Eligibility for Financial Aid

To be eligible for financial aid, you must

• Be a United States citizen or eligible non-citizen
• Be admitted and enrolled in a program leading to a degree*
• Be making satisfactory academic progress
• Not be in default on a federal educational loan and not owe a refund on a federal grant (possible exceptions became available in August 2022 through the Federal 'Fresh Start' initiative)
• Be qualified to receive federal financial aid if you were ever convicted of possessing or selling illegal drugs while receiving financial aid (no longer required for financial aid eligibility as of June 17, 2021 for the 2021-2022 school year and beyond)

To be fully eligible for financial aid and scholarships, you must be properly enrolled at the time of disbursement and participate through the end of each payment period.

The borrower has the right to:

• Written information on loan obligations, including loan consolidation and refinancing
• A copy of the promissory note, and return of the note when the loan is paid in full
• Information on interest rates, fees, the balance owed on loans, and a loan repayment schedule
• Notification if the loan is sold or transferred to a loan servicer
• Federal interest benefits, if qualified
• A grace period, if applicable, and an explanation for what that means
• Prepayment of the loan without penalty
• Deferment, if the borrower qualifies
• Request forbearance

The borrower has the responsibility to:

• Perform an entrance counseling session before beginning the loan process
• Repay the loan according to the terms of the promissory notes
• Notify both school and lender in writing about any changes that would affect the ability to repay, or eligibility for deferment or cancellation
• Notify the lender if he or she graduates, withdraws from school, drops below halftime status, transfers to another school, or changes name, address, or social security number
• Notify the lender if he or she fails to enroll for the period covered by the loan
• Attend an exit counseling session before leaving school.

Federal regulations require that all students receiving federal aid funds maintain satisfactory academic progress; failure to do so could result in termination of financial aid. Cass Career Center has established measures for evaluating the satisfactory progress of financial aid recipients. 

For Practical Nursing Students:

The grading and evaluation system for the PN program requires that each course be passed with a grade of 75% or higher. Students may miss 5 days per payment period. Satisfactory academic progress (SAP) will be reviewed at the midpoint of the program, before the second payment period disbursement. If the student is not meeting this SAP standard, he/she will be placed on academic warning. During the warning period, all financial aid will continue until the completion of the current payment period.  The student will not receive credit for courses that do not meet the standards of academic progress. PN Program policy requires all classes to meet the academic standards, therefore student records will not be released for the state board examination. Refer to the PN Student Handbook for more information.

Mitigating circumstances must be documented and approved by the student financial aid office.  If denied, the student may request, in writing, an appeal to the Director of Cass Career Center.  The maximum time for any student to complete a program may not exceed 150% of the length of the program.