Eligibility

Many students will be assisted by grants, scholarships and loans from state and federal governments, the College and other private agencies.

Nearly 90 percent of current students have received some assistance. Total figures for the 2010-11 academic year are as follows:

• Grants and Scholarships – $8,377,136
• Loans – $29,508,916

All students are expected to apply for federal and state grant programs for which they may be eligible. Students are also expected to use the Federal Stafford Loan Program when necessary. Students are expected to file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or Renewal FAFSA each year in order to determine financial aid eligibility.

Students must have unmet need in order to qualify for need-based aid. The College will determine the student's unmet financial need by deducting the federal expected family contribution from the student's cost of attendance. Need-based awards are limited and offered on a first-come, first served basis to students who meet the College's financial aid deadlines.

ACPHS’s Federal Title IV Code is 002885. The filing deadline for the FAFSA is February 1 for new students and March 1 for returning students. Students are encouraged to submit the FAFSA or Renewal FAFSA electronically. Students without Internet access may mail the paper FAFSA form to the federal processor. The federal processor will conduct an analysis of family income, assets, number in household and number of family members attending college using the federal methodology formula.

The federal methodology formula is approved by the U.S. Congress each year to determine the expected family contribution. Students selected for verification or correction must submit copies of student, spouse and parent(s) 2010 federal tax returns and W-2 forms with a federal verification worksheet to the office of financial aid by May 1. All new students are institutionally selected for verification. Students subsequently selected for verification after May 1 are required to submit these documents within 60 days of written notification from the Office of Financial Aid. The Office of Financial Aid cannot process financial-aid awards for students who do not meet the above deadlines.

The Office of Financial Aid will determine the student’s financial need according to the following formula: Cost of Attendance minus Expected Family Contribution equals Financial Need. In addition to filing the required forms and demonstrating financial need, the student must continue to maintain satisfactory academic progress to remain eligible for federal, state and institutional financial-aid awards.

Students placed on academic probation at the end of the academic year will have one semester of grace before losing financial-aid eligibility. Academic progress is measured yearly.

Appeal Process: Students have the right to appeal the loss of aid by writing to the Vice President of Enrollment Management. The appeal letter must include documentation of the unusual and extraordinary circumstances that prohibited the student from meeting the standards of satisfactory academic progress.

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