Academic Catalog

Federal financial aid regulations require that students who receive federal Title IV aid must complete an academically related activity in each course in which they are enrolled prior to the disbursement of their financial aid. 

Effective Fall 2015, financial aid and scholarships will be disbursed only after all attendance (every course) has been confirmed for the term of enrollment.

In order to accomplish this, students must complete an academically related activity (assignment) via Canvas.

Examples of acceptable evidence of attendance at an academically related activity for an in-person class include:

• submitting an academic assignment
• taking an exam/quiz

Examples of acceptable evidence of attendance at an academically related activity for an online class include:

• submission of an academic assignment or exam
• documented participation in an interactive tutorial
• posting by the student showing participation in an online study group assigned by the instructor
• post by the student in a discussion forum showing participation in an online discussion about academic matters

This assignment should be listed as due at the end of the first week of classes, but it should not be closed until week eight of the term in order to ensure that students whose aid is delayed are able to complete the assignment and receive a late disbursement without causing extra work for the faculty member.

The confirmation of attendance via an academically related activity will be required for all students, not only those receiving financial aid.

Faculty Resources

Click on the following pdf for assistance on how to create an assignment in Canvas to verify attendance.

Verification of Attendance in Canvas (VAC)

Student Resources

Instructions to complete an assignment in Canvas to satisfy the attendance requirement:

1. Login to Canvas https://canvas.fgcu.edu/
2. Identify if an academic activity (assignment) is available for you to complete. Do this for each of your registered courses.
3. Examples of an academic activity are listed below, but are not limited to:

• Quiz or survey
• Discussion
• Assignment

4. The activity should be completed as soon as possible in order to prevent a delay in the disbursement of your financial aid and scholarships.

Instructions to check Financial Aid holds on Gulfline:

1. Login to Gulfline https://gulfline.fgcu.edu/
2. Click on Student & Financial Aid
3. Click on Financial Aid
4. Click on My Requirements
5. Click on Holds
6. Select Aid Year

Each year FGCU develops student expense budgets (cost of attendance), using U. S. Dept. of Education guidelines. These are used to determine students' financial need at FGCU. Student expense budgets include approximate tuition and fee costs as well as allowances for the cost of books and supplies, transportation, food, housing and personal expenses. These expense budgets represent the maximum amount of financial aid that students may receive from all sources, including student loans.

The variable factors that are used to build the student expense budget include:

• where the student lives (at home with their parents, on-campus, or off-campus).
• the student's legal state of residency.
• the student's enrollment status (the number of credits for which the student enrolls).
• independent students who incur expenses for dependent care (either child care or elder care) may have their expense budget adjusted.

For the latest Cost of Attendance table, please click here -  https://www.fgcu.edu/admissionsandaid/financialaid/undergraduate/cost/costofattendance  

Grants

A grant is a form of Financial Aid that does not have to be repaid. FGCU participates in several need-based federal and state-funded grant programs. A list of the grant programs available at FGCU can be viewed at: https://www.fgcu.edu/admissionsandaid/financialaid/undergraduate/typesofaid/grants

FGCU Scholarships

Students may be eligible for various types of financial aid, including scholarships. Current FGCU students and prospective students who have submitted an Admissions application and have been assigned a University Identification Number (UIN) are strongly encouraged to submit an online FGCU Foundation Scholarship Application. The application is available online annually between October 1st and May 1st for the following academic year.

Students should also complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) annually by FGCU's January 1st priority deadline to be considered for need-based scholarships and other Financial Aid opportunities. Applicants can fill out the FAFSA online. Step-by-step instructions to help you complete the application are provided online. The application can be found online at http://www.studentaid.gov

For additional scholarship information, please click here: https://www.fgcu.edu/scholarships

For FGCU Undergraduate Admissions Scholarships and tuition waivers, go to: https://www.fgcu.edu/admissionsandaid/undergraduateadmissions/scholarshipsandwaivers

For FGCU Graduate Assistantships and tuition waivers, go to: https://www.fgcu.edu/graduatestudies/financinggradstudies

Loans

FGCU participates in the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program. Federal Direct Loans are low-interest loans for students and parents to help pay for the cost of a student's education. The lender is the U.S. Department of Education. There are three kinds of Federal Direct loans available at FGCU.

• Federal Direct Subsidized Stafford Loans - https:https://www.fgcu.edu/admissionsandaid/financialaid/undergraduate/typesofaid/loans

• Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loans - https://www/fgcu.edu/admissionsandaid/financialaid/undergraduate/typesofaid/loans
  

• Federal Direct PLUS Loans - https:https://www.fgcu.edu/admissionsandaid/financialaid/undergraduate/typesofaid/loans

Federal Work-Study (student employment) 

The Federal Work-Study (FWS) program provides part-time jobs for undergraduate and graduate students with financial need, allowing them to earn money to help pay for education expenses. For Federal Work-Study details, please click here: https://www.fgcu.edu/admissionsandaid/financialaid/graduate/typesofaid/federalworkstudy

To qualify for Federal student Financial Aid, the student must meet the following eligibility requirements:

• Be a US citizen or eligible non-citizen
• Demonstrate financial need (for most programs)
• Have a valid Social Security number (with the exception of students from the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia or the Republic of Palau)
• Be enrolled or accepted for enrollment as a regular student in an eligible degree or certificate program 
• Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress
• Sign the certification statement on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid form stating that you are not in default on a federal student loan, do not owe money on a federal student grant, and will use federal student aid only for educational purposes

Note – Additional eligibility requirements can apply in certain programs and situations

Bright Futures

If a Bright Futures recipient drops a class after the advertised add/drop date, (see Academic Calendar) he/she is required by the state of Florida to repay FGCU for Bright Futures credits paid. A hold will be placed on the account until payment is received.

Federal regulations require students to demonstrate Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) in order to receive Federal Financial Aid. Students who fail to maintain minimum standards of satisfactory progress may lose eligibility for Federal and institutional aid. The SAP policy will be applied consistently to all Financial Aid applicants regardless of whether the student previously received financial aid.

FGCU’s policy includes the required SAP components in accordance with sections 668.32 and 668.16 of the federal student aid handbook. These components are a qualitative and a quantitative measure of progress.

Qualitative Measure of Progress

The qualitative requirement allows a set minimum standard Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) for undergraduate and graduate students. Teacher certification and Teacher Immersion students are considered undergraduate students for SAP purposes. The CGPA does not include grades from courses taken at other institutions. 

Undergraduate students must maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 for continued eligibility. Graduate students must maintain a cumulative 3.0 GPA for continued eligibility. 

Doctorate programs will be held to the standards of the college over the program and cannot go outside of the courses selected by that program.

Quantitative Measure of Progress

The quantitative requirement is broken up into two sections.  The first quantitative standard will be the student’s completion ratio. The ratio is compiled by dividing the number of completed credits by the number of attempted credits. 

Students must have earned a minimum of 70 percent of the total credit hours attempted.  Attempted hours that can affect your completion rate include withdraws, incomplete grades, non-reported grades, unsatisfactory grades, failing grades and any other attempted credits that does not result in earned credits.

Any articulated hours transferred in from another institution (including consortium hours) will be used to calculate a student’s completion rate. 

Time Frame to Complete Degree

The second component of the quantitative measure of progress is the maximum timeframe allotted to complete a program. 

The time required to complete an undergraduate degree cannot exceed 150% of the program length. (For example, a student enrolled in a program requiring 120 credit hours to complete the degree would be ineligible for aid after attempting 180 total credit hours. Courses that are attempted during periods when a student did not receive aid are also counted in the calculation.) All articulated transfer hours, consortium hours, study abroad, repeat courses, failed courses, and any other attempted credits will be added to determine maximum timeframe hours.  Students are limited to two major changes.  This means if a student changes majors three or more times consideration may not be given to extend financial aid if the 180 hours is exceeded.  The only time this policy will be overridden is if the university should no longer offer a major and a change is necessary.

Undergraduate students cannot exceed 180 attempted hours. 

Graduate students cannot exceed 90 attempted credit hours.

Students in Doctorate or specialized programs requiring additional hours to complete a degree will be held to the standards of that degree or program. The students enrolled in these programs will be reviewed according to their degree or program requirements and must complete them in a timely manner.

Note: Most undergraduate degrees require 120 earned credits to graduate.  If your degree program requires more than 120 hours to graduate, then your eligibility may be adjusted by submitting an appeal.

Student’s SAP is reviewed annually at the end of each spring term once grades have been posted. Cumulative GPA and completion rate is reviewed during this process.  Students on Financial Aid probation will be reviewed at the end of each term. Teacher Certification and Teacher Immersion Students will be reviewed at the end of each term.

For details regarding the Satisfactory Academic Progress policy, please click here: https:https://www.fgcu.edu/admissionsandaid/financialaid/graduate/eligibility/termsandconditions/satisfactoryacademicprogress