The mission of Financial Aid and Scholarships is to support the goals of the University by assisting students and parents in identifying possible sources of financial assistance to meet the cost of education at Coastal Carolina University that will encourage economic, social, cultural, and academic diversity in the student body.
Financial Aid and Scholarships administers and coordinates various types of undergraduate and graduate financial aid administered by Coastal Carolina University: institutional awards, institutional and external scholarships, loans, grants and work-study employment. The office works jointly with the Office of Admissions and Merit Awards.
Students are eligible to receive federal and state financial assistance through submission of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA is available October 1 for students to apply for the upcoming academic year. A student must submit a FAFSA annually to be eligible for federal, state and some institutional financial assistance.
The FAFSA priority date is January 1 for need-based scholarships, the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG), Federal Work-Study, and the South Carolina Need-Based Grant.
March 1 is the suggested deadline for FAFSA submission for the Federal Pell Grant and the Federal Direct Loan eligibility.
June 15 is the suggested deadline for FAFSA submission for the Federal PLUS Loan and private/alternative loans. PLUS and private loans require a separate online application. Students are encouraged to have all loan applications and needed documents in by July 15th to guarantee processing for fall payment deadlines.
Information regarding financial aid programs at Coastal Carolina University is available at www.coastal.edu/financialaid, from the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships, 219 Baxley Hall, 100 Chanticleer Drive East, Conway, SC 29526-6054, by calling 800-277-7000 or 843-349-2313 or via email at finaid@coastal.edu.
Operating Principles
Coastal Carolina University supports the following principles:
- The primary purpose of a financial aid program should be to help provide financial assistance to students who, without such aid, would be unable to attend college.
- The student (and spouse when applicable) is expected to make a maximum effort to assist with college expenses. Financial assistance from colleges and other sources should be viewed only as supplementary to the efforts of the student and/or spouse.
- The student who receives federal financial assistance must maintain satisfactory academic progress as outlined in the University’s Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy to remain eligible for Federal financial aid.
Satisfactory Academic Progress for Financial Aid Eligibility
Institutions participating in Title IV Federal Aid programs are required by the United States Department of Education to establish institutional policies which define and measure the quantitative and qualitative progress of eligible students. Each student who receives Federal financial aid, some state and institutional aid, and some private aid at Coastal Carolina University is required to maintain satisfactory academic progress toward completion of his/her program of study.
Coastal Carolina University’s Graduate Studies Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy:
- An undergraduate student must be admitted and enrolled as a degree-seeking student.
- An undergraduate student must meet the University’s standards for continued enrollment which means being enrolled each major semester (Fall and Spring).
- A undergraduate student must achieve or maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average as stated under the Academic Eligibility Policy. Undergraduate students must satisfactorily complete a minimum of sixty-seven percent (67%) of the courses that he/she attempts at the institution. Please note that courses dropped from a student’s schedule after the published drop/add period are included in the completion percentage.
- An undergraduate student must complete requirements for their degree within 150% of the published time frame.
Details on CCU’s Satisfactory Academic Progress policy can be found at https://coastal.edu/financialaid. Transfer students unconditionally admitted to the University will be considered to be making satisfactory academic progress for Federal Financial Aid at the time of enrollment. Students with excessive transfer credits are encouraged to see a Financial Aid Counselor in reference to their maximum time frame of eligibility for Federal Financial Aid.
If a student’s ability to meet the University’s standards of satisfactory academic progress was affected by mitigating circumstances, he/she may appeal the denial with Financial Aid and Scholarships. Examples of mitigating circumstances include but are not limited to: mental or physical illness, death of a loved one, divorce or separation. Written documentation, in addition to that required by the established appeal process, is encouraged to validate the mitigating circumstance(s).
A student’s unsatisfactory academic progress standing for federal student aid does not affect his/her ability to seek or receive private financial assistance to attend the institution. A student who does not have mitigating circumstances to warrant an appeal for Federal Aid is encouraged to explore alternative or private funding to continue his/her enrollment. Please see a Financial Aid Counselor if you need assistance with obtaining private funding.
Veteran Education Benefits
The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs determines eligibility for and awards this benefit. You can determine if you are eligible by calling the GI Bill® hotline at 1-888-442-4551. The student can apply to use a VA education benefit through the GI Bill® website. The website is https://www.va.gov/education/. Contact the Military and Veteran Services Office located in the Lib Jackson Student Union Building, room B203, for information on how to obtain the appropriate certification request form
Students receiving VA educational benefits are expected to maintain satisfactory progress towards a degree. Veterans or eligible persons must take courses that are essential to their degree program. They cannot receive VA benefits for repeating courses in which they have earned a satisfactory grade, or for courses which are graded on a Pass-Fail basis.
The student should contact the Military and Veteran Services Office if planning to use a VA benefit and request certification of enrollment. Once enrollment has been certified by the school certifying official, the student is responsible for reporting any updates or changes to his/her enrollment status. These include the dropping and/or adding of classes and complete withdrawal from the University. Failure to do so may result in the termination of benefits and possibly an overpayment situation
The following is a synopsis of VA Program Chapters:
| Chapter 30: |
Montgomery GI Bill®-Active Duty (MGIB). Persons who entered active duty after July 1, 1985, and had their military pay reduced by $100 per month for 12 months qualify for this program. This is a non-refundable contribution. These persons also must have served a minimum of two years, earned a high school diploma or its equivalent either prior to or during the qualifying enlistment and must have an honorable discharge. |
| Chapter 31: |
Veteran Readiness and Employment Program. Provides services to eligible Servicemembers and Veterans with service-connected disabilities to help them prepare for, obtain, and maintain suitable employment or achieve independence in daily living. |
| Chapter 32: |
Educational Assistance Program (VEAP) This program provides benefits to persons who initially entered the service after Dec. 31, 1976, and before July 1, 1985. These persons volunteered to contribute money to the Post-Vietnam Era Veteran Educational Assistance Program. Participants receive monthly payments for the number of months they contributed or for 36 months, whichever is less. |
| Chapter 33: |
Post 9/11 GI Bill® This program provides benefits for individuals who have at least 90 days of aggregate service on or after September, 11, 2001, or individuals discharged with a service-connected disability after 30 days. For detailed information on the Post-9/11 GI Bill®, please go to https://www.va.gov/education/about-gi-bill-benefits/post-9-11. |
| Chapter 35: |
Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance Program (DEA). This program provides benefits for dependents and spouses of veterans who died or are 100 percent permanently disabled due to service-connected causes. |
| Chapter 1606: |
Montgomery GI Bill® - Selected Reserve (MGIB-SR). This program provides benefits for members of the Reserve/National Guard who enlisted, re-enlisted or extended their enlistment for a period of six years after July 1, 1985. |
Federal Tuition Assistance
Eligible Active Duty, National Guard, and Reserve Service Members may be eligible for Federal Tuition Assistance or (FTA) through their branch of service. Federal Tuition Assistance is administered through the Department of Defense and authorizes each branch of the military to pay up to $250 per semester credit hour, not including fees. FTA is paid directly to the school by the individual service branches. Students are personally responsible for any tuition or miscellaneous fees not paid by the military. It is imperative that military students contact the appropriate educational services officer for guidance and assistance with how to properly use the education portal for their respective branch of service.
Refunds/Repayments
Students are academically and financially responsible for their course registration and must terminate enrollment in classes which they do not intend to complete. To drop a course, the student must complete a Registration Form available from their adviser. To completely withdraw, the student should follow University procedures. Refund refers to the amount of money used to pay institutional charges that the institution must return to the student and/or to the financial aid programs after the student has withdrawn or dropped courses. Repayment refers to the amount of any cash disbursement made to the student that the student must repay to the school after the student has withdrawn or dropped courses. For students who receive Title IV Federal Funds, a copy of the Return of Title IV Funds Policy worksheet is available in Financial Aid and Scholarships. The student should refer to the Fees and Expenses section of this catalog for specific refund schedules.
Policy for Withdrawal Refunds
Refunds for students who withdraw from the institution are calculated on the basis of either 1) University refund calculation (students who do not receive Title IV Federal Financial Aid), or 2) University refund calculation and Return of Title IV Funds Policy (students who receive Title IV Federal Financial Aid). Both refund calculations conform to federal regulations set forth by the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended by the Higher Education Amendments of 1998 (Public Law 105-244 approved on Nov. 1, 1999).
The Return of Title IV Federal Funds Policy applies only to students at the University who are recipients of Title IV Federal Financial Aid. A copy of the Return of Title IV Funds Policy worksheet is available in Financial Aid and Scholarships. The University policy applies to all other students who withdraw from the institution.
Any financial aid for which the student was eligible prior to withdrawal, but which has not been disbursed, will be cancelled and returned to the source. Students who stop attending and fail to withdraw from the University may be subject to the repayment of any Title IV Federal funds received.
Distribution of Refunds/Return of Funds
If a student receives Title IV (Federal) funds from more than one source, the University will distribute the refund based on the mandated priorities as listed in CCU’s Return of Title IV Federal Fund Policy. Information on withdrawing can be found at https://coastal.edu/financialaid.
Repayments for Withdrawals
Repayment refers to the amount of any cash disbursement made to the student that the student must repay to the school after the student has withdrawn.
Any student who owes a repayment will be billed by Coastal Carolina University’s Office of Student Accounts, and have a hold placed on the academic record which prohibits graduating, obtaining a transcript, or registering for classes. The student is also prohibited from receipt of any further disbursement of Title IV aid at any institution.
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