2001-2002 Academic Catalog

Off-Campus Empl~ym~nt . . . Because of the Umvers1ty's reputat10n for attractmg quality students, many area employers con~act the P~acement Office to. employ students on a part-time basis. So~1etlmes students ?btam work related to their fields of study and gam valuable expenence as well as income. Though no formal restrictions pertain to this employment, students are encouraged to limit thei'. wor!dng hours to approximately 20 hours per week to ensure sufficient time to study. Standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress for Recipients of Financial Aid Policy . . . . Financial aid recipients at Cedarville Umvers1ty are requ1red to achieve satisfactory academic progress to be eligible t? cont.inu~ to receive federal financial assistance. The purpose of this pohcy 1s to define the requirements for satisfactory a~ademic progress as it pertains to recipients of Title IV federal aid programs. The University recognizes that conditions whic~ create the ne~d for financial assistance may also create other educational needs whwh require extra time and slower progress in achieving educational goals. Students who, because ofexceptional educational needs, must make slower progress than outlined in the policy or who find .themselv~s victims ofunusual circumstances, are encouraged to discuss thell' situations with their academic advisors and the Financial Aid Office. Where legally possible, because ofmitigating circumstances, exceptions to this policy can be considered. When the Congress of the United States enacted the Higher Education Amendments ofl 976, eligible institutions were directed to define and enforce standards ofprogress for students receiving federal financial assistance. The programs directly involved at Cedarville University are: (l) Federal Pell Gran!, (2) The Fede1:al Perkins Loan, (3) The Federal Supplemental Educational OpportumtyGrant-FSEOG, (4) Federal Work Study-FWS, and (5) Stafford/PLUS Loans. Full-Time Students To be eligible for full benefits of Federal Title IV funds, undergra~u­ ate recipients of financial aid must enroll for a minimum of 12 credit hours of classes during each quarter that aid is received. All students are required to have a cun?-ulativ~ gra?e point avera~e of 2.0 (C) in order to graduate from Cedarvil~e U~1vers.1ty: The ~ollowmg academic requirements would be appropnate 111 ach1evmg tl11s goal and fulfilling the term "canying to completion" the required credit hours. In order to meet academic progress standards, students must complete a minimum number of credit hours based on a percentage ofwork to be completed andmaintain aminimu.m cumulative g_rad~ point consistent with the requirements for graduat10n. The followmg illustrates the academic progress policy: Hours attempted 1-45 46-95 96-140 141-288 Completed(percent) 65% 70% 75% 80% MinimumcumGPA 1.7 1.9 2.0 2.0 Satisfactory academic progress means that first-time students must, after a reasonable probationaiy period not to exceed t.hree quarters except in cases ofmitigating circumstances, have registered the minimum cumulative grade point average each quarter thereafter above. In addition, these students must complete 65% the first academic year, 70% the second year, 75% the third year, and 80% the fourth year. NOTE: Cumulative grade point is measured each qua1ier; percentage ofwork or credit hours completed is measured once each academic year. It is assumed that the majority of students w!ll graduate in th~ normal time frame. However, no student may contmue more than six years in order to coml?lete his/her academic pr~gram. Regardless of the credit hours full-time students attempt, which cannot exceed 288, they must complete the percentage of work (credit hours) and have the appropriate cumulative grade point as sti1.mlated. . Aid recipients who f~il to compl~te the reqmre? number of credit hours listed above dunng the applicable academic year and who do not meet the minimum grade point requirements each quarter will be considered as not making satisfactmy academic progress. These students will be subject to having their federal aid discontinued, Financial Information 209 unless there are mitigating circumstances involved that may affect a student's academic progress. Students who wi~hdraw f~om a!l co1;1rses during any quarter will be required to confer with the Fmancial Aid Office and other appropriate offices. If pen~itted to continue, students who withdraw from all courses dunng each quarter for two consecutive quarters will be considered as not making satisfactory academic progress and will be discontinued from receiving federal financial aid. In conjunction with school policy, the grading marks F, I, andWF will not be considered as successful completion of courses attempte~. Incomplete (I) grades can be considered when completed accordmg t? the provisions in the university catalog. Courses that are repeated will count in the calculation ofhours attempted and completed hours earned ifthe student receives a passing grade; however, all grades received for the course will be included in the grade point calculation. Credit hours in which a (CR) has been earned count toward total graduation requirements but are not used in the computation of grade point averages. Noncredit hours for which an (NC) has been earned are not used in the computation of grade point averages. Repeat course credits earned are averaged into the cumulative grade point averages; however, credit hours are counte~ only once. (Al!) Audit, (W) Withdrawal, (WP) Withdrawal Passmg do not constitute hours attempted or completed. . . . . Summer school credit hours earned will be mcluded m the academic year to which smmner sessions are assigned. They will be evaluated the same as hours earned in regular quarter sessions. Part-time Students Students who enroll for less than a full-time basis (12 credit hours per quaiier) will receive proportionately less financial aid than a J_'ull-time student as dictated by lower school costs and federal regulat10ns. Similar academic progress requirements for full-time apply to part– time enrollment on a proportional basis. Financ!al aid will not b.e awarded to students who enroll for fewer than six hours of credit per quarter (halftime). Transfer Students Transfer students who have never attended Cedarville University will be treated as new students. After completion of the probationaiy period, the transfer credits J?lus the cre~its received .at Cedarville . University and the cumulative grade pomt earned will be the evaluatmg factors to determine ifprogress is evident, based on the current satisfactmy academic progress policy. How to Re-establish Eligibility . When a student is denied aid because of lack of academic progress, additional courses at Cedarville must be taken at the st11dent's own expense. This will be nece~saryu~t!l the minin.mm cumulative grade point average and the reqmred m1111mum credit hours needed meet t~e academic progress criterion. In all cases, eac~ student, l~pon co~1plet1.on ofthese requirements.' mu~t schedule an app.01.nt.n?-entw1th the Fmancial Aid Office to determme his or her future ehg1b1lity for federal assistance. Method for Appeal . . . Students who have been discontinued from financial aid have a nght to appeal and can do so by written notification to the d!rector of student financial aid. All appeals must include substantive reasons for failure to comply with the provisions of this policy, ~nd all extenuat– ing circumstances must be supported by documentat10n. The director of financial aid will respond by letter to each appeal and either approve or disapprove the student's continuation of . financial aid. If necessaiy, further appeals can be made to the financial aid committee and to the vice president for student services. Student Rights . . 1. You have the right to know what financial atd programs are available at your school. . . . . 2. You have the right to know the deadlmes for subm1tt111g apphca– tions for each ofthe financial aid programs available. 3. You have the right to know how financial aid will be distributed, how decisions on that distribution are made, and the basis for these decisions.