Financial Aid

The fundamental purpose of the financial aid programs at Sandersville Technical College is to make it possible for students who would normally be deprived of a postsecondary education because of inadequate funds to be able to attend. Selection of students to receive financial aid will be made without regard to age, sex, race, religion, national origin, or handicap.

The Financial Aid office is located in Student Services and is open from 7am to 6:30pm
Monday and Tuesday and 7am - 4:30pm Wednesday - Friday. The telephone numbers are (478) 553-2131 or (478) 553-2090.

You can apply for Financial Aid On-line!

Eligibility Requirements

To qualify for federal financial aid (Pell Grant, FSEOG, and FWS) a student must complete and sign a free application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) annually and provide the financial aid office with verification documentation as required. A student must also: have a high school diploma, a GED, or meet the Ability to Benefit requirements; be registered with Selective Service, if required; be a U.S. Citizen or an eligible non-citizen; be enrolled as a regular student in an eligible program; not be in default on a student loan nor owe a refund on a Title IV program, and be making satisfactory academic progress in accordance with policy.

To qualify for the Georgia HOPE Grant for tuition and fees, a student must also: be a legal Georgia resident; not be convicted of a recent drug offense.

Types of Financial Aid

TITLE IV FUNDS: Require the completion of a FAFSA and enrollment in an eligible degree, diploma or certain certificate programs.

FEDERAL PELL GRANT: is a Title IV Program, based on need, for full time and part time students enrolled in a Title IV eligible program, who have not previously earned a bachelor’s degree. The student does not normally repay Pell Grant. The amount of Pell awarded is based on the Estimated Family Contribution (EFC) shown on the student’s SAR/ISIR (which is the result of completing a Federal Financial Aid Form), the cost of attendance, and the student’s enrollment and class load each quarter.  Students receive their Pell Grant awards on a quarterly basis. The quarterly Pell award is available to help pay for book costs and tuition not covered by other sources and the amount remaining is paid to the student after balancing is complete for each term. If the student totally withdraws from school during a quarter, the Pell award amount for the withdrawal term is adjusted, according to Federal Financial Aid policy, by multiplying the percentage of days attended times the quarterly Pell Award.

FSEOG (Federal Supplemental Equal Opportunity Grant): A Title IV Program for students who are enrolled at least half time and receive both Pell and Hope. Due to limited funds, FSEOG is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis to students whose EFC is 1500 or less.

FWS (Federal Work Study): A Title IV Program awarded on a first-come, first served basis to the neediest students. Title IV eligible students are awarded the maximum amount they can earn; however, the actual amount they receiveis calculated by the number of hours they actually work times minimum wage. Normally FWS jobs are on campus and students can only work hours they are NOT scheduled to be in class. FWS cannot be used for internship credit. Once awarded, student must complete a FWS Application, employment documents in the Personnel Office, and be interviewed by a potential supervisor prior to beginning work. FWS students are paid monthly for the actual hours worked.

GEORGIA’S HOPE PROGRAM (Helping Outstanding Pupils Educationally): Require the completion of a HOPE Application or FAFSA. HOPE provides non-repayable grant monies to Georgia residents attending colleges in Georgia.

GEORGIA HOPE SCHOLARSHIP for Degree Programs: The HOPE Scholarship is available to students enrolled in degree programs who have and maintain a 3.0 (B) HOPE Grade Point Average. Interested students must complete the HOPE Scholarship Request Form available in the Registrar’s Office. All hours attempted in all degree programs since high school are used to calculate eligibility, whether or not those hours are used in current program, including out-ofstate colleges attended. HOPE GPA is monitored and at least a 3.0 HOPE GPA must be maintained at the end of each Spring Quarter and at each 45 hours interval to remain eligible. HOPE Scholarship covers tuition, fees and a book voucher of $100 per quarter for enrollment of at least six hours or $50 for enrollment of less than 6 hours. According to HOPE Regulations, HOPE book funds MUST be used to purchase books and supplies needed for student’s program of study. Once all hours of attempted degree work or a combination of attempted degree classes plus hours for which student received HOPE Grant total 190 hours, they are ineligible for future HOPE funds

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GEORGIA HOPE GRANT for Diploma/ Certificate Programs: HOPE Grant provides grant monies to cover tuition and mandatory fees and up to $100 per quarter book allowance for students enrolled in a diploma or technical certificate or credit. According to HOPE Regulations, HOPE book funds MUST be used to purchase books and supplies needed for students’ program of study. The HOPE grant is available up to a maximum of 95 attempted hours.

Other Financial Aid:

WORKFORCE INITIATIVE ACT (WIA): The purpose of this act is to prepare persons facing serious barriers to employment, with the training necessary for entry into the labor force. More information can be obtained from WIA
office at Sandersville Technical College at 478-240-5167.

TAA/TRA: Programs administered by the Department of Labor for persons who lose their jobs due to plant closings, etc. To apply, contact your local Department of Labor office.

Satisfactory Academic Progress Requirements
Students who received financial aid from Sandersville Technical College must be in good academic standing and making satisfactory progress, as outlined below.
Students are responsible for maintaining an acceptable level of progress regarding quality and quantity of work. Progress will be reviewed no less than once each quarter. Records are reviewed after grades are posted at the end of each quarter.

Qualitative Academic Progress Requirements:
Students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher, on a 4.0 scale which includes all credit courses appearing on the academic transcript. If a student’s cumulative GPA falls below the minimum, their financial aid is endangered. A student will be placed on Financial Aid Probation for the following quarter of attendance and may receive financial aid for the probationary quarter. Failure to meet the cumulative requirement of at least a 2.0 GPA by the end of the probationary will result in the student being placed on Financial Aid Suspension. Students placed on Financial Aid Suspension are ineligible to receive any source of Financial Aid until cumulative minimum requirements have been met.

Quantitative Academic Progress Requirements:
Students must complete 67% of course work attempted. All hours attempted at Sandersville Technical College plus all transfer hours accepted by Sandersville Technical College are counted to determine the completion rate. Failure to complete this minimum percentage will result in a student being put on probation during the following quarter of attendance and will be eligible for financial aid during the probationary quarter. If the student fails to complete 67% of the course work attempted during the probationary quarter, they will be placed on financial aid suspension and will be ineligible for any state or federal aid until the
minimum completion rate of 67% has been attained.


** Maximum Time Frame:
Full time students must complete their educational objective within the maximum time frame of one and a half (150%) times the length of the program in which they are enrolled. This means that once a student has attempted one and half times the minimum number of credit hours necessary for completing program requirements, they will be ineligible to receive financial aid. All hours
attempted at Sandersville Technical College, plus all transfer hours accepted by Sandersville Technical College, are counted in the 150% limit. Students who are enrolled less that half time will be prorated accordingly.

** If a course is repeated, all hours attempted will be counted for purposes of the 67% completion rate and maximum time frame requirements and all grades will be used in calculating the minimum GPA of 2.0.

Withdrawals:
Grades of W, and WP are not used in calculating a student’s GPA, but are counted as course work attempted. WF is counted as an F. IP’s will not be used in the completion rate calculation. The student will be allowed to complete progress the next quarter. The grade received the next quarter will be used when calculating the completion rate.

Remedial Work:
Remedial courses will be covered by Title IV financial aid if the student is enrolled as a provisional or regular student in a eligible program at Sandersville Technical College and the remedial course is required by the school. Aid can be received for a maximum of 45 hours of remedial courses. A grade of S will be considered satisfactory completion of a remedial course. A grade of U will be considered unsatisfactory. Grades received for remedial courses do not affect the GPA, but the hours are calculated in the 67% hours attempted completion rate.

Transfer Students:
Transfer students accepted by Sandersville Technical College (STC), but not previously at STC, will be classified as maintaining Satisfactory Academic Progress for the first quarter enrolled. After the first quarter, the student’s grades will be measured in accordance with the College’s Satisfactory Academic requirements. Students who previously attended STC, transferred to
another school, then returned to STC, will have all of their course work reviewed. (Only a grade of C or better will transfer.)

Termination of Financial Aid:
Financial aid will be terminated when a student is determined by the Financial Aid Office to be ineligible, if the office has evidence that the student has falsified information on the application materials, or if federal or state funds are not provided to meet the award.

Appeals Process:
Students have the right to appeal a finding that they are not making satisfactory progress if they feel that there are extenuating circumstances, which have prevented them from meeting the specified requirements. Students will need to complete an Appeal of Financial Aid Suspension form. The appeals must specifically address the extenuating circumstances, include supporting
documentation and must be filed with the Financial Aid Office.

Reinstatement of Aid:
A student who has been terminated from aid due to a lack of satisfactory academic progress must pay for credit hours attempted after the student returns and must meet satisfactory academic progress requirements to be eligible to receive any further financial aid in future terms.

Withdrawal from School:
Any student receiving financial aid must report to the Financial Aid Office upon withdrawal from school. Financial Aid adjustments/payments must be calculated according to federal and state regulations.

Commercial Truck Driving Program and Financial Aid:
Commercial Truck Driving Students will be held responsible to the same Satisfactory Academic Progress standards as all other students and can only receive aid for 150% of the hours to complete the program. Should a student wish to repeat the program, they must pay the Business Office for all hours required to graduate over the 150%. Once this has been done, HOPE Grant will
be awarded for the other 50% of eligibility.

Notification:
The Financial Aid Office will notify a student in writing if he/she is in violation of the above standards of satisfactory academic progress and of the termination of their eligibility to receive financial aid.

SATISFACTORY ACADEMIC PROGRESS REQUIREMENTS (HOPE):
In accordance with the Georgia HOPE Regulations, students receiving HOPE Grant and/or Hope Scholarship must maintain the same institutional satisfactory academic progress policy used for federal Title IV programs, as outlined above.
In addition, HOPE recipients are limited to a maximum number of hours of attempted credit and remedial hours as follows:

1. Students who have received only HOPE Grant for Diploma and/or Certificate Programs: A maximum number of 95 hours of HOPE Grant eligibility. All attempted hours for which HOPE has been received since Summer term 2003 from all colleges are counted in this cap.
2. Students who have received HOPE Scholarship for degree classes and HOPE Grant for diploma/certificate classes: a maximum of 190 hours of HOPE Eligibility including all HOPE Scholarship hours since 1993 and all HOPE Grant Hours since Summer term of 2003 from all colleges are counted in this cap.