Academic Requirements for Financial Aid

Grants, loans, and scholarships provide financial aid to people who otherwise would be unable to pursue post-secondary education. Financial assistance is available to Tompkins Cortland students through a combination of private endowments and Federal and state programs. Forms for financial aid programs may be obtained in the financial aid office or high school guidance offices. If you have any questions about financial aid, contact the financial aid office for assistance.

All financial aid programs require recipients to be matriculated in a program of study and make normal progress in courses. If students are not making normal progress, they will be notified and may not be eligible for financial aid. The effective date of this information is August 2009. Subsequent legislative changes by the U.S. Congress could alter the conditions of the financial aid programs. Check with the financial aid office for updated information.

Academic Requirements for Receiving Financial Aid

All students who receive financial aid must make satisfactory academic progress in their degree program to continue eligibility for aid.

Federal Financial Aid Guidelines

Federal regulations require that students make satisfactory progress in their degree programs to be eligible for assistance from the following programs at Tompkins Cortland Community College:

• Pell Grant
• Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG)
• Subsidized and Unsubsidized Direct Loans
• Parent PLUS Loan
• Federal College Work-Study
• Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG)

Academic progress must be measured in qualitative terms (grades) and quantitative terms (credit hours completed). Progress will be measured at the end of the fall and spring semesters. In addition, eligibility for assistance through the TC3 Foundation programs and institutional employment (non-work study) requires that students meet the same standards as those required for Federal financial aid recipients.

Minimum Standards of Academic Performance

Students must meet the grade point requirements outlined under the Minimum Standards of Academic Performance section of Standards for Academic Progress in the College catalog. Students affected by these requirements must receive a financial aid waiver in addition to any academic probation interview or academic reinstatement procedure (see Financial Aid Waivers section).

Time Frame for Program Completion (semester hours completed)

• Associate degree students will be eligible to receive Federal aid through the semester in which they attempt their 96th credit hour in all programs except Engineering Science. Students in Engineering Science will be eligible to receive Federal aid through the semester in which they attempt their 109th credit hour.
• Certificate program students will be eligible to receive Federal aid through the semester in which they attempt credit hours equal to 150% of program length.
• Students earning an associate degree in one program and entering a second associate degree program will be eligible for Federal aid for 150% of the credit hours necessary to complete the new degree.

Students must meet the minimum requirements according to the following table:

New York State Tuition Assistance Program Standards (TAP)

New York State has enacted specific requirements for the receipt of the NYS Tuition Assistance Program (TAP). Requirements include satisfactory progress and pursuit of program components:

Satisfactory Progress

Satisfactory Progress means earning a minimum number of cumulative credits and a minimum cumulative grade point average prior to receiving the next TAP payment according to the following chart:

*effective 7/1/95 students were limited to six TAP payments while pursuing an A.A.S., AS, or AA degree
** effective 7/1/96 students were required to maintain a 2.0 GPA after receipt of four TAP payments

Pursuit of Program

Pursuit of Program means students must complete and receive a final grade in a percentage of the full-time course load for each for each semester of TAP receipt. Final grades are considered to be A,B,C,D,F or P. Grades or W (withdrawal), WP(withdrawal passing), I (incomplete), or IP (in progress) are not considered to be course completions and do not count toward Pursuit of Program. The state requirements for each semester are as follows:

First and Second TAP payment: students must complete 50 percent of the full-time course load (6 credits).

Third and Fourth TAP payment: student must complete 75 percent of the full-time course load (9 credits).