Nov 23, 2024  
2023 Fall Student Handbook 
    
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2023 Fall Student Handbook [ARCHIVED PUBLICATION]

Financial Aid

Financial Aid Information

Financial Aid Steps
Financial Aid Deadlines
Important Information
Pell Grant Lifetime Eligibility Limit
Year-Round Pell Grant
Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)
First-Time Borrowers
Using Financial Aid to Pay for Books
Refund Information
Federal Financial Aid Repayments When Withdrawing from Courses

Financial Aid Steps

  1. Create an FSA ID: An FSA ID serves as your official legal signature. Use your ID to sign the FAFSA and complete loan entrance counseling and master promissory notes.
  2. Complete FAFSA: Visit our FAFSA assistance webpage. Delgado’s FAFSA school code is 004626.
  3. Check Eligibility: Check your “Fin Aid Status” in LoLA to see if you have unmet requirements. Document review takes up to 15 business days.
  4. Review Offer: Check “Award for Aid Year” in LoLA. If you accept loans, complete a Master Promissory Note & Loan Entrance Counseling at https://studentaid.gov/.
  5. Select Refund: Make REFUND CHOICE through LoLA.
  6. Check Authorized Aid: A note telling you that you have Authorized Aid appears on “Award for Aid Year page”. To see Authorized Aid, check “Account Detail for Term” in LoLA. Negative dollar amount = secured classes. On app, number is red and parentheses ( ) indicates negative number. 
  7. Check Bookstore Credit: Check the Student ID Card portal to see if you are eligible. Credit is only available for a limited time at the beginning of each semester. Visit the bookstore credit webpage for more information.
  8. Disbursement Process: The process of applying funds to a student’s account to cover tuition, fees, and books (if applicable) begins.
  9. Refund Process: Once funds disburse, the refund process can take about 14 days from the date the credit posted.

Financial Aid Deadlines

All financial aid deadlines can be found at Important Dates (Academic Calendar) . More information can be found on the Financial Aid webpage.

Important Information

  • 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 after the mid-point of the semester.

  • 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 their preferred email address 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 financial aid advising through a host of platforms - please visit our virtual Welcome Desk. We also offer an online chat service at www.dcc.edu.       

  • 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). A list of requested documents can be found in LoLA. 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 Street, New Orleans, La. The Office of Student Financial Assistance cannot accept copies of personal tax returns from students and/or parents.          

  • Verification documentation may be required: Delgado has established a partnership with Inceptia to expedite the federal verification process by utilizing the Verification Gateway (VG) online portal. If a student’s FAFSA application is selected for verification by the U.S Department of Education, you will receive an introductory email to the email address you provided on the FAFSA. Provide documents as quickly as possible in order to ensure complete processing prior to the first payment deadline.

Pell Grant Lifetime Eligibility Limit

The amount of Federal Pell Grant funds you may receive over your lifetime is limited by 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 your Account Dashboard at https://studentaid.gov/dashboard. 

Learn more about the Pell Grant Program. 

Year-Round Pell Grant

The US Department of Education Appropriations Act, 2017, allows a student to receive Federal Pell Grant funds for up to 150 percent of the student’s Pell Grant Scheduled Award for an award year.  This provision is effective beginning with the 2017-2018 award year. Students currently enrolled at Delgado must request summer financial aid. Once the summer form is processed or you have registered for courses, your summer award will be posted. Using Pell Grants in the summer does affect your 600% Pell Lifetime Eligibility Usage (LEU). Log in to your Account Dashboard at https://studentaid.gov/dashboard to view your Federal Pell Grant Lifetime Eligibility Used.

Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

The federal government mandates that students maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) toward completion of their degrees/certificates/technical diplomas within a reasonable period of time in order to be eligible for Title IV financial aid programs (includes grants, work-study, loans). The Financial Aid SAP policy is different from the College’s Academic Standing Policy.

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. 

Students are expected to monitor their own SAP and consult with the Office of Student Financial Assistance when they have questions or concerns. The Office of Student Financial Assistance provides electronic notices to students at the end of semesters. Students can also review their current SAP status by reviewing their Financial Aid account in LoLA, Delgado’s student services portal. It is imperative that students keep their preferred email address updated with Delgado Community College and check their Delgado student email (preferred email) on a regular basis.  Failure to monitor SAP or not understand how SAP works is no basis for an appeal.

Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progression (SAP) is reviewed after each payment period. Learn more on the SAP webpage. 

First-Time Borrowers

There are two important steps that first-time borrowers must be aware of:

  1. All first-time borrowers must complete a Master Promissory Note and Entrance Loan Counseling at https://studentaid.gov/
  2. Federal regulations require that the College delay disbursement first-time borrowers until 30 days after the start of classes. See Important Dates (Academic Calendar) listed in the handbook. 

Using Financial Aid to Pay for Books

If you are eligible to receive a Pell Grant or student loan, have authorized aid, and 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. You may purchase up to $900 in books and supplies in the College contracted bookstore or online. The timeline normally expires after the first week of school. Learn more about bookstore credit or see Important Dates (Academic Calendar) listed in the handbook. 

Refund Information

A disbursement is the posting of financial aid funds to a student’s Delgado account paying any charges due. Financial Aid’s initial disbursement date is published in the handbook for each payment period. Disbursement typically begins after our regular term’s census date. Any excess disbursements will be refunded to the student’s account within 14 days. Students can check their account balance by logging in to LoLA. Delgado Community College has partnered with BankMobile Disbursements, a technology solution powered by BMTX, Inc., to deliver refunds to students.

Federal Financial Aid Repayments When Withdrawing from Courses

When a student completely withdraws from the College during a payment 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 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.
  • Attendance - Delgado Community College is a non-attendance* taking institution for the purposes of Return of Title IV Funds regulations. *Visit Dropping Courses or Withdrawing from the College for a full definition and exceptions.

Earned

Federal Title IV funding is “earned” aid as of the date the student ceased attendance based on the amount of time the student spent in attendance or, in the case of a clock-hour program, was scheduled to be in attendance.

Students that have completed a minimum of 60 percent in each payment period or period of enrollment would require a pro rate schedule is used to determine the amount of Title IV funds the student has earned at the time of withdrawal After the 60% payment period or period of enrollment, a student has earned 100 percent of the Title IV funds he or she was scheduled to receive during the period.

Post Withdrawal Disbursements

Federal regulations require that a calculation be completed to determine how Title IV funds are handled when a recipient of those funds withdraws from school. A statutory schedule is used to determine the amount of Title IV Funds a student has earned as of the date he or she ceases attendance. A student is eligible to receive a “Post-Withdrawal Disbursement” (PWD) if the student ceases attendance prior to the student’s aid package being processed. A student may receive the amount of Title IV funds that have been earned based upon the number of days the student attended classes

Federal aid  is “disbursed” if a student could have received it at that point of academic period when the student withdraws from the College. Total disbursable 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.

Return of Title IV

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. All adjustments can be viewed in LoLA before the end of the enrollment period.

The requirements for the treatment of Title IV funds, when a student withdraws, apply to any recipient of Title IV grant or loan funds that ceases all attendance. A recipient of grant or loan assistance is a student who has actually received Title IV funds or has met the conditions that entitled the student to a late disbursement. The return requirements apply only to the receipt of or qualification for aid that can be included in the calculation.

Learn more about Dropping Courses or Withdrawing from the College.