Federal Aid Programs
Federal Pell Grant —Federal Pell Grant is an entitlement program that provides aid to eligible students to help meet the costs of postsecondary education. Recipients do not have to repay Pell Grants. The U.S. Department of Education determines eligibility using students' expected family contribution (EFC), a formula developed by the federal government, and the courses for which you are registered under a federally approved program of study. The number of credit hours students take during a given semester affects the actual award disbursement. A student may be eligible to receive Pell Grant up to 12 semesters (or its equivalent), as long as all other eligibility requirements are met. The grant is not available to students with baccalaureate degrees, in loan default, males not registered with Selective Service, or to high school students participating in dual or joint enrollment programs. Students who gain admission to the college through the special admission category are ineligible to receive the Pell Grant.
Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) —This campus-based grant provides aid to students who meet the Pell Grant eligibility requirements. Students must be enrolled in five or more hours of required courses to receive this grant. Pell Grant recipients receive priority for FSEOG awards. Recipients of this grant are randomly selected in most scenarios.
Federal Work Study —This campus-based program provides part-time employment for students who need such earnings to meet a portion of their educational expenses. Students must be eligible to receive the Pell Grant and have a remaining, unmet need for financial aid assistance in order to participate in this program. Opportunities are based on available positions and job qualifications.
The supervisor and student determine work schedules based on the student's class schedule and the number of hours they need to work in order to earn their total work-study award. The Office of Finance and Administration directly deposits work-study payments into students' accounts at the end of each month.
How to Apply for Federal Financial Aid
To apply for federal financial aid, students must complete the following steps:
The federal processing center will email instructions on how to access online copies of the Student Aid Reports (SAR) or mail paper Student Aid Reports directly to students if valid emails are not provided. Financial aid applicants must review the information in part two of the Student Aid Reports to ensure that the reports are accurate. The Financial Aid Office will send notification emails to students' @student.athenstech.edu email accounts informing them that the institution has received their FAFSA. If selected for verification by the U.S. Department of Education, the Financial Aid Office will send emails to students' @student.athenstech.edu email and letters through the United States Postal Service informing them of the required documents needed to complete the verification process. The college cannot award financial aid until students submit the documents requested as part of the verification process.
Disbursement Schedule for Federal Aid Funds
The Financial Aid staff will apply financial aid benefits toward the tuition and fees charged for those courses required by the recipients' programs of study. Students who register for courses not required in their programs of study will be responsible for any balance associated with those non-required courses. The Financial Aid staff will remove HOPE and/or Title IV funds for any courses not required in students' programs of study. The Financial Aid staff notifies students of the removal of financial aid funds via email at the students' @student.athenstech.edu email account.
The Financial Aid staff must verify student enrollment and attendance by the end of the second week of the academic term. Enrollment status at the point the Financial Aid staff disburse funds determines award amounts. Students who withdraw from all classes prior to the completion of 60 percent of the semester may be responsible for repaying some or all of the federal financial aid benefits they received for that academic term. The refund and repayment formulas established by the U.S. Department of Education determine the amount of aid returned. Detailed information on the return of Title IV funds is available on the college website.
Students receive refund checks if their Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, and/or HOPE-GED benefits exceed the amount owed for tuition, fees, and/or books. Students may go online via their BannerWeb account to authorize the college to use the excess federal financial aid funds to pay most fees, including late registration fees and other institutional fees. The authorization allows the college to apply excess federal financial aid funds to cover fees for the entire period students are enrolled at the college. Students may change or modify an authorization online via their BannerWeb account at any time.
Students with a credit balance will have credit available from the Pell Grant and/or HOPE-GED at the college's bookstore to purchase required books and supplies prior to the first day of the term if the Financial Aid Office has authorized the disbursement of funds for the term. By utilizing this credit balance in the bookstore, the student is giving his/her authorization. The student may opt out of this agreement by not utilizing the credit balance available in the bookstore. Students should verify that their federal financial aid benefits are sufficient to cover tuition, fees, and bookstore charges; otherwise, they run the risk of being administratively withdrawn from their classes because they owe money to the college at the Tuition/Fee Payment Deadline as listed in the Academic Calendar (see Academic Calendar).
Renewal Application
Students must renew their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online each year after October 1 and prior to the financial aid application deadline as indicated on the Academic Calendar in order to receive consideration for assistance during the next academic year. Fall Semester marks the first term of the academic year for financial aid purposes, and the academic year encompasses fall, spring, and summer semesters. Students receiving financial aid benefits during Summer Semester must renew their FAFSA in order to receive aid for the subsequent fall semester.
To use financial aid for tuition and fees, students must submit their FAFSA, and their college financial aid files must be completed by the financial aid application deadline as indicated in the Academic Calendar. Students who fail to meet these deadlines may be responsible for paying all tuition and fees due at the time of registration. Students who fail to meet these deadlines may be administratively withdrawn from their classes if they owe money to the college after the Tuition/Fee Payment Deadline as indicated in the Academic Calendar. Once the Financial Aid Office receives all information needed to establish eligibility, the college will reimburse eligible students for the tuition and fees they paid in advance for that term.