Maintaining Your Aid

In order to maintain your financial aid award, you must meet several ongoing requirements. Failure to do so can result in the loss of funds — and in some circumstances, you may be obligated to pay back part or all of your reward package.

Things that can have adverse effects on your financial aid include:

Some programs, such as career and technical programs measured in clock-hours, have additional clock-hour program requirements you must also meet to maintain your aid.

In order to ensure that your financial aid remains up-to-date, you should keep your personal info (such as your name and address) current with the Admissions and Records Office and inform the Financial Aid Office of any major changes and relevant life events, such as:

  • Changes to your financial circumstances
  • Changes to your residency status
  • Divorce of parents, or you from your spouse
  • Death of a major wage earner
  • Loss of employment of a major wage earner

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

To be eligible for federal, state and institutional aid all students are required to maintain good academic standing as a condition of enrollment at Eastern Florida State College. Eligibility is measured by reviewing a student’s quantitative, qualitative progress, and the time frame involved as you work toward degree completion. The quantitative measurement ensures that students are making progress toward their degree goals, while the qualitative measurement ensures that students are succeeding in their coursework.

Under the SAP process, eligibility for federal aid is checked at the conclusion of the academic year for degree granting programs. However, students who are in certificate or clock hour programs will be reviewed once a semester. New students in credit hour programs will be reviewed once two terms have been completed. Check each row of this dropdown accordion for key information about each topic.

SAP Related Dates

SAP Minimum Standards: Important Details and How to Check Your SAP Status

Federal and state regulations require you to meet three minimum standards in order to be eligible for financial aid funding:

  1. GPA: You must maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0. Credit hour students are reviewed at the end of each academic year, while clock hour and certificate students are reviewed at the end of each term.
  2. Completion Ratio: You must complete 67% of the credit hours you attempt. This includes both transfer credit and coursework attempted at EFSC. It applies to new applicants and applicants renewing their financial aid.  For credit hour students, this ration is reviewed at the end of each academic year, while clock hour and certificate students are reviewed at the end of each term.
  3. Time Frame: You must complete your college credit certificate or degree program within 150% of the credit hours it requires. For example, students in the 60 credit-hour Associate in Arts program lose aid eligibility after attempting 90 credit hours. Career and Technical Certificate Clock-Hour programs are funded for the program length only (You can read more about aid packages for clock-hour programs in the section below this accordion). Because the time frame equation can vary based on individual program requirements, you should review your situation with the Financial Aid office if you have questions.

Repeat Coursework

According to Eastern Florida’s grade forgiveness policy, all degree and certificate students will be allowed to repeat only those courses in which they earn a grade of “D”, “F” or “W."

  • A course in which a grade of “A”, “B” or “C” has been earned will not be included in enrollment for financial aid purposes if the course is repeated, unless the course is designated in the academic catalog as repeatable and is applying to the student’s elective degree requirements.
  • All attempts of repeated courses are included in the Completion Ratio and Maximum Time Frame calculations for SAP.

Course Incompletes

  • Incomplete grades are included in Total Credit Hours Attempted for Completion Ratio.

English for Academic Purposes (EAP) and Developmental (Remedial) Credits

  • EAP and Developmental credit hours are included in the Completion Ratio and GPA calculations. 
  • EAP and Developmental credit hours are excluded from the Maximum Timeframe calculation.

Transfer Credit From Other Institutions

  • All transfer grades and credit hours accepted by EFSC are included in the Completion Ratio and Minimum Cumulative GPA calculations.
  • The acceptance of transfer credits is subject to EFSC’s admission and academic policies.

Transfer Credit From Other EFSC Programs

  • If a student changes majors or academic programs, all credit hours reflected on the EFSC transcript are still included in the Minimum Cumulative GPA, Completion Ratio, and Maximum Time Frame evaluation even if classes do not apply to the new major or academic program.
  • Students who exceed the Maximum Time Frame due to a change of major may submit an appeal as described in another row of this accordion.

Withdrawals

  • All course withdrawals are included in Total Credit Hours Attempted for the Completion Ratio.

How to Check Your SAP Status

  1. Log in to the myEFSC Portal using your Titan email and password
  2. Click or tap on Titan Web
  3. Choose the Financial Aid Dashboard
  4. Click or tap Satisfactory Academic Progress

Your SAP status will appear with the term that your SAP was last reviewed. If your status is anything other than "Making Progress," speak with a Financial Aid Specialist to make sure you understand your status and eligibility for financial aid.

Failure to Meet SAP Minimum Standards: What Happens Next

Once the Financial Aid Office conducts an audit of your SAP status to ensure that you are meeting the three minimum standards, failure to meet any of the SAP requirements will result in the following:

  • Suspension of aid: If you fail to maintain a cumulative 2.0 GPA and/or a 67% completion ratio, or if you reach your maximum number of hours (both attempted and earned), you will be denied additional financial aid and placed on suspension status. You can receive aid again if you either have an approved SAP appeal, are on an Academic Plan, or you get back into good standing with the SAP standards. All three options are explained in the next row of this accordion.
Appeals and Reinstatement: Includes How-to Information

If you fail to maintain SAP and your financial aid eligibility is terminated, you will be notified of your standing and you can appeal your status under the following circumstances:

  • Death in the family
  • Personal illness
  • Parental divorce or separation
  • Personal tragedy
  • Loss of job
  • Childcare issue
  • Student's divorce or separation
  • Family illness
  • Other circumstances beyond your control
  • You may also appeal if you have exceeded the maximum time frame by providing an explanation and a description of your plan for graduation

Appeal Procedure

To appeal an SAP decision, you must submit your request in writing using the Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal form, which is accessible through the myEFSC Portal in the Financial Aid Forms & Upload section.

Log in to myEFSC

Your appeal must clearly state:

  • The circumstances that prevented you from meeting SAP minimum standards, including documentation to support this claim (e.g., a death certificate, physician's statement, or other verifiable information)
  • What has changed that will allow you to make progress now

Once your appeal has been reviewed, we will notify you of the outcome via your Titan student email. To receive a response before the add/drop period, you must submit your appeal by the deadline for each term.

Following a successful appeal, you will receive aid for the term during which you are working toward reinstatement and you may be given what's known as an Academic Plan to help you reach that goal.

If you once again fail to meet SAP standards during a subsequent review, you could be suspended from receiving further financial aid and your existing Academic Plan would have to be re-evaluated and if not on an assigned plan, you'll be placed on one.

Academic Plan

Following a successful appeal, if your academic performance is unable to meet SAP standards at the end of the term, the Financial Aid Office will notify you that you have been placed on an Academic Plan. The financial aid team develops this plan for you and it includes the expectations that would lead to reinstatement. Some aspects of the academic plan will include grade progression, time frame to reach improvement, and it will notify you if any further documentation may be required. Each academic plan will be re-evaluated at the end of each term to determine if progress toward the individualized goal is still attainable. If modifications to the academic plan are necessary, the Financial Aid Office will work with you to adjust the plan as needed. During the re-evaluation period, if progress is not being made toward your academic plan, your financial aid will be suspended.

Denied Appeal

If your financial aid eligibility is determined to be ineligible and/or your appeal is denied, you may regain eligibility by meeting the three SAP minimum standards. Once you have done so, please email finaid@easternflorida.edu or call 321-433-7339 we will review for potential reinstatement. In addition if your aid is suspended, please reach out to the Financial Aid Office regarding other options to finance your education at Eastern Florida State College.

Clock-Hour (CTC) Programs and Your Aid Package

Rather than using traditional credits, Career and Technical Certificate (CTC) programs — also known as clock-hour programs — assess tuition using vocational credits, with 30 hours of attendance equaling one vocational credit.

Financial aid for CTC programs only funds the total number of clock-hours required for a single, declared program (up to 450 per term and 900 in an individual award year) and cannot be applied to courses outside of that program. Once you have received aid for the total number of clock-hours in your program, you must pay out-of-pocket for any additional coursework, such as repeat attempts at failed classes.

CTC programs are reviewed and funded on a per-semester basis. To remain eligible for vocational aid, you must do the following during each payment period:

If you have questions about financial aid for CTC programs, please contact the Financial Aid Office.

Financial Aid and Withdrawing from College Courses

Students are strongly encouraged to reach out to the Financial Aid Office if considering a withdrawal from one or more courses to discuss the potential financial impacts of a withdrawal. Withdrawing from even one class may require you to repay money you received. For example, if you got a Bright Futures scholarship and withdraw from a course you're required to repay that course's Bright Futures stipend.

A withdrawal from all courses could have an even greater financial impact on a student’s eligibility for Title IV Federal Aid as outlined below. That's why it's important you contact the Financial Aid Office and let us calculate the potential immediate cost to you and discuss the potential impact on future academic terms. Students who decide to withdraw from one or more courses should also contact their academic advisor to discuss the academic impact and must follow the official withdrawal process.

Return of Federal Title IV Aid and the Potential Cost to You

Students who withdraw from all courses, either officially or unofficially in a term, on or before completing 60% of the term and who have received Federal Title IV funds in the form of a Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG), Federal Direct Loan and/or Federal PLUS loan, by federal regulation, are required to have their eligibility for those funds reviewed. EFSC is required to apply a federally mandated formula to determine how much of the federal funding was “earned” up to the determined date of the student’s withdrawal. This review and calculation are referred to as a “Return to Title IV Aid Calculation (R2T4).”

Federal regulations mandate that Federal Title IV funds disbursed that are above the “earned” amount must be returned to the federal government by the college and/or the student. If a student received a refund from the Financial Aid Office that was to be used for education-related expenses, the student may be required to return all or a portion of the funds to EFSC. This portion represents funds that were intended to pay for education-related expenses through the end of the term. The amount a student has to pay back to EFSC if they withdraw will be determined by the federal formula and posted to the student's account.

The amount EFSC has to return to the federal government will be calculated based on the date the student officially withdrew from all classes or the determined date of what's called an unofficial withdrawal. A student who fails to properly complete the official withdrawal process and fails to earn grades for all classes is considered an unofficial withdrawal. This includes students who just stop attending class, but never officially withdrew. A student with an unofficial withdrawal will be subject to any liability associated with the term charges and financial aid eligibility policies governing the circumstances. In the case of an unofficial withdrawal, the withdrawal date will be computed as the last date the student was involved in an academically related activity. Academically related is defined as academic participation in a course such as submitting an assignment, taking an exam, or participating in an online academic-related counseling or advisement. EFSC is required to return 50% of the aid for students who did not attend their final exam.

Determining Federal Title IV Aid Earned After a Complete Withdrawal

To determine the amount of federal aid a student earned, the Financial Aid Office will first calculate the student’s percentage of the term attended. The calculation is based on the number of days the student attended classes divided by the number of days in the term (excluding breaks of 5 days or more). That percentage is then calculated, together with other required elements including the institutional cost, and total funds received or that a student was eligible to receive to determine the amount of federal aid a student is eligible to retain.
Any “unearned” Federal Title IV aid must be returned to the federal government. EFSC will return the unearned funds and will adjust the student’s term bill accordingly and post the balance due on your student account and it must be repayed.

Potential for Disbursement After a Complete Withdrawal

In some cases, a student may be entitled to a Post Withdrawal disbursement if they attended some of their courses, but withdrew before the disbursement of Title IV funds. EFSC will notify the students if they are eligible for this type of disbursement of earned loan and/or grant federal funds. A student may accept or decline this disbursement of grant or loan funds and instead choose to save the funds because they're enrolled at another institution and want to use them there.

Return of Federal Title IV Aid Allocation

Funds that are returned to the federal government are used to reduce the outstanding balances in individual federal programs. Federal regulations require that “unearned” funds be returned in the following order, which EFSC will factor in as we determine what part of federal aid package is impacted:
1. Federal Unsubsidized Direct Loan
2. Federal Subsidized Direct Loan
3. Federal Direct Parent Loan (PLUS)
4. Federal Pell Grant
5. Federal SEOG
6. Iraq Afghanistan Service Grant

Important Notes About the Future Impact of a Complete Term Withdrawal

Withdrawal from all courses could also affect your institutional aid eligibility based on the type and amount of funding received and the resulting tuition liability. Be sure to discuss and review this information with the Financial Aid Office.

A withdrawal could also affect your Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standing and impact future aid eligibility.

Your loans may go into the repayment phase once you withdraw from school. It is important to pay close attention to communications about loan repayment. Be sure to make payments on time to avoid the possibility of default that could result in the loss of future federal aid eligibility.

Enrollment Status

If you withdraw from enough courses that your enrollment status changes to less than half-time, the remaining balance of any loans you have will be canceled.

This doesn't preclude you from applying for additional loans moving forward, but the Financial Aid Office processes only one loan per student per academic year, so please plan accordingly.

The bottom line: maintaining your financial aid package can be complicated, so it's important to reach out to the Financial Aid Office whenever you have questions, and certainly if you are considering withdrawing from one or more courses.