Student Aid Policies
OSFA reserves the right, on behalf of the University, to revise and/or cancel Awards at any time if you fail to meet the requirements of the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy for Student Financial Aid Recipients or because of changes in your financial or academic status, academic program, resident status, enrollment status, etc. All student financial aid Awards are also contingent on the availability of funds.
Return to the TOPAcademic Year Definitions for Federal Student Aid Purposes
The University of Georgia academic year for the purposes of administering federal Title IV financial aid programs is defined as two fifteen (15) week semesters for a total of 30 weeks during which the average undergraduate student is expected to complete a minimum of thirty (30) credit hours. Enrollment in a minimum of 12 credit hours each semester is required in order to be considered a full-time student for Title IV federal aid purposes.
The Scheduled Academic Year (SAY) applies to the administration of Federal Direct Loans (FDL) at the University. The statutory maximum annual loan limits apply to this period of time. The SAY begins with the first day of class each Fall semester and ends with the last official exam day of the following Spring semester. The Summer sessions at the University are considered a "trailer" to the SAY; therefore, the applicable annual loan limits apply to the Fall-Spring SAY, plus the Summer trailer.
Only the first thirty attempted semester hours of non-degree undergraduate credit course work (including mandatory Academic Assistance) are counted when determining a student's enrollment status for aid purposes. Voluntary Academic Assistance and audit hours are not considered in determining aid eligibility.
Students who plan to first apply for aid in the Summer of 2008 must transmit their 2007-08 FAFSA in time for it to reach the Federal Processor no later than June 30, 2008. Also, your FAFSA must be processed by The U.S. Department of Education while you are still enrolled and otherwise eligible. No federal aid can be awarded if this deadline is missed.
Students who plan to first apply for aid in the Summer of 2009 must transmit their 2008-09 FAFSA in time for it to reach the Federal Processor no later than June 30, 2009. Also, your FAFSA must be processed by The U.S. Department of Education while you are still enrolled and otherwise eligible. No federal aid can be awarded if either of these deadlines is missed.
Retroactive Federal Student Aid
To be considered for a retroactive Federal Pell Grant award for the Fall, Spring or Summer of the Award Year, the U. S. Department of Education must receive and process your FAFSA and issue your Student Aid Report (SAR) reflecting a Pell eligible Expected Family Contribution (EFC) while you are still enrolled in the same Award Year. If the semester(s) for which you are requesting Federal Pell Grant consideration has ended AND you are no longer enrolled in that Award Year, you will not be eligible for a retroactive Pell Grant award.
If you meet the preceding criteria but were selected for and have not compelted the Verification Process when the semester ends, you MAY be eligible once Verification is complete.
To be considered for a retroactive Federal Direct Loan for the Fall, Spring or Summer of the Award Year, we must receive both your electronic Student Aid Report (SAR) from the U. S. Department of Education reflecting a calculated Expected Family Contribution (EFC), your formal loan request, the Verification Process must have been completed (if selected) and the University must then have enough time to certify the loan to the U. S. Department of Education before the last day of the semester in which you are enrolled for the Award Year. If you are nearing the end of a semester and wish to request a Federal Direct Loan for that semester, you should contact our office and ask to speak with a Loans Counselor who can advise you if the loan can be awarded.
Please contact us if you have questions.
Full Time/Half Time Enrollment
This chart reflects the number of credit hours required for student financial aid recipients for full and half time enrollment during the school year. Your enrollment status affects your eligibility for various types of assistance.
| Fall/Spring | Summer | |||
| Full Time | Half Time | Full Time | Half Time | |
| Undergraduate | 12 | 6 | 12 | 6 |
| Graduate (Except below) | 9 | 5 | 6 | 3 |
| Law (JD), PHARMD and DVM | 12 | 6 | 6 | 3 |
Your official UGA enrollment status is determined each term by the number of hours in which you are officially registered at the end of Phase III (Drop/Add) Registration. For example, if you enroll full time, receive aid that was contingent on full time enrollment and then drop to less than full time before the closing of Phase III Registration you will be required to repay that aid.
If you receive a Federal Direct Loan or your parent receives a Federal Direct Parent (PLUS) Loan you must maintain at least half time enrollment at all times (see Full Time/Half Time Enrollment). Dropping below half time enrollment at any time may result in the cancellation of subsequent loan disbursements. If you later re-enroll at least half time, you must contact us to confirm your loan status.
Dropping Courses vs. Withdrawing
As stated above under Full Time/Half Time Enrollment, your official UGA enrollment status is determined each term by the number of credit hours in which you remain officially registered at the end of Phase III (Drop/Add) Registration.
Dropping a class(s) prior to the last date of the official Drop/Add period at the beginning of a term will result in a review of your financial aid eligibility for that term. Credit hours for dropped courses are not included in determining your enrollment status for financial aid purposes. Neither do they count for HOPE eigibility determination purposes nor are they included in determining your Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). No courses or grades are posted to your academic transcript for dropped hours. Tuition and related fee charges for the dropped course(s) are returned to the appropriate financial aid program. Repayment will be required if your financial aid was previously disbursed based on the subsequently dropped credit hours.
Conversely, hours from which you withdraw or are withdrawn (W, WP, WF) will be considered as enrolled and attempted hours for purposes of determining federal aid and HOPE eligibility and will be included in both the quantitative and qualitative portions of the SAP standards.
In addition, if you withdraw (or are withdrawn) from all your courses prior to completing more than 60 percent of the term, federal regulations will generally require you to repay a portion of the federal student aid received during the term. The amount of any required aid repayment is calculated by Student Accounts according to a federally prescribed formula.
When a grade of incomplete is replaced with a final grade your eligibility for the HOPE Scholarship and/or other aid will be reviewed again. This may result in a request for repayment of aid already received and/or cancellation of future aid. Please read the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy For Student Financial Aid Recipients for additional information regarding the potential adverse impact of incomplete grades on financial aid eligibility.
When Students Fail to Earn a Passing Grade in Any of Their Classes
Federal regulations require students who have been awarded any type of federal student aid to fulfill their academic requirements. Occasionally a student will receive all "F" and/or "U" grades for a term and we are required to determine if the student "unofficially withdrew" from the University. An "unofficial withdrawal" occurs when a student stops attending all classes and stops participating in any academic activities beyond the date he/she last attended classes. Depending on the date of the student's "unofficial withdrawal", it may be necessary for the University and/or the student to return some or all of the financial aid the student recieved during the term.
At the end of each semester we will identify any such students and will mail them a letter explaining what they need to do so we can determine if their failure to earn a passing grade during the term constitutes an "unofficial withdrawal" from the University. A student's failure to respond to this letter can result in the University requiring the student to repay all financial aid recieved for the term.
Also review the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy for Student Financial Aid Recipients for additional information regarding the potential adverse impact of these grades on continued financial aid eligibility.
Independent Study (Correspondence) Courses
If you are enrolled only in Independent Study (Correspondence) courses your enrollment status can never be considered to be more than half time. In addition if you enroll only in Correspondence Courses your financial aid Cost of Attendance (COA) will be reduced to reflect only the actual cost of tuition and fees and books and supplies, which will probably result in a reduction of your federal, state or other financial aid subject to COA limits.
Students enrolled in both regular classroom and Independent Study courses may also have reduced student financial aid eligibility as reflected in this chart. Students may also owe a partial repayment of aid or fail to meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards if courses are not completed by the end of the regular academic year.
Aid for Independent Study (correspondence courses) is awarded only for the term in which you register for the Independent Study course(s). Independent Study students should refer to the University System of Georgia Independent and Distance Learning Web site for additional information regarding federal financial aid and/or HOPE Scholarship aid eligibility.
| Enrollment Hours for Student Aid Recipients Regular/Independent Study | |||
| Status | Regular | Independent Study | Adjusted Total Course Load |
| Half time | 1 | 6-12 | 6 |
| Half time | 2 | 6 | 6 |
| Half time | 3 | 3-9 | 6 |
| Three-quarters time | 6 | 3 | 9 |
| Full time | 6 | 6 | 12 |
Graduate or Professional Student
U.S. Dept. of Ed. regulations define a graduate or "professional student" as a student who is enrolled in a course of study that is beyond the bachelor's degree level or is enrolled in a program leading to a first professional degree; has completed at least three academic years of full-time study (defined as 72 undergraduate semester credit hours), either before entrance into the program or as part of the program itself; and is not receiving federal aid as an undergraduate for the same period of enrollment.
Bachelor's degree students enrolled in the Bachelor of Forest Resources, Social Work, and Journalism degree programs are not professional students for the purposes of applying for student financial aid. However, Doctor of Pharmacy students who have earned 72 undergraduate credits and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine students meet the federal definition of a professional student.
Irregular, non-degree, transient, unclassified post-graduate, and provisionally admitted students are generally not eligible for federal or state student financial aid unless they can qualify under one of the categories cited in the following section.
HOPE scholarship recipients may contact us to request information on receiving the HOPE Scholarship as a transient student at another HOPE eligible institution.
Additional, Different Bachelors Degree or Teacher Certification or Prep Course Work
Students who have earned a bachelor's degree and are enrolling in a different bachelor's degree or a Teacher's Certification program or are taking preparatory course work for a different second bachelor's degree or graduate degree program are potentially eligible for Federal Direct Loans. Students who have completed the Financial Aid Application Process will be sent a "Certification of Enrollment in Post-Baccalaureate Course Work" form to complete and return to OSFA. Approved students must be enrolled in at least six applicable hours each semester to receive any awarded Federal Direct Loans.
If you enroll in In-Service Education courses you may be eligible to receive aid if you are in a degree-seeking program. You must obtain a certification letter from us for each course.
Fee Payment, Deferment & Aid Disbursements
The Bursar's Office site at www.bursar.uga.edu provides a wealth of information regarding your student account, payment deadlines, and aid disbursement. The "Student Accounts and Financial Aid" section of each semester's OASIS Schedule of Classes also provides important information. If you pre-register for classes, note the Payment Deadline on your Student Account Summary which can be accessed in OASIS. Failure to pay by the deadline indicated on your student account summary will result in late fees, flags on your student record and even schedule cancellation.
Students who have been awarded student financial aid may be eligible for student account deferments. Questions concerning deferment should be directed to the Student Accounts Department in the Bursar's Office (706)542-2965.
If all aid eligibility requirements have been met, checks are mailed ten days before the semester begins for students who are pre-registered for the required number of hours and have no flags or holds on their records. Students who have authorized Student Accounts to direct deposit any funds due the student should contact Student Accounts (706) 542-2965 for the date their funds will be deposited to their bank account.
You must notify OSFA in writing of any aid you are awarded or expect to be awarded by someone other than OSFA, regardless of when you actually receive notification of the award. This includes UGA departmental assistantships, waivers of matriculation, tuition or fees, UGA departmental and non-UGA departmental scholarships, grants, private education loans, VA education benefits, Vocational Rehabilitation assistance, etc. The receipt of such aid after we have awarded you federal and/or state aid which we administer could result in a reduction, cancellation, and/or repayment of that federal or state aid.
College Savings Plans are qualified educational benefit plans such as "529" college savings plans, other prepaid tuition plans offered by a State, and Coverdell education savings accounts. The value of these plans is reported on the FAFSA as an asset of either the student applicant or the parent, as follows:
- If you (the student) are reporting parental information and your parents own a qualified educational benefit plan, or education savings accounts - including "529" college savings plans and Coverdell savings accounts - report the current balance of the plan as a parent asset. The amount to be reported for a state prepaid tuition plan is the "refund value" of the plan.
- If you (the student) are reporting parental information and you (the student) own a qualified educational benefit plan - do not report the value of those plans.
- If you (the student) are not reporting parental information and you own (or if married, your spouse owns) any of these qualified educational benefit plans - report the current balance of the plan as a student/spouse asset. The amount to be reported for a state prepaid tuition plan is the "refund value" of the plan.
OSFA reminds all students to carefully review the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy for Student Financial Aid Recipients.
Eligible Non-Citizen Confirmation
Please see Non-Citizen Information.
Selective Service Registration
Males ages 18 through 25 are required to register with the Selective Service System (SSS) to be eligible for Federal and state of Georgia financial aid funds. Any male students age 18 through 25 who have not yet registered with the SSS can do so when they complete the FAFSA or can register via the SSS Web site at http://www.sss.gov.
If your gift aid (grants and scholarships) exceeds the cost of your tuition, fees, books and supplies, consult federal and state income tax instructions or your tax preparer when completing your tax returns.
Students regularly enrolled in a UGA degree program who enroll in a UGA Study Abroad program or a non-UGA study abroad program and have completed the University's "Study Abroad Credit Approval Form" (http://www.uga.edu/oie/safinaid.htm) may receive financial aid if they are otherwise eligible. Contact us if you wish to document additional allowable expenses you will incur for the Study Abroad program.
Since Study Abroad grades are generally not posted by the end of the enrolled semester, your Satisfactory Academic Progress can be adversely affected resulting in loss of financial aid eligibility until the Registrar (or Undergraduate Admissions for non-UGA study abroad programs) receives the grades and we are able to reconsider your Academic Progress.
For more information regarding Study Abroad go here.
Employee Tuition Assistance Program
Amounts received under the Board of Regents' Employee Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) will be reflected on the Award of any student receiving other student financial aid. The dollar value of TAP must be considered when determining aid eligibility and can result in the reduction of student financial aid already awarded.
UGA participates in the U.S. Dept. of Ed.'s Quality Assurance Program (QAP) which is designed to help postsecondary educational institutions improve the delivery of student financial aid. OSFA periodically requires randomly selected students to provide verification of application information. Students who do not provide the requested documentation will have future aid canceled and must repay any federal aid which has already been disbursed.
If you receive an in-state and/or an out-of-state fee waiver after a semester begins, you may be required to repay aid already disbursed in order to reduce or eliminate an overaward. We are required to consider any fee waiver(s) you receive when determining your eligibility for other types of student financial aid.