Financial Aid Policies

Deadline
Adjustments to Aid
Divorced/Separated Parents
Eligibility
Merit-Based Scholarships and Renewal
Outside Scholarships
Satisfactory Academic Progress
Special Circumstances
Submitting Your FAFSA
Tax Returns

Deadline

The FAFSA deadline is March 1, 2012 for the 2012-2013 academic year. Your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) must be RECEIVED at the Federal Processing Center by this date.
The importance of meeting this deadline cannot be overstated. While there are some types of aid (e.g., Pell Grants and Direct Loans) for which you may apply after this deadline, it is likely that you will receive substantially less total aid if your application is late. For the past several years, applicants applying after the deadline did not receive any aid awarded by UNH.

It is the University's position that the student applicant is accountable for the accurate and timely submission of the FAFSA/Renewal Application. We make the application deadline known and available to all students in many different ways and through a variety of communication methods. A complete list of notifications is available here. We realize that in most cases a student's parent(s) also participates in completing the form. However, we invest in the student the ultimate responsibility for monitoring the application process.

NOTE: There is a reference on the FAFSA/Renewal Application to "State Aid Deadlines." Do not be misled by these dates. These dates are when the FAFSA must be filed to be considered for aid from your home state. It is NOT the financial aid application deadline at UNH or most other colleges.

NOTE: In order to be reviewed for Federal Financial Aid, UNH must have your correct, complete FAFSA by your last day of enrollment for the academic year.

Adjustments to Aid

The Financial Aid Office reserves the privilege of reviewing and possibly revising awards. Therefore, applicants should notify us immediately of any change in either their or their families' financial situation. This includes notifying Business Services of the receipt of non-university scholarships.

Most financial aid awards are based originally upon the assumption that students will enroll full time (twelve or more credits per semester for undergraduates; nine for graduate students) unless they have notified our office to the contrary. Thus, if students change their status from full- to part-time enrollment, an aid adjustment may result.

If a student withdraws from UNH, an aid adjustment may result.

Divorced/Separated Parents

If your parents are divorced or separated, answer the questions on the FAFSA about the parent you lived with more during the past 12 months. If this parent has remarried as of the day you are completing the FAFSA, answer the questions about that parent and the person whom your parent married (your stepparent).

UNH does not require a Non-custodial parent statement

Eligibility

To be eligible for Financial Aid, you must be admitted to a degree program, enrolled at least half-time (six credits each semester for undergraduates; five credits each semester for graduate students), be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen. Check the Free Application for Federal Student Aid for a complete list of requirements.

Merit-Based Scholarships and Renewal, Reduction and Revocation Associated with Academic Performance and Conduct

The intent of the scholarships that are awarded through the Office of Admissions is to provide incentive to highly qualified students to enroll at the University of New Hampshire and to provide incentive to those students, once enrolled, to excel. As such, the decision to revoke a scholarship is not taken lightly, nor is it intended to be a purely mechanical process. At the same time, the scholarship is an honor; an institutional "gift" to the student that recognizes the potential for achievement and that provides support toward greater accomplishment.
At the time that scholarships are awarded, students are advised that there are renewal criteria that relate to both academic achievement and citizenship as a member of the UNH community. The academic criteria are explicit; a student is expected to achieve a 3.00 cumulative GPA by the end of the fourth semester at UNH. The fact that we allow four semesters reflects both an understanding that students often experience "transition" issues that have the potential to interfere with their performance in the short term and our predisposition to support these students rather than to withdraw our support. The four semesters allow sufficient time for most students to make necessary adjustments to college in order to succeed and the 3.00 requirement reflects, effectively, the median GPA for all enrolled students at UNH. As such, it does not appear to be an onerous requirement to retain institutional support because we do not want to dissuade students from pursuing academically challenging paths.

This said, when a student reaches the end of the fourth semester, a cumulative GPA that falls below 3.00, no matter how close to that threshold, warrants notification to a student that the scholarship will be withdrawn. At such time, the student has the right to appeal this decision.

Process of Appeal
ASAC (Academic Standards and Advising Committee) is the appropriate venue for all appeals related to scholarship renewal. This ensures consistency across academic units and provides all students who wish to appeal a common forum in which to have their cases presented. Even in those instances where the performance is close to the 3.00 threshold and the case is compelling, it seems sensible to bring these cases through ASAC to ensure the integrity of the process.

Criteria for supporting an appeal

As with other cases that are brought before ASAC, the principal argument ought to entail "compelling, non-academic circumstances" that have bearing on the student's performance. Additionally, it seems reasonable--because these are scholarships intended to reflect high levels of achievement--that some baseline expectations for performance exist to provide structure to this system. Over the course of the past several years, this standard has evolved. Precedent establishes a cumulative GPA threshold of 2.85 coupled with a most recent semester GPA of 3.00 or better as basic expectation for ASAC to consider an appeal. Taken together, the recent semester performance ensures that the student is moving in the right direction while the cumulative GPA ensures that the overall performance is not overshadowed by a single (albeit, recent) semester; however, meeting these criteria does not offer any assurance of a successful appeal.

In instances in which a scholarship appeal is granted, a student should be advised that the approval is granted for one semester with the expectation of review at the end of that term. A student who achieves at least a 3.00 in that semester will be permitted to retain the scholarship through the following semester if the initial approval was for the fall term (as mid-year reductions can be abrupt); however, if the initial appeal affected the spring semester, no similar assumption should prevail and the student will be required to submit an appeal for the following year. In all cases, the Dean's Office will review performance each semester and retains the prerogative to withdraw the scholarship if the student's performance is not sustained at an appropriate level.

In instances in which a scholarship appeal is denied, a student should be advised that we will consider a subsequent appeal at the conclusion of the next semester; however, the onus is on the student to make that appeal. It should not be assumed by the student to occur automatically. Scholarship renewals are not retroactive and will not be applied beyond the first 30 days of each semester unless there are date-specific extenuating circumstances (e.g. resolution of an incomplete grade that could not be completed prior to the 30th day of the semester and for which the student had previously been approved for late completion); however, nothing in this policy precludes such extraordinary actions if the Committee determines, solely within its discretion, that such action is appropriate.

Regarding conduct

As noted above, the awarding of a scholarship is an honor conveyed by the University to students who demonstrate the potential to succeed and to set a worthwhile example of scholarship and citizenship for the UNH community. For this reason, we hold students accountable for their behavior on campus and in the Durham community. As a matter of course, police activity reports--public records--are regularly distributed to the School and College Deans. Likewise, the Deans will receive reports regarding "significant" matters of on-campus conduct. These reports create the opportunity for Deans to be aware of behaviors which, if proven, would reflect violations of the expectation of good citizenship that accompanies each scholarship. As with academic renewal, the predisposition is to view scholarships as incentives and to prefer to see students retain these awards, but in those instances which we would regard as serious (e.g., those involving alcohol and other drugs, violence, or damage or theft of public, personal, or institutional property), the expectation is that even on a first offense, a student will see some impact ranging from a temporary (one semester) reduction to a complete revocation of scholarship.

In these instances, the appropriate Dean's office will make the initial determination regarding reduction or revocation. For the sake of consistency, reductions will be set at $500 for one semester for most first offenses; however, a Dean's Office may, in consultation with the Vice President for Student & Academic Services, recommend a more substantial reduction or complete revocation for more serious (first) offenses or multiple offenses.

The appeal procedure for scholarship reductions and revocations through Academic Standards shall be similar to that for academic revocations; however, it is anticipated that such appeals will be rare as it will be outside of ASAC's purview to "rehear" cases to determine guilt or responsibility that have already been adjudicated through the Durham District Court or the University's judicial processes.

Questions about this policy should be directed to the Office of the Vice President for Student and Academic Services, (603) 862-2053.

Outside Scholarships

If you receive a scholarship from your high school or an outside organization, you must submit a copy of your award letter and/or check to UNH Business Services as soon as you receive it. They will, in turn, notify the Financial Aid Office.

If you are receiving federal aid, regulations state that a student's resources cannot exceed a student's need. If you already have an aid package and your need is fully being met, your scholarship may require a reduction to your need-based award. In many cases, this will reduce the amount of the loans or federal work-study which you were awarded. Check with our office for specific information.

Satisfactory Academic Progress

Federal regulations require that a student “maintain satisfactory academic progress in his or her course of study” in order to be eligible to receive Title IV federal student financial aid.

For students at the University of New Hampshire, “satisfactory progress” is defined as:

Retention in a degree program by the Academic Standards and Advising Committee

and

At the end of the second semester of each year, having successfully completed the credits indicated below based on the number of semesters enrolled:

9 or more: Number of credits increases by 13 for each additional semester.

Both the “Number of Semesters Enrolled” and the “Number of Credits Required” are based on enrollment and credits at current degree level and include only UNH courses.

The status of transfer students will be based only on work done at UNH.

Enrollment at R+30 results in that semester being counted in the “Number of Semesters Enrolled.”

Enrollment on a less than full-time basis will result in the required number of credits being adjusted proportionally as follows:

Enrollment status at R+30 will be used.

6-8 credits are considered half-time and 9–11 credits
considered three-quarter time.

Maximum eligibility is:

Associate Degree Program - 6 semesters

Bachelor’s degree Program - 12 semesters

Dual Degree Program - 15 semesters

Graduate Degrees – time limit for each degree program (as determined by the Graduate School) in effect for the year being evaluated.

A student not meeting those Satisfactory Progress requirements will be placed on probationary status for one year, during which s/he will be eligible to receive Title IV aid. However, at the end of the second semester of the following year, s/he must have successfully completed the appropriate number of credits or eligibility will be terminated until such time as the necessary number of credits has been achieved.

A student whose eligibility is terminated may request an exception to this requirement by indicating in writing to the Director of Financial Aid: a) The reason s/he did not achieve the required number of credits; b) His/her plan to regain status; and c) Any extenuating circumstances affecting his/her academic performance. This appeal will be reviewed by the Director of Financial Aid (or designee), the Registrar (or designee) and the Director of Admissions (or designee) who will decide if an exception is justified. The student will be advised in writing of this decision.

Special Circumstances

Contact our office if you feel you have special circumstances not addressed on the FAFSA. Or, you can download and complete a SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES FORM and submit it to our office for review.

Submitting Your FAFSA

When your FAFSA is received by the federal processor, the "date of receipt" is recorded in the federal system. It is this date that will normally determine whether your application is considered as on-time or late.

File your FAFSA on-line, print a copy of each page as you complete it and print the confirmation page you receive after the completed application is submitted. Keep these copies in your financial aid folder. In this way, if there is a problem with the electronic submission, you have proof of on-time filing.

Please understand the risk you are taking with UNH and other colleges if you submit your FAFSA and do not retain proof of filing as described above. In such a situation, the "date of receipt" recorded by the federal processor will be the only determining factor as to whether your application is considered on-time.

Tax Returns

You do not need to complete your taxes before you file a FAFSA. You can file a FAFSA using estimated tax information. However, once your tax returns are completed, you should correct the estimated figures with the actual return information. DO NOT send tax returns or any other documents with your FAFSA as they will be disregarded by the Federal Processing Center.

Tax transcripts may be required by our office. After your FAFSA has been processed, you will receive a Student Aid Report (SAR). Check the first page of your SAR. If it says that "your application has been selected for verification," have copies of your and your parents' (if you are dependent) Federal tax transcripts sent to the Financial Aid Office. Our office also requires that you send the completed Verification Worksheet along with your taxes.

If you do not have a copy of your tax return, you can request one from the IRS using IRS Form 4506 or you may call 1-800-829-1040.