Financial aid awards to students will be considered upon receipt of the following items:

• Application to the Institution
• Completed FAFSA Application
• Copy of Income Taxes, if required

Financial aid awards may be revised at any time due to changes in enrollment status, additional financial resources, or revised information. The student is responsible for notifying the financial aid office of any changes in his/her financial or academic status. In the event a student is over-awarded, whether by school or student error, the student must repay the over-award to the school so that it can be returned to the proper financial aid account.

Awards Determined by Need

Financial aid awards are determined by a student's need and the availability of funds.

Recipients of financial aid awards are responsible for notifying the financial aid office of any scholarships or loans they have received from outside sources so these may be included in their financial aid package.

Degree Program Necessary

Students receiving financial aid (loans, grants or college work study) must be enrolled in a degree program at SCU and maintain, or exceed, the minimum grade point average.

Academic Progress Necessary

After the initial award, financial aid will be given only to students who are satisfactorily progressing in their course work according to the standards outlined in the academic policies. Any student placed on academic probation for two sequential semesters will be ineligible for future financial aid until such time the probation status is cleared.

Financial Aid Refunds

Students receiving federal financial aid, other than college work study, who withdraw during the first three full weeks of classes are eligible for tuition refunds. However, a portion of this refund must be returned to the proper financial aid program. The amount to be returned is determined by federal regulations and is based on the college's refund policy outlined in the business policies. Students are responsible for notifying the financial aid office of any tuition refund they receive.

Students receiving federal financial aid, other than college work study, who withdraw from all classes after the first three full weeks of classes are not eligible for a tuition refund. However, they may have received a cash refund at the beginning of the semester for aid received in excess of their tuition to cover education-related expenses. This student is required to repay a portion of his cash refund to the college for repayment to the proper financial aid program. The amount to be repaid is determined by federal regulations. Students are responsible for notifying the financial aid office at the time of their withdrawal.

Verification is the process of checking the accuracy of the information reported on the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). The guidelines used for verification are published annually in the U.S. Department of Education’s Verification Guide. It is Southwestern Christian University’s (SCU) policy to verify all applicants selected for verification by the U.S. Department of Education. SCU also reserves the right to select additional applications for verification.

For verification purposes SCU defines a financial aid applicant as an enrolled student who is eligible to receive any for of Title IV federal financial aid.

 Deadlines: A FAFSA reflecting inaccurate data must be corrected and submitted to SCU before aid is disbursed. All documentation required for verification must be received no later than September 15 for the fall semester and February 15 for the spring semester. Any applicant who fails to meet these deadlines will forfeit all financial aid.

 Documentation Requirements: The following documentation must be on file with the SCU Financial Aid Office to satisfy the verification requirements for selected applicants: (1) Signed copy of parents’ and student’s latest tax return. (2) Complete verification worksheet. (3) Any other documentation requested by the Financial Aid Office.

 Correction Procedures: Upon having a signed Correction Release Form from the student the financial aid office will electronically submit to the U.S. Department of Education corrections to FAFSA data resulting from verification. The U.S. Department of Education will then send notification of these changes to the applicant as notification of these corrections.

 Notification: Applicants will be notified of award changes due to verification corrections by receipt of an updated Award Letter in the mail from the Financial Aid Office within three weeks.

 Standard Procedures for Overpayments/Overawards: If corrections resulting from the verification process decrease an applicant’s award eligibility and create an overpayment, SCU will send notification of this situation to the applicant within 30 day of this finding and applicant will be required to make arrangements to correct the over-award within two weeks from the date of the notice. If correction or collection of the overpayment from the applicant cannot be made, SCU will refer the overpayment to the U.S. Department of Education for collection.

 Misuse of Financial Aid and Referral Process: The SCU Financial Aid Office will report any suspected fraud or falsified information (on the part of the student, the parent, preparer of financial aid applications, or related parties) to the U.S. Department of Education and all other related parties for immediate action. This information will be forwarded to authorized agencies in addition to the U.S. Department of Education for investigation such as the Office of Inspector General. Anyone who suspects fraud or abuse may make a confidential report by contacting the Office of Inspector General at 1-800-MIS-USED (1-800-647-8733) or by email at oig.hotline@ed.gov.