DACC Catalog 2013-2014

Catalog - Loans and Grants

Danville Area Community College participates in need-based programs. The US Department of Education and the State of Illinois supports these programs. Descriptions of these need-based programs are as follows:

Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC)

A resident of Illinois (who is a US citizen or permanent resident of the United States), enrolled in an eligible program at Danville Area Community College, and demonstrating financial need as determined by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission, may receive a grant of up to full tuition. There is no separate State application, a student need only indicate Illinois residency, to be considered for the monetary award when the FAFSA is completed. The college notifies the student of eligibility. (Note: Dependent student's parent must be an Illinois resident).

Federal Pell Grant

The Pell Grant is available to eligible students at Danville Area Community College. To apply you must:

Complete the FAFSA application for financial aid. The application is via the internet at www.fafsa.gov. The resulting family contribution will be used to determine your eligibility for all financial aid programs.

Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant Program (FSEOG)

This program is for students with exceptional need. This is determined from the results of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as those students with a zero (o) Expected Family Contribution (EFC). Those eligible are notified by the cllege. Not all applicants with a zero (0) EFC will be awarded FSEOG. Funds are limited and awards vary each award year.

Federal College Work-Study Program (FCWS)

Students are eligible to participate in the College Work-Study Program if they qualify under the following terms:

• Applied for financial aid using the FAFSA
  
• In need of earnings
  
• Capable of doing college work
  
• Accepted for enrollment as a student or already in good standing as an undergraduate student.
• All previous college's grades and transcripts must be submitted to the records office and be evaluated for "transfer in" credits.

Students in good standing may be employed by Danville Area Community College for up to 20 hours per week.

The beginning pay rate for DACC student employees is the same as the Federal minimum wage.

Students interested in student employment should contact the Human Resources office, Vermilion Hall, second floor, west wing, and complete the Student Worker Packet.

FEDERAL DIRECT EDUCATION LOAN PROGRAM (DL)

To be eligible to apply for any of the Title IV student loans you must:

• Apply for financial aid using the FAFSA
• Attend loan counseling and other special requirements
• Be enrolled in an eligible program in at least half-time enrollment status
• Meet DL Program Regulations per 34 CFR part 668

Federal Stafford Loan Program (subsidized and unsubsidized)

• Repayment begin six months after the student graduates, leaves school or drops below half-time enrollment.
• Loans cannot be certified until after the add/drop period of the semester.
• Loan disbursements are made in two checks (one per semester) released no earlier than thirty days after the beginning of the semester.

Federal Direct Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students (DL-PLUS)

Parents may borrow for their undergraduate students. Parents would be eligible to borrow up to the cost of education minus any financial aid.

34 CFR Section 668.202(e)(1) of the Federal Direct Education Loan (DL) Program provides that a school may refuse to certify a DL Stafford or PLUS loan application or may reduce the borrower's determination of need for the loan if the reason for that action is documented and provided to the student in writing provided the determination is made on a case-by-case basis.

Division of Rehabilitation Services (DORS)
Students qualified to receive this aid should contact the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation.

Veterans’ Educational Benefits

1. Montgomery G. I. Bill (Chapter 30).
2. Post 9/11 GI Bill (Chapter 33).
3. Vocational Rehabilitation (Chapter 31).
4. Veterans’ Educational Assistance Program VEAP (Chapter 32).
5. Survivor and Dependents Education (Chapter 35).
6. Illinois National Guard/Selected Reserve members (Chapter 106).
7. Illinois Veteran's Grant (IVG).
8. Illinois National Guard (ING).
9. Veterans Retraining Assistance Program (VRAP)

School Refund Policy

The refund period is prior to the first day the class meets or the first two weeks of class for those who meet twelve weeks or longer, or the first week of class for those meeting less than twelve weeks. If a student officially withdraws from a class during the refund period a 100% refund will be issued.

The exception to this policy is when the Department of Education Federal Refund Policy must be applied to those students whose costs are paid by student financial aid funding.

State and/or Accrediting Agency Refund Rule
The State of Illinois has not established a mandated refunding rule for community colleges. The North Central Association, as an accrediting agency, has not established a refund rule.

Federal Refund Rule (Return of Funds)

The Department of Education mandates that unearned federal financial aid funds are returned to the specific programs if a student withdraws from a semester. The amount of the refund is determined by the days of the semester that the student was in attendance verses the remaining days (after withdrawal) until the semester ends.

Students are notified by mail of their debt to the Department of Education. This debt must be paid in a timely manner in order for the student to receive future financial aid.

Owing a debt to the school results in restrictions for future enrollment.

Payment Plan

To assist DACC students in meeting their educational expenses, the College offers Nelnet Business Solutions (NBS), formerly known as FACTS, which is a convenient monthly payment plan. NBS is a tuition management plan that provides the student with a low cost option for budgeting tuition and fees. NBS is not a loan program. The student pays no interest and no finance charges are assessed. The only cost to the student to budget monthly payments through NBS is a $25.00 per semester non-refundable fee. Students may budget their tuition and fees in one of two ways through NBS; Automatic Bank Payments or through the Credit Card Option. Enrollment in the NBS payment plan is online.

To learn more about NBS, pick up a brochure available at the student kiosk in Lincoln Hall or connect to the e-CASHIER site on the DACC home page, http://www.dacc.edu.

NOTE: Students enrolled in the Payment Plan who later qualify and receive any type of student aid (including loans) will have these funds applied towards any balance due on the payment plan at the time the student aid is disbursed. The student will receive an updated statement of these actions.

Standards of Academic Progress (SAP) for Financial Aid Recipients (effective 7/1/11)

The Danville Area Community College (DACC) Office of Financial Aid is required by federal regulation (HEA Subpart B, 34 CFR 668.16(e), Subpart C, CFR 668.32, 668.34, 668.42, 668.43) to monitor academic progress toward a degree or certificate for all degree seeking aid applicants. As a result, the Office of Financial Aid reviews the academic history of all attempted course work of all applicants prior to the awarding of Title IV Federal Student Aid and/or Illinois State Student Aid. These standards must have components of a Quantitative Measure (the Pace at which the student must be completing their Program of Study) and a Qualitative Measure (the grades a student must be obtaining in their coursework)and be reviewed at stated intervals. At DACC SAP is reviewed at the end of each enrollment period.

Academic progress is evaluated the first time a student is awarded student financial aid and at the end of each term thereafter. If, during the semester, a student withdraws from a class we will contact them and remind them of the SAP standards and ask that they review them again in the published College materials (Student Handbook, College Catalog and the DACCs's Financial Aid webpage.) This process may help the student remain in "good standing" with the Federal and State student financial aid programs criteria.

The Standards of Academic Progress (SAP) apply to the following programs.

Federal Title IV Programs

• Pell Grant
• Supplement Educational Opportunity Grant
• College Work-Study
• Direct Loan Program (Stafford Loan Program)
• Direct Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students

Illinois Student Assistance Commission Programs:

• Monetary Award Program
• Veteran's Grant
• National Guard
• MIA/POW Scholarship

Veteran's Educational Benefits: All Chapter's and Post 9/11 Benefits

Completion Rate and Grade Point Average Requirement

The student is required to meet the standards listed below or eligibility to receive student financial aid will be placed in a Financial Aid SAP WARNING status or a Financial Aid SAP SUSPENSION status or a Financial Aid SAP PROBATION status.

To be in “GOOD STANDING” for Student Aid a student must be meeting the minimum standards each enrollment period by having a cumulative G.P.A. of 2.0, a success rate of 67% of all credits attempted and complete their program of study within the published time frames formatted in credit hours.

PACE- MINIMUM CREDIT HOUR COMPLETION (Quantitative Measure)

At the end of each enrollment period SAP is reviewed. Cumulatively a student must successfully complete a minimum percentage of all credit hours attempted to stay on pace for completing their program before reaching the maximum time frame allowed. Attempted credit hours include any credit hours in which the student was enrolled after the refund period is over.

If the student accepted Title IV aid for days you attended during the refund period but then totally withdraw from all credit hours the student will be placed on SAP Suspension. Some students will have slightly different refund periods because of late starting classes or classes that end early. Each semester’s refund period is published at the DACC WEB page, in the Student News or a student may contact the Registration Office for the dates or any questions concerning withdrawals..

Successful completion of a class is is a letter grade of A, B, C, D, S. Unsuccessful completion of a class is defined as Failure (F), Withdrawal (W), Incomplete (I), or Unsatisfactory (U). Remedial classes are graded as: passing “S” for satisfactory or “U” unsatisfactory (which is considered not completing the course work). The completion rate requirement applies to remedial classes. Note that remedial coursework does not calculate into your GPA. All classes that are repeated (including grade "exclusions") are counted in the Quantitative (Pace)Measure.

Students who have attended other post secondary institutions are required to have an official grade transcript from these schools on file in the DACC Records office. Transfer credit that is evaluated to apply towards their program of study at DACC will be included in the total credit hours attempted and earned as part of the quantitative measure (the Pace) of maximum time frame allowance.

Minimum Percentage

A student must complete 67% of credit hours attempted to be on pace for completion of program.. The first time a student fails to successfully complete the minimum percentage of credit hours required they must be placed on financial aid WARNING for the next term of enrollment.

Total withdrawal (a "grade" of "W" posted to transcript) or total failure (a grade of "F" posted to transcript) will result in SUSPENSION. This includes the refund period if Title IV was accepted for the days you were in attendance.

Minimum Grade Point Average (GPA) Requirement (Qualitative Measure)

The student is required to earn and maintain a 2.0 (C) Cumulative grade point average out of a possible 4.0 scale.

FINANCIAL AID (SAP) WARNING

A SAP Warning status occurs the first time a student fails to meet the minimum standard in any one of the components. If a student is placed on SAP Warning they will still be eligible to receive Student Financial Aid for one more term without appealing the circumstances.

Upon the end of the next period of enrollment if the student meets the minimum standards they will “automatically” be reinstated and placed into SAP “Good Standing”.

If upon the end of the student's next period of enrollment they have not met the minimum standards they will be in a SAP Suspension status. An appeal of the circumstances would need to be submitted for any future consideration of using Title IV and/or State student aid at DACC.

FINANCIAL AID SUSPENSION

Failure to complete the minimum cumulative standards of either component while on a SAP Warning will result in the SAP SUSPENSION of a student's future aid eligibilty.

Total withdrawal (a "grade" of "W" posted to transcript) or failure (a grade of "F" posted to transcript) will result in SAP SUSPENSION. This includes the refund period if Title IV was accepted for the days in attendance.

A student placed on SAP SUSPENSION is NOT eligible for future Federal and/or State student aid at DACC.

MAXIMUM HOURS ATTEMPTED (Cumulative Quantitative Measure)

Time of Completion: Title IV and/or Illinois State Student Aid eligibility will be suspended if the student exceeds the 150% completion of the published program time frame for all cumulative credit hours attempted (not earned). Remedial coursework credit hours attempted will be counted as part of the program of study timeframe. Students who require remedial coursework are limited to a maximum of thirty (30) credit hours of attempted remedial coursework. The student is advised to work with their academic advisor to “stay on pace” to complete their educational goal.

Students on SAP Suspension due to exceeding the maximum timeframe (not remaining on pace in cumulative attempted hours) are no longer eligible for student aid funding. They may submit a personal letter (an Appeal) explaining and documenting why they did not stay on pace and complete their program of study within the published timeframe. The Appeal letter must be submitted with an academic plan of program completion including total hours and semesters still required to complete the program. This plan is called a Degree Audit and must be prepared by the student's DACC academic advisor/counselor. The Appeals Committee will take into consideration that remedial coursework may have extended the timeframe towards your completion date.

REINSTATEMENT OF AID ELIGIBILITY (Appeal Procedures)

If the student feels there were circumstances beyond their control that affected their academic performance, they may appeal the SAP Suspension. An appeal is a written statement from the student with supporting documentation explaining their circumstances and their plan to be successful in the future semesters. Other support documentation could include:

• A physician who can document that an illness or accident that prevented the student from successfully completing their studies and that the student is now able to successfully resume their studies.
• A physician/clergy/counselor who can verify that the death or life-threatening illness of an immediate family member prevented the student from successfully completing their course work and the family circumstance is no longer applicable.
• An academic advisor/counselor or an employer, childcare provider, etc. who knows about circumstances beyond the student's control that prevented the completion of course work and these circumstances have been resolved.

FINANCIAL AID (SAP) PROBATION

If the student's Appeal decision is for reinstatement (approval) they will be placed on SAP Probation and be awarded from Title IV and/or State student aid programs for which they are eligible. A student should be aware that appeal approvals may have certain limitations and specific conditions that must be followed to continue using financial aid funding. An Academic Plan for Success (APS) may be mandated by the Appeals Committee. The APS would be prepared by the student's academic advisor/counselor (or other pertinent DACC staff) and the student would need to agree to the plan before further student aid would be awarded. The student must be successful with their APS each semester to continue receiving student aid for which they may be eligible (remain on Probation).

A student on SAP Probation who then meets the minimum standards will "automatically" be placed in to Good Standing status.

DEADLINES TO SUBMIT APPEALS

The deadline to submit an appeal is no later than two weeks PRIOR to the semester the students wishes to attend and be reviewed for eligibility for student aid. If the student misses the appeal deadline the appeal WILL NOT be considered for that semester. It is to the student's advantage to submit an Appeal immediately after being notified of their SAP status. Appeal deadlines are published in the Student News, DACC’s Financial Aid WEB page (under “Important Dates”) and various bulletin boards on campus. The SAP status notices highlight the two week prior to the term deadline.

Appeals decisions are sent via the student's DACC student email account and posted to their Jaguar Spot (their Web Advisor account). Students who do not yet have these accounts active will be notified via the U.S. Postal system. If a student is not clear of the meaning of the appeal response they may visit the financial aid office for clarification of the Committee's decision. In order to protect a student's privacy these matters will not be discussed over the phone. The student is not privy to who serves one the Appeal Committee and will not have an opportunity to meet members in person  or via email or phone communication. The Committee consists of faculty, staff, and administrative personnel.

*THE DECISION OF THE APPEAL COMMITTEE IS FINAL*

These requirements are mandated by federal regulations - satisfactory academic progress is the law. The SAP policy applies to all students including first time financial aid recipients. Past academic history (if any) at DACC is evaluated before financial aid is awarded.

Glossary of Terms:

Standards of Academic Progress (SAP) - a Federal requirement applied to all students who have Federal Student Aid funding (pending, actual, or estimated awards).

Program of Study - The educational program the student has indicated they are pursuing at the College. It may be a Certificate, Associates or Transfer program (must be eligible program per Federal guidelines).

Quantitative Measure - the pace at which the student must be completing their Program of Study which must be monitored for completion before maximum time allotted for program is reached.

Time of Completion: The PACE - the maximum time frame is 150% completion of the published program time frame. This calculation considers all cumulative credit hours attempted (not earned).

GOOD STANDING - a student is meeting the minimum standards each enrollment period.

Minimum Standards - student has a Cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.0 and is staying on pace with a success rate of completing 67% of all credit hours attempted and is completing (on pace) their program within the published time frames formatted in credit hours.

SAP SUSPENSION - student failed to meet minimum standard by total withdraw in a semester and/or being on a warning status and/or reaching maximum time frame for Program of Study.

SAP WARNING - first time a student fails to met the minimum standard in any one of the components.

SAP PROBATION - The student has an approved Appeal for reinstatement of Title IV and/or State student aid for an additional term (unless an Academic Success Plan (APS) is being met).

Academic Plan for Success (APS) - prepared by the student's academic advisor/counselor (or other pertinent DACC staff) and the student would need to agree to the plan before further student aid would be awarded.

Students can access their student accounts via the Internet. This site provides secure access to their student aid account as well as billing, grades and much more. To read all about the DACC online student services visit http://www.dacc.edu/ar/oss.