In rare cases students will choose to attend two colleges simultaneously. In most cases, a student cannot received Federal or State financial aid at both institutions simultaneously. Financial Aid would be processed by only one of the colleges where the student is enrolled.

There are some exceptions to this rule in the case where a pre-articulated Consortium Agreement has been signed by university representatives to assist a class of students in completing a degree. Only the following Consortium Agreements have been established with LCC.

• CMU, Elementary Education
• Ferris State University
• Franklin University
• Michigan Community College Virtual Learning Collaborative
• Western Michigan University
• Michigan State University, Agricultural Technology

Drop – removing a course from the student schedule where instructor approval is not required and the course will not be part of the student’s academic record. Generally, this means that the student will no longer be charged for all or part of the course. A course cancelled by LCC is considered a dropped course.

Withdrawal – removing a course from the student schedule by issuing a grade of W (withdrawal) for the course. The course will be part of the student’s academic record.

Effect of Dropping a Course for Federal Programs
*for effect on Pell Grant, see Pell Grant Enrollment Policy below

Effect of Withdrawing from a Course for Federal Programs
*for effect on Pell Grant, see Pell Grant Enrollment Policy below

Effect of Dropping or Withdrawing from a Course for Non-Federal Programs

Contact the Financial Aid Office with questions regarding the effect of dropping or withdrawing from a course.

Title IV Refund (R2T4) Calculation

Federal regulations require schools to perform a Title IV Refund (R2T4) Calculation if one of the following occurs:

1. Student completely withdraws from all courses
2. Student withdraws or drops from a course and the student’s remaining courses have not yet begun
3. Student fails to pass or earn credit in at least one course

R2T4 determines what portion of disbursed aid the student earned and what portion was unearned. Unearned aid must be refunded to the federal government. LCC will immediately refund the portion of unearned aid due to the federal government and bill the student. The student must immediately repay the billed amount to LCC.

R2T4 amounts unearned are returned in the following order for any programs received that semester:

• Federal Unsubsidized Stafford Loans
• Federal Subsidized Stafford Loans
• Federal PLUS Loans
• Federal Pell Grants
• Federal SEOG
• Other Title IV assistance for with a return of funds is required
• State financial aid awards
• Institutional financial aid awards
• Private or public donor awards
• Other institutional awards
• Student

Financial aid is offered to students based on enrollment as a full-time student. If a student enrolls less than full-time, certain awards may be prorated.

Auditing Courses

Audited courses are those being taken for no grade. Therefore, courses being audited are not considered part of a student's enrollment for financial aid purposes.

English as Second Language (ESL)

Students enrolled in a program that consists solely of English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction are eligible for Federal Student Aid funds only from the Federal Pell Grant program. ESL courses are not considered remedial.

Remedial Courses

Once students attempt more than 30 remedial/developmental credits, the Financial Aid Office will begin limiting federal financial aid eligibility based on enrollment of courses that are not considered to be remedial/developmental credits.

For example, if a student attempted 30 remedial/developmental credits and the following semester register for a total of 12 credits with 4 out of the 12 credits being considered remedial/developmental, the financial aid package will be based on 8 credits.

Below are lists of what courses are considered to be remedial/developmental.

Repeating Courses

Federal regulations limit the number of times a student may repeat a course and receive financial aid for that course. This limit applies whether or not the student received financial aid for earlier enrollments in the course. If a student retakes a course that is not eligible for financial aid, it will not be counted as credit toward enrollment-based aid such as the Pell grant and Student Loans; a recalculation of aid is done to exclude the credits for the repeated course.  Note: Students must also adhere to the College's Repeat Enrollment Policy.

• A student may receive financial aid to repeat a previously passed course one additional time.
• A student may receive financial aid when repeating a previously failed course (0.0 or Z), regardless of the number of times the course was attempted and failed.
• A student who is taking a course that requires the student to enroll in for multiple times to meet degree requirements may receive financial aid for these courses. (repeatable course list)

Enrollment Level Requirements by Program

Falsification of information submitted by the student or parents for the purpose of receiving financial assistance may result in cancellation of assistance, billing back for assistance received, and referral to the appropriate federal authorities. If students purposely give false or misleading information, they may be fined $10,000, sent to prison, or both by the federal government.

The Financial Aid Office in Enrollment Services may be required to verify information provided on the FAFSA form by requiring income tax statements or other documentation of financial status. In addition, if the Financial Aid Office has received conflicting information or reason to believe that student information may not be valid, further investigation will occur prior to financial aid being awarded and/or refunded.

The U.S. Department of Education requires the student's enrollment level to be locked on a specified date (Census Date) for students who receive Federal Pell Grant. If a student is not registered before the Census Date, the enrollment level will be locked on the date that the student becomes eligible to receive Federal Pell Grant. The Census Dates for the academic year 2012-2013 are:

• Fall Semester 2012: September 12, 2012.
• Spring Semester 2013: February 4, 2013.
• Summer Semester 2013: June 24, 2013.

Please see the following chart to determine how locking enrollment on Census Date affects your financial aid eligibility.

Financial need is determined by subtracting the expected family contribution (as determined by the FAFSA) from the appropriate cost of attendance (budget). The College will attempt to meet the student's need within the limitations of available resources.

Award offers are subject to change. Awards are determined based on the latest information received. Students are responsible for reporting information which may alter an award offer, such as changes in income or previous aid received at another institution in the same academic year. Students are responsible to view the most recent award information on-line through Banner Self Service.

Cost of Attendance
The cost of attendance is based on the average educational and living expenses for a student attending LCC. It does not represent an individual student's actual costs. The cost of attendance includes:

• Tuition and fees
• Books, supplies, and equipment
• Room and board
• Transportation
• Miscellaneous personal expenses
• Loan fees
• Study abroad costs
• Expenses associated with a disability
• Dependent and elder care expenses
• Cooperative Education Program Costs

Log-in to your Banner Self Service to view your Cost of Attendance

Expected Family Contribution
If a student is a dependent student (as determined by the FAFSA), the federal government assumes that parents and students have the primary obligation to provide for the student's cost of education to the extent that they are able, based on a standardized method of determining parental contribution. The second obligation falls upon the student to contribute to his or her own education from personal assets and earnings which may include the use of student loan funding.

If a student is a self-supporting or a independent student (as determined by the FAFSA), the federal government assumes that since a student is the prime beneficiary of education, the student has a primary obligation to provide for the cost of education to the extent the student is able, based on a standardized method of determining student contribution. The student's expected contribution will come from personal earnings, spouse's earnings, if applicable, savings and assets which may include the use of student loan funding.

Calculating Need

    Cost of Attendance
-   Expected Family Contribution
=  Financial Need

If you receive additional funds not listed on your Award Notification (scholarships, departmental awards, Michigan Education Trust, veteran's benefits, etc.), report them immediately to the LCC Financial Aid Office.

Federal regulations require the Financial Aid Office to monitor the progress of all students toward the completion of a degree. This monitoring process is called Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). The Department of Education requires that a school monitor SAP both quantitatively and qualitatively. Satisfactory Academic Progress is essential to remain eligible to receive federal and state funds. Some institutional aid programs and some external scholarships may require students to meet the college SAP standards.

Every semester, the Financial Aid Office will monitor each undergraduate student's academic progress to determine financial aid eligibility. The following applies to all students regardless if the student received financial aid during his or her academic career. To receive financial aid, students must have:

• A cumulative GPA of a 2.0 or better in all courses attempted at Lansing Community College.
• A cumulative completion ratio of 70% or better of all courses attempted at Lansing Community College (transfer credits, withdrawals, incompletes, audits, repeated courses, and all attempted courses are reflected in this calculation).
• Completed their declared program of study prior to attempting 150% of the credit hours required for the program (including transfer credits).

Students will be placed on Financial Aid Warning if they meet one of the following criteria:

• New Students: The student has completed at least one class with a 1.0 or better and does not meet the SAP standards after the first semester of attendance.
• Continuing Students: The student was in good academic standing but failed to meet the SAP standards after grades were posted for the most recent semester of attendance. The student must have completed at least one class with a 1.0 or better in the most recent semester of attendance.

Student who are placed in Financial Aid Warning must electronically submit a Worksheet: Warning Contract.  Once the warning contract has been approved, students will receive financial aid for their next semester of attendance. After the next semester of attendance, the student must meet the overall SAP standards or earn a minimum semester grade point average of a 2.0 and complete 100% of the courses attempted (no W, 0.0, Z, or I grades) until they meet the overall SAP standards.

Note: The table below represents a student pursuing a general associate degree requiring 60 credits. In order for the student to successfully complete their program within 150% of the credit hours required and maintain a cumulative completion ratio of 70%, the student must earn the following minimum credits.

Criteria for Appealing GPA and Completion Ratio
There may be extenuating circumstances which cause students to have an overall GPA below a 2.0 and/or a completion ratio below 70%. If extenuating circumstances exist, students may appeal the suspension of their financial aid by completing the Appeal: GPA/Completion Ratio form. Students, who successfully complete one or two semesters with at least half time enrollment using their own funds, are generally approved by the Appeal Committee.

Criteria for Appealing Maximum Timeframe
There may be extenuating circumstances which causes students to not complete their program of study within the 150% timeframe. If extenuating circumstances exist, students may appeal the suspension of the financial aid by electronically submitting an Appeal: Maximum Timeframe.

Criteria for Appeal Decisions
Students who appeal the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy will be notified of a decision via their Banner Self Service account.  If an appeal decision is not made before the start of the semester, students should consider dropping all classes within the 100% refund period unless they are able to pay for the classes using their own funds.

If a student's financial aid is reinstated, it will be reinstated for the payment period in which the documentation was received. The Payment Period is the first day of the semester through the day before the next semester. A student on an approved appeal is required to earn a minimum 2.0 overall and complete 100% of the courses attempted (no "W", "I", "Z" or "0.0" grades) each semester to retain eligibility.

If a student's financial aid is denied, the student may continue to attend classes by paying for all tuition and fees.