Eligibility

Once the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is completed, Western will award students all types of aid they are eligible for. The types of aid a student is eligible for is based on the Student Aid Index (SAI) and the cost of attendance. The SAI is what the federal government believe a student and their family should contribute towards their education based on the information provided on the FAFSA. To calculate this need, the federal government has developed a uniform calculation to determine how much each family is expected to contribute toward educational costs. After a student’s level of financial need has been determined, Western will provide a financial aid package that will include all or some of the following forms of aid: grants, loans, and federal work-study.

Enrollment Status Policy

Your financial aid offer is based on the number of financial aid eligible credits you are enrolled in. Only credits needed for your financial aid eligible program will be counted. Certain types of aid, such as some state grants and student loans, require at least half-time status.

Full-time status = 12 or more credits
Three-quarters time status = 9-11 credits
Half-time status = 6-8 credits
Less than Half-time status = 1-5 credits

Financial aid is awarded based on a full-time enrollment status and will be revised to your enrollment status at Census Date, the second Wednesday of the term at 4:00 p.m. If your enrollment status has changed as of the Census Date, your financial aid award package will be recalculated and locked in based on your enrollment status as of that date. (After the Census Date your aid package may be recalculated if classes are canceled or if you drop a class that has not started.) You may owe a repayment.

A student cannot receive financial aid at two colleges for the same payment/enrollment period.

Auditing Courses
If you are enrolled to audit a course you will not be eligible to receive aid for that course.

Developmental Coursework
Certain developmental coursework (if referred by counselor) can be added to a student’s credit load for financial aid purposes. Dropping or being dropped from a credit course(s) may require repayment of ALL or a portion of financial aid.

Due to federal legislation recently enacted, the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act", beginning with the 2026-2027 aid year, loans will be required to be prorated based on credit load. 12 credits or more is considered full time enrollment. If you are enrolled for less than full time credits, your federal loan eligibility may be reduced proportionally based on your enrollment. Changes in enrollment status (such as dropping courses, withdrawing, or unofficially withdrawing/failing) may result in a recalculation of your loan amount and future disbursements.

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

Federal regulations require all schools participating in Title IV federal financial aid programs to have a Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) policy. Title IV financial aid programs include: Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant (FSEOG), Federal Direct Subsidized Loan, Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan, Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loan, and Federal Work‐Study. The requirements of this policy apply to all students as one determinant of eligibility for financial aid.

To remain eligible for federal grants, loans and work‐study, a student must meet the standards indicated below at the end of each trimester.

Grade Point Average – The qualitative measurement is a student’s cumulative GPA used to determine their status. Students must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0.

Pace – The quantitative requirement has two parts, (a) Required Completion Rate and (b) Maximum Time frame.

Required Completion Rate – A student must, regardless of degree, earn 67% of all credits attempted. This is a cumulative calculation and includes all credits attempted at Western as well as all schools at which courses were taken and counted toward a student’s degree at Western. If a student does not earn 67% of all credit hours attempted, they will be placed on financial aid warning, probation, or suspension depending on their history.
Maximum Time Frame – In order to maintain satisfactory academic progress, a student must complete the degree program within a certain time period. Federal regulations stipulate that the maximum time frame for an undergraduate student cannot exceed 150% of the published length of the academic program. The maximum lengths of study depend on the degree a student is currently pursuing. Once a student reaches the maximum time frame, they are no longer eligible for financial aid. Time is measured in credits, including transfer credits and credits attempted at Western, regardless of if a student received financial aid and if the credits were successfully completed. If a student has reached their maximum timeframe and have mitigating circumstances, they may appeal to the Director of Financial Aid Resources and Planning Services Department for an extension of their aid.

Program	Credits Required for Graduation	Maximum Credits (Cumulative Attempted including Transfer)
Accounting (Associate Degree)	61	91.5
Medical Assistant (Technical Diploma)	28	42

The minimum progress standards will be checked after each trimester of enrollment (Fall, Spring and Summer). If a student does not meet the minimum requirements AND you have been placed in either ‘Suspension’ or ‘Maximum Time Frame Suspension’ status, refer to the “Reestablishing Eligibility” section.

If a student is in compliance with Western’s Satisfactory Academic Progress policy they may remain eligible for financial aid if they change their program of study or complete one degree and pursue another degree.

Change in Program – The maximum time frame for financial aid will include all credits for both past and current programs.

All undergraduate credits attempted for a given term are counted.
Audited Courses are not financial aid eligible and are excluded from SAP calculations.
Consortium/Shared Program credits are included in financial aid SAP calculations.
Remedial credits are included in the total hours attempted, and, if successfully completed, credits earned. Graded remedial credits are included in a student’s GPA. A student can only receive financial aid for 30 remedial credits. Once the limit is reached, a student’s financial aid eligibility will only be based on program-required classes in which a student is enrolled.
Repeated courses will count towards total credits attempted and completed as well towards a student’s cumulative GPA. Previously passed courses that are repeated can only be counted towards financial aid credits one additional time and will appear on a student’s educational transcript.
Transfer credits (earned at another college and accepted by Western) count towards a student’s maximum time frame and completion rate but are excluded from the GPA calculation.

Attempted‐Not Earned Credits – I (incomplete), and W (withdrawn), are counted as credits attempted but not successfully completed
Attempted‐Earned Credits – Letter grades of A, B, C, D, and PCR count as completed credits
Grade Point Average – Grade Point Average (GPA) is calculated using a grade point value for grades A, B, C, D, F, and PCR. Grades of I and W are excluded from the GPA calculation.
Incomplete Grade – A grade of I (incomplete) may be assigned at the discretion of the instructor. A grade of I is a temporary grade and will automatically become an F grade seven weeks after the end of the term if the required course work is not completed.
Grade Changes – Grades that are changed (for example, through the grade appeal process) will result in the recalculation of the cumulative GPA and completion rate. It is the student’s responsibility to notify Financial Aid Resources and Planning Services when a grade change occurs.
Withdrawals – A grade of W is assigned when a student withdraws from a class after the class has started. W grades are considered attempted but not successfully completed credits. A grade of W affects the completion rate and the maximum time frame calculations but is excluded from the GPA calculation.

Failure to meet satisfactory academic progress (SAP) standards may result in a student being placed in one of the following SAP Statuses. Students will receive an email notifying them of failure to meet SAP standards.

Financial Aid Warning – A student will be placed on Financial Aid ‘Warning’ status for one term if they fail to meet the required GPA and/or overall credit completion standards. Note: Students on ‘Warning’ are eligible for financial aid.
- To be removed from ‘Warning’ a student must attain the required cumulative GPA and/or credit completion rate by the end of their ‘Warning’ period.
Financial Aid Suspension – A student will be placed on Financial Aid ‘Suspension’ if they fail to meet the required GPA and/or overall credit completion standards for two consecutive terms. Note: Students on ‘Suspension’ are NOT eligible for financial aid, but have the opportunity to appeal the ‘Suspension’.
Financial Aid Probation – Students who are placed on Financial Aid ‘Probation’ are those who have failed their ‘Warning’ period and have an approved appeal. Note: Students on ‘Probation’ are eligible for financial aid.
- To be removed from ‘Probation’ a student must attain the required cumulative GPA and credit completion rate by the end of their ‘Probation’ period.
Maximum Time Frame Warning status – Once a student record shows that they have attempted 125% or more of their undergraduate degree requirements, the student will be placed on ‘Maximum Time Frame Warning’ status to indicate they are approaching the maximum time frame for their degree program. Note: Students on ‘Maximum Time Frame Warning’ are eligible for financial aid.
Maximum Time Frame Suspension status – Once a student has attempted credits in excess of 150% of degree requirements for their program, they will be placed in ‘Maximum Time Frame Suspension’ status. Note: Students on ‘Maximum Time Frame Suspension’ are NOT eligible for financial aid, but have the opportunity to appeal the ‘Maximum Time Frame Suspension’.

Without use of financial aid – A student may reestablish financial aid eligibility by enrolling at their own expense, taking at least 6 credits, and receiving a grade of C or better in each course they attempt. A student must notify the Financial Aid Resources and Planning Services office at Western once these eligibility criteria are met.
Probation – If a student is suspended after the ‘Warning’ term, they may have the right to appeal their suspension status based on non‐academic, extenuating circumstances (i.e. death of an immediate family member, an extended illness, hospitalization, or injury of the student). To appeal a financial aid suspension, they must complete and submit the Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal form. If the appeal is approved, the student is put on a Probation status and may be required to follow a written Academic Plan.
Academic Plan – If a student is suspended after the ‘Probation’ term, (or they are not able to attain SAP standards after a ‘Warning’ period) they may also regain financial aid eligibility if an Academic Plan is approved with their College Advisor. If a student has an approved Academic Plan they must follow the terms of the Academic Plan, which includes completing all courses with a C or better and not dropping any courses after they have started. If a student follows the terms of the Academic Plan, they are eligible for financial aid. However, if they fail to meet the terms of the Academic Plan, they will be permanently denied financial aid.
Maximum Time Frame Plan – If a student has reached 150% of their maximum time frame they may regain financial aid eligibility if a Maximum Time Frame Plan is approved with their College Advisor. With an approved Maximum Time Frame Plan, a student must follow the terms of the plan (including the list of classes to be taken per trimester). If a student follows the terms of the Maximum Time Frame Plan, they are eligible for financial aid.

Special Circumstances

The FAFSA is based on prior prior tax information. If you (or your parent or spouse), have experienced a change in income from what was reported on the FAFSA that may affect your ability to pay for college, a special circumstance form may be completed.

If you are a student with a -1500 to 0 Student Aid Index (SAI) already (you can determine this by logging into your MyWestern account, click on Financial Aid, (from the top), select College Financing Plan, and review the Student Aid Index) you are receiving the maximum grant amounts available and do not need to complete the Special Circumstances form.

If you have additional expenses or other unrelated expenses not already included in your Cost of Attendance/Budget, you can ask to have your Cost of Attendance evaluated for a potential adjustment. In some cases, these adjustments will have no impact on the financial aid award, depending on the type and amount of the award.

Additional expenses that would be considered in a COA/Budget Appeal include:

Computer expenses
Transportation expenses, such as major vehicle repair
Dependent care
Program expenses that are not already included in the current budget allocation
Study Abroad expenses

Additional expenses that are NOT considered in a COA/Budget Appeal include:

Credit card debt or loan payments
Routine car maintenance
Moving expenses
Cell phone bills

If approved, the Cost of Attendance budget increase may allow you to receive additional loan funding if you are not already receiving the maximum annual loan eligibility. To request a budget increase contact Jerolyn Grandall at grandallj@westerntc.edu.

A dependency override allows a student who traditionally meets dependency status requirements for financial aid purposes an opportunity to appeal based on a special circumstance.

Students who seek a dependency override appeal generally face parental relationship challenges such as estrangement, abusive family environment, abandonment, extended incarceration or other situations.

If you do not have a special circumstance under the dependency override appeal criteria or meet any of the conditions to be considered an Independent student for financial aid purposes, your parents must provide their information on your FAFSA. This is required even if your parents do not claim you on their taxes, you do not live with them, or receive any financial support from them.

To learn more about Dependency Overrides, contact the Manager of Financial Aid Resources and Planning Services at grandallj@westerntc.edu.

Refund and Repayment

On Census Date, which is the second Wednesday of the trimester, student’s enrollment status will be locked in and financial aid awards adjusted accordingly. Adjustments to a student’s schedule through a class being cancelled, being dropped from a class for non-attendance, or dropping a class prior to it starting may cause additional adjustments to be made to a student’s financial aid awards. Classes added after Census Date will not increase financial aid grant eligibility.

Summer 2026 term: May 20, 2026 at 4 pm
Fall 2026 term: September 16, 2026 at 4 pm
Spring 2027 term: January 20, 2027 at 4 pm
Summer 2027 term: May 19, 2027 at 4 pm

Always contact Financial Aid Resources and Planning Services before dropping classes to determine the effect on your award.

Financial aid will be posted to a student’s account, beginning the 4th week of the term or once a student’s financial aid is complete. Financial aid will first be applied towards any tuition, fees, and any other charges on the student’s account that are owed before being sent to the student as a refund. Refunds will be sent via direct deposit if the student sets this up on their Self Service. If no direct deposit is on file, a check will be sent to the address on file. The Federal Pell Grant will be disbursed incrementally as classes start, while other aid will be disbursed all at once, provided the student is enrolled and still qualifies for the aid that has been awarded.

Federal law states that if students receive federal aid and withdraw or drop ALL classes before completing 60% of the trimester, students may have to return a portion of the federal aid received. Federal law also states that once students have completed 60% of the trimester, they have earned 100% of their aid. (Refer to the Return of Title IV Funds Calculation below).

Upon a total withdrawal, a student’s federal financial aid will be reevaluated to determine the amount of financial aid a student has earned and how much unearned aid is required to be returned to the appropriate agencies. This includes federal financial aid that was originally used to pay tuition and fees. This process is called Return of Title IV (R2T4) calculation.

If the R2T4 calculation results in a credit balance on the student’s account, the balance will be disbursed as soon as possible and no later than 14 days after the calculation of R2T4. If the R2T4 calculation results in an amount to be returned that exceeds the school’s portion, it is the student’s responsibility to repay the funds. If the total amount of federal financial aid earned is less than the amount of federal financial aid funds disbursed to you, the difference between these amounts is returned to the applicable federal financial aid programs. If federal financial aid funds earned is greater than federal financial aid funds disbursed, the difference between these amounts is treated as a post withdrawal disbursement (PWD).

The total amount required to be returned will be adjusted on the account. If there is a pending refund, it is used to offset the repayment amount. A student should log onto MyWestern to review the adjustment to see if a balance is owed.

Western will disburse directly to the student any amount of post-withdrawal disbursement of grant funds that is not credited to the students account as soon as possible, but no later than 45 days after the date of the institution’s determination that the student withdrew. Loans will be offered to the student within 30 days, allowing the student at least 14 days to respond to accept or decline the funds. If the student is eligible for a post-withdrawal of loan funds, Western will offer to disburse the funds directly to the student, or parent in the case of a parent PLUS loan, any amount of post-withdrawal disbursement of loan funds that is not credited to the student’s account. Prior to making the direct disbursement of any loan funds, Western will obtain the students, or parents in the case of a parent PLUS loan, confirmation that the student or parent still wishes to have the loan funds disbursed.

The calculation for determining the percentage of “earned” and “unearned” financial aid is based on the total number of days completed (up to the withdrawal date) divided by the total number of days in the trimester.

If you begin attendance and do not officially withdraw, you must complete the term which you received funding for and earn a grade, or a repayment may be processed based on the mid-point of the term or your last records date of academically related activity.

The impact on a student's financial aid will depend on several factors:

Date of Withdrawal—the actual date the withdrawal process began, or the student's last date of attendance
Total amount of tuition and fees
Amount of Federal Financial Aid awarded (disbursed & not disbursed)

All post-withdrawal disbursements are applied to the student account first, and any resulting credit balance is handled as follows. Any return of tuition will go to the following federal funds in priority order:

Direct Unsubsidized Loan
Direct Subsidized Loan
Direct Parent PLUS Loan
Federal Pell Grant
Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant
Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)

If all “F” grades are received and the instructor indicated attendance stopped during the trimester, this is considered and “unofficial Withdrawal” and a “Return of Title IV funds Calculation” will be processed by Financial Aid Resources and Planning Services at 50% completion of the trimester. A repayment may be required.

If you received a “F” in a class and an instructor indicated you never attended, your aid package may be revised and you may owe a repayment.

Withdrawal date is defined as the actual date you begin the withdrawal process or your last date of attendance. If you receive all “F” grades for a term, you may be considered an “unofficial withdrawal” and may be required to repay at least 50% of the institutional costs. Your drop and/or withdrawal will affect your Satisfactory Academic Progress.

Regulations define the withdrawal date as the date:

The student begins the withdrawal process by notifying the school of their intent to withdraw or otherwise provides official notification, OR
The midpoint of the payment period in which the student received Title IV aid, OR
The last date of an academically related activity that the student participated in.

Instructors are required to take attendance by the end of the first week of each course. Students who do not attend class or begin the course during the first week of each course are reported to the Registrar's Office by their instructor as not attending. The Registrar's Office will drop the student from the course. In accordance with Title IV, the college must cancel any financial aid that has been processed for students who fail to begin attendance.

The College defines "beginning attendance" as attending class or beginning the course by the end of the first week of the course. Such attendance is not based on qualitative performance in the course but rather on attendance as follows:

Attendance Requirements for Online Courses
Students enrolled in an online course must complete at least one assignment by the end of week one.
Attendance Requirements for All Delivery Methods with a Face-to-Face Component
Students enrolled in any course with a face-to-face component such as traditional, hybrid, blended, etc. must meet the following attendance requirements:
- Attend class during the first week of the course or
- Complete at least one assignment by the end of week one.

In the case of planned absences for all class types, the student must notify the instructor in writing if unable to attend class in week one as defined above. If the student does not begin attending by the agreed-upon date, the student will be dropped from the course. For all situations, students reported as not beginning the course are considered "not attending" and

Will be charged 20% of tuition and fees for any courses from which they were dropped for not attending. Federal financial aid recipients reported as not-attending may owe a repayment to the College.
May be reinstated into a class due to extenuating circumstances upon approval of the Dean in consultation with the instructor of the course

See Refund Policy

Remember the Code!

Use Western’s FAFSA school code when you apply for any type of financial aid. Our code is 003840.

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Fax: 608-789-4760

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