Financial Aid Eligibility

When considering attending community college, paying for it is probably one of the first thoughts that comes to mind! We can help you understand the options available to you for financial aid and what you may be eligible to receive.

Financial Aid Eligibility Requirements

Eligibility requirements for receiving financial aid may change from year to year. Specific requirements are established by the U.S. Department of Education for federally funded aid programs. The North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority and the North Carolina Community College System determine eligibility for state-funded programs. Any local and/or private scholarship sources determine the eligibility for awarding funds from
their respective programs.

Students must be in a program leading to a degree, diploma, or eligible certificate (at least 16 semester hours and/or 38 contact hours in length) to be eligible for Federal financial aid. Therefore, students enrolled as Special Credit/Undecided are not eligible to receive Federal financial aid. In addition, any student in default of a student loan or owing a repayment of Pell Grant funds will not be awarded financial aid. Students must have a high school diploma or GED certificate in order to receive federal and/or state financial aid. An official copy of that transcript must be on file in the MTCC Admissions Office.

All students receiving financial aid must maintain satisfactory academic progress. At MTCC, students must maintain a grade point average of 2.0 and complete 67% of all credit hours attempted. Students that receive  financial aid and subsequently withdraw from classes before the end of the semester may be required to repay a portion of Pell Grant and SEOG funds.

Students falling below the minimum standard for academic progress and/or in ineligible status due to overpayment of Pell Grant funds or student loan default should contact the MTCC Financial Aid Office to determine how their eligibility may be regained. (See upcoming section regarding satisfactory academic progress for further explanation.)

Important Information for Pell Grant Recipients Regarding Lifetime Eligibility

In December 2011, President Obama signed into law the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2012 (Public Law 112-74). This law significantly impacts Federal Student Aid Programs.

Federal law limits the amount of Federal Pell Grant funding a student may receive over their lifetime. Students may receive Pell Grant funds for up to the equivalent of 12 full-time semesters (600%).

This limit is referred to as Lifetime Eligibility Used (LEU). Students may review their remaining eligibility through their account at StudentAid.gov.

The MTCC Financial Aid Office will attempt to notify students of their remaining eligibility as they apply or reapply for financial aid.

Scheduled Pell Award

The Scheduled Pell Award is the maximum amount a student can receive during the award year if the student attends full-time for a full academic year.

Beginning with the 2024-2025 academic year, the Department will no longer publish a Federal Pell Grant Payment Disbursement Schedule. Instead, each student’s Scheduled Pell Award is:

1. An automatic Maximum Pell Grant Award (Max Pell);
2. The difference between the Annual Max Pell and the student’s Student Aid Index (SAI) or;
3. A Minimum Pell Grant Award (Min Pell).

Actual award amounts depend on enrollment status and eligibility.

Application for Financial Aid

Students applying for Financial Aid at MTCC should complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA is completed and submitted online at www.studentaid.gov. There is no technical deadline to apply for financial aid at MTCC, but students should apply at least 8 weeks prior to the beginning of their first semester at MTCC. The priority filing deadline for NC grants is August 15th. Funds are limited in some financial aid categories (i.e. Federal Work Study and Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)). Therefore, early applicants are most likely to receive assistance if eligible and funds are available. Students may also apply for institutional or foundation scholarships through the MTCC Financial Aid Office.

Student financial aid information is kept confidential within the MTCC Financial Aid Office.

Awarding of Financial Aid

Due to the number of credit and/or contact hours, the following certificates are not eligible for financial aid:

• C25800A Accounting Certificate
• C35100A Air Conditioning, Heating & Refrigeration Certificate Level 1
• C40130A Applied Engineering Technology Certificate Level 1
• C60160A Automotive Systems Technology Certificate Level 1
• C35130A Electrical Systems Technology Certificate Level 1
• C25590A Information Systems Certificate
• C25590B Information Systems (Advanced) Certificate
• C25590E Information Technology Software Development Certificate
• C25590F Information Technology Advanced Software and Web Development Certificate
• C25590G Information Technology Web Administration and Design Certificate
• C25590H Information Technology Web Administration and Design Advanced Certificate
• C40350A Mechatronics Engineering Technology Certificate Level 1
• C55480A: Public Safety Administration: Emergency & Fire Management Certificate
• C55480B: Public Safety Administration: Law Enforcement Certificate
• C50420A Welding Technology Certificate Level 1

Nondiscrimination in Aid Awards

As with all programs of the College, financial aid awards are made equitably without regard to age, race, color, sex, handicap, disability, religion, political affiliation, or national/ethnic origin. For further information, see the College’s policies on discrimination in the General Information Section of this catalog.

Year-Round Pell Grants

Beginning with the 2017-2018 academic year, students may be eligible to receive 150% of their yearly scheduled Pell Grant award for the year. To be eligible for additional Pell Grant funds, the student must meet the following criteria:

• Must be eligible to receive Pell Grant Funds based on a valid and completed financial aid application.
• Must be enrolled in an eligible degree, diploma, or certificate and taking classes within that program.
• Must be meeting satisfactory academic progress.

The additional Pell Grant funds received cannot exceed 50% of the student’s yearly scheduled Pell Grant Award. Additional funds will be determined on a student-by-student basis and specific to the award year.

Satisfactory Academic Progress Standards

Federal regulations require that institutions of higher learning establish minimum standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) that students must meet in order to receive federal/state financial aid. This progress is measured qualitatively and quantitatively. At McDowell Technical Community College, the records of students are evaluated at the end of each semester, including summer. In order to accurately measure a student’s progress, the total academic record must be considered. This includes classes transferred from other institutions, developmental/remedial and curriculum classes. All classes transferred in from other colleges must be in the student’s program of study at MTCC. These classes are counted as attempted and completed in the SAP calculation. Incomplete grades that are not finalized with a passing grade will be considered an ‘F’ Grade and calculated into the GPA accordingly. Students that withdraw from a class will receive a “W” and will not have their GPA negatively affected; however, the students' completion rate will be lowered. All grades are used in the calculation of overall GPA for SAP purposes, even if the class is retaken and a better grade is received. In this circumstance, both classes will be part of the calculation.

To be eligible for financial aid, students must meet the following minimum guidelines:

• Qualitative: Maintain a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.0
• Quantitative: Complete a minimum of 67% of cumulative credit hours attempted. Successful completion is defined as receiving a grade of A, B, C, or D.
• Time Frame: Must complete a program of study in a timeframe not to exceed 150% of the length of the program for full-time students.
• Transfer credits used toward the student’s program of study will be considered for maximum time frame.

If a student fails to maintain satisfactory academic progress standards by either quantitative and/or qualitative measures, he/she will be placed on Warning for the following academic term. For the student to continue to receive aid while on Warning, the student must sign a Statement of Academic Warning.

Once the warning status is granted, the student will receive aid for the upcoming semester and must agree to complete all classes with a grade of ‘C’ or bet- ter. Failure to do so will result in suspension of Federal and/or State financial aid. If the student is unable to meet the minimum overall academic standards despite successful completion of all classes in the semester of warning, he/she may complete the Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal Request to continue financial aid eligibility. The student will be counseled of the probability of this situation prior to being awarded aid for future terms. Additionally, if a student does not meet the requirements set forth in the Statement of Financial Aid Warning, he/she must appeal via the Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal Request to apply for future financial aid eligibility. Appeal decisions are made by the Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeals Committee and are final. Only one appeal per academic year will be considered.

Financial Aid Appeal

Students who have been unable to bring their completion rate and/or grade point average (GPA) up to the acceptable standards required (67% of attempted courses and 2.0 GPA) after the financial aid warning stage will be placed on financial aid suspension. Students placed on financial aid suspension have a right to appeal this decision. Mitigating circumstances for appeal include, but are not limited to:

• Death of an immediate family member
• Illness/injury and/or hospitalization of themselves or an immediate family member
• Changes in academic program
• Other extenuating circumstances that were not foreseeable to the student and affected their ability to meet academic progress standards.

To appeal the suspension of financial aid, the student must submit their MTCC Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Appeal to the MTCC Financial Aid Office. Within this request, the student is asked to explain the circumstances surrounding their current SAP status, identify which appeal category best applies to their circumstances, give a personalized, detailed academic plan and documentation of the circumstances cited. Acceptable documentation could be doctor’s and/or hospital notes, police reports, court documents and statements from witnesses that are privy to the situation. The student is also required to meet personally with their academic advisor about their plan and provide documentation they have done so. The advisor and student will determine how many classes have been completed and how many remain in order for the student to complete their program of study.

Appeals are accepted at any time. Each appeal will be reviewed by the Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeals Committee (made up of MTCC faculty and staff). Once an appeal is reviewed and a decision is rendered, the student is sent an email to their MTCC student email notifying them of the Committee’s decision and their next steps. Appeals are typically reviewed within 1 to 3 days of receipt by the Financial Aid Office, however during peak processing times, the review may take 3 to 5 days. Please note that incomplete appeals will not be considered.

If the appeal is approved, a contract between the MTCC Financial Aid Office and the student is created by the Director. This contract outlines the requirements of the appeal, which are updated on a student by-student basis. However, each appeal will state the student must earn at least 67% of all hours attempted in the specific term and earn at least a 2.0 GPA in the specific term.

If the appeal is denied, the student will be advised of what they need to do in order to be eligible to appeal in a future term. Students in a “terminated” status are unable to appeal until they have successfully completed (with a grade of D or better) at least 6 hours, paid out of pocket at their expense.

Students attempting to regain financial aid eligibility remain ineligible for financial aid assistance until the appeal process is completed and a definite decision has been made. Students are informed of their responsibility to pay tuition, fees and book expenses until that time.

Title IV Repayment Policy

Federal regulations require McDowell Technical Community College to recalculate a student’s eligibility for federal financial aid if the student withdraws from all courses before completing 60% of the semester.

Students begin earning federal financial aid on the first day of class attendance. If a student withdraws from all classes before the 60% point of the term, a portion of the financial aid received may be considered unearned and must be returned to the U.S. Department of Education.

If a student withdraws after the 60% point of the semester, the student is considered to have earned 100% of the federal financial aid awarded for that term. This policy applies only when a student withdraws from all courses in a term. Students who drop one or more courses but remain enrolled and continue attending at least one course are not considered fully withdrawn for purposes of the Return of Title IV Funds (R2T4) calculation. However, enrollment changes may affect a student’s financial aid eligibility. If a student withdraws from one or more courses, the Financial Aid Office may be required to recalculate the student’s financial aid award based on enrollment status and the student’s last date of attendance.

If a student withdraws from courses before financial aid has been disbursed, the award may be adjusted to reflect the reduced enrollment. If a student withdraws after financial aid has been disbursed, the college will determine whether an overpayment has occurred based on the student’s last date of attendance. In some cases, the student may be responsible for repaying a portion of the financial aid received or for charges associated with the withdrawn course(s). When a student fully withdraws, the Financial Aid Office will perform a Return of Title IV Funds (R2T4) calculation based on the student’s last date of attendance. This calculation determines:

• The amount of financial aid the student earned
• The amount of financial aid that must be returned

If unearned funds must be returned, the college will return its required portion to the federal aid programs. The student may be responsible for repaying a portion of the financial aid received. Students who owe a repayment will be notified by the college and may be required to repay funds to McDowell Technical Community College and/or the U.S. Department of Education. Failure to repay required funds may result in:

• A balance owed to the college
• Loss of eligibility for future federal financial aid
• Restrictions on registration or receipt of official transcripts

Additional information regarding the Return of Title IV Funds policy is available through the MTCC Financial Aid Office.