Federal Student Aid

The U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid, offers financial assistance to eligible college students. Iḷisaġvik College students can receive grants or participate in work study through this assistance.

Application

Iḷisaġvik College’s priority deadline is July 1, 2021. All applications received by this date will be reviewed first.

Submit a Free Application for Student Aid (FAFSA) to see if you are eligible:

• Online at www.fafsa.gov
• Mobile device through myStudentAid Mobile App via Apple App Store (iOS) or Google Play (Android)
• Directly to Federal Student Aid or Financial Aid Office by paper FAFSA. Download and print FAFSA at www.fafsa.ed.gov

Eligibility

To be eligible for federal financial aid programs, you must:

• Be a high school graduate or have successfully completed the GED certificate.
• Meet the admission requirements as a regular student.
• Be admitted to an approved degree or certificate program.
• Be in good academic standing according to Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy.

Verification

The US Department of Education may select students for additional processing called verification.  During verification, students will be required to fill out additional forms and provide tax documentation.  Students will need to request their IRS Tax Transcript from  www.irs.gov.

Academic Standing

The U.S. Department of Education requires students to maintain “Satisfactory Academic Progress” toward their degree or certificate in order to be eligible for financial aid. All semesters are reviewed, including semesters when no financial aid is received. To meet Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements students must:

1. Earn a minimum 2.00 grade point average (GPA) each semester and maintain a minimum 2.00 cumulative GPA. (Quality)
2. Successfully complete a number of credits per semester based on the number of credits enrolled during that semester. A credit will be considered successfully completed with grades of A, B, C, D, or P. A credit will not be considered successfully completed with a grade of F, W, I, AU, or TR.
3. Students must complete their program within 150% of the required credits of the program.  For example, if a student is in an associate’s degree program that requires 60 credits to graduate, the student may receive funding for the first 90 credits attempted. (Maximum timeframe)
4. Academic Disqualification, Dismissal or Removal from a Program will result in immediate loss of aid.

For students not making satisfactory academic progress the following actions will apply:

1. Financial Aid Warning: A student who fails to meet minimum GPA requirements and/or falls below the cumulative 67% progress requirements will be placed on Warning for the next enrolled semester.
2. Financial Aid Suspension: Financial aid suspension will result from:
   • A student who fails to complete minimum GPA and/or percentage of credits required after the one semester of Financial Aid Warning.
   • Academic Disqualification      
   • Dismissal or removal from program as defined by the academic catalog.
   • Exceeding 150% of the maximum number of credits required for graduation from the student’s program.
   • Failure to meet the requirements of an appeal approval and/or academic plan.

Appeals: A student may appeal the suspension of their financial aid if they can clearly demonstrate unusual circumstances. Additional information and guidance regarding this process is available at the Financial Aid office.

Reinstatement: A student who cannot or does not want to appeal, or whose appeal has been denied, may regain eligibility by attending course(s) without financial aid. The student will be reinstated once the 67% cumulative completion rate and minimum cumulative GPA has been reached, if the student is within the 150% timeframe and is in good academic standing.

Disbursements: Funds cannot be disbursed for prior semesters when a student had failed to maintain satisfactory academic progress.

Before Payment of Federal Financial Aid

Funds are disbursed per disbursement schedule and will not be released until:

1. Students must meet with the Financial Aid Officer to accept the conditions of their aid.
2. Students must enroll in the number of credits required by the scholarship or grant.
3. Students must attend class. Attendance is checked for all financial aid recipients.

Pell & FSEOG Disbursements

No aid is released prior to the first day of instruction. Federal aid is divided into two disbursements per semester.  See disbursement schedule for release dates.

Additionally:

1. You should allow at least five days for processing after accepting your award(s) before inquiring about a refund check.
2. The Business Office posts all financial aid funds to student accounts according to the disbursement schedule. 
3. Withdrawals may require repayment of financial aid and could prevent the ability to gain future student financial aid. Students will be responsible for repaying any overpayments resulting from withdrawals. Meet with an academic advisor and with the financial aid office before making the decision to withdraw from class.
4. Refund checks are mailed to the address of record.
5. Proper photo identification required for all in-person check pick-ups. 
6. Billing information can be viewed any time via student portal.

Withdrawals

Students who withdraw from all classes prior to completing more than 60% of an enrollment term will have their eligibility for aid recalculated.

Students are responsible for funds due to the Federal Financial Aid Program resulting from a required recalculation as a result of withdrawal. Once the required repayment to Federal Financial Aid Programs has been satisfied, any remaining balance will be repaid to other financial aid sources (per scholarship ) and finally to you. 

Students who withdraw risk becoming ineligible for financial aid due to satisfactory academic progress. Refer to the Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy for complete details. This policy can be found in the Iḷisaġvik College Catalog or on line.