Financial Aid Policies & Procedures

1. Terra State Community College obtains the financial aid award each semester from the specific aid program once the student’s enrollment status for the semester is determined.
2. The number of credit hours the student is enrolled for on the fifteenth calendar day of the semester determines the student’s enrollment status for financial aid.
3. The cashier applies financial aid toward the tuition and fee charges on the student’s account.

Disbursement begins the fifth week of classes. Review Banner Self-Service for specific amount and the disbursement date(s).

If the disbursement of federal financial aid does not cover the current balance on the student's account, a refund will not be issued.

Refunds can only be issued when the funds are received from the U.S. Department of Education and once the total current balance is paid in full.

If the student's pending financial aid exceeds the students current balance, a book voucher may be generated and available at the College Bookstore.

To determine if a book voucher is available, go to the Banner Self-Service.

To purchase books at the College Bookstore, the student must have a valid student ID and their schedule.

The Office of Student Financial Aid monitors Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) at the end of each semester (including summer) for recipients of federal and state financial aid.

• At the conclusion of each semester, students who do not meet the minimum SAP requirements are notified and either placed on Financial Aid Warning (“FA Warning”) or Financial Aid Suspension (“FA Suspension”).
• Students placed on FA Warning have one semester to meet SAP eligibility or they will be placed on FA Suspension the following semester. FA Warning students are eligible for financial aid and do not need to appeal.
• Students placed on FA Suspension are no longer eligible for financial aid and may submit a Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Appeal Form to be considered for financial aid for one semester.
• Approved appeals put the student onto Financial Aid Probation status (“FA Probation”), which grants one additional semester of eligibility. A student may continue after one semester if they only take courses listed on their academic plan, do not withdraw from any courses, and earn a "C" or better in all courses.

Minimum Requirements

• Students who receive federal and/or state financial aid must maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). Minimum qualitative and quantitative standards must be met to maintain eligibility for all federal/state financial aid programs.
• The minimum required cumulative grade point average (GPA) is 2.0. GPAs are not rounded up.
• The minimum Completion Rate (CR) is 67%. Completion Rate is defined as the percentage of credit hours earned out of credit hours attempted.
• Grades listed in the Grading System segment of the Academic Practices, Policies, and Procedures section (i.e. W, AU, CR, etc.) count as credit hours attempted for federal student aid standards even though they do not count in the college’s calculation of cumulative grade point average.
• The minimum required Maximum Time Frame (MTF) is 150% of the academic program’s required credits, with an aggregate ceiling of 200 Terra State credits. MTF is defined as the maximum amount of time a student has to complete a federal aid eligible program (degree or certificate) while receiving federal financial aid.

MTF examples are outlined below:

If the total credits to complete a program is 30, the maximum number of credits allow is 45.

If the total credits to complete a program is 60, the maximum number of credits allow is 90.

Appealing to Regain Financial Aid Eligibility

Students with extenuating circumstances (see chart below) can appeal for one semester of financial aid eligibility by completing the Financial Aid SAP Appeal Form, which directs the applicant to complete the following steps:

• Meet with an Academic Advisor to complete the academic plan section on the appeal form;
• Attach a letter explaining the extenuating circumstances which led to the current academic standing;
• Attach any applicable supporting documentation, per the chart below.
• If the appeal is approved, the student will be placed on Financial Aid Probation status (“FA Probation”) and will be eligible for financial aid for one semester.

The extenuating circumstances that may be considered and the supporting documentation required (must be on letterhead, signed and dated):

Medical Condition of Self or Immediate Family Member 

• Statement from physician
• Medical documents

Death of Immediate Family Member

• Obituaries or death certificate indicating relationship to student

Change in Employer Requirements

• Statement from one's employer/supervisor

Caregiver Obligations

• For relationship other than dependent, statement from physician of relationship and obligations of caregiver
• Statement or document from third-party and obligations of caregiver (i.e. hospital, school, company, etc.)

Error at College

• Statement from college official indicating error

The extenuating circumstances below may only be considered for students exceeding the MTF calculation. In addition to the above circumstances, they include:

Change in Major

• Statement indicating new major

Transfer of Credits From Another Institution

• Copy of Terra State courses and grades (unofficial transcript)

Federal student loan borrowers are typically required to begin repayment six months after graduating, leaving school, or dropping below half-time enrollment. If no payments are made for 270 days (approximately nine months), the loan enters default.

The U.S. Department of Education tracks the percentage of federal student loan borrowers who default within three years of entering repayment. This measure is known as the Cohort Default Rate (CDR) or the three-year CDR.

Each year, the Department of Education releases official cohort default rates for institutions participating in the federal student loan program. The most recent rates (FY 2021) were published in September 2024, with FY 2022 rates expected in September 2025. Due to the federal student loan payment and interest moratorium in effect until August 31, 2023, the national cohort default rate is currently 0%.

Learn more about the Cohort Default Rate