General Financial Aid Policies
Financial Aid Application Process
Students begin the financial aid process by applying for admission to Pensacola State College, declaring a major or program of study and, when necessary, completing placement testing, orientation, and academic advising. Students must submit all official final transcripts directly to the Pensacola State College Admission and Records Office for review and evaluation. All transcripts include the final high school, and/or official GED scores, plus all prior college and technical school transcripts.
Transcript evaluation will assist students to determine all necessary courses needed to complete their program of study at Pensacola State College. Federal and State financial aid is awarded to students for the credits required to complete their degree or certificate.
Students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) each year. The FAFSA is available annually on October 1 for each new award year. Students apply electronically using their FSA ID and receive email notification of processing within five to seven days. Parents must apply for and receive a Federal Student Aid (FSA) ID to use to input their information and sign the student's FAFSA. A student must input Pensacola State College’s school code 001513 on their FAFSA in order for the College to receive their Student Aid Report.
FAFSA online processing allows the student or parent to use the IRS Data Retrieval process to ensure accuracy of data. Changes to the uploaded IRS data will result in the student being selected by the federal processor for school verification. Contact the Financial Aid, Veteran Services, and Scholarships office for assistance if you are unsure as to whether or not you or your family can successfully complete the FAFSA using the IRS Data Retrieval upload tool.
The initial letter the student receives from the federal processor of the FAFSA, the Student Aid Report (SAR), is a confirmation that the student submitted their FAFSA, not an award of funds. The listed aid in the letter is general information concerning all potential federal aid and federal loans available through the FAFSA process. The student’s actual eligibility for aid is not determined until their enrollment, program of study, and academic progress are evaluated by the College. In some cases, the federal processor selects a student's data for verification by the College and additional documents and forms are then requested of the student and, as needed, from their parents or spouses. Only students whose FAFSA information has been determined to be accurate will be awarded federal and state aid.
Title IV Federal Student Aid Repayment Policy Effective Fall 2000
This policy affects ALL students who receive Title IV Student Aid including:
1. Federal PELL Grants;
2. Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (FSEOG); and
3. William D. Ford Federal Direct Loans (FDLP).
Federal Law states that federal student aid is to be awarded under the assumption students will attend school for the entire term (payment period).
Students who withdraw from all courses prior to completing more than 60% of the payment period or stop attending must have their aid eligibility recalculated based on the percent of the payment period completed. This recalculation may result in the student having to repay the federal government a percentage of the federal aid received. Students who withdraw from all courses and have future starting courses within the same term (payment period) for which they have not yet had the opportunity to begin attendance must affirm in writing to the College that they plan on beginning attendance in later starting course(s) within fourteen days of stopping all current attendance.
Pensacola State College is required to share in this repayment responsibility for the courses that the student began attending. The student will have to repay Pensacola State College the debt resulting from the student’s failure to earn the aid awarded by the due date. Unpaid debts will result in an overpayment of aid being reported to USDOE. Until both the debt to the College and the debt to the USDOE are repaid by the student no College transcript will be released, no additional enrollment will be processed, and no institutional, federal or state aid may be awarded or disbursed to the student.
Students must pay the debt in full prior to future enrollment at Pensacola State College. Students will also lose their federal aid eligibility until they either repay the portion owed to the federal government or make repayment arrangements with the USDOE. All costs of collection including reasonable attorney fees will be the responsibility of the student.
Title IV recalculation is the law, there are no appeals.
If you have questions concerning this federal law, contact the Financial Aid, Veteran Services, and Scholarships Office at (850) 484-1680.
Required Maximum Time Frame and Credit Limits for Federal Aid
Baccalaureate Degree Program Students
A student otherwise eligible for federal or state financial aid and enrolled in a baccalaureate degree program who has attempted more than 150% of the number of credit hours required in that program is not progressing at the required pace to complete the program within the required standard. The student is considered to be making unsatisfactory academic progress and is not eligible for aid.
Associate Degree Program Students
A student otherwise eligible for federal or state financial aid and enrolled in an associate degree program who has attempted more than 150% of the number of credit hours required in that program is not progressing at the required pace to complete the program within the required standard and therefore is considered to be making unsatisfactory academic progress and is not considered for aid.
College Credit Certificate Program Students
A student otherwise eligible for federal or state financial aid and enrolled in an approved certificate program who has attempted more than 150% of the number of credit hours required that program is not progressing at the required pace to complete the program within the required standard. The student is considered to be making unsatisfactory academic progress and is not eligible for aid.
Developmental Education Courses
Required developmental education coursework is counted in determining a student’s level of enrollment for federal financial aid awarding purposes. Federal regulations limit financial aid recipients to a maximum of thirty (30) term hours of federally funded developmental education (remedial) coursework plus prerequisite coursework, and not counted as electives.
Financial Aid for Career Certificate (Clock Hour) Programs
The following list of programs are designated career certificates by the State of Florida Department of Education and therefore federal Title IV Aid must be awarded and disbursed based on clock hour policies and procedures.
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Advanced Esthetics (ESTHE-VC)
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600 hours
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Advanced Welding Technology (AWELD-VC)
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750 hours
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Barbering (BARB-VC)
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1200 hours
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Carpentry (CARP-VC)
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1200 hours
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Cosmetology (COSM-VC)
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1200 hours
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Electricity (ELECT-VC)
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1200 hours
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Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC-VC)
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1350 hours
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Massage Therapy (MT-VC)
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750 hours
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Medical Assisting (MEDAS-VC)
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1300 hours
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Patient Care Technician (PCT-VC)
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600 hours
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Plumbing Technology (PLUMB-VC)
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1080 hours
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Practical Nursing (LPN-VC)
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1350 hours
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Welding Technology (WELD-VC)
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1050 hours
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Additional programs may be added by the College with USDOE approval.
Available Aid for Career Certificate (Clock Hour) Programs
A student in a clock hour certificate program may qualify for Title IV federal aid including PELL Grant, SEOG, Direct Loan, PLUS Parent Direct Loan, and Federal Work Study. Florida residents may be eligible for Florida State aid including Florida Bright Futures, FSAG-CE, and Florida Work Experience Program. The College provides institutional grants and scholarships, as funding is available. To be considered for most scholarships, a student must submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the appropriate financial aid award year and complete verification if selected. Students must apply for the scholarship by submitting the Florida Financial Aid Application (FFAA) no later than August 31 after high school graduation. A student anticipating the use of Florida Bright Futures must meet with his or her high school counselor and submit the required online application. An early high school graduate must meet with their high school guidance counselor for assistance.
Not all vocational certificate (clock hour) programs at this college are Title VI eligible. Only the vocational certificate (clock hour) programs listed as eligible in this College Catalog have been approved by the College, the State of Florida, and the USDOE. An eligible student may receive federal financial aid while enrolled and making satisfactory academic progress.
A student who is enrolled in vocational certificate (clock hour) programs that are less than the Pensacola State College defined academic year of 900 clock hours and 32 weeks will receive an initial full time disbursement in the first payment period. After successful completion of half of the defined program clock hours within half of the weeks of instruction, the student will receive their second prorated scheduled payment.
A student who has earned clock hours from a previously attempted vocational certificate (clock hour) program which are being used toward the completion of his or her current clock hour program will have their remaining required number of clock hours calculated prior to the determination of their federal and state aid eligibility.
A student who is enrolled in a vocational certificate (clock hour) program that exceeds the Pensacola State College defined academic year will receive an initial payment of half of their full time scheduled award. After the student successfully completes the initial payment period defined as 450 program clock hours and the required weeks in the payment period, additional payment periods will be funded based on continued eligibility. A student may be eligible to receive a second year aid amount per federal guidelines when the number of clock hours required extends to a second year. The student must be determined eligible academically and by filing an accurate FAFSA for the new award year.
Payment Periods and Disbursement Procedure For Career Certificate (Clock Hour) Programs
The College has defined the clock hour academic year for awarding and disbursement purposes as 900 clock hours and 32 weeks. Federal PELL Grant funds may be used to pay the balance of fees. Federal PELL Grants may also be used to purchase required books and supplies or equipment through the bookstore. Any credit balance remaining will be disbursed to the student via his or her student account in two or more payments, depending on the number of academic years defined in the program. The first payment period begins at the start of the program and ends at the halfway point of the defined academic year.
Prior to the second and all subsequent payments, the student’s hours completed and satisfactory academic progress will be verified. Direct loan disbursements are subject to a 30-day delay prior to disbursement for first time borrowers. A student whose Direct Loan eligibility has been approved may complete a deferment for tuition and fees. A student whose program of study is a one (1) year certificate have a maximum loan eligibility of 1 1/2 years of subsidized loan eligibility.
Program instructors are responsible for documenting the number of hours of participation, excused and unexcused hours of absence, and the student's satisfactory academic progress during their weeks of attendance. Aid disbursements are based on this reported information.
Federal PELL Grant credit balances are normally disbursed within the first fourteen (14) days of each payment period after student participation in the clock hour program has been documented by the instructors. Depending on the program, there are two or more payment periods. Programs with one academic year will have two payment periods, while programs that have a second academic year will have more than two payment periods. The student may access his or her Fee Details and Financial Aid Summary screen via the secure login to Spyglass at www.pensacolastate.edu.