Financial Aid Policies

Lifetime Pell Eligibility

Students are now limited to 12 semesters (600%) of Pell Grant Eligibility during their lifetime. This change affects all students regardless of when or where they received their first Pell Grant. Once students have used their 600%, they will no longer be eligible to receive a Pell Grant at any institution.

How do I calculate my Lifetime Pell Grant Eligibility?

Twenty four hours earned in an academic year equals 100%, 18 hours earned in an academic year equals 75%, 12 hours earned in an academic year equals 50%, and so forth. To view your Pell Grant Lifetime percentage, log in to www.studentaid.gov.

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

Federal and state regulations require that students receiving financial aid maintain satisfactory academic progress (SAP) toward the completion of a certificate or degree. SAP will be evaluated at the end of each semester including, summer sessions.  SAP starts after the completion of the students first term at Texas A&M University Texarkana in which the student receives financial aid.

This policy applies to all students who receive assistance from any financial aid program requiring a determination of satisfactory academic progress as a condition of eligibility. SAP is calculated at the end of each semester after grades are posted.  Currently enrolled students are notified via their university email account if they are placed on warning status or suspension.  Students can also view their SAP status on Web For Students.  To meet SAP requirements and be eligible to receive financial aid, a student must comply with the following conditions:

Program of Study:

A student is only eligible to receive financial aid for credits that pertain to the student’s degree program, with the exception of up to 30 credits of remedial courses.  ESL courses are not financial aid eligible.  It is the student’s responsibility to enroll in courses that count toward his or her program.  Coursework is closely monitored for students pursuing a second bachelor’s degree, second master’s degree, or teacher certification and only credits that count toward the student’s program of study are used in the SAP calculations below.

Qualitative Measure

Minimum Cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA):

• Undergraduate students must maintain a 2.0 on all coursework attempted
• Graduate students must maintain a 3.0 on all coursework attempted

Quantitative Measure

Pace Measurements:

Students must earn at least 67% of all credit hours attempted over the course of their attendance at ALL educational institutions, regardless of whether or not financial aid was received. For example, if a student has attempted 100 credit hours, he or she must successfully complete 67 of those credit hours to maintain Pace compliance. This percentage includes all credit hours attempted regardless of whether or not financial aid was received.  Grades of K, F, X, W, DR, S, U, NC, I or NG are treated as attempted and not earned.  All attempted credits count (including remedial courses) even if the student has changed academic programs. All transfer hours are included in the number of attempted hours.

Maximum Time Frame:

Undergraduate and Graduate students are eligible to receive financial aid for a limited time while pursuing a degree. Once a student exceeds 150 percent of the number of credits that it takes to obtain a degree they will be considered to be ineligible for financial aid. All periods of enrollment, including transfer hours from another college, must be considered toward the 150% calculation even if the student did not receive financial aid. Once the student has attempted 150% of the hours required to graduate, the student may not be eligible for financial aid in future semesters unless approved by the appeal process.

Undergraduate Students: The maximum number of cumulative hours a student may attempt is limited to 180 semester hours.  Students should be aware that changing their major could adversely affect their financial aid eligibility.

Graduate Students: The maximum number of cumulative hours a student may attempt is limited to 54 credit hours.

Doctoral Students:  The maximum number of cumulative hours a student may attempt is limited to 90 credit hours. 

Additional Degree Bachelor Students: The maximum number of cumulative hours a student may attempt is limited to 240 credit hours.  Once the student attempts 240 credit hours, they will lose eligibility for financial aid.  Students may appeal to have financial aid reinstated.

Additional Degree Graduate Students: Students may 90 credit hours for their second Masters Degree.  Once the student attempts 90 credit hours, they will lose eligibility for financial aid.  Students may appeal to have financial aid reinstated.

Repeated Courses:  Students may repeat coursework only to better their grade.  Students may receive Title IV funding for a maximum of 2 attempts if there are at least 2 passing grades and may receive Title IV funding as long as it takes to make a passing grade in the event that a student hasn’t earned more than one passing grade on any attempt.

Grade Changes: Students who have a grade changed in a prior semester will have their SAP re-calculated for that term and any subsequent term of enrollment. The SAP review period is limited to the week following the end of term. Grade changes that take place during the semester will not be reviewed until the next scheduled SAP review period.

Financial Aid Warning

After one semester of not meeting the SAP, students will be placed on Warning status for the following semester. Warning status lasts for one payment period only, during which the student may continue to receive federal student aid funds. Students who fail to make satisfactory progress after the warning period lose their aid eligibility unless they successfully appeal and are placed on probation.  If a student does not return the following term, they must contact the financial aid office to have their warning status re-evaluated for financial aid eligibility. Students are limited to being placed on Warning status while receiving financial aid one time for each degree they earn; however, students that the option to appeal.

Financial Aid Suspension 

After the one semester of warning, students who fail to meet any one or a combination of the SAP components will be placed on financial aid suspension and will be ineligible for financial assistance. 

Appeals

Students on financial aid suspension may submit an appeal in writing to the Financial Aid Office based on extenuating circumstances beyond the student’s control.  Students are limited to two appeals as an undergraduate student and two appeals as a graduate student., and new appeals must be based on a different reason than the prior appeal(s). If a student wishes not to appeal, or if their appeal is denied, they will remain on financial aid suspension and no financial aid will be awarded until SAP is met again.  Appeals must be submitted in writing and must be submitted four weeks prior to the end of the semester for which the student is seeking funding. A committee meets each semester before classes begin.  The only way to regain financial aid eligibility after a denied appeal is for the student to finance their own way to college and meet the minimum standards of the schools satisfactory academic policy.

Federal regulations stipulate appeals may be granted based on extenuating circumstances only.

Documents Required for Appeal

• Medical documentation that supports that you were medically unable to meet the requirements for SAP; or
• Verification (obituary or death certificate) of a death in your immediate family. Immediate family for purposes of a financial aid appeal is parents, siblings, children, spouse or grandparents; or
• Verification of military orders for military personnel and their families that have been temporarily reassigned or called to active service; or
• Verification of natural disasters beyond your control that impacted your academic performance; or
• Personal tragedies that were beyond your control and are documented by a 3rd party professional, i.e. police, courts, medical, clergy, etc.

Please note: If you submit a divorce decree, you must submit additional documents such as a restraining order, child custody papers, or any additional legal documentation. A divorce decree alone is not considered an extenuation circumstance.

Should an appeal be approved, the student may be placed on an Academic Plan if it is determined that the student will need multiple semesters to meet the schools published minimum standards for satisfactory academic progress.

*The submission of an appeal does not guarantee that an approval is forthcoming. Students who are denied financial aid should make alternative arrangements*

Academic Plan

An Academic Plan serves as a contract between TAMUT and the student and it is the student’s responsibility to ensure he/she meets the requirements of the academic plan each semester to continue to be aid eligible. Academic Plans are reviewed each semester.  Failure to adhere to the conditions of the Academic Plan will result in the denial or cancellation of all future aid until the student has met the minimum standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress, at which time the student may be able to reestablish his/her financial aid eligibility.

Re-establishing Financial Aid Eligibility

Once a student meets the minimum SAP standards, financial aid eligibility is reinstated with Satisfactory Financial Aid Progress status. Awards cannot be paid retroactively for the term(s) during which a student was on Suspension and ineligible for aid.  Students are still required to re-apply for financial aid every year by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®)

Reversed - 06/2023

Return of Federal Financial Aid for Students Who Withdraw From All Classes Within a Term

The law specifies how your school must determine the amount of Title IV program assistance that you earn if you withdraw from school. The Title IV programs that are covered by this law are: Federal Pell Grants, Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grants, TEACH Grants, Direct Loans, Direct PLUS Loans, and Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (FSEOGs).

Though your aid is posted to your account at the start of each semester, you earn the funds as you complete the semester. If you withdraw during the semester, the amount of Title IV program assistance that you have earned up to that point is determined by a specific formula. If you received (or if TAMUT or your parent received on your behalf) less assistance than the amount that you earned, you may be able to receive those additional funds. If you received more assistance than you earned, the excess funds must be returned by the school and/or you.

The amount of assistance that you have earned is determined on a pro rata basis. For example, if you completed 30% of your payment period or period of enrollment, you earn 30% of the assistance you were originally scheduled to receive. Once you have completed more than 60% of the payment period or period of enrollment, you earn all the assistance that you were scheduled to receive for that period. 

To calculate the amount of aid a student has earned, the Financial Aid Office will divide the number of calendar days the student attended classes by the total number of calendar days in the semester (scheduled breaks of 5 days or more will be deducted out of the equation). The resulting percentage is then multiplied by the total amount of federal funds that was disbursed for the semester. The result of this calculation determines the amount of aid earned by the student. Any amount exceeding the earned calculation amount must be returned to the federal government by either the university or the student. The Financial Aid Office will notify and instruct any students who owe money because the university has returned the appropriate amount to the government for the student.  Funds returned on your behalf may result in a balance on your account, which you are then responsible for paying in accordance with TAMUT’s refund policy.

If you did not receive all of the funds that you earned, you may be due a post-withdrawal disbursement. If your post-withdrawal disbursement includes loan funds, your school must get your permission before it can disburse them. You may choose to decline some or all of the loan funds so that you don’t incur additional debt. Your school may automatically use all or a portion of your post-withdrawal disbursement of grant funds for tuition, fees, and room and board charges (as contracted with the school). The school needs your permission to use the post-withdrawal grant disbursement for all other school charges. If you do not give your permission (some schools ask for this when you enroll), you will be offered the funds. However, it may be in your best interest to allow the school to keep the funds to reduce your debt at the school.

If you receive (or TAMUT or your parent receives on your behalf) excess Title IV program funds that must be returned to the federal government, TAMUT must return a portion of the excess equal to the lesser of:

1. your institutional charges multiplied by the unearned percentage of your funds, or
2. the entire amount of excess funds.

TAMUT must return this amount even if excess funds were refunded to the student at the time of disbursement.

Any loan funds that you must return to the federal government, you (or your parent for a Direct PLUS Loan) repay in accordance with the terms of the promissory note. That is, you make scheduled payments to the holder of the loan over a period of time.

Any amount of unearned grant funds that you must return is called an overpayment. The maximum amount of a grant overpayment that you must repay is half of the grant funds you received or were scheduled to receive. You do not have to repay a grant overpayment if the original amount of the overpayment is $50 or less. You must make arrangements with TAMUT to return the unearned grant funds to avoid being reported to the Department of Education as an overpayment, which may result in your being ineligible for future federal funds.

Title IV aid that must be returned to the federal government must be allocated in the following order: 

1. Unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loans
2. Subsidized Federal Stafford Loans
3. Federal Graduate Plus (Student) Loans
4. Federal Parent (PLUS) Loans
5. Federal Pell Grant
6. Federal SEOG
7. TEACH Grant
8. Iraq & Afghanistan Service Grants

The requirements for Title IV program funds when you withdraw are separate from any refund policy that your school may have. Therefore, you may still owe funds to the school to cover unpaid institutional charges. Your school may also charge you for any Title IV program funds that the school was required to return. 

Refund Policy

Procedures for Withdrawing

It is a wise practice to consult the Financial Aid Office and academic advisors before completely withdrawing from the university. This will provide an opportunity for you to understand the consequences of a complete withdrawal, receive valid estimates of potential monies owed, and become educated on the consequences a complete withdrawal may have on your Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). A complete withdrawal can result in ineligibility for financial assistance from Texas A&M University-Texarkana in the future, due to your not completing a specified number of credit hours for which aid was disbursed.

Enrollment Changes

Any changes in a student’s enrollment plans can affect his or her eligibility for financial aid. The amount of aid available for students increases as the amount of student enrollment increases. Any decrease in a student’s number of hours, post awarding (via failing grades, administrative or student dropping of a course) will negatively affect that student’s SAP, whether it be against the student’s GPA or count against the 67% Pace requirement.

Repeated Coursework

The Department of Education has published regulations which impact students who repeat courses. According to the Program Integrity Rules, effective July 1, 2011, students may only receive federal financial aid funding for one repetition of a previously passed course.

Examples of repeated coursework that may, or may not, count for financial aid eligibility:

Allowable: Repeated coursework may be included if the student received an unsatisfactory or failing grade. There is no limit on the number of attempts allowable if the student does not receive a passing grade.

NOTE: If the student passed the course and then subsequently failed it, they cannot receive aid for the course the third time.

Allowable: Student is enrolled in 15 credit hours of which 3 credits are repeating a previously passed course. Because the student is enrolled in a minimum of 12 credits which are not repeats, the student's financial aid eligibility is not impacted by the repeat.

Not permissible: Student receives a D in a course and decides to repeat the course to improve his/her GPA. The student may repeat this passed course one time, but if the student wants to repeat it a second time, the second repeat would not count for financial aid eligibility. In this example, the student is enrolled in 12 credits, including the 3 credit second repeat, so only 9 credits will count for financial aid eligibility.

Active Duty Military/Receiving Housing Allowance

See Veterans Services.