Policies and Terminology

Policies and Procedures

Satisfactory Academic Progress for Financial Aid

Students who receive federal or institutional financial aid must be making satisfactory academic progress (SAP) towards completion of their academic program. The Higher Education Act of 1965 (34 CFR 668.16(e)), as amended, requires Wilson College to establish a policy with reasonable qualitative and quantitative standards that students must meet to be eligible for financial aid. All students receiving financial aid will have SAP evaluated annually. Institutional aid includes all need-based Wilson aid, work-study and tuition remission/exchange.

Students with merit scholarships or State Grants have different progress requirements that must be met for renewal of those awards.

Qualitative Standards

SAP is evaluated at the end of each semester for continuing students.   Students must earn the minimum Grade Point Average (GPA) as required by the College’s Academic Probation Policy. Some merit scholarships require a higher GPA.

Students who are provisionally admitted into the Adult Degree Program must meet the academic standards set forth in their admission letter.

Quantitative Standards

Students must also successfully complete at least 75% of all the courses that are attempted. All courses that are part of the student’s record after the drop/add period will be considered as being attempted credits. Grades of “W”, “F” and “NCR” are credits attempted, but are not considered successful completions; a grade of “IN” will be excluded from the credits attempted. Repeated courses will impact the GPA and credits attempted, but not necessarily the credits earned. Audited courses do not count as credits attempted.

All TIP and Master’s degree students must pass at least 80% of the credit hours attempted.

Transfer students

Transfer students will be considered to be making satisfactory academic progress at the time of admission. The credits accepted towards a Wilson degree will count towards the total hours attempted and earned. Any credits that the student earns while enrolled in high school will not impact the credit limits. Only the Wilson College GPA will be considered for SAP.

Maximum Length of Study

Students may receive aid up to 150% of the published timeframe for an undergraduate degree. Students enrolled in an associate degree program which requires 60 credits and 4 semesters (if full-time) would be limited to 75 credits and the equivalent of 6 full-time semesters. Students enrolled in bachelor's degree programs which require 120 credits for graduation and eight full-time semesters would be limited to 180 credits and twelve full-time semesters. Part-time students would have an equivalent limit. Students who first receive federal aid after July 1, 2009 will not be able to appeal the maximum time frame per federal law.

Students enrolled in the TIP or master’s programs may receive aid for a maximum of six fulltime semesters or the equivalent part-time.

Students who have earned a Bachelor’s degree and subsequently enroll in the TIP program or a second Bachelor’s degree would have the maximum length of study apply only to the applicable courses in new program.  Credits taken during the first Bachelor’s degree that are used to  satisfy requirements for a second Bachelor’s degree or TIP certification, and the applicable GPA, will be incorporated into the quantitative and qualitative when evaluating Satisfactory Academic Progress.

Aid Suspension, Probation, Warning and Appeal Process

Students who do not meet the qualitative and quantitative standards at the end of their first semester or prior to their first receipt of financial aid at Wilson College will be notified by the Financial Aid Office that they are not making satisfactory academic progress for federal and most institutional aid programs. The receipt of future institutional and federal financial aid will be suspended.

Students who do not meet either the qualitative or quantitative standard at the end of the fall, spring or summer semesters will be placed on Financial Aid Warning for one semester. Students will be eligible to have their aid continued if they are able to successfully complete at least 75% of their credits attempted and earn a minimum GPA according to the chart above. Students who are not able to maintain this requirement will have their aid eligibility suspended.

Students who have had their aid suspended have the right of appeal to the Academic Procedures Committee of the College. Students should submit a letter to the Financial Aid Office with an explanation of any extenuating circumstances that prevented successful completion of courses. Supporting documentation is also helpful for the committee’s consideration. Students should also explain what steps, if any, need to be made to assure future academic success. The committee will make a decision about the aid eligibility and the Dean of Financial Aid, or designee, will send a letter to the student of the outcome of the appeal.

The Committee may reinstate aid eligibility for one semester for those students who do not meet the standards for satisfactory academic progress. The student will be on financial aid probation and must successfully follow the academic plan that is outlined by the committee.

Should the committee deny the appeal, the student is not eligible for any further financial aid from Wilson College until such time that the student becomes compliant with the SAP Policy. Neither paying for classes nor sitting out a semester will automatically reinstate a student’s financial aid eligibility.

Rights and responsibilities 

All students have certain rights to information about the College and its services. Students also have certain responsibilities. They are listed below. 

Rights 

You have the right to ask a College 

• the names of its accrediting and licensing organizations. You also have the right to ask for a copy of the documents describing the institution's accreditation or licensing. 
• about the College's programs, its instructional, laboratory, and other physical facilities, and its faculty. 
• if a school advertises its job-placement rates as a means of attracting students, what information it has to back up its claims. 
• what financial assistance is available, including information on all Federal, State, and Institutional Financial Aid Programs. 
• who the College's financial aid personnel are, where they are located, and how to contact them for information. 
• the deadlines for submitting applications for each of the financial aid programs available. 
• the cost of attendance and the refund policy. 
• the criteria are used to select financial aid recipients. 
• how financial need is determined. This process includes how costs for tuition and fees, room and board, travel, books and supplies, personal and miscellaneous expenses, etc., are considered in your budget. 
• the resources (such as parental contribution, other financial aid, your assets, etc.) considered in the calculation of your need. 
• how much of your financial need, as determined by the institution, has been met. What portion of the financial aid you received must be repaid, and what portion is grant aid? If the aid is a loan, you have the right to know what the interest rate is, the total amount that must be repaid, the payback procedures, the length of time you have to repay the loan, and when repayment is to begin. 
• how and when you'll receive your financial aid. 
• how the school determines whether you are making satisfactory progress and what happens if you are not. 
• to explain the various programs in your student aid package. If you believe you have been treated unfairly, you may request reconsideration of the award which was made to you. 
• the interest rate on any student loan you have, the total amount you must repay, the length of time you have to repay, when you must start repaying, and what cancellation or deferment (postponement) provisions apply. 
• if you are offered a Federal Work-Study job, what kind of job it is, what hours you must work, what your duties will be, what the rate of pay will be, and how and when you will be paid. 
• the special facilities and services available to people with disabilities. 

Responsibilities 

It is your responsibility to 

• review and consider all information about the College's program before you enroll. 
• pay special attention to your application for student financial aid. Complete it accurately and submit it on time to the Financial Aid Office. Errors can result in long delays in your receipt of financial aid. Intentional misreporting of information on application forms for federal financial aid is a violation of law and is considered a criminal offense subject to penalties under the U.S. Criminal Code. 
• return all additional documentation, verification, corrections, and/or new information requested by either the Financial Aid Office or the agency to which you submitted your application. 
• read and understand all forms that you are asked to sign; keep copies of them. 
• accept responsibility for all agreements you sign. 
• repay any student loan you have. When you sign a promissory note, you are agreeing to repay the loan. 
• attend an entrance and exit interview at your school if you have a Federal Perkins Loan (NDSL), Federal Stafford Loan, or Federal Nursing Loan. 
• perform in a satisfactory manner the work that is agreed upon in accepting a Federal Work-Study award. 
• know and comply with the deadlines for application or reapplication for aid. Know and comply with the College's refund procedures. 
• notify your school of any information that has changed since you applied for financial aid, including a change in your name, address, or attendance status. If you have a loan, you must also notify your lender. 
• understand your school's refund policy. 

Code of Conduct 

Wilson College is committed to providing students and their families with the best information and processing alternatives available regarding student borrowing. In support of this and in an effort to rule out any perceived or actual conflict of interest between Wilson College officers, employees, or agents and education loan lenders, Wilson College has adopted the following: 

Wilson College does not participate in any revenue-sharing arrangements with any lender. 

Wilson College does not permit any officer, employee, or agent of the school who is employed in the financial aid office or is otherwise involved in the administration of education loans to accept any gifts of greater than a nominal value from any lender, guarantor, or servicer. 

Wilson College does not permit any officer, employee or agent of the school who is employed in the financial aid office or is otherwise involved in the administration of education loans to accept any fee, payment, or other financial benefit (including a stock purchase option) from a lender or affiliate of a lender as compensation for any type of consulting arrangement or contract to provide services to a lender or on behalf of a lender relating to education loans. 

Wilson College does not permit any officer, employee, or agent of the school who is employed in the financial aid office or is otherwise involved in the administration of education loans to accept anything of value from a lender, guarantor, or group of lenders and/or guarantors in exchange for service on an advisory board, commission, or other group established by such a lender, guarantor group of lenders, and/or guarantors. 

Wilson College does allow for the reasonable reimbursement of expenses associated with participation in such boards, commissions, or groups by lenders, guarantors, or groups of lenders and/or guarantors. 

Wilson College does not assign a lender to any first-time borrower through financial aid packaging or any other means. 

Wilson College recognizes that a borrower has the right to choose any lender from which to borrow to finance his/her education. 

Wilson College will not refuse to certify or otherwise deny or delay certification of a loan based on the borrower’s selection of a lender and/or guarantor. 

Wilson College will not request or accept any offer of funds to be used for private education loans to students from any lender in exchange for providing the lender with a specified number or volume of Title IV federal loans or a preferred lender arrangement for Title IV loans. 

Wilson College will not request or accept any assistance with call center or financial aid office staffing. 

Financial Policies 

For policies on satisfactory academic progress, student payment, late payment, collections, withdrawal and refunds, and deferment of payment please review our financial policies here. 

Payment Requirements 

Invoices are not mailed to students.  Students are required to check their student portal and Wilson College e-mail account for any balance related information.
 
Approved payment arrangements include:

• Cash/Check
• Debit/Credit card payments
• Financial aid
• Approved payment plan (for details go to Paying for College)

 
NOTE: The College reserves the right to bar a continuing student from enrolling in a future payment plan if the student has a history of two or more incomplete, defaulted, or deactivated prior plans.
The published due dates for invoices are as follows*:

• Fall or Fall I Semester – July 30
• Fall II – September 30
• Spring or Spring I Semester – December 15
• Spring II – February 15
• Summer or Summer I Semester – April 15
• Summer II – June 15

*If the due date falls on a weekend or holiday, payment is due on the next business day
 
Students who register prior to the bill due date
Students must have acceptable payment arrangements for all previous terms prior to the billing due date for a subsequent term of registration.  For the upcoming term, students must have their account balance paid in full or have approved payment arrangements by the published due dates listed in this policy.
 
Students who register after the bill due date
Students must have acceptable payment arrangements for all previous terms prior to the billing due date for a subsequent term of registration.  For the upcoming term, students must pay account balances within 30 days following the assessment of tuition charges or the last day of the add/drop period, whichever is first.
 
Failure to pay
Any student account with an outstanding balance as of the due date may be administratively dropped at the discretion of Student Accounts Workgroup.
 
A student who is administratively dropped is not considered an enrolled student for the semester. As a result, an administrative drop restricts students from:

• Attending classes (both online and in person)
• Student housing and meal plan
• Athletics or any other College sanctioned club or activity

 
If a student is administratively dropped from classes, and then is able to satisfy their financial obligations, the student will need to re-register for all classes.  In such cases, returning students must electronically re-enroll in courses through the student self-service portal.  New students will need to contact the registrar’s office to re-enroll.  The College does not guarantee that students are able to re-enroll in courses previously selected.

Semester Charges
Charges applied to the student’s account during the semester (example: book charges, fines, etc.) must be paid 30 days after the charge is placed on the account.  Failure to make payment will be subject to a Financial Hold and late fee policies.  No carryover balances are permitted and therefore all outstanding balances must be paid in full in order to start the next semester.  If a balance remains, the student will be dropped from all future courses on the last day of the current semester.  Any charges applied after the end of the semester (example: room fine) must be paid no later than the payment due date of the next semester.
 
Financial Hold
The Financial Hold restricts student access to diplomas and precludes future term registration or scheduling adjustments. Financial Holds are applied to a student’s account if the balance has persisted past the due date or for 30 days from the date that charges were assessed AND the balance is $1,000.00 or more. All accounts will receive a Financial Hold on the 15th of the last full month of the term (November, April, June, July), regardless of the amount overdue. If a student separates from the College and has an outstanding balance at the time of separation, the Financial Hold will persist until the account balance is paid in full, even in instances where the student is enrolled in a satisfactory payment plan. Post-baccalaureate students who have elected to defer payment receive Deferred Registration restrictions according to the Deferred Payment Policy.