Miller Scholarship

Georgia’s Zell Miller Scholarship is available to Georgia residents who have demonstrated academic achievement. The scholarship provides money to assist students with the educational costs of attending college in Georgia.

Eligibility for the Zell Miller Scholarship

Meet one of the following academic requirements at the time of high school graduation:

• Graduate from a HOPE eligible high school as the Valedictorian or the Salutatorian.
• Graduate from an eligible high school with a minimum 3.7 grade point average combined with a minimum score of 1200 on the math and reading portions of the SAT test or a composite score on the ACT test in a single test administration that meets the current year requirements published by GSFC. *
• Complete a HOPE eligible home study program with a 3.7 grade point average combined with a minimum score of 1200 on the math and reading portions of the SAT test or composite score on the ACT test in a single test administration that meets the current year requirements published by GSFC. *
• Graduate from an ineligible high school or complete an ineligible home study program with a minimum score of 1200 on the math and reading portions of the SAT test or composite score on the ACT test in a single test administration that meets the current year requirements published by GSFC, and then earn a 3.3 grade point average at 30 semester hours or 45 quarter hours of college degree-level course work taken after high school graduation or home study completion. This option allows for payment of the first 30 semester hours or 45 quarter hours after they are taken.
• Be enrolled as a degree-seeking student.
• Meet HOPE’s Georgia residency requirements.
• Meet HOPE’s U.S. citizenship or eligible non-citizen requirements.
• Be in compliance with Selective Service registration requirements.
• Be in compliance with the Georgia Drug-Free Postsecondary Education Act of 1990. A student may be ineligible for Zell Miller Scholarship payment if he or she has been convicted for committing certain felony offenses involving marijuana, controlled substances, or dangerous drugs.
• Not be in default or owe a refund on a student financial aid program.
• Maintain satisfactory academic progress as defined by the college.
• Must be within their eligibility expiration date (as determined by Georgia Student Finance Commission).

* For the most current information on required test scores and the deadlines for testing, please visit www.gafutures.org.

The Zell Miller Scholarship covers 100% of tuition for college level courses. It does not pay for learning support courses, institutional fees or books. A student cannot receive both the Zell Miller Scholarship and HOPE during the same semester. If a student is not eligible for Zell Miller at the time of high school graduation, the student will never be eligible for the scholarship. *

*For the most current information on required test scores and the deadlines for testing, please visit www.gafutures.org.

Checkpoint Requirements

Students may continue to receive the Zell Miller Scholarship if they have a 3.3 or better HOPE GPA at each checkpoint. Check points are:

• At the end of each Spring semester
• At the end of the semester where the 30, 60, and 90 credit hours are attempted.
• Freshman recipients who enroll in fewer than 12 hours for each of their first three terms are checked at the end of the third eligible term rather than at the end of Spring semester.
• Checkpoint calculations are performed by GSFC in the CHECS system.

Students who have lost the Zell Miller Scholarship may gain it back one time by having a 3.3 cumulative college GPA at 30, 60 or 90 attempted hours. Students may only lose the Zell Miller Scholarship twice. After the second time the Zell Miller Scholarship has been lost, the student will never be eligible to receive the Zell Miller Scholarship again.

Attempted means all college level course work, including grades of W, taken after high school graduation regardless of whether Zell Miller paid for the course or not. Learning Support courses taken before Fall 2011 and after high school graduation are also included in attempted hours.

Zell Miller Scholarship Limits

A college degree-seeking student is ineligible for the Zell Miller Scholarship if the student has:

1. Received payment from any combination of HOPE Scholarship, Zell Miller Scholarship, HOPE Grant and MOWR Program funds (through Spring term 2011) totaling 127 semester (190 quarter) hours of credit; or Attempted 127 semester (190 quarter) hours of college degree credits, regardless of whether or not Zell Miller funds were received while attempting the hours; or
2. Has earned a baccalaureate (four-year) college degree, regardless of whether or not Zell Miller funds were received while earning the degree.
3. Has passed their eligibility expiration date (as determined by Georgia Student Finance)

Federal Pell Grant

The Federal Pell Grant is a federally funded program that provides need-based grants to undergraduate students who have not earned a bachelor’s degree. The application is the FAFSA. The results of the FAFSA determine the student’s eligibility for Pell Grant. For most students, the SAI is a good indicator of their Pell Grant eligibility.

Students receive an SAI on the FAFSA submission summary after successfully submitting the FAFSA. Pell Grant eligibility is based on different criteria than previous years due to changes in the FAFSA Simplification Act. Students may be eligible for Maximum or Minimum Pell based on the tax filing status or Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) of their contributors. Students may also be eligible for a calculated Pell Grant if the student’s SAI is greater than zero, but less than 6,655. Pell Grant payment for part-time enrollment is prorated based upon the student’s number of enrolled hours (enrollment intensity). Students receiving the Federal Pell Grant may also be eligible for other types of financial aid. There is a life-time limit to the amount of Pell a student can receive. Students can receive the Federal Pell grant for the equivalent of 12 full time semesters (600%). When 600 % of lifetime Pell eligibility has been met, the student is no longer eligible for Pell Grant funds.

Students may receive up to 150% of their annual Pell Grant award if they attend more than two (2) semesters in the same award year. For students attending GGC, this means a student is attending fall, spring, and summer semesters. As of Summer semester 2025, students are no longer required to be enrolled at least half time to receive additional Pell funding. Students must still meet all other eligibility requirements and not be limited by the lifetime limit (600%) requirement.

Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)

The Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant is a federally funded program that provides need-based grants to undergraduate students who have not earned a bachelor’s degree, exhibit extreme need, and are also receiving the Pell Grant. The application is the FAFSA. Eligibility is based on the SAI as calculated by the FAFSA. The College receives a limited amount of FSEOG Grant funding each year. Awards are randomly made to those with the highest need first until all funds are exhausted.

Federal Work Study

The Federal Work Study program is a federally funded program that allows students to work a campus-sponsored job while earning a wage. Jobs are not guaranteed. Funding is limited based upon the amount the federal government awards the College each year. Earnings are also limited based upon the student’s need as determined by the FAFSA application. Students must complete a FAFSA to be considered. Eligible students may apply through the College’s job site at www.ggc.edu/employment. Students may not begin earning the Federal Work Study award until they are hired and begin working a federal work study job. FWS funds are not available to cover the student’s bill.

Institutional Scholarships

GGC Scholarships are Foundation funded scholarships.  Students should review individual scholarships for eligibility criteria here. Eligible applicants must complete an appropriate year’s FAFSA application and the GGC Scholarship application (after orientation) to determine eligibility. Students who are not eligible to complete a FAFSA (such as international students) should complete the scholarship application. Financial Aid Services may collect additional documentation from these students to determine their eligibility for need-based scholarship funding.  The scholarship application can be accessed at https://www.ggc.edu/admissions/financial-aid/scholarships-and-grants/#ggc_scholarships

William D. Ford Federal Direct Subsidized Loan

The William D. Ford Federal Direct Subsidized Loan program allows students who are enrolled at least half-time to borrow money from the federal government at a low interest rate. Interest rates are fixed based on current Federal Stafford loan rates. No repayments are due and no interest accrues until six months after the student graduates, leaves the College, or ceases to be a half-time student. Origination and processing fees are deducted from the loan amount borrowed.

William D. Ford Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan

Any student that is enrolled at least half-time, regardless of need, may borrow from the William D. Ford Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan Program. Interest rates are set annually by the Department of Education and are fixed for the life of the loan. No repayments are due until six months after the student graduates, leaves the College, or ceases to be a half-time student; however, interest begins to accrue the day the loan disburses on the student’s behalf. It is recommended students pay the interest while enrolled. Origination and processing fees are set annually by the US Department of Education and are deducted from the loan amount borrowed.

Loan limits for both the Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loan Programs are listed below:

PLEASE NOTE: Students who are first-time borrowers and are in the first year of their undergraduate study cannot receive the first installment of a Stafford Loan disbursement until 30 calendar days after the student’s program of study begins.

To receive a Federal Direct Loan, you must complete the following steps:

• Accept your loans in your Grizzly Den Account
• Have a completed Master Promissory Note (MPN) on file at https://studentaid.gov/
• Have a completed Loan Entrance Counseling session on file at https://studentaid.gov/

William D. Ford Federal Direct Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students (PLUS)

This program is available to parents of dependent students who are enrolled at least half-time. For the PLUS loan, a “parent” includes the student’s biological/legal parent(s) and the stepparent (if the stepparent is included on the FAFSA). Parent borrowers may borrow from the federal government up to the cost of attendance at GGC minus other aid. The interest rate is fixed based on the current PLUS loan rates. Parents are allowed to select their loan amount up to the student’s eligibility. A credit check is required. The student will be allowed to borrow additional funds under the William D. Ford Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan Program if the parents cannot borrow under the PLUS Loan Program. Origination and processing fees are set annually by the US Department of Education and are deducted from the loan amount borrowed. Parents must complete the application at https://studentaid.gov using their FSA ID and listing the GGC student as the student on the loan.

No Show Policy for Financial Aid

Faculty will notify Registration Services in cases where a student never attends class. Students are coded as NS in Banner and dropped from the course. Financial Aid is then adjusted based on the correct number of attended hours.

If a student failed to attend class prior to the financial aid recalculation date, the student is not eligible to receive Pell funds for that course even if the course is reinstated. The student’s enrollment intensity will be evaluated as of the day recalculation was performed and cannot be changed unless the student actually attended the course prior to the recalculation date each term. The recalculation date for the term is determined by the Calendar committee, but it is usually the day after final fee payment for full session each term.

Return to Title IV

Federal and State regulations assume that a student “earns” Federal financial and state aid awards directly in proportion to the number of days of the semester that the student attends until they withdraw.  If a student completely withdraws from school during a semester, the school must calculate according to a specific formula the portion of the total scheduled financial assistance a student has earned and is therefore entitled to receive up to the time of withdrawal.  If a student or GGC receives more assistance than earned, the unearned funds must be returned to the Department of Education or Georgia Student Finance Commission (for State Scholarship programs).  On the other hand, if a student or GGC receives less assistance than the amount earned, a student may be able to receive those additional funds.

The portion of Federal student aid a student is entitled to receive is calculated on a percentage basis by comparing the total number of days the student was scheduled to attend to the number of days a student completed before s/he withdrew. For example, if the student completed 30% of the semester, he/she earned 30% of the assistance they were originally scheduled to receive. This means that 70% of a student’s scheduled awards remain unearned and must be returned to the Department of Education. Once a student has completed more than 60% of the semester, he/she will have earned all (100%) of their assistance. If a student withdraws from GGC before completing 60% of the semester, he/she may have to repay any unearned financial aid funds that were already disbursed to them.

If a student received excess funds based on this calculation, GGC must return a portion of the excess equal to the lesser of the student’s institutional charges multiplied by the unearned percentage of funds, or the entire amount of the excess funds.  If GGC is not required to return all the excess funds, the student must return the remaining amount. The order that GGC and a student must return these funds is as follows:

• Unsubsidized Stafford Loan
• Subsidized Stafford Loan
• Parent Loan (PLUS)
• Pell Grant
• Other Title IV aid programs

If a student is required to repay loan funds, this is done in accordance with the terms of their loan promissory note. If a student must repay any grant funds, the law states that they are not required to repay 50% of the grant assistance that they were eligible for during the payment period. Any grant amount that a student must repay is considered a grant overpayment and therefore must be repaid to appropriate federal and/or state program. GGC will notify the appropriate federal agency of the overpayment. Students who owe a grant overpayment to Federal Student Aid are not eligible to receive any additional federal or state financial aid funding until the overpayment is resolved.

Lists are run on a weekly basis during each semester to identify students who have withdrawn from all coursework. Return to Title IV (R2T4) calculations are run before Student Accounts processes refunds for the week to avoid unsubstantiated refunds. These reports will be run through the end of each semester. After the semester ends, calculations will be run if Hardship Withdrawals are granted.  Unofficial withdrawals are addressed separately.

Unofficial Withdrawals and Financial Aid

Students who stop attending class or failed to complete assignments due to not attending courses will receive a grade of FN. Students who receive all FN grades for a semester will be treated as an unofficial withdrawal for financial aid purposes and a Return to Title IV calculation will be performed at the end of the semester. A student who has a combination of Fs and FNs will be evaluated on an individual basis to determine if the student is an unofficial withdrawal for financial aid purposes. A grade of F should indicate that the student has attended the full semester unless conflicting information, such as a reported last date of attendance prior to the end of the semester, exists. Faculty will enter a last date of attendance when reporting a student as an FN or F. Courses taken through eCore do not use the FN/F grade scale. All failing grades for eCore are reported as F. If the student is determined to be an unofficial withdrawal, the latest reported last day of attendance will be used as the unofficial withdrawal date. If a date is unable to be determined, GGC will use the midpoint to calculate the student’s R2T4.

Satisfactory Academic Progress Standards (SAP)

In order for a student to receive financial aid at Georgia Gwinnett College, the student must demonstrate Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). SAP includes three standards: GPA, Pace and Maximum Time Frame. Students must meet all standards to continue to receive financial aid.

GPA

In order to maintain eligibility for financial aid with the qualitative standard (GPA), a student must maintain the academic standing necessary to remain at GGC. The GPA policy is the same as the academic policies of GGC.

SAP GPA is cumulative and includes all college-level courses taken at GGC. If a student fails to meet the GPA standard for academic progress, then he/she will be placed on financial aid warning for one semester.

The checkpoint for SAP is at the end of each semester.

Pace

In order to meet the Pace standard, degree seeking students must complete and pass (earn) two-thirds (66.66%) of courses attempted throughout his/her course of study. Courses earned include grades of A, B, C, or D. Courses attempted include any course in which grades of A, B, C, D, F, FN, W, WF, or I are given.

Dual Enrollment student must complete and pass (earn) 50% of courses attempted. Courses earned include grades of A, B, C, or D. Courses attempted include any course in which grades of A, B, C, D, F, FN, W, WF, or I are given.

If a student fails to meet the Pace standard for academic progress, then he/she will be placed on financial aid warning for one semester.

Pace for SAP is cumulative and includes all credits the student has taken at GGC and any courses accepted as transfer credit by the institution. This standard is the same for Bachelor, Nexus, and Associate degree students. Maximum Time Frame

Regulations allow a student to maintain eligibility for attempting credit hours that are 150% of the credit hours required to receive a degree. For GGC baccalaureate students that is a maximum of 186 attempted hours. Students enrolled in Nexus and/or Associate Degree programs have a maximum time frame of 90 credit hours. Once a student reaches 150% of the number of credit hours required for his/her program, he/she will be ineligible to receive further financial aid. All attempted course hours must be included in this calculation, including those that are not included in the student’s GPA for repeated course work and terms for which the student did not receive any financial aid. Transfer credit accepted by the College is also included. Students who are seeking a double major, double degree, or second baccalaureate degree will have 150% of the total amount of hours it would take to complete both majors and/or degrees.

Treatment of Student Success & English for Academic Purposes Courses

Student Success Courses

Student Success courses are non-credit courses, but they do count as institutional load credit in the semester in which they are taken. These courses do count for the student’s enrollment status for that semester. Because they bear no quality points and no GPA hours, they are not considered in the SAP calculation. The attempted hours on these courses taken prior to Fall 2011 do accumulate for HOPE scholarship eligibility checkpoints and will count toward the student’s HOPE GPA calculation.

Per federal regulation, a student is limited to one academic year’s (30 semester hours) of remedial coursework in order to retain eligibility for financial aid funds. If a student attempts more than 30 semester hours of remedial coursework, federal aid cannot be used to pay for those courses. Students are no longer able to enroll in non-credit courses only. All student success courses offered for Fall 2018 forward are offered in a co-requisite format. Only the college-level portion of the student success course is included in the evaluation of Pace and GPA for Satisfactory Academic Progress.

Courses taken in the ELI program are not eligible for Federal Student Aid because students enrolled in ELI are not regularly admitted, degree-seeking students. Currently, all English for Academic Purposes courses are offered through the ELI program.

Audit Courses

Students are not eligible to receive financial aid for audited courses. Audited courses are not included in the number of hours attempted or earned for SAP consideration.

Repeated Courses

Students who fail to earn credit for a course are allowed to repeat the course twice, a maximum of three (3) attempts, and still use financial aid funding for that course (assuming he/she is meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress). If a student receives a ‘D’ or better, the student can repeat the course one time and still receive federal aid. The third time the student repeats a course in which he/she has earned a ‘D’ or better, this becomes an ineligible repeat and Financial Aid Services cannot provide federal funding for that repeated course. If a student retakes a course that is not aid eligible, a recalculation of aid is completed to exclude the credits for the repeated course. This rule applies whether or not the student received aid for earlier enrollments in the course. This rule applies regardless of the minimum grade required by the program. A ‘D’ is considered passing for federal requirements.

For SAP purposes, the SAP calculation will follow the GGC academic policy. The academic policy allows the higher grade to substitute for the lower grade on the student’s academic degree evaluation. The higher grade will replace the lower grade in the computation of the student’s GGC-GPA. The SAP calculation uses the GGC GPA to determine the student’s standing. Please note that all grades may be factored into the cumulative GPA in compliance with certain financial aid programs (such as HOPE and Zell Miller scholarships) and certain credentialing programs external to the college.

All repeated courses affect financial aid Satisfactory Academic Progress calculations. A repeated course, along with the original attempt, must be counted as attempted credit hours. All students must successfully complete two-thirds (66.66%) of cumulative attempted hours by the end of each term.

Grade Forgiveness

All hours that a student has attempted at GGC and all transfer hours accepted by the College are included in a student’s Pace and GPA calculations. This includes hours that may have been “forgiven” through Academic Amnesty. The policies on repeated course work and transfer credit apply and the GPA and Pace calculations are the same for students who have been granted grade forgiveness as for all other students.

Grade Changes

When Financial Aid Services is notified of a grade change, the student is checked for satisfactory academic progress (SAP) even if SAP has been previously checked. Should SAP status updates as a result of an official grade change result in SAP suspension, all aid will be removed from the student’s account and any loans returned to the lender.

Financial Aid Warning

If a student does not meet both standards for academic progress, he/she will be placed on financial aid warning for one semester. If the standards are not met at the end of the warning semester, the student will lose eligibility for financial aid for a period not less than one semester of enrollment in addition to any other consequences imposed by the College. The student must demonstrate compliance with all standards of academic progress to regain eligibility for financial aid.

Students who do not meet the PACE and GPA at the end of their Financial Warning semester will be placed on Financial Aid Suspension.

Financial Aid Probation

If a student is granted an appeal for SAP, the student will be placed on probation for a period of one semester. Additionally, the student may be required to complete an academic plan. Details of academic plan requirements are explained to the student via email when the appeal is approved. Students may choose to meet and discuss the conditions of the approved appeal with a Financial Aid Advocate. Meetings may happen in person or virtually. Because each student’s individual and academic situation is different, each plan will be thoughtfully and realistically made with each student, their Mentor or Registration Services and Financial Aid Services.

If, at any point, the student fails to meet the minimum requirements of the academic plan, SAP Suspension will resume. If the student fails to meet SAP standards at the end of the probation period, but has met the academic plan, probation may continue until SAP standards are met or until the end of the academic plan. Students on SAP Probation will be reviewed at the end of each semester of enrollment to determine if they are meeting the conditions of their academic plans.

Appeal Process

Students who fail to meet Satisfactory Academic Progress are placed on Financial Aid Suspension. There are two (2) options for students to regain financial aid eligibility:

1. Meet all SAP standards at the student’s expense or
2. Receive an approved SAP appeal if extenuating circumstances exist and can be documented. Examples may include but are not limited to health reasons, family reasons, or other unusual reasons.

SAP Appeals for degree-seeking students are reviewed by a committee. Only completed packets will be presented to the SAP Appeal Committee. A complete packet is one where all of the documentation requested by Financial Aid Services has been submitted, is legible, and meets the appeal requirements. See the section below for appeal requirements. Appeals submitted through the Student Forms portal are considered “complete” once they are reviewed by Financial Aid Services and sent to the committee. Tasks or documents returned to the student (‘rejected’ in Student Forms) must be resubmitted prior to the semester deadline. If the appeal is approved and an academic plan is required, students must submit their academic plan by the end of semester for which their appeal is approved to receive aid for that semester.

If a student is granted an appeal for SAP, the student will be placed on Financial Aid probation for a period of one semester. No appeals will be accepted for the term after the appeal deadline for the semester.  If an appeal is completed after the semester deadline, the appeal will be considered for the next term in the award year. Appeals for future award years must be resubmitted in their entirety. Financial Aid Services cannot roll appeals to future aid years. Deadlines are listed on the appeals form.

Students may submit one (1) additional appeal packet per semester if their initial appeal is sent to the committee and denied. Students with denied appeals will be invited to meet with a Financial Aid SAP specialist prior to their 2^nd appeal being sent to the committee. Students are not required to accept the invitation. Additional appeals submitted within the same semester will be denied by Financial Aid Services without committee review. A SAP Appeal packet that is still incomplete as of the semester deadline will be rejected and not sent to the committee.

You may not appeal for the following circumstances:

• Lack of knowledge that your aid was in jeopardy
• Inability to afford college without Financial Aid assistance
• Not being prepared for or mature enough for college
• Unfair or incorrect grade for a course or improper advising
• Problems with professor or course content
• Chronic illnesses that are not being properly managed

Students may only have two granted appeals during their time with Georgia Gwinnett College. Continued probation during an academic plan counts as one granted appeal for this purpose. The decision of all SAP appeals is final. There is no appeal for the appeals process. A meeting with the Executive Director or his/her designee may be necessary but is neither required nor guaranteed. The decision of the Executive Director is final.

Degree-Seeking Student SAP Appeals:

SAP Appeal packet should be submitted through the Student Forms document portal. The Appeal can be accessed through the financial aid requirement in the student’s Grizzly Den or directly at https://ggc.studentforms.com. Each packet must include:

• A signed SAP Appeal form
• Student statement which explains:
  • Each semester where the student’s academic performance was F, FN, W, WF, I and/or IP;
  • The extenuating circumstance(s) that caused the student to fail to meet the SAP standards (This usually occurs the semester prior to the student being placed on SAP warning, during the student’s warning semester or both);
  • How the student’s circumstances have changed to allow the student’s academic performance to improve;
• Documentation supporting the student’s explanation of the extenuating circumstance(s) (medical documents, legal documents, receipts, etc.);
• Letter(s) of support from a professional 3^rd party who can address the student’s situation or circumstances and/or the student’s work ethic. Communications or letters from the student’s relatives will not be accepted or considered as part of the appeal. The person should be a professional in the student’s life, such as a work supervisor, advisor, faculty, clergy member or academic/professional mentor.

An explanation is required for all semesters in which the student received a grade of F, FN, W, WF, I and/or IP which directly caused the student to not meet SAP standards. Supporting documentation is only required for semesters where extenuating circumstances exist. The documentation should support the student’s statement. The best documentation has dates that align with the student’s statement and the semesters that caused the student to fail the SAP standards. Documentation that does not support the student’s statement, has irrelevant dates, is illegible, or otherwise does not apply will be rejected to the student for resubmission. Generally, letters from family, friends, or other students are not accepted as documentation for appeals. The appeal is not complete and will not be sent to the committee until Financial Aid services has reviewed and accepted the student’s Letter of Support, SAP Appeal webform/student statement, and documentation.

The SAP Appeal Review Committee must be able to determine from the information submitted:

• Why the student did not meet the SAP standards,
• What has changed to allow the student to be successful, and
• That extenuating circumstances exist that contributed to the student’s inability to meet the SAP standards

Max Timeframe (MTF) Appeals

Once a student reaches 150% of the number of credit hours required for his/her program, he/she will be ineligible to receive further financial aid. Credit hours included in calculating MTF include all transfer hours accepted at GGC along with all college-level credit hours taken at GGC.  This also includes college-level credit hours that are not included in the student’s GPA for repeated course work and terms for which the student did not receive any financial aid. MTF equates to 186 attempted hours for most students seeking a single baccalaureate degree. MTF for Associate and Nexus degree students is 90 attempted credit hours.  If the student exceeds 150% of the published length of their degree program, the student will be placed on SAP Suspension making the student ineligible to receive further financial aid unless an appeal is granted.

Students who are seeking a double major, double degree or second (2^nd) baccalaureate degree will have a MTF of 150% of the total credit hours required to complete both majors and/or degrees. Documentation may be required for Financial Aid Services to make this determination. The documentation required is the same documentation required for an appeal of the maximum timeframe limits.

Required documentation for MTF for dual degree/major:

• DegreeWorks degree audit that shows the remaining course(s) the student is required to complete to meet the requirements of both programs.
• Clear plan of courses needed to graduate and which semester the course(s) will be taken.
• Certification from the Dean(s), student’s Mentor or a degree audit from Registration Services or DegreeWorks to confirm enrollment in dual degree and missing courses.

Required documentation for MTF appeals for 2^nd degree students:

• A signed and submitted SAP Appeal form (electronic or paper);
• Student statement which explains the reason(s) for seeking the 2^nd degree;
• DegreeWorks degree audit that shows the remaining course(s) the student is required to complete the 2^nd degree program;
• Clear plan of courses needed to graduate and which semester the course(s) will be taken;
• Letter(s) of support from the student’s Mentor, Faculty or Staff member who can address the student’s situation or circumstances and/or student’s work ethic.

Appeals due to max timeframe for students seeking a 3^rd Baccalaureate degree will not be considered unless there is documentation of extreme extenuating circumstances and the student’s prior degrees were earned outside of the United States.

Required documentation for MTF appeals for 1st degree students:

• A signed and submitted SAP Appeal form (electronic or paper);
• Student statement which explains the extenuating circumstance(s) for each semester where the student’s academic performance was F, FN, W, WF, I and/or IP;
• Documentation supporting the student’s statement (medical documents, legal documents, receipts, etc.);
• DegreeWorks degree audit that shows the remaining course(s) the student is required to complete the degree program
• Clear plan of courses needed to graduate and which semester the course(s) will be taken;
• Letter(s) of support from the student’s Mentor, Faculty or Staff member who can address the student’s situation or circumstances and/or student’s work ethic.

Dual Enrollment Student SAP Appeals:

Dual enrollment students who fail to meet Satisfactory Academic Progress may appeal his/her status based on extenuating circumstances. However, the regulations for Dual Enrollment Scholarship do not permit students to withdraw from or fail 2 or more courses and remain eligible for funding. Dual Enrollment students who are SAP suspended and remain eligible for funding should contact Financial Aid Services for the Dual Enrollment SAP Appeal process. The process is similar to the process for degree-seeking students but uses a paper application. Dual Enrollment SAP Appeals are not reviewed by the SAP Appeal Committee. They are reviewed by a Financial Aid staff member. Dual enrollment students may not appeal for the following:

• Financial reasons or lack of knowledge that your aid was in jeopardy
• Unfair or incorrect grade for a course or improper advising
• Problems with professor or course content

Financial Aid and Scholarships for Study Abroad

GGC students can use their federal and state aid, including the HOPE Scholarship, for study abroad under limited circumstances.

GGC faculty-lead study abroad programs are generally eligible for federal and state financial aid. Each student’s eligibility is determined by the current-year FAFSA application. Normal eligibility requirements apply, including annual limits.

To receive academic credit for non-GGC study abroad programs, students need to complete a Request for Transient Permission Form and a Study Abroad Course Approval Form (See Section 3.53.5). Students who do not complete and submit these forms to the Office of Internationalization cannot receive financial aid for their study abroad program. In addition, a Consortium must exist with the host institution for federal financial aid to be used.

Once a student has submitted these forms, his/her financial aid can be reviewed and awarded. Normal GGC disbursement dates apply. Aid cannot be released earlier than 10 days prior to the start of your program as outlined on your Consortium agreement. For GGC faculty-lead courses, aid cannot be released prior to the scheduled GGC disbursement date for the semester. If a financial aid check is scheduled to arrive while the student is abroad, the student should consult with his/her bank about granting Power of Attorney to a close friend or relative so that he/she can deposit the financial aid check. Direct Deposit is strongly encouraged.

Important Note: While most students are able to use financial aid to assist with the cost of studying abroad, it is very likely that the student will need to cover these expenses up-front and then be reimbursed at a later date by financial aid or other scholarships. Due to federal regulations, these funds very rarely come through in time to use them to cover study abroad expenses in advance. Students should be aware of this and make arrangements to have their expenses covered in the meantime.

Students should complete their FAFSA application well in advance of their term abroad. They should verify how their financial aid package will apply to their study abroad program. We strongly encourage an in-person or virtual meeting with a Financial Aid Advocate.

Financial Aid for Transient Students

Students receiving HOPE scholarship must coordinate payment details with the financial aid offices at both Georgia Gwinnett College and the transient institution. A Letter of Transient Permission and a Consortium agreement are usually required. Students should contact Financial Aid Services well in advance of the start of their transient semester for individual evaluation of their specific situation.  Students receiving Veteran’s Affairs Benefits should coordinate with the Veteran’s Affairs representative at both Georgia Gwinnett College and the transient institution.

 Students visiting GGC as a transient will need to be prepared to pay out of pocket and be reimbursed any aid provided by their home institution.

Students attending GGC as a transient student who wish to use their HOPE or Zell Miller scholarship must have their home school provide GGC’s Financial Aid Services with a HOPE Transient Certificate through GSFC’s SURFER System before funds will be awarded. To receive HOPE or Zell Miller as a Transient student, both the HOME school and the HOST school must be HOPE eligible institutions.

Allowing Veterans to Attend or Participate in Courses Pending VA Payment

Generally, Veterans Benefits are certified and processed by GGC’s Veteran’s Success office. Financial Aid Services does not process any VA funding.

Background 

Section 103 of Public Law (PL) 115-407, ‘Veterans Benefits and Transition Act of 2018,’ amended Title 38 US Code 3679 by adding a new subsection (e) that requires disapproval of courses of education, beginning August 1, 2019, at any educational institution that does not have a policy in place that will allow an individual to attend or participate in a course of education, pending VA payment, providing the individual submits a certificate of eligibility for entitlement to educational assistance under Chapter 31 or 33. 

Pending Payment Compliance 

Per Title 38 US Code 3679(e), Georgia Gwinnett College adopts the following additional provisions for any students using U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Post-9/11 G.I. Bill® (Ch. 33) or Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment (Ch. 31) benefits, while payment to the institution is pending from VA. Georgia Gwinnett College will not: 

• Prevent the student’s enrollment; 
• Assess a late penalty fee to the student; 
• Require the student to secure alternative or additional funding; 
• Deny the student access to any resources (access to classes, libraries, or other institutional facilities) available to other students who have satisfied their tuition and fee bills to the institution. 

However, to qualify for this provision, such students may be required to: 

• Produce the VA Certificate of Eligibility (COE) by the first day of class; 
• Provide a written request to be certified; 
• Provide additional information needed to properly certify the enrollment as described in other institutional policies 

GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).