Forms and Policies

Financial aid eligibility is based on satisfactory academic progress (SAP) standards that Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota is required by the U. S. Department of Education to establish, publish, and apply. The Financial Aid Office measures academic performance and enforces SAP standards to ensure that financial aid recipients progress toward completion of their degree. Students who fail to meet these standards become ineligible to receive financial aid until compliant with all of the requirements detailed in this policy.

For full details about SAP, please read our documentation (PDF).

In accordance with Federal law, current and prospective students and their parents have the right to know certain information about Saint Mary’s. Student Right to Know includes a variety of academic information, financial aid information, institutional information, and information on graduation rates, campus safety, and equity in athletics.

Student Right to Know

Below, you will find information regarding withdrawal and its impact on financial aid, per the Title IV Repayment Policy.

WITHDRAWAL FROM THE UNIVERSITY

Federal law requires institutions and/or the student to return the portion of your financial aid that is considered UNEARNED, called Return to Title IV. This policy applies only when during the term, the student withdraws from ALL classes AND the percentage of the term completed is equal to or less than 60 percent. Course load reductions that leave a student with at least one remaining class are not affected by this policy, but may result in reduction in Institutional or State aid. Returning of Federal aid must be done within 45 days of the student’s withdrawal. The following example illustrates how the policy works:

1. Calculate the percentage of the term completed (# days completed / # days in semester x 100). If greater than 60 percent, then no return of Federal financial aid is required. If less than or equal to 60 percent, then proceed to step #2.
2. Determine the percentage of Federal financial aid EARNED by multiplying the total amount of Federal financial aid received for the term by the percentage in step #1. You are permitted to keep this amount in your student account.
3. Determine the amount of UNEARNED Federal financial aid that must be returned to financial aid programs accounts by subtracting the amount of EARNED Federal financial aid (determined in step # 2) from the total amount of financial aid received for the term.
4. There are specific calculations that determine how much of the UNEARNED financial aid must be returned to the federal program(s) by the institution and how much must be returned by the student.
5. There is a prescribed order in which funds must be returned to the programs:
   • Unsubsidized Direct Stafford Loan
   • Subsidized Direct Stafford Loan
   • Federal Perkins Loan
   • Federal PLUS Loan
   • Federal Pell Grant
   • Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG)
   • Federal TEACH Grant
   • Iraq/Afghanistan Service Grant

It is possible, depending on the date of withdrawal, to have no refund of tuition and fees, although part of the Federal financial aid may be required to be returned. For example, if a student withdraws from the university after the end of ALL refund periods, it is possible that the student may owe the full amount of billed costs. Even if the student does not finish the term, he/she may still be charged for these fees.

If, when the Financial Aid Office is completing the Return to Title IV worksheet, it may be determined that additional aid could have been disbursed to the student and/or parent.  A post-withdrawal disbursement will be offered in writing to the student or parent. The student or parent will have 30 days from the date the notice is sent to respond.  The notice will include if any of the post-withdrawal disbursement will be used to reduce a student’s current tuition bill.

Furthermore, if the withdrawal occurs after the end of ALL refund periods but on or before 60 percent of the term is completed, the student may be required to repay all or part of the financial aid as determined in steps #1-5 above. If the student is required to repay all or part of your financial aid, they will be notified of the amount required to be repaid. In addition, future registration at Saint Mary’s University and requests for academic transcripts may be denied until repayment is complete.

HOW TO WITHDRAW

Students must formally drop or withdraw from a course for which they have registered, but do not plan to attend or complete.

Students who drop a course online using WebTools, up through the designated drop period, will not be charged a drop fee and the course will be removed from the transcript.

WITHDRAWAL DATE

The withdrawal date is the date you begin the withdrawal process.  If you fail to withdraw officially, the withdrawal date will become the midpoint of the term, unless the institution can document a later date.  In certain circumstances if an earlier date of last academic activity is determined, this date may be used in the calculation of “earned” federal aid.

INSTITUTIONAL AND STATE REFUND POLICY

The Return of Title IV policy, cited above, only considers federal aid. Saint Mary’s is also required to determine if any institutional, state or private financial aid must be returned if you completely withdraw.  Saint Mary’s offers pro-rated tuition refunds and on-campus room refunds through the sixth week of classes. Board will be refunded through twelve weeks.

If you withdraw during a period of time that allows for a refund of tuition, a portion or all of your institutional, state and/or private funding may be reduced or cancelled.  If you receive a 100 percent refund on all courses for a particular term, all institutional, state and private funding must be returned to the appropriate aid program(s). If your institutional refund was not used to fully repay the Return of Title IV aid, a proportional share of the remaining institutional refund must be returned to the appropriate non-federal aid program(s).

The university is required by law to provide to every student, upon enrollment, notice that any offense, during a period of enrollment for which the student was receiving federal financial aid program funds, under any federal or state law involving the possession or sale of illegal drugs will result in the loss of eligibility for any federal student grant, loan, or work-study assistance (HEA Sec. 484(r)(1)); (20 U.S.C. 1091(r)(1)).

Student Convicted of the Possession or Sale of Drugs

A federal or state drug conviction can disqualify a student for FSA funds.
The student self-certifies in applying for aid that the student is eligible for FSA funds. The university is not required to confirm this unless the university has conflicting information.
Convictions only count against a student for aid eligibility purposes (FAFSA question 23c) if they were for an offense that occurred during a period of enrollment for which the student was receiving Federal Student Aid—they do not count if the offense was not during such a period, unless the student was denied federal benefits for drug trafficking by a federal or state judge. Also, a conviction that was reversed, set aside, or removed from the student’s record does not count, nor does one received when the student was a juvenile, unless the student was tried as an adult.

The chart below illustrates the period of ineligibility for FSA funds, depending on whether the conviction was for sale or possession and whether the student had previous offenses. (A conviction for sale of drugs includes convictions for conspiring to sell drugs.)

If the student was convicted of both possessing and selling illegal drugs, and the periods of ineligibility are different, the student will be ineligible for the longer period. Schools must provide each student who becomes ineligible for FSA funds due to a drug conviction a clear and conspicuous written notice of his loss of eligibility and the methods whereby he can become eligible again.

A student regains eligibility the day after the period of ineligibility ends or when he successfully completes a qualified drug rehabilitation program that includes passing two unannounced drug tests given by such a program. Further drug convictions will make the student ineligible again.
Students denied eligibility for an indefinite period can regain eligibility after completing any of the following three options:  1) Successfully completing a rehabilitation program, as described below, which includes passing two unannounced drug tests from such a program); 2) Having the conviction reversed, set aside, or removed from the student’s record so that fewer than two convictions for sale or three convictions for possession remain on the record; or 3) Successfully completing two unannounced drug tests which are part of a rehabilitation program (the student does not need to complete the rest of the program). In such cases, the nature and dates of the remaining convictions will determine when the student regains eligibility. It is the student’s responsibility to certify to the university that the student has successfully completed the rehabilitation program; as with the conviction question on the FAFSA. The university is not required to confirm the reported information unless it has conflicting information.

When a student regains eligibility during the award year, the university may award PELL Grant, TEACH, and campus-based aid for the current period and Direct Loan of the period of enrollment.

Standards for a Qualified Drug Rehabilitation Program

A qualified drug rehabilitation program must include at least two unannounced drug tests and satisfy at least one of the following requirements:

• Be qualified to receive funds directly or indirectly from a federal, state, or local government program.
• Be qualified to receive payment directly or indirectly from a federally or state-licensed insurance company.
• Be administered or recognized by a federal, state, or local government agency or court.
• Be administered or recognized by a federally or state-licensed hospital, health clinic, or medical doctor.