In accordance with federal regulations under the Title IV of Higher Education Act of 1965 (as amended) Norwich University is required to publish several policies and guidelines for its students both undergraduate and graduate. Below are explanations of policies and procedures that we believe our students need to be familiar with:
Qualifying for Aid/Applying for Aid
To be eligible for federal, state and institutional aid students must meet the following criteria:
- Demonstrate federal need (may not be required for some loan and institutional programs)
- Have a standard high school diploma, GED or ATB (Ability to Benefit) on file.
- Be enrolled in a college credit program.
- Not be in default or owe a repayment of Title IV funds.
- Have a valid Social Security number.
- Be a U.S. citizen or an eligible non-citizen with permanent residency status and an alien registration identification number (may not be required for some institutional programs).
- Be registered with the Selective Service (males between the ages of 18-25).
- Have not borrowed in excess of loan limits under the Title IV program.
- Federal regulations require that students may only receive financial aid if they are maintaining satisfactory academic progress (see details below).
- Must have all requested documents on file before disbursements can be made.
To apply for financial assistance it is the student’s responsibility to annually apply for financial aid by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA form is available at www.fafsa.gov. The students must also provide any required forms and documentation deemed necessary by the Office of Student Financial Planning. The priority filing deadline is March 1.
Verification
As part of the Financial Aid Process, a student may be selected for Verification. This is usually a random selection by the federal processor. Norwich University also may select additional files to verify.
If you are selected for verification, it means that we must request certain documents from you in order to verify that certain information that you supplied on the FAFSA form is correct.
Once the FAFSA form is received by Norwich University, and it is determined that you have been selected for verification, you will receive a letter indicating the documents needed from you in order for us to complete the verification process. These documents usually include IRS Tax Transcripts, W-2 forms, and the Verification Worksheet. Other documents may be needed as well. Examples of additional documents include, but are not limited to, proof of child support received or paid, schedules from your tax return or proof of other untaxed income. You will always be notified via letter, phone call, or email of documents that are needed. It is important that these documents are turned in as soon as possible. No aid will be disbursed to your tuition account until the documents are received and your file has been verified.
Verification requires that the University verify that the following information supplied on the FAFSA is correct:
- Household Size
- Number in College
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
- Child support paid
- Adjusted Gross Income
- US income tax paid
- Education credits
- Untaxed IRA distributions
- Untaxed pensions
- IRA deductions
- Tax exempt interest
- Income earned from work
If, during the verification process any amounts previously reported on the FAFSA need to be changed, Norwich University will make those corrections and send them electronically to the federal processor. You will be notified that we made those changes by the federal processor. If any resulting changes occur to your financial aid award, you will be sent a new financial aid award letter.
It is a federal crime to deliberately falsify any information on the FAFSA form in order to receive federal financial aid inappropriately. Any cases where it is determined that deliberate tampering with FAFSA information occurred will be referred to the Office of Inspector General as required by the institution’s Program Participation Agreement.
Undergraduate Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy
Federal regulations require schools to have a Satisfactory Academic Progress policy to carry out the statutory requirement that a student must be making satisfactory academic progress to be eligible for financial aid under the Student Financial Aid Programs. The policy must be cumulative and it must include any periods of enrollment in which the student did not receive aid from the Student Financial Aid Programs. Students applying for aid or receiving aid are subject to the regulations.
The regulations for Satisfactory Academic Progress were initially published in October of 1983 and were republished in December of 1987. The regulations require schools to develop and apply for a consistent standard of academic progress and note the basic elements of a policy that measures Satisfactory Academic Progress.
The college Satisfactory Academic Progress policy for students receiving financial aid under the Student Financial Aid Programs includes the following:
- a qualitative measure – grade point average (GPA)
- a quantitative measure of progress – maximum time frame in which a student is expected to complete his program.
The Satisfactory Academic Progress policy at Norwich University has been developed to ensure that the financial aid program at Norwich University adheres to the requirements set forth by federal aid regulations. An assessment of the student’s progress will be made after each fall and spring semester.
Qualitative Measures – Required GPA
Satisfactory academic progress requires the grade point average necessary for good standing as listed below:
| The greater of credit hours attempted or earned cumulatively | Minimum GPA required |
|---|---|
| 0–17 | 1.60 |
| 18–34 | 1.80 |
| 35+ | 2.00 |
Quantitative Measures
Student’s quantitative measure of Satisfactory Progress is being monitored by the Financial Aid Office using the following guidelines:
- Students are eligible for financial aid for a maximum of twelve semesters of attendance or 150% of the normal 4 year program of study. A student who has completed their 10th semester of attendance will cease to be eligible for financial aid. A student may appeal for up to two additional terms of aid eligibility if they have had mitigating circumstances as to why they have not completed in 10 semesters.
- Students must also complete at least 67% of the total number of courses that they attempt each semester in order to be eligible for financial aid. A student who does not complete 67% of their courses in a semester will be given one semester of warning in which they remain eligible for aid but must complete at least 67% of their attempted courses in that term. If they fail to complete more than 67% of their courses in the warning term, their aid will be suspended. Students may appeal if they have mitigating circumstances.
- Students cannot attempt more than a total of 150% of the total program degree requirements. For example: if the program requires 124 credits, the student must complete their program by the time they have attempted 186 credits. Failure to earn a degree within the 150% time frame automatically makes the student ineligible for further financial aid.
EN005, MA005, course withdrawals, and incomplete courses are counted in the hours attempted and are counted towards the quantitative measure of Satisfactory Academic Progress policy.
Course withdrawals and incompletes are not counted in the student’s grade point average and are not counted in the qualitative measure of the Satisfactory Academic Progress policy.
Transfer credits earned prior to the student’s enrollment at Norwich will be used for qualitative purposes to determine the minimum required grade point average based upon hours earned.
Transfer hours earned during the summer while a student is enrolled at Norwich will be counted in the determination of satisfactory academic progress. Summer terms will not be counted as semesters and will be considered an extension of the academic year. Hours earned in the summer will be counted towards the total hours earned.
Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal Process
Norwich recognizes that mitigating circumstances sometimes prevent a student from performing according to the expected standards. Norwich reserves the right to allow a student to continue to receive financial aid if he does not meet Norwich’s qualitative and quantitative standards because of mitigating circumstances. Any student not meeting the college’s policy governing Satisfactory Academic Progress may appeal to the Financial Aid Review Committee. The appeal must outline mitigating circumstances. The appeal must be returned or faxed to the following address:
Academic Appeals
Student Financial Planning Office
Norwich University
158 Harmon Drive
Northfield, VT 05663
Fax (802) 485-2024
Each appeal will be considered on its own merit.
Student Withdrawals and Refunds
In the event that a student leaves Norwich University during an academic term either voluntarily or involuntary they are subject to the university’s refund policies. Students should review all financial policies as outlined by the Bursar’s Office. These policies are available in their entirety at www.norwich.edu/bursar. The withdrawal date that is used in determining a student’s refund or repayment will be defined as the actual date that the student begins the withdrawal process, the student’s last day of academically related activity or the midpoint of the payment period for a student who leaves without notifying the institution.
The U.S. Department of Education requires Norwich University to use the Return of Title IV funds policy for students who withdraw from school and who are receiving Federal Title IV student financial aid. Title IV funds refer to federal financial aid programs authorized under the Higher Education Act of 1965 (as amended) and includes the following programs: Federal Stafford Loans, Federal Unsubsidized Stafford Loans, Federal Parent Loans for Undergraduate Students (PLUS), Federal Perkins Loans, Federal Pell Grants, Federal Supplemental Opportunity Grants, Academic Competitiveness Grants, and SMART Grants.
The U.S. Department of Education stipulates the way funds paid toward a student’s education are to be handled when a recipient of Federal Student Aid (FSA) funds withdraws from Norwich University. A statutory schedule is used to determine the amount of FSA funds a student has earned when he or she ceases attendance based on the period the student was in attendance. Up through the 60-percent point in each payment period or period of enrollment, a pro-rata schedule is used to determine how much FSA funds the student has earned at the time of withdrawal. After the 60-percent point in the payment period or period of enrollment, a student has earned 100 percent of the FSA funds.
In general, the Amendments require that if a recipient of FSA assistance withdraws from a school during a payment period or period of enrollment in which the recipient began attendance, the school must calculate the amount of FSA assistance the student did not earn and those funds must be returned. The percentage earned is one of the following:
- If the day the student withdrew occurs on or before the student completed 60 percent of the payment period or period of enrollment for which assistance was awarded, the percentage earned is equal to the percentage of the payment period or period of enrollment for which assistance was awarded was completed.
- If the day the student withdrew occurs after the student has completed 60 percent of the payment period or period of enrollment, the percentage earned is 100 percent.
The percentage and amount not earned is the complement of the percentage of FSA assistance earned multiplied by the total amount of FSA assistance that was disbursed (and that could have been disbursed) to the student, or on the student’s behalf, for the payment period or period of enrollment, as of the day the student withdrew, or the date the institution determined that they withdrew.
If the student receives less FSA assistance than the amount earned, the school must comply with the procedures for post-withdrawal disbursement specified by the department in regulations. If the student receives more FSA assistance than the amount earned, the school, the student, or both must return the unearned funds as required, and in the order specified. The school must return the lesser of:
- The amount of FSA funds that the student does not earn; or
- The amount of institutional costs that the student has incurred for the payment period or period of enrollment multiplied by the percentage of the funds that were not earned.
The student (or parent, if a Federal PLUS loan) must return or repay as appropriate, the remaining unearned FSA grant and loan funds. However, a student is not required to return 50 percent of the grant assistance received by the student that would be the responsibility of the student to repay.
The student (or parent, if a Federal PLUS loan) must return the unearned funds for which they are responsible to loan programs in accordance with the terms of the loan, and to grant programs as an overpayment. Grant overpayments are subject to repayment arrangements satisfactory to the school or overpayment collection procedures prescribed by the Secretary of the Department of Education.
FSA funds for the payment period or period of enrollment for which a return of funds is required must be returned in the following order:
- Unsubsidized Federal/Direct Stafford Loans
- Subsidized Federal/Direct Stafford Loans
- Federal Perkins Loans
- Federal/Direct Grad PLUS Loans
- Federal/Direct PLUS Loans
- Federal Pell Grants for which a return of funds is required.
- Academic Competitiveness Grants for which a return of funds is required.
- National SMART Grants for which a return of funds is required.
- Federal Supplemental Opportunity Grants for which a refund is required.
- Iraq Afghanistan Service Grant for which a return is required.
- Other assistance under Title IV regulations for which a refund of funds is required.
The student will be issued the larger of the institutional refund or the federal refunds.; Any questions should be directed to the Office of Student Financial Planning at (802) 485-2015 or nufinaid@norwich.edu.