New Students
The student must complete and submit a FAFSA application to be considered for any need-based financial aid and/or Federal student loans. The FAFSA application can be found at www.fafsa.gov and is available October 1, annually, for the subsequent academic year. If the student needs assistance completing the electronic FAFSA please call the Enrollment Services Center. For New York State residents, the student’s FAFSA information will be electronically sent to New York State Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC) to begin processing for the New York State Tuition Assistance Program (TAP). To complete the TAP application process (ETA) the student needs to access their information at www.hesc.com.

Approximately one week after the student has filed the FAFSA the College will receive an Institutional Student Information Record (ISIR) report from the Federal processor. This report provides the Enrollment Services Center with the information necessary to determine a student’s eligibility for financial aid. Once the student has been admitted to the College, the Enrollment Services Center will prepare and make available a Financial Aid Award Letter with a proposal for financing the student’s education at the College.

Cazenovia College will make every effort to arrange a financial program both reasonable and fair, one that will enable qualified students to attend Cazenovia. Exceptional circumstances should be brought to the attention of the Director of Financial Aid and Enrollment Services.  Every consideration will be made to enable a student who may have an exceptional situation to find assistance within the federal, state and institutional aid policies.

Returning Students
A student who receives aid during his/her freshman year is normally eligible for aid through subsequent years, provided satisfactory academic progress is maintained and there is evidence of comparable financial need.

Any returning student who wishes to apply for aid for the next year will be sent information on the renewal process in early December. Renewal information must be completed and submitted by February 1 of each year.

Financial Aid Deadlines
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) should be received by the federal processor or the Enrollment Services Center no later than February 1 of the student’s current academic year. Students are encouraged to apply as soon after October 1 as possible. Those students who file prior to February 1 will receive priority funding from the College.

Verification
Verification is the process where the results of the FAFSA are reviewed by the College. The Federal Department of Education Central Processing Center chooses approximately a third of all FAFSA filers for verification. Students selected will be notified by the Enrollment Services Center regarding the additional financial documentation to the submitted College. This documentation will then be compared to the information the student completed on the FAFSA before any financial aid (including Federal Direct Loans) will be finalized. The student will be asked to verify information such as:

  • Income
  • Federal Income Tax Paid
  • Dependency Status
  • Non-taxable Income

Any type of financial aid administered by the College may be reduced or revoked in the event that a discrepancy between the student’s FAFSA and his or her reported financial status is discovered. Failure to submit the requested documentation may result in the loss or reduction of financial aid.

Satisfactory Academic Progress
The satisfactory academic progress (SAP) financial aid policy of Cazenovia College supports each student in his/her academic endeavor and allows some flexibility in achieving an educational goal. This policy is mirrored to the College’s academic standards.

Federal and state financial aid resources are made available to a student who is in pursuit of a degree and making normal, satisfactory academic progress. Any student who fails to meet SAP will not be eligible for federal or state aid at Cazenovia College until he/she is again making the appropriate progress. Any student who loses his/her financial aid has a onetime opportunity to request a one-semester financial aid probation. If the probation is approved, the student will continue to receive federal aid for the semester*. Progress will be evaluated at the end of the academic term to determine if SAP has been met and probation has been satisfied. Any student who does not satisfactorily complete the semester will be ineligible for all aid.
All programs have a maximum number of terms for funding – Federal regulations allow 50% over normal length of program and the state allows a maximum of 48 points.**

Federal regulations require that a student meet qualitative (grades) and quantitative (credits) academic standards established by the College. A student’s success will be evaluated prior to the start of each semester.

The financial aid satisfactory academic progress for financial aid is defined as:

 

Minimum
Cumulative Credits

Minimum
Cumulative Grade Point
First Year *

  Beginning of Fall Term
  Beginning of Spring Term

 

0
6

 

0.0
1.5
Second Year*

  Beginning of Fall Term
  Beginning of Spring Term

 

15
27

 

1.8
1.8
Third Year*

  Beginning of Fall Term
  Beginning of Spring Term

 

39
51

 

2.0
2.0
Fourth Year*

  Beginning of Fall Term
  Beginning of Spring Term

 

66
81

 

2.0
2.0
Fifth Year*

  Beginning of Fall Term
  Beginning of Spring Term

 

96
111

 

2.0
2.0

In order to be in good academic standing, all students must maintain both satisfactory academic progress and program pursuit. If a student fails to meet the minimum requirements, a one-time waiver can be granted provided the student can demonstrate that extraordinary circumstances warrant its use.

In addition, for State financial aid, each semester a student must complete – with a grade of A through F – a minimum number of credit hours as follows:
• During the first year the student must complete 6 hours each semester.
• During the second year the student must complete 9 hours each semester.
• During the third and fourth years the student must complete 12 hours each semester.

If a student does not complete the minimum number of hours in a semester, the student will not be eligible for financial aid. Remember, any courses which are dropped do not count when determining program pursuit.

Transfer students: previously earned credits from other colleges and/or universities are calculated in determining satisfactory academic progress for financial aid eligibility.

Satisfactory Academic Progress for part-time study
All programs have a maximum number of terms for funding - Federal regulations allow 50% over normal length of program and the state allows a maximum of 48 points.**
Federal regulations require that a student meet qualitative (grades) and quantitative (credits) academic standards established by the College.  A student’s success will be evaluated prior to the start of each semester. 

A student must achieve a minimum cumulative grade point average to remain eligible for financial aid:

  • Less than 15 credit hours earned, a 1.5 cumulative grade point average must be maintained
  • 15 to 29 credit hours earned, a 1.8 cumulative grade point average must be maintained
  • 30 or more credit hours earned, a 2.0 cumulative grade point average must be maintained

In addition, if a student does not complete the minimum number of hours in a semester, the student will not be eligible for financial aid.  Remember, any courses, which are dropped, do not count when determining program pursuit.  Each semester, a student must complete a minimum number of attempted registered classes with a grade of A through F in order to maintain program pursuit:

  • Less than 30 credit hours earned, the student must complete 50% of credits attempted
  • 30 credits hours or more earned, the student must complete 100% of credits attempted

In order to be in good academic standing, both qualitative and quantitative academic standards must be maintained as listed above.  If a student fails to meet the minimum requirements, a one-time waiver can be granted provided the student can demonstrate that extraordinary circumstances warrant its use.

*Classes taken outside of the fall and spring terms may be included toward the previous term’s SAP calculation.
**The NYS Tuition Assistance Program operates on a point system for awarding grants. Each semester a student receives a NYS grant, points are accessed. For more information regarding this, please contact the Enrollment Services Center.