Financial Aid

Application Procedures

Students applying for financial aid must complete the following steps:

1. Process a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA): This is a needs analysis form that determines the family’s ability to contribute to the student’s education. The completed form can be filed electronically via the internet at www.fafsa.ed.gov.
2. Submit the following paperwork: UMHB Application for Financial Aid and parent’s and/or student’s income tax transcript(s) as requested. The UMHB Application for Financial Aid may also be found via the internet at www.umhb.edu.
3. Follow up with the UMHB Financial Aid Office as other forms and documentation may be required of the student in order to verify information given on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.

All correspondence to the Financial Aid Office should be addressed:

University of Mary Hardin-Baylor

Financial Aid Office

UMHB Box 8080

900 College Street

Belton, TX 76513

Awarding Policy

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid uses a federal formula to determine an amount which the family and/or the student is expected to pay toward the student’s expenses. This amount is reported to the Financial Aid Office. The family contribution is then deducted from the student’s budget which estimates all reasonable and moderate expenses for the period of enrollment.

Once the maximum amount of aid eligibility has been determined, the Financial Aid Office prepares a financial aid package. The Financial Aid Administrator will award in this “package” a combination of grants, scholarships, and loans to help meet the student’s financial need.

The completed financial aid package is submitted to the student for acceptance in an AWARD LETTER. The student may accept the package in part or in whole. If certain programs are rejected, they will not necessarily be replaced with aid dollars from other programs. The AWARD LETTER must be accepted through http://myfinancialaid.umhb.edu by the stipulated timeframe or the offer becomes void.

Leaving School

All students who are on financial aid must clear their records with the Financial Aid Office prior to withdrawing from school. Those financial aid recipients who plan to graduate or who plan not to return to Mary Hardin-Baylor the following regular semester must also clear their records with the Financial Aid Office. Failure to do so will mean that a hold will be placed on the student’s diploma and/or transcripts.

Refund/Repayment Policy

A financial aid recipient withdrawing from the university and receiving a refund from the UMHB Cashier’s Office in accordance with the policy listed under the Financial Information section in this catalog may be required to repay institutional aid to UMHB with the refund. The percentage of institutional aid repaid to UMHB will be based upon the percentage of refund received by the student. (i.e. Students receiving 80% tuition refund will repay 80% of the institutional aid.)

State and federal financial aid will be returned in accordance with governmental regulations upon a student’s withdrawal. State financial aid will be returned to the state in a declining percentage through the first four weeks of a semester.

Title IV Funds (Federal financial aid) must be returned through 60% of the semester. (i.e. A student withdrawing at the midpoint of a semester must return 50% of Title IV funds received.)

The return of Title IV funds by UMHB due to the withdrawal of student before completing 60% of a semester will result in an amount being owed to UMHB by the student. UMHB will make an adjusted refund to students withdrawing during their first semester of attendance to compensate for the mandated return of Title IV funds by refunding the lesser of the amount due UMHB or the amount of Title IV funds returned less funds disbursed to student.

Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy

The Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended by Congress, mandates that institutions of higher education monitor the academic progress of students who receive federal financial aid. The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor has established the following minimum standards to be eligible for and continue to receive federal financial aid. This policy reflects the changes to federal regulations that are effective as of July 1, 2011.

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) will be reviewed at the end of each payment period (fall, spring, and summer semesters) and will be based on the student achieving both a minimum cumulative grade point average (CGPA) and earning a minimum of 75% of credit hours attempted (also known as, “meeting SAP”).

Please note that state and institutional programs may have higher academic requirements, and eligibility for those financial aid programs is subject to the requirements of each program.

• Merit based academic scholarships also have minimum GPA requirements to maintain each semester (Click here to view the academic scholarship requirements).
• Tuition Equalization Grant (TEG), a Texas resident need-based program, must complete a minimum 24 hours per year and maintain a minimum cumulative 2.5 GPA for renewal. If a student fails to meet the required cumulative GPA at the end of each academic year, a student will receive notification of TEG SUSPENSION.

CGPA requirements by classification

Minimum 1.80 CGPA: undergraduates before their 4th semester of attendance

Minimum 2.00 CGPA: undergraduates after their 4th semester of attendance

Minimum 3.00 CGPA: graduate students

Pace

Satisfactory academic progress is determined by dividing the cumulative number of credit hours successfully completed by the cumulative number of credit hours attempted (including transfer credit hours that have been accepted). The percentage must be greater than or equal to 75% in order to meet SAP. The maximum timeframe for program completion is 150% of the published program length.

Financial aid will not be disbursed until all prior academic year grades have been posted.

Warning Period

In the first payment period (semester) after SAP has not been met, students will be sent notification to inform them that they are not meeting SAP. The notification will include SAP requirements, steps necessary to meet SAP in the upcoming payment period (semester) and the consequences for failing to meet SAP at the end of the warning period.

During the warning period, students may continue to receive financial aid. At the completion of the warning period, students who do not meet SAP are ineligible for financial aid. The Financial Aid Office will notify students at the end of the warning payment period (semester) if they failed to meet SAP. The notification will include information concerning the loss of financial aid for the upcoming payment period (semester) due to failure to meet CGPA and/or 75% completion rate, and the appeal process.

Probation Period

If a student is placed on Suspension, he/she has the option of appealing the suspension through the SAP appeal process. If the appeal is granted, the student will be placed on Probation for the next semester, and the student must bring his/her SAP eligibility to Good Standing status during the semester or be placed on Suspension. While on Probation, the student may continue to receive financial assistance if he/she is otherwise eligible.

Suspension

If a student was previously under a Warning or Probation SAP status and fails to meet SAP eligibility requirements during the next semester, the student’s status will be placed on Suspension and the student is NOT eligible for federal, state, or institutional financial aid during the next semester he/she attends the university. A student who is placed on Suspension may appeal this decision through the appeal process.

Appeal process

Step One: Students who choose to follow the appeal process must:

• Submit appeal to the Financial Aid Office
• Student must state why he or she failed to meet SAP requirements
• Student must state what has changed so that he or she will meet SAP at the next review (semester)

Step Two: The Financial Aid Office will:

• Review the appeal
• Send results of appeal to the student
• Approved appeals include
  • Approval and terms of reinstatement of financial aid eligibility
  • Possibility of meeting SAP in next payment period (semester)
  • Possibility of an academic plan over an extended period of time
  • Consequences for not meeting terms of approval
  • Approved appeals will result in financial aid being awarded for the payment period
• Denied appeals include
  • Reasons for denial
  • What the student must do to meet SAP
  • Denied appeals will not be awarded financial aid until SAP is met

Step Three: Students must continue to meet terms, as established, until SAP is met in order to continue receiving financial aid on a probationary basis. Once SAP is met, student is no longer considered to be on probation. Failure to maintain SAP thereafter will result in receiving an additional warning for the upcoming payment period (semester).

Transfer Credits

Accepted credit hours will be included in the SAP calculation for the next payment period (semester).

• Assumes all accepted credits will be at least 2.0 GPA
• Counted in next evaluation period following receipt and review of transcript
• Incoming transfer students transfer in, meeting SAP
• Transfer credits accepted by The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor are included in the credit completion rate and maximum time frame calculations, but not the GPA.

Remedial/Developmental Coursework

The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor does not accept remedial transfer credit hours.

The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor does include its own developmental coursework toward credit hours.

Incomplete Grades

Incomplete credit hours will be considered as attempted credit hours when meeting the pace component of SAP. Grades will be included in the CGPA component of SAP during the term in which they were assigned.

Repeating Classes

• Passed, may retake one time to improve GPA, included in the SAP review
• Passed previously, but not with the required departmental GPA, may retake as necessary and still included in the SAP review
• Failed, may retake as necessary, included in the SAP review

Withdrawing From the University

Prior to the census date – No impact on SAP as no credit hours have been attempted.

After census date – Credit hours attempted and included in the SAP review.

Aid Programs by Category

Federal Programs

1. Federal Direct Unsubsidized Student Loan

Same terms and conditions as Subsidized Student Loans, except that the borrower is responsible for interest that accrues during deferment periods (including in-school) and during the six-month grace period. Graduate students may borrow $20,500 per academic year. In most instances, the lending institution will electronically forward the funds to the student’s UMHB account.

Private Loans

1. CAL Loan

   This is a credit based student loan with limited funding. The lender is the state of Texas, and funds are electronically disbursed by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Application for this loan is made online at www.hhloans.com.

2. Alternative Loan

   A list of private lenders can be found at http://financialaid.umhb.edu/private-alternative-loans. Each lender maintains their individual website with current interest rates and other pertinent information. Be sure to stay informed of interest rates and repayment responsibilities.

Institutional Programs

1. Graduate Scholarship

   This scholarship will be extended to students that are new to the graduate program. The award is $50 per semester hour.

Program Scholarships

Ed.D . Fellowship: Students enrolled in the Doctor of Education automatically qualify for this scholarship. This scholarship pays $100 for each hour the student is enrolled in.

Graduate Assistantships: Graduate assistantships at the master’s and doctoral levels are available in a number of graduate programs. All assistantships are intended to be of direct educational benefit to appointees. Assistantships must relate to the student’s academic objective and be supervised by a member of the Graduate Faculty. UMHB offers a variety of Graduate Assistantship opportunities, which may include a full tuition scholarship, a partial tuition scholarship, part-time employment wages or a combination of scholarship and wages. Duties may include research assistant, office duties, lab supervision, student advising, student academic assistance, and/or practica supervision.