Institutional Policies

Policy Regarding Submission of Parental Information
Policy Regarding the Integrity of Information
Treatment of Outside Scholarships and Grants
Verification
Satisfactory Academic Progress
Appeal Process

Policy Regarding Submission of Parental Information

In accordance with our belief that the primary responsibility for financing a college education lies with the student and the student's parents, we require all applicants for institutional financial aid to submit parental information on the financial aid forms.  The determination of eligibility for a St. John's Grant will include an expected contribution from the parents even if the student is independent according to federal definition.

Students who meet the criteria for federal independent status may apply for federal and state – but not institutional – financial aid without submitting parental information.  Exceptions to the requirement for submission of parental information may be made in special circumstances, and must be requested through the appeal process.

Policy Regarding the Integrity of Information

In order to distribute institutional aid funds in an equitable manner, we must be able to count on the integrity of information contained in financial aid applications.  Due to early filing deadlines, aid offers may be based initially on estimated or projected information.  In these cases we expect families to submit their actual federal tax returns to the Financial Aid Office as soon as they are available.  This may result in an adjustment to the estimated award.

If the Financial Aid Committee has reason to believe that a family has intentionally misrepresented its circumstances in order to qualify for aid, the student may be disqualified from receiving financial assistance.

Treatment of Outside Scholarships and Grants

Students applying for and receiving financial aid from St. John's are required to notify the Financial Aid Office of any other loans, scholarships, grants, gifts, employment, or other financial benefits for which they become eligible.

If a student is awarded a Pell Grant or state scholarship after he or she has received the initial financial aid offer, eligibility for the St. John's Grant will be recalculated.  In these cases, the St. John's Grant is usually reduced dollar for dollar by the amount of the state scholarship or Pell Grant.

If a student is awarded a scholarship by a private outside agency or organization based on merit, the funds may be used to reduce the self-help portion (loans or work-study) of the student's award.  Outside merit awards in excess of assigned self-help may reduce a student's institutional grant.  Outside awards cannot be used to cover or replace the parent contribution.

Verification

Federal regulations require that approximately one-third of financial aid applicants complete a process known as verification.  Verification checks the accuracy of information provided on a student's financial aid application.  The Department of Education selects applications for verification, and selected applicants may need to provide additional information to the College.  Some applications are selected for verification on a random basis, and some may be selected because of inconsistent information on the FAFSA.

The Financial Aid Office notifies students selected for verification if they must provide additional information.  Failure to complete the verification process by the date as requested may result in the cancellation of aid.  The College is required to complete the verification process prior to certifying student loans or disbursing financial aid funds to a student’s account. 

Satisfactory Academic Progress

Federal regulations require that an institution set a maximum time frame in which students must complete their educational objectives.  St. John's has set eight years as the maximum time frame in which students who receive federal aid funds must earn their B.A. degree.  Years in which a student is not enrolled at St. John's will not count in the eight-year limitation.
To make satisfactory academic progress, undergraduate students must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0; graduate students must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0. All students must complete at least two-thirds of attempted credits.

The Financial Aid Office reviews the academic progress of financial aid recipients once each academic year at the end of the spring semester. In the event that a student fails to meet the satisfactory academic progress criteria in a particular year, the student will not be eligible for financial aid for the following fall semester.

Students may appeal a determination of unsatisfactory academic progress. The Financial Aid Office will provide information about the appeal process to the affected students. If an appeal is approved, the student will be on Financial Aid Probation for the following semester.  At the end of the probation period, the student must be meeting satisfactory academic progress.  If the student is not meeting satisfactory academic progress, but is successfully following the established academic requirements, the student would continue to be eligible for aid.  If an appeal is unsuccessful and the student is still considered to be making unsatisfactory progress, the student may not receive financial aid until she or he is considered to be in good academic standing.

If a student registers for a class in which he or she was previously enrolled for more than three weeks, the class will be considered as repeated work and the student will not be eligible for institutional financial assistance.  Exceptions to this policy may be granted by the Dean in the case of an involuntary withdrawal due to illness or other mitigating circumstances.

Appeal Process

There are various circumstances in which a student might want to use the appeal process: to present a request for increased financial assistance, to question financial aid policy or procedure, or to request that a policy or procedure be waived due to extenuating circumstances.

If you have discussed your situation with a member of the Financial Aid office staff and feel that a formal appeal is appropriate, you must submit a letter of appeal, all supporting documentation, and a completed Appeal Request Form to the Director of Financial Aid for presentation to the Financial Aid Committee.  The Committee will respond to the appeal in writing.  The Director of Financial Aid will act in accordance with the decision of the Financial Aid Committee.

Deadlines for Appeals:

• Appeals for the Fall Semester must be submitted by June 15
• Appeals for the Spring Semester must be submitted by November 15

These deadlines do not apply to requests for recalculation of eligibility based on unanticipated catastrophic circumstances such as disability, death, or loss of employment.  These cases should be discussed with the Director of Financial Aid when they occur.