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Appeal Process

Students with mitigating circumstances may appeal financial aid ineligibility in writing. All students must complete the Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal form and submit all the documentation requested on the form. Failure to supply all the requested documentation by the appeal deadline will result in a continued suspension until the next appeal deadline for a future semester. All appeals should be forwarded to the Office of Financial Aid by the published deadline.

Mitigating circumstances are defined as unanticipated and unavoidable events or situations beyond students’ control that prevent them from successfully meeting the standards of academic progress.

If an appeal is granted, students are expected to adhere to all the stipulations set forth in the reinstatement letter as well as any academic plans that are required for the students to regain compliance with the standards as outlined above. Students who regain eligibility and subsequently fail to maintain progress or fail to abide by the stipulations for reinstatement are no longer eligible for appeal.

If the appeal is denied, the students will need to enroll using their own resources until they are in compliance with the measures of academic progress for financial aid.

Levels of Appeal

Financial Aid Office: Students may submit a written appeal, including any appropriate third-party documentation of the circumstances. Students are encouraged to present at least one letter of support from their academic advisor or a faculty member familiar with their situation. A financial aid counselor will notify students in writing of a decision within two weeks of submission of all requested documents. The financial aid counselor reviewing the file reserves the right to advise students as to their course load and the possible need for counseling and/or academic advisement. The Financial Aid Office will hear only one appeal per student per circumstance.

Director of Financial Aid: Students who have had their initial appeal denied by a counselor may request a meeting with the Director of Financial Aid to present additional information that may not have been included in the initial appeal. The Director will inform such students in person and/or in writing of the appeal decision. The Director will read only one appeal per student per circumstance.

Student Financial Aid Appeals Committee: Students who have been denied by both a counselor and the Director of Financial Aid are eligible to appeal to the Student Financial Aid Appeals Committee if they can reasonably show that one of the following has occurred:

  • The student has not received due process.

  • The student is the object of discrimination.

  • The student has not been treated in an equitable manner.

  • The decision of the Financial Aid Counselor or Director of Financial Aid was arbitrary and capricious.

Students seeking to appeal to the Student Financial Aid Appeals Committee should do so in writing. The written appeal should contain an explanation of why an additional appeal should be heard, based on the criteria above. The written appeal should be submitted to the Financial Aid Office at least two weeks before the beginning of the semester for which the student is seeking to be reinstated. The Committee meets to review appeals once at the beginning of each semester and will notify students in writing of their appeal decision. The decision of the Student Financial Aid Appeals Committee will be final.