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2016 Fall Student Handbook 
    
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2016 Fall Student Handbook [ARCHIVED PUBLICATION]

Financial Assistance

Applying for Financial Assistance

At Delgado Community College, we want to provide you with the best financial assistance possible. In order to be considered for assistance for non-federal as well as federal funding sources, you must complete the FAFSA and submit any financial documents/forms requested.

How to apply:

STEP 1. Complete the 2016 - 2017 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online at https://fsaid.ed.gov. Delgado Community College school code is 004626. Please note you will need to create your FSA ID. This ID will be used to electronically sign all of your financial aid forms. In addition, all first-time borrowers must receive loan counseling before loan funds can be disbursed. Students must complete a Master Promissory Note and Entrance Loan Counseling at www.studentloans.gov.  

STEP 2. Check the status of your application through LoLA and submit ALL required documents by the deadline dates.

  • You must submit proof of high school graduation or college transcript to the Answer Center or Admissions Office before financial aid can be processed.
  • Submit completed forms to the Answer Center, or online on your student portal if selected for verification.
    • The Delgado Community College student portal will allow us to process your financial aid in a faster, more efficient manner.
      • If you are selected for Verification, you should receive an email from finaid@dcc.edu with instructions to begin the process.
      • Click on the Personalized URL link within that email to access the student portal and create your login and password.
      • Follow the instructions in the portal to submit the required documents.
      • You must complete all documentation before you can continue in the financial aid process.

If tax transcripts are required, you can return to your 15-16 FAFSA via the web at www.fafsa.ed.gov and choose to download your tax transcript using the data retrieval tool. Additionally, you may request your tax transcript directly from the IRS at www.irs.gov (under Tools, choose Get Transcript of Tax Records (it can take a few weeks to receive them by mail) then choose get transcript online, if you would like to view and print your transcript immediately), or by calling 1-800-908-9946 or visiting 1555 Poydras Street, New Orleans.

  • Please allow 15 days from the day you submit your last document for processing.
  • You must accept the Terms and Conditions, complete your Master Promissory Note (MPN) and entrance counseling if you elected to receive a loan www.studentloans.gov  before your award letter can be viewed.

STEP 3. Accept your award online.

  • Once your federal student aid is processed, you will receive an email notification to your Delgado student email address.
  • You must accept or decline each federal subsidized and unsubsidized loan, or no funding will disburse
    • Additionally, you can use your Delgado Community College mobile student app to accept or decline your loan funding-simply download the free app to your phone.
  • Once your federal student aid has been accepted, your federal funds will be authorized to secure your classes.

STEP 4. Disbursement set. No action needed.

  • Students can check their account balance by logging in to LoLA.
  • Once your federal student aid has been accepted, your federal funds will be authorized to secure your classes.
  • After the first official financial aid disbursement date, your authorized aid will be disbursed to your student account, which will pay the cost of your tuition and fees and any applicable charges.
  • After tuition and fees are paid, if there is a remaining credit balance, you will be due a refund.

STEP 5. Receive refund.

  • Refunds are funds paid to a student that has a credit balance remaining after tuition, fees and other applicable charges have been paid.  A credit balance (negative balance) indicates your payments exceed your charges and you are due a refund. Refunds can take up to 14 days to process after aid is disbursed to your account.
  • Refunds are delivered to students through BankMobile (formerly HigherOne) based on the student’s Refund Selection Preference. Delgado will NOT issue refund checks, so students MUST select a refund preference online through BankMobile. For more information on refunds and BankMobile, see Refund Questions on the Delgado website and/or dolphinonecard.com.

 

Financial Assistance Deadlines

  • 2016 - 2017 Federal Student Loans - To apply for an educational loan to help pay the cost of attending school- priority deadline to apply for a loan is April 15, 2016.
  •  2016 - 2017 Priority FAFSA Fall Document Deadline - July 15, 2016 - All documents must be submitted by this date to be considered for an award letter and eligible for a bookstore credit.
  • Fall 2016 - 2017 Priority Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progression Appeal Timeline - April 18 - July14, 2016 - Appeal and supporting documentation must be submitted by deadline in order to be reviewed in time to secure classes.
  • Fall  2016 - 2017 Last date to submit Satisfactory Academic Progression Financial Aid Appeal - Friday, September 2, 2016 - Appeal and supporting documentation must be submitted by  in order to be considered for Fall 2016 financial aid funding. Students who miss the priority appeal deadline must be prepared to pay the entire balance out of pocket, but can be reimbursed if financial aid appeal is approved and all other required documents are processed. Students will not be eligible for a bookstore credit.

Additional Information

  • Receiving information regarding financial assistance: The Office of Student Financial Assistance will communicate with students via email and it is the student’s responsibility to monitor Delgado email regularly as well as the email address that was provided when completing FAFSA. If students would prefer not to receive Financial Aid communications and award notifications via email, they must submit a request in writing to the Office of Student Financial Assistance. 

  • Contacting Financial Aid for assistance: We offer face to face advising - please contact  your financial aid counselor based on your respective program - visit http://www.dcc.edu/student-services/financialaid/contact.aspx, call 1-855-215-8247, or email finaid@dcc.edu. Please allow 24 hours response time during regular scheduled hours.      

  • Federal tax transcripts required: If you are required to submit your tax information, you must obtain a tax transcript from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Request a tax transcript by calling IRS at 1-800-908-9946 or visiting www.irs.gov. You can also visit the IRS at 1555 Poydras St. The Office of Student Financial Assistance is no longer allowed to accept copies of personal tax returns from students and/or parents.

  • Verification documentation may be required: If you are selected for Verification, you should receive an email from finaid@dcc.edu with instructions to begin the process. Click on the Personalized URL link within that email to access the student portal and create your login and password. Follow the instructions in the portal to submit the required documents. You must complete all documentation before you can continue in the financial aid process. The new student portal will allow us to process your financial aid in a quicker manner.

  • Regulations regarding students who attend only one semester: Federal regulations require that student loans awarded for one semester (Fall only, Spring only, or Summer only) must be disbursed in two installments. Loan disbursements will be credited to student accounts at the beginning of the semester and at the mid-point of the semester.   

150% Limit on Subsidized Loans

Delgado Community College students cannot receive subsidized loans for more than 150 percent of the published length of the borrower’s educational program. The law also provides that a borrower who becomes ineligible for subsidized loans because of the 150 percent limit is ineligible for interest subsidy benefits on all subsidized loans first disbursed to that borrower on or after July 1, 2013.

Pell Lifetime Eligibility Limit

The amount of Federal Pell Grant funds you may receive over your lifetime is limited by a new federal law to be the equivalent of six years of Pell Grant funding. Because the maximum amount of Pell Grant funding you can receive each year is equal to 100 percent, the new regulations states that a student may receive up to 12 semesters or the six-year equivalent of 600 percent.

Whether you have used all of your Pell Grant eligibility or only a portion, please be conscious about the lifetime limit of the Pell Grant when changing majors and/or scheduling classes; the Pell Grant equivalent of 600 percent will be for your entire award history.

Can I see my lifetime Pell Grant used? YES! You may view your lifetime Pell Grant percentage used by simply logging into www.nslds.ed.gov. The information will include all Pell Grants received over your lifetime from any college, not just Delgado Community College. If you have not reached 600 percent of lifetime eligibility, you may have some Pell Grant eligibility remaining, if eligible.

To view your Pell Grant Lifetime Eligibility Used (LEU), you can log on using your Federal Student Aid PIN to National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS®) at www.nslds.ed.gov/nslds_SA/ to view your LEU. The LEU will be found on the Financial Aid Review page.

For additional information on the Pell Grant Program please visit http://studentaid.ed.gov/types/grants-scholarships/pell/calculate-eligibility.

Financial Aid Academic Satisfactory Progression

To be eligible to receive Federal Student Aid, you must maintain satisfactory academic progress as defined in the College Catalog for this academic year. You may also review the Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy at http://www.dcc.edu/student-services/financialaid/sap.aspx.  Appropriate documentation to substantiate your appeal is required -If you fail to meet the required standard, your eligibility for financial assistance might be suspended. In the event of exceptional mitigating circumstances, you may appeal your suspension of your eligibility to the Financial Aid Appeals Committee in writing. Appeal forms may be obtained online at http://www.dcc.edu/student-services/financialaid/forms.aspx or in the Office of Student Financial Assistance.  

First-time Borrowers

Federal regulations require that the College delay delivering the proceeds of educational loans to first-time borrowers until 30 days after the start of classes. Therefore, student loan funds for first-time borrowers will not be disbursed to their accounts until September 13, 2016.

In addition, all first-time borrowers must receive loan counseling before loan funds can be disbursed. Students must complete a Master Promissory Note and Entrance Loan Counseling at www.studentloans.gov.  

Books

If you are eligible to receive a Pell Grant or student loan and have authorized aid, or your account has a credit balance (negative balance) after your tuition and fees have been paid, books may be purchased using bookstore voucher for students who are eligible if financial aid has been processed and authorized for at least 48 hours.  You may purchase up to $700 in books and supplies in the College contracted bookstore or online at dcc1.bkstore.com. Visit http://www.dcc.edu/student-services/registration-information/bookstorecredit.aspx for more information.    

Refund Information

At the time financial assistance is disbursed, or credited to your student account, applicable outstanding charges will be deducted, and any excess credit balance will be refunded to you within 14 days after the credit balance appears on your student account.

Delgado Community College has partnered with BankMobile (formerly HigherOne) to deliver refunds to students. Upon your first semester/session of enrollment, you will receive a lime green envelope in the mail from BankMobile containing your Refund Selection Kit. . 

Your Refund Selection Kit will contain a unique Personal Code with is the key to selecting your refund choice. You will have the option to deposit your refund to a BankMobile account or have it deposited directly to your own bank account. You must follow the directions included in the mailing to either activate your account or set up a direct deposit. Please be on the lookout for it and don’t mistake it for junk mail. Delgado will NOT issue refund checks, so students MUST use the Refund Selection Kit and/or Personal Code to select a refund preference. 

Federal Financial Assistance Repayments

When a student completely withdraws from the College during an academic period for which he or she is the recipient of Title IV funds, the College is required to determine whether the return of Title IV funds must be made according to statutory and regulatory requirements. The rules that govern the return of Title IV Funds assume that a student earns his or her assistance based upon the period of time that the student remained enrolled.

Explanation of terms:

  • Disbursements (disburse or disbursed) - payment of the loan funds to the borrower by the school. Students generally receive their federal student loan in two disbursements.
  • Earned - the percentage amount of Title IV aid that the student receives.
  • Unearned - the difference between Title IV aid that was disbursed or could have been disbursed for the payment period or period of enrollment and the amount of Title IV aid that was earned when a student withdrew.

 During the first 60 percent of an enrollment period, a student “earns” Title IV funds in direct proportion to the length of time that he or she remains enrolled. The percentage of time during an academic period that a student remained enrolled is the percentage of dispersible assistance for that period that the student earned.

Assistance is “dispersed” if a student could have received it at that point of academic period when the student withdraws from the College. Total dispersible assistance includes the amount of funding that was disbursed and that which could have been disbursed; however it was not, based on the student’s date of withdrawal. A student who remains enrolled at the College beyond the 60 percent point of an academic period is presumed to have earned all assistance for that period. Unearned Title IV funds, other than Federal Work Study, must be returned.

Unearned assistance is the amount of disbursed Title IV funds that exceed the amount of Title IV funds earned under statutory and regulatory guidelines. The responsibility to repay unearned Title IV funds is shared by the College and the student in proportion to the Title IV funds each is assumed to possess. The College will notify, in writing, a student who is required to repay and return unearned Title IV funds before the end of the enrollment period.