General Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible to receive financial aid from most federal and state programs, the student must:

• Be enrolled as a regular student
• Be working towards a degree in an eligible program
• Be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen with valid Social Security Number
• Have a high school diploma or its equivalent
• Meet the Standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress
• Demonstrate financial need (except for some loans)
• Register with the Selective Service, if male between the ages of 18 and 25
• Certify that will use federal student aid only for educational purposes.  The student must not be in default on a federal student loan and does not owe money on a federal student grant.
• Have no history of certain drug convictions

In addition to the above basic eligibility requirements, the student could be required to meet additional requirements such as minimum enrollment credits, minimum GPA, among others, depending on the financial aid program.  For the eligibility requirements of a specific program, contact the Financial Aid Office.

Florida Residency Requirement

The Financial Aid Office is responsible for confirming the student’s Florida residency status before disbursing any State funds.  To be classified as a Florida resident, the student (or claimant) must present evidence of having established legal residence in Florida and maintained that legal residence for 12 consecutive months prior to the term in which the Florida resident classification is sought.  Students’ residence in Florida must be as a bona fide domiciliary rather than for the purpose of maintaining a mere temporary residence for enrollment in an institution of higher education.  The student (and claimant) is required to be a United States citizen, resident alien, parolee, Cuban national, Vietnamese refugee, or other refugee or asylee so designated by the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Students must complete the Affidavit for Florida Residency Classification and submit it with necessary documentation before the first day of classes of the academic period.

Transfer Students

Financial aid awards cannot be transferred automatically from one post-secondary institution to another.  The student must correct the FAFSA application to include Polytechnic University Miami Campus’ code:  014255.  After the Financial Aid Office receives your FAFSA results, we can determine your eligibility for the available financial aid programs.

Transfer students with previous student loans can defer paying loan payments if enrolled at least half-time.  The deferment will not be automatically granted with your enrollment.  To defer a student loan, the student must complete a deferment form and submit it to the Registrar’s Office.  The deferment form is available at www.pupr.edu/miami and at the Financial Aid Office.

Application Process

To determine student’s eligibility for federal aid, the student must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).  Some financial aid programs, such as state grants, student loans and federal work-study, require an additional application.

The student must reapply for financial aid every year.  Since some federal and state funds are limited, students are encouraged to apply as soon as possible after January 1^st.  New students should apply for financial aid at least two months before the first day of classes of the period for which they will enroll.  Regular students must submit their 2016-2017 application before April 21, 2016.

Follow these steps to complete your 2016-2017 FAFSA:

1. Obtain a PIN for yourself at www.pin.ed.gov. If you are a dependent student, your parents will need a PIN to sign the FAFSA.  If you got a PIN for the last year, you can use it to renew your FAFSA

2. Collect the following information:

• Your social security number and your parents’ social security numbers, and dates of birth, if you are a dependent student.
• Your driver’s license number (if applicable).
• If you are not a U.S. citizen, your alien registration number.
• 2015 Income tax returns, W-2 forms and other records of income earned for yourself and your parents/spouse.
• Evidence of untaxed income during 2015 such as Child Support, veteran’s non educational benefits, among others.
• Information about savings, investments as well as business and farm assets for yourself and your spouse/parents, if applicable.
• PUPR’s School code: 014255

3. Complete the FAFSA at www.fafsa.ed.gov.  FAFSA is free!  You should not pay for completing this application.  If you need assistance to complete the FAFSA, contact the Financial Aid Office.

4. After the FAFSA application is processed by the Department of Education, the Financial Aid Office will receive a report with the reported information.  If your application is selected for verification, the Financial Aid Officer will request you provide evidence to confirm the information submitted in your application.   No financial aid disbursement will be processed until the verification process is completed.

5. After completing your FAFSA application, you can complete your student loan application at https://www.pupr.edu/miami.

Awarding Process

The student’s eligibility for financial aid programs will be determined after the FAFSA application is received and the verification process is completed, if selected.  The student’s Expected Family Contribution (EFC) and the cost of attendance will be considered when preparing the award package. The student will not be considered for a Student Loan or for the Federal Work-Study program unless proper program application has been completed.  Priority will be given to students with economic need, in order of application processing date, for supplemental aid programs.

The student will receive an Award Letter listing the student aid programs awarded for the academic year.  Initial student aid awards are offered based on full time enrollment. Awards may then be adjusted, if applicable, to actual enrollment after the drop/add period for each trimester.  Other sources of assistance such as merit awards and private and institutional scholarships will be taken into consideration when preparing the student’s award package.

**Students repeating a course may not be eligible for financial aid for that specific course.

Financial Aid Disbursements

Financial aid funds are credited to the student’s institution account to cover tuition costs and fees.  The student’s enrollment status and eligibility for the financial aid program will be verified every trimester before disbursing any money.  If there is an excess fund paid, a check will be issued to refund the student.   If the financial aid is not sufficient to cover all charges, the stu­dent is responsible for paying the outstanding balance.

The following are some of the reasons why the student’s aid disbursements may be delayed or cancelled:

• Application submitted after deadline
• Not providing all required documentation before deadline
• Not completing the Entrance Counseling and/or Master Promissory Note for Direct Loan borrowers
• Not keeping the  minimum academic load and GPA requirements
• Not making Satisfactory Academic Progress towards the program degree
• Being in default on a student loan or owing a repayment to any Title IV financial aid program

Return of Financial Aid

Students who drop or withdraw might have to repay a portion of or the total amount of financial aid received.  Students that enroll but do not attend class will also be required to repay any received financial aid.

If an over award occurs, the student’s award package will be reduced which may result in a repayment.  To avoid over awards, students must notify the Financial Aid Office of any potential awards such as private scholarships, vocational rehabilitation benefits, etc., that were not included in the Award Letter.

**Refer to the Federal Financial Aid Return Policy for more information on the calculation procedure and for an example of the calculation.  This document is available at www.pupr.edu/miami.   

Student Aid Cancellation and Refusals

Students may refuse to accept any financial aid awarding.  For this purpose, students may notify the Financial Aid Office in writing to refuse an awarded aid prior to it being disbursed.  If the student aid has already been disbursed, the student is required to notify in writing within fourteen days of the credit.

Standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress

Standards for Undergraduate Students

The Standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress establishes the evaluation criteria to determine the student’s academic progress, which is one of the eligibility requirements to participate in student financial aid from the Title IV of the Federal Department of Education, State, Institutional and Private programs.

The minimum federal components to measure the satisfactory academic progress require three specific measures: qualitative, quantitative, and maximum time to receive Federal aid. These three components provide a measure on the reasonable progress of a student to successfully complete the academic career.

Evaluation Criteria

Qualitative Measure

One of the elements of the Standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress is the qualitative measure.  This component consists of the grade point average and the total accumulated credits at the end of the academic year.

Polytechnic University Miami Campus adopts the retention rate (qualitative measure) according to the following chart:

* Credits transferred from other colleges are not taken into consideration to calculate the grade point average, but they are considered to calculate the student’s level or year.

Quantitative Measure

The second element of the Standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress is the quantitative measure.  This component compares the number of credits attempted by students in the Institution versus the number of approved credits.  The student must approve at least the 66% of all the credits attempted at PUPR.  This measure will be cumulative.

Maximum time to receive payments from federal financial aid

All students must complete the graduation requirements within a maximum equivalent to 1.5 times (150%) of the program degree credits. Preparatory courses will not be considered in the evaluation of the maximum time, but all courses attempted at our Institution will be included.

Students who have completed the maximum time do not qualify for financial aid.

The student will receive payment of federal financial aid for preparatory courses up to a maximum of 30 credits.

Example:                                                              

                        Student in Accounting Program

                        The Accounting Program requires 120 credits to complete the curriculum

                        Maximum time (120 cr. x 150%) 180 attempted credits

• The credit hours will be used to determine the maximum time.

• The maximum time must be 150% of the credit hours required to complete the program degree.

• All attempted credits, even those in which the student did not receive financial aid, count towards the established maximum.

• This policy includes and measures students who are enrolled half-time.

• All courses attempted in the Institution, except for preparatory courses, will be included.  Transferred courses will also be included for the maximum time.

• Changes of Major or School (eg. from Engineering to Architecture), will be measured with the new concentration requirements (total of required credits).  All courses taken at PUPR, including credits from a previous Major/School, credits from the new Major/School as well as transferred credits, will be included.

Students on Probation or Suspension

The Satisfactory Academic Progress of students is evaluated once a year at the end of the academic year (May).

If the student does not meet one or both measures of the Standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress, the student will be classified with a status of probation or suspension.  The Financial Aid Office will notify the student about his/her status.

Probation Status

A student on probation status has not met the Standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress for the first time.  If on probation, the student does not qualify for Federal, State and Institutional aid programs.  Only students on probation that submit an appeal which has been approved are eligible to receive Federal, State and/or Institutional aid.

Procedure for Appealing a Probation Status

1. How can the student appeal a probation status?

The student must go to www.pupr.edu/miami to complete the Academic Progress Appeals Form and carefully follow the instructions.

2.Where to submit the Appeals Form?

The student must submit the Appeals Form and supporting documentation before the deadline to the Financial Aid Office.

3. Once submitted, the appeal will be evaluated by the Satisfactory Academic Progress Committee:

• If approved – Continue to step #4.
• If denied – You will not be eligible for Federal, State and/or Institutional aid programs until you comply with the Standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress.

4.         Plan to improve your academic progress:

• Once the appeal is approved, the student will be referred to his Mentor or Advisor to establish an academic plan for the trimester.
• Sign the agreement with the Mentor or Advisor who established the academic plan.
• Submit a copy of the established academic plan to the Financial Aid Office to reactivate your financial aid for the trimester.

5.         The academic plan will be evaluated every trimester by the Mentor or Advisor to see if the student is complying with it.    While the student complies with his/her academic plan, he/she may continue to be eligible to receive Federal, State and/or Institutional aids as long as he/she meets the other requirements to receive financial aid.  If the student does not meet any of the terms set forth in the academic plan, he/she will lose all of his/her Federal, State and/or Institutional aids until he/she complies with the Standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress.

Suspension Status

Every student that does not overcome the probation status will fall on a suspension status.  A student on suspension status does not qualify for Federal, State and/or Institutional aid and cannot appeal this status.

The student may be eligible to receive funds from Federal, State and Institutional aid and loans when he/she complies with the Standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress again.

Student’s Rights and Responsibilities

The student has the right to receive the following information from the Financial Aid Office:

1. Available financial aid programs
2. Application process, deadlines and eligibility requirements
3. Awarding and disbursement procedures
4. What financial aid must be repaid, the terms and schedules for repayment
5. The terms and conditions of any employment that is part of the financial-aid award
6. What is the criterion for maintaining satisfactory academic progress and how to re-establish eligibility
7. Institution’s refund policy for students that withdraw from school

It will be student’s responsibility to:

1. Comply with deadlines.
2. Provide all required documents in a timely fashion.
3. Provide the Financial Aid Office with information on changes in family’s household, income or enrollment status.
4. Inform the Financial Aid Office of any outside scholarships, vocational rehabilitation benefits, tuition assistance or VA benefits that will be receiving during the academic year.
5. Use any financial aid received from federal or state programs for expenses related his/her education.
6. Notify any change in name, social security, citizenship status, address, phone number and e-mail address.
7. Understand and comply with the policies regarding to refunds, repayments and satisfactory academic progress.
8. Complete the Exit Counseling for federal student loans programs before departure from college.

General Documents

• 2014-2015 Financial Aid Application Process Guide
• 2014-2015 Financial Aid Guide for Students
• FAFSA Mistakes
• Federal Financial Aid Return Policy
• Florida Voter Registration Application
• Florida Voter Registration Application – Spanish
• Satisfactory Academic Progress – Policy
• Instructions to Complete the Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeals Form

Student Loans

• Direct Subsidized Loan Limit 150 Percent First Time Borrowers 2013
• Entrance Counseling Guide
• Exit Counseling Guide
• In School Deferment 2015
• Private Loan Request Form
• Private Loan Self-Certification Form

Verification Process

• 2014-2015 Professional Judgement Request
• IRS Transcript Request Process
• Request for Transcript of Tax Return

Definitions

Attempted credits – Enrolled credits at PUPR in which the student has obtained grades of I, I (with grades), A, B, C, D, F or W, WF, NR, including all courses repetitions.

Transferred Credits – Credits taken at other Institutions of Higher Education recognized by accrediting agencies that were approved with A, B or C and which are accepted by the Department Director or by the authorized Dean in compliance with the standards of the PUPR.

Earned Credits – Credits of courses attempted in the PUPR which obtained grades of A, B, C or D with the exception of specific cases defined by the Department.

Grade Point Average (GPA) – The measure of academic merit achieved by the student.  It is calculated by dividing the total number of accumulated honor points by the number of credits in which the student has received final grades, including F’s and WF’s which have not been removed.

Repeated Courses –Undergraduate courses that the student repeats when it has obtained qualification of D, F, W or WF.  For the purpose of determining the Grade Point Average only the highest grade will be used.  Repeated courses will be considered in the quantitative measure.

Academic Progress – Is the measure which shows whether the student passes the percentage (66%) of the attempted credits versus those approved and whether the academic index is equal to or higher than the established retention index.

Academic year – Consists of three academic term that begin in August and end in May.  The summer term is optional.

Academic Term – Typical academic term during which the regular courses are offered, and which consists of 12 weeks beginning on the first day of school and ending on the last day of final examinations.  In summer, the academic term is reduced to 6 weeks, doubling the weekly contact hours.

Provisional Grades (Incompletes) – If the Professor gives an incomplete in a course, the student must complete the requirements of the course within the established date in the next academic term.  The Professor will remove the incomplete within the established date.  If the incomplete is not removed, it will become the provisional grade until the professor changes the grade.  Provisional grades are considered in the calculation of the qualitative and the quantitative measures.

Courses with grade W – Course from which the student withdraw official and voluntarily.  These withdrawals must be authorized by the Financial Aid Office, Registrar Office, Counseling Office, and Finance Office.  These courses will be considered in the calculation of the quantitative measure.

Preparatory courses (Remedial) – These are basic courses required by the program (includes courses in MATH, SCIE, ATUL, ENGL, SPAN, and others starting with 01xx).  These courses will be covered by federal financial aid up to a maximum of 30 credits.

Expired credits – Courses approved seven or more years ago in this or other institution will expire at the date of applying for re-admission with the exception of those validated by the Department Director and the Dean of Faculty.  The student must repeat all courses declared outdated or must take other equivalent course of the existing curriculum with the approval of the Director of Department and the Dean of the Faculty.  These courses are considered for the calculation of the quantitative measure.

Suspension of financial aid – Students who at the end of the probation period do not overcome deficiencies with the qualitative and/or quantitative element, or does not comply with the established Academic Plan, will have his/her financial aid suspended.  Federal financial aid will also be suspended if the student exceeds the maximum time required to complete his/her program of studies.  The maximum time is equal to 150% of the of the program credits.  All the attempted credits and transferred courses will be taken into consideration.

No Satisfactory Academic Progress (NPAS – suspension) – Classification that is given to the student who at the end of his Financial Aid Probation period does not overcome the academic deficiencies or has not completed the Academic Plan as agreed.  The student does not qualify for Federal, State or Institutional aid.

Financial Aid News

Changes to the William D. Ford Direct Loan (Direct Loan) Program

As a result of the Budget Control Act of 2011, the Direct Loan Program will make two changes as of July 1, 2012:

• Professional or graduate students are no longer eligible to receive Federal Direct Subsidized Loans
• All on-time incentives, reduction in the interest rate or origination fee, will be eliminated

For more information, click here.

Federal Student Programs and Procedural Changes

As we approach a new academic, we will be facing changes in Federal Student Aid Programs Regulations and procedures in the Financial Aid Office. These changes will be effective on July 1, 2012 and will significantly affect your eligibility for federal student aid programs.

For more information, click here

Pell Grant Lifetime Eligibility

The amount of Federal Pell Grant funds a student may receive over his or her lifetime is limited by a new federal law to be the equivalent of six years of Pell Grant funding. Since the maximum amount of Pell Grant funding a student can receive each year is equal to 100%, the six-year equivalent is 600%.

For more information, click here