Policies and Consumer Information

To be considered for a retroactive Federal Pell Grant for the Award Year, the U.S. Department of Education must process your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and generate your Institutional Student Information Record (ISIR) reflecting a Pell eligible Expected Family Contribution (EFC) while you are still enrolled at PVAMU in the same Award Year.

If the semester(s) for which you are being considered for the Federal Pell Grant has ended, your enrollment status for the semester(s) for which the Pell Grant is being considered is based on the number of credit hours you have successfully completed.

If you meet the preceding criteria but were selected for verification but have not completed the process by the time you are no longer enrolled for that academic year, you MAY be eligible once you complete verification IF the annual verification deadlines has not passed, which is the 120th calendar day of your last date of attendance at PVAMU for the award year in which you have been selected for verification.

To be considered for a retroactive Federal Direct Loans for fall, spring or summer of the award year:

• The office of financial aid must receive both your FAFSA reflecting a calculated Expected Family Contribution (EFC) and your formal loan request, and
• You must have remaining FDL eligibility, and
• You must have completed (if selected) the verification process, and
• The office of financial aid must then have enough time to certify the loan to the U.S. Department of Education before the last day of the semester in which you are enrolled on at least a half-time for the Award Year.

Please note that you will not be able to request a loan after the term has ended if you are no longer enrolled and will not be enrolled in the next semester.

If you are nearing the end of a semester and wish to request a Federal Direct Loan for that semester, you should contact the office of financial aid to determine if the loan can still be awarded.

If a student withdraws on or before the 60% point of the semester, all or a portion of Title IV funds (Federal PELL Grant, Federal SEOG, Federal Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized, Federal Direct PLUS and Federal Grad PLUS Loans) awarded must be returned according to provisions of the Higher Education Act amendment of 2008. The calculation and return of these funds may result in debt to the university and/or U.S. Department of Education. In addition, any future financial aid will be cancelled. Learn more >

Federal regulations also require the university perform a refund calculation for unearned aid on all students who unofficially withdraw (cease attendance without school notification). Therefore, a student who does not earn a passing grade in the hours enrolled for in any given semester due to lack of attendance and received Title IV funds will be considered an unofficial withdrawal unless appropriate documentation is provided. These funds must be calculated using the 50% point of the semester unless the student can otherwise provide documentation for an official last date of attendance. With the calculation and return of these funds, as with an official withdrawal, debt and/or cancellation of future aid may result.

The federal assistance programs for which Title IV funds are returned include: Pell Grant, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, TEACH Grant, Direct Graduate Plus loan, Direct Parent Plus loan, Subsidized Direct Stafford loan and Unsubsidized Direct Stafford loan.

Prairie View A&M University’s responsibility is to determine the amount of Title IV aid assistance that the student earned as of the date enrollment ceased (withdrawal date). The federal Return of Title IV funds formula dictates the amount of Title IV aid that must be returned to the Federal government by the school within 45 days of the students’ notification date or the that Prairie View A&M University determines the student’s enrollment ceased.

Withdrawal dates are determined in two ways:

1. Through a student-initialed withdrawal (official)
2. Through a PVAMU administrative withdrawal (unofficial)

The student-initiated withdrawal occurs when the student notifies PVAMU of his/her intent to withdraw. Administrative withdrawal occurs when PVAMU determines that the student is no longer enrolled based on a variety of reasons a such as (but not limited to): a student’s lack of academic activity, failure to establish academic activity at the beginning of a new term, student dismissal due to disciplinary reason or failure to pay tuition.

The initial amount of Title IV assistance earned is based on the number of calendar days that the student was enrolled within the semester. During the first 60% of the enrollment period, a student earns Title IV funds in direct proportion to the length of time he/she is enrolled. The initial percentage of aid earned is determined by the total number of calendar days completed in the enrollment period (from the start of the semester through the date student initiated withdrawal), divided by the calendar days in the semester. Scheduled breaks of five or more consecutive days are excluded.

If the amount disbursed to the student is greater than the amount the student earned, the student and/or PVAMU must return unearned funds, to the Federal programs, in the following order:

1. Unsubsidized Direct Stafford Loan
2. Subsidized Direct Stafford Loan
3. Direct Graduate PLUS Loan
4. Direct Parent PLUS Loan
5. Federal Pell Grant
6. Federal SEOG Grant
7. TEACH Grant

If the amount disbursed to the student is less than the amount the student earned, the student is eligible to receive a post-withdrawal disbursement of the earned aid that was not received.

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) denotes a student’s successful completion of coursework towards a degree. Federal regulations require the Office of Student Financial Aid & Scholarships (OSFAS) to monitor the progress of each student toward degree completion. Students who fall behind in their coursework (fail classes), fail to achieve minimum standards for grade point average or fail to complete classes in a maximum time frame, may lose their eligibility for all types of federal and state aid and university aid administered by OSFAS.

To maintain SAP, a student must:

1. Maintain a minimum overall grade point average (GPA) of a 2.0 for Undergraduate students and a 3.0 for Graduate or PhD students. GPA will be reviewed at the end of each semester.
2. Complete at least 67 percent of all attempted credit hours – This will be reviewed at the end of each semester and the aggregate percentage of coursework attempted and passed must equal 67 percent or greater at each review. (For example: a student who has attempted a total of 12 credit hours and only earns 8 credit hours has completed 67 percent of attempted credit hours).
3. Complete a degree program in a maximum time frame of no more than 150 percent of the length of the program. (For example: If your degree requires 120 hours, then the maximum time frame would be 180 hours (120 x 150% = 180)).

For transfer students: The number of transfer hours accepted at the point of admission will be used to calculate the student’s remaining eligibility under the 150 percent rule and will be included in the quantitative calculation.

For second undergraduate degree students: Second-degree students will be given 150 percent of stated credit hours required for the second-degree program.

Withdrawal: A “W” grade which is recorded on the student’s transcript will be included as credits attempted and will have an adverse effect on the student’s ability to maintain satisfactory academic progress. Students who officially withdraw from the University must make up the deficit hours and are encouraged to attend summer school to remove the deficient hours. The successful completion of a course is defined as receiving one of the following grades: A, B, C or D. Courses with grades of F, I, U, and W will not qualify in meeting the minimum standard.

Incomplete (I) grade: An incomplete grade indicates that a student has not finished all course-work required for a grade and is included in the cumulative credits attempted. An incomplete will count toward maximum attempted hours but not as hours passed until a final grade is posted in the Registrar’s Office.

Repeated courses: A student who has received a failing grade in a course may repeat the course and receive financial aid. Students (undergraduate and graduate) may only receive federal financial aid for one repetition (repeat) of a previously passed course. Students who have already passed a course with a grade of D or better may only repeat the class one additional time and receive financial aid for that course. All repeated courses are included in the total maximum attempted hours for SAP evaluation.

Change of Major: A student may change from one major to another during attendance at the University. Students who change from one major to another are still expected to maintain satisfactory academic progress and complete the coursework within the time frame or hour limitation stated unless an appeal is approved. All attempted hours from a prior major are included in the total maximum attempted hours.

Audited courses: Courses audited are not eligible for financial aid and are not counted as either attempted or earned hours.

Temporary Grading Policy Spring 2020 Semester – Pass/No Pass: Details on the Pass/No Pass (P/NP) grading option:

• The P/NP option applies to undergraduate courses offered throughout Spring 2020.
• Courses taken for P/NP grades during Spring 2020 will count towards curricular, major, academic progress, and graduation requirements.
• Grades of P and NP will not be factored into a student’s grade point average.
• A NP will not be factored into the student’s progress of their SAP Academic Plan.

Although the grades of P/NP will not affect the GPA, the courses taken will be considered as attempted hours. To maintain Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress, you must complete (earn) at least 67 percent of all attempted credit hours. Refer to the above section of this policy “Requirements for Maintaining Satisfactory Academic Progress”.

Students receiving federal aid who fail to complete qualitative, quantitative, and completion rate after each semester will result in the following:

Financial Aid Warning

Students who fail to meet SAP requirements at the end of the semester will be placed on Financial Aid Warning. Students placed on financial aid warning will not need an appeal; however, failure to make satisfactory academic progress by the end of the financial aid Warning period will result in financial aid suspension.

Financial Aid Suspension

Students who are placed on Financial Aid Suspension have the option to appeal for Title IV funding. At the end of the semester, students are notified of financial aid suspension and have the option to submit a typed-written letter of appeal along with all supporting documentation to the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships Appeals Committee by the established deadline (see Appeals Procedures).

Late appeals will not be reviewed. The committee will review the appeal and supporting documentation to determine if the student’s financial aid should be reinstated or remain in suspension.

1. Appeal Denial: All decisions that are rendered by the Financial Aid Appeals Committee will be final and not subject to further review. Student will remain on Financial Aid Suspension until he/she is back in good standing.
2. Appeal Approval: If the SAP appeal committee determines the student eligible for reinstatement of financial aid, he/she will be considered for aid available at the time of reinstatement and will be placed on Financial Aid Probation.

Financial Aid Probation

During the Financial Aid Probation period, the student will be required to sign a financial aid academic plan with his/her academic advisor. The completed form must be turned into the Office of Financial Aid before federal aid is reinstated for the semester. After completing and submitting the financial aid academic plan agreement, the student will be required to meet all stipulations within the academic plan. Failure to do so will result in suspension of financial aid until the student is back in good standing.

Probation Requirements:

• Must maintain a minimum GPA of 2.0 (Undergraduate) or 3.0 (Graduate) for the semester and must pass all attempted hours enrolled for.
• Student cannot receive a grade of F, I or W

If the student does not enroll for the semester of financial aid probation, the approval stands for the following semester.

Students who fail to meet the Satisfactory Academic Progress may appeal the suspension of their student financial aid. Letters of appeal should be based on a mitigating circumstance that negatively impacted the student’s ability to meet the minimum required standards. Examples of such circumstance may include, but are not limited to:

• Death or prolonged illness of an immediate family member
• Medical illness by the student that created undue hardship
• Natural disasters beyond the control of the student or other personal or family matters/situations that may have negatively impacted the students’ ability to meet the minimum required standards.
• If applicable, documentation that supports any retroactive changes that may have occurred.

Steps in the Appeal Procedures

1. Students must upload a completed SAP Appeal form and the SAP Academic Plan (must be signed by the Academic Advisor) to the Office of Student Financial Aid & Scholarships using the PantherPass document upload system via PantherTracks.
2. Student must include the following in order to be considered for an appeal review:
   1. SAP Appeal Form
   2. SAP Academic Plan
   3. A typed statement of circumstance of why satisfactory academic progress was not met. This statement MUST include specific information that outlines a mitigated change from the prior semester.
   4. Supporting documentation (proof of grade change, current academic transcript, doctor’s statement, death certificate, accident report, etc.)
3. After the committee review, the student will be notified via PantherTracks and University email of the appeal decision.

Retroactive Change: If errors are made within the grading process and the student is eligible for a grade change that affects satisfactory academic progress, the Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships will allow restoration of federal aid. Students will be allowed one semester of federal aid while grade change process occurs provided a letter from the department head or dean certifying that a grade change has been submitted or approved.

You may attend the University at your own expense until you attain the cumulative GPA and cumulative completed credits percentage requirement. To regain financial aid eligibility, your record must reflect that you have met these requirements. If you failed to meet these standards due to unusual circumstances, you have the right to appeal your SAP suspension status.

I authorize Prairie View A&M University to apply my financial aid funds to my student account to the extent necessary to pay any current outstanding educational charges, and then release the remaining proceeds to me. I understand I will be held responsible for repaying all monies that are disbursed as a result of having registered for classes and not “Officially Withdrawing” from PVAMU.

Funds will not be disbursed until all eligibility requirements are satisfied. The Office of Student Financial Aid will disburse awarded funds to student accounts no earlier than seven days prior to the first day of class. Prairie View A&M University will first use the aid to pay your tuition and fee charges, board and room and charges. Any remainder will be disbursed to the student in the form of a refund. Learn more >

The Office of Student Financial Aid (OSFA) reserves the right to review, revise and/or terminate your financial aid awards at any time due to changes in your financial status, academic status, and/or receipt of awards after initial award notice is sent. Your financial aid award may not exceed your cost of attendance. The Office of Student Financial Aid (OSFA) is required to review potential over-awards and make adjustments accordingly. Your failure to comply with federal and state laws and regulations, including financial verification and audit procedures, or university policies, including those expressed in these provisions, or the university catalog, will be subject to the changes stated above.

Your financial assistance was calculated based on a full-time enrollment status (Undergraduate Student: 12 hours per term; Graduate Student: 9 hours per term). The OSFA is required to conduct an enrollment audit of all students receiving financial aid after the 20th class day. Therefore, if your enrollment status is less than full-time at the conclusion of the 12^th class day, your award(s) will be adjusted accordingly. In the event that your aid is reduced or cancelled after the 12^th class day a debt to the institution may result. You can verify this by occasionally logging on to PantherTrack and reviewing your student account balance.

Federal regulations require PVAMU to perform a refund calculation for unearned aid on all students who officially withdraw on or prior to 60% of the payment period (semester/term) and received Federal Title IV funds. If a student withdraws or cancels enrollment on or before the 60% point of a semester, all or a portion of Title IV funds (Federal Pell Grant, SEOG, Federal Perkins Loan, Federal Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized, Federal Direct PLUS and Federal Direct Grad PLUS Loans) awarded to a student must be returned according to provisions of the Higher Educational Act Amendment of 2008. The calculation and return of these funds may result in debt to the university and/or U.S. Department of Education. In addition, any future financial aid will be cancelled.

Federal regulations also require the university to perform a refund calculation for unearned aid on all students who unofficially withdraw (cease attendance without school notification). Therefore, a student who does not earn a passing grade in any one class due to lack of attendance and who receives Title IV funds will be considered an unofficial withdrawal unless appropriate documentation is provided. These refunds must be calculated using the 50% point of the semester unless the student can otherwise provide documentation for an official last date of attendance. With the calculation and return of these funds, as with an official withdraw, debt and/or cancellation of future financial aid may result.

I acknowledge that I have carefully read and understand the Satisfactory Academic Policy of Prairie View A&M University. Learn more >

A student may not receive a Pell grant from more than one institution during the same enrollment period. If it is determined that a student is receiving aid from multiple institutions, the Office of Student Financial Aid will revise that student’s award accordingly. In the event that your aid is reduced or cancelled, you will owe a balance to the university.

The Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships must consider all educational funding sources in exclusion of federal and state aid awarded through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) when determining initial eligibility for Federal Aid. You are required to report to the institution any resources other than those awarded through the FAFSA such as external scholarships, state exemptions and waivers, veterans benefits, contractual payments, departmental scholarships, tuition assistance, etc.

Failure to report any additional resources before an award package is calculated may result in an adjustment to your financial aid package and you may be required to return funding in the event a resource causes you to exceed the cost of attendance as established by regulation. In the event that there are changes to the information reported below, please contact the Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships immediately to request an adjustment.

Direct Loans are low-interest loans for students and parents to help pay for the cost of a student’s education after high school. The lender is the U.S. Department of Education rather than a bank or other private financial institution. Learn more >

• Know what financial assistance is available to you which includes federal, state, and institutional programs.
• Know the deadlines for submitting all required documents for each financial assistance program available.
• Know how your financial need is determined. This includes how the cost for tuition and fees, room and board, travel, books and supplies, and personal expenses are decided in developing the cost of attendance budgets.
• Know what resources are considered in the calculation of your financial aid need.
• Request from the Office of Student Financial Aid & Scholarship, an explanation of the various programs in your student aid package.
• Request a review of your current situation if you meet certain criteria based on changes since filing the current aid year FAFSA application.
• A complete explanation of the types of financial aid awards and the requirements to maintain eligibility for each financial assistance program.
• Know what portion of the financial assistance received must be repaid, and what is considered as grant as. If the aid is a loan, you have the right to know the interest rate, the total amount that must be repaid, procedures for repayment, the length of time you have to repay the loan, when repayment is to begin.
• Know the method and frequency of financial aid disbursements.
• For federal work-study: a job description, hours required to work, rate of pay, method of payment, and payment periods.
• Know the refund policy for withdrawing from the University.
• Know how the Office of Student Financial Aid & Scholarships determines whether you are making Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP), and what happens if you are not.
• Know that your cost of attendance is initially assessed at fulltime and will be adjusted according to your actual enrollment status after the university census date.

• Review all information regarding financial aid programs prior to enrolling at the University.
• Review and understand the terms and conditions of your financial aid award.
• Complete all financial assistance applications and forms accurately, and submit them to the OSFA by the deadlines.
• Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or Renewal FAFSA to determine your eligibility for financial assistance annually. Falsification of information on application forms for federal financial assistance is considered a criminal offense, and you may be subject to penalties under the U.S. Criminal Code.
• Respond in a timely manner to all requests for additional documentation related to verification or corrections.
• Notify the OSFA of any changes reported on the FAFSA.
• Notify your loan servicer of any changes in your name, address, or school status.
• Read and understand all forms that you are required to submit or sign, and keep copies of these forms. Remember you are legally responsible for all documents you sign.
• Notify the Office of Student Financial Aid & Scholarship of any change of enrollment, housing, financial aid status (including scholarships or grants from outside sources).
• Complete Master Promissory Note, and Entrance & Exit counseling, if you are a federal loan recipient.
• Be fully admitted to the University in a degree-seeking program.
• Meet the standards of the financial aid satisfactory academic progress policy.

By petitioning for a dependency override, you are asking us to relieve your parents of the responsibility for using their resources to pay part of your college costs. Only very extenuating circumstances will make it reasonable to approve such a petition. The following conditions listed below DO NOT qualify as unusual circumstances meriting a dependency override:

1. Parents refuse to contribute to the student’s education.
2. Parents are unwilling to provide information on the FAFSA or for verification.
3. Parents do not claim the student as a dependent for income tax purposes.
4. Student demonstrates total self-sufficiency.

1. Abandonment by parents.
2. An abusive family environment that threatens the student’s health or safety.
3. The death of one parent and student is unable to locate other parent.

The student is encouraged to schedule an appointment with a financial aid counselor in the Financial Aid Office. The counselor will determine whether your circumstance will warrant a Dependency Override. At such time, the Petition for Independent Status will be provided along with a detailed explanation of the required documentation needed to process your request. The Financial Aid Office will notify you if additional documentation is required.

If you or your parent’s financial situation has changed since submitting the FAFSA application, or at any time during the academic year, it is best to schedule an appointment with a financial aid counselor in the Office of Financial Aid. The counselor will determine whether your circumstances warrant a Special Circumstance appeal. At such time, the Special Circumstance form will be provided along with a detailed explanation of the required documentation needed to process your request. Special Circumstance include, but not limited to: loss and/or reduction of income, disability, separation, divorce or death. Your request will not be considered without the supporting documentation. The Financial Aid Office will notify you if additional documentation is required.

Verification is a process through which the institution verifies the information you reported on your FAFSA. The Department of Education (DOE) require all institutions to perform verification on all applicants who were selected. The verification process requires the institution to collect additional documents from the student and his/her family in order to verify information provided on the FAFSA. Depending on individual situations, additional documents may be requested as needed. It is the student’s responsibility to make sure the Financial Aid Office receives the items requested in a timely manner.

To allow time for accurate processing, below are the deadlines to submit documents to the Office of Student Financial Aid. Verification paperwork submitted after the deadline is not guaranteed to be completed by the fall payment deadline or spring payment deadline.

2024-2025 Deadline

• Fall 2024: August 1, 2024
• Spring 2025: December 1, 2024
• Summer 2025: May 1, 2025

2023-2024 Deadline

• Fall 2023: May 15, 2023
• Spring 2024: November 15, 2023
• Summer 2024: July 1, 2024

Consequences of Missing the Verification Deadline

If the student does not provide the requested verification documentation within the reasonable time period that has been established (by the priority deadline for processing), the institution may not disburse aid prior to the 1st class day.

The failure to provide the COMPLETED requested documentation prior to the established deadline may result in the following:

1. Delays in the award package
2. Ineligibility of Title IV aid (Pell Grant, SEOG Grant, TEACH Grant, and Federal Direct Loans)
3. Delay in the disbursement of Title IV aid (Pell Grant, SEOG Grant, TEACH Grant, and Federal Direct Loans)
4. Late fees as established by the Office of Treasury Services

Also, see Retroactive Federal Student Aid for additional federal deadlines affecting the awarding of Title IV funds once the aid year begins and after a student is no longer enrolled for the award year.

The Department of Education and the Internal Revenue Service have worked together to develop a process, known as the FUTURE Act Data Direct Exchange (FA-DDX). This process was formerly known as the IRS-DRT (Data Retrieval Tool). FA-DDX simplifies the steps to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

This tool allows you to consent for the exchange of federal tax information into your FAFSA. The process enables the FAFSA to retrieve income and tax data directly from the IRS.

All FAFSA applicants and contributors who indicate that they have filed their federal tax returns prior to completing their FAFSA may use the DDX process to complete their FAFSA.

Some families will not be able to use the DDX:

• If the parents of a dependent student file separate tax returns;
• If an applicant’s parent has a change in marital status after the end of the tax year on December 31;
• If anyone has filed an amended tax return;
• If the applicant or applicant’s parents have filed a foreign tax return.

If you are unable to use the DDX Tool you must request an IRS Tax Return Transcript to verify your income.

If you and your parents have filed federal tax returns before starting the FAFSA, you will be able to obtain your income information while completing the FAFSA. If you have not filed federal tax returns before starting the FAFSA, you may input the IRS Direct Data Exchange information after filing federal tax returns by using the FAFSA corrections process.

Families must actively choose to utilize the direct data exchange tool. When you choose to do so, you will be transferred to the Internal Revenue Service website. You will need to authenticate your identity before any personal information is displayed. When entering your address, it is essential that you input your address exactly as it appeared on your tax return.

Your FAFSA Summary Submission (FSS) will indicate if you have been selected for Verification. We will also send electronic notices to your PV student email address regarding any required documentation. We highly encourage you to monitor your university email address for important notices from our office.

You are required to submit your documents online via your Student Forms account. Use either a scanner or a scanning app on a smartphone to create the PDF document. Try to avoid uploading a photograph of the document. Any document requiring a signature must be signed with a pen or a mouse. Typed signatures, even in special fonts, are not acceptable.

After the Financial Aid Office receives all verification documents, we compare that information to the information provided on your FAFSA. If any discrepancies are found, we will update your FAFSA information in our system with the information provided on your verification documents. Your Student Aid Index (SAI) may change and we will determine whether the change to your SAI requires that we revise your financial aid award. This review process takes 2-3 weeks after receipt of all verification documents.

We are also required to report your revised information as a correction to your FAFSA, therefore, it is important that you do not make further corrections or changes to your FAFSA while verification is pending, and once verification has been completed.

• Use the FA DDX to transfer your IRS tax information.
• Read your FAFSA Summary Submission (FSS) after completing the FAFSA to know if you have been selected for verification.
• Monitor your university email and check your Student Forms account for Verification tasks.
• Submit your verification requirements as soon as possible.
• Make sure the tax documents you are submitting are for the appropriate aid year.
• Carefully read each section of the Verification Worksheet.
• Complete all questions requiring a dollar amount. Enter $0 if a question does not apply.
• All applicable parties must sign the Verification Worksheet with a pen or mouse.
• If there are further discrepancies on the packet regarding other income information reported, additional documents could be requested at a later date.
• After the submitted documents are reviewed additional documents may be requested to clarify any discrepant information.
• If you are having difficulty securing the required documents or have questions about what is being requested, contact the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships.
• Make your own copies for your records.

The Department of Education will use verification tracking flags to place an applicant into one of three verification tracking groups. Each tracking group has a specific list of FAFSA items that will be verified.

Verification Tracking Flags