Student Services

What is financial aid?

Assistance given to students to help meet the difference between the student’s costs and the amount they are able to pay. Financial aid can be one of four types:

Grants (Federal and State)
Federal Loans (Subsidized/Unsubsidized/PLUS)
Federal Work Study (Money earned while working on campus)
Scholarships (Foundation, Institutional, External, State)

How do I apply for financial aid?

Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at www.fafsa.gov. List Sinclair as the school to receive your information (School Code: 003119).

What is a FAFSA?

This is the application the federal government, the state agency and the school uses to determine your eligibility for financial aid.

What if I need help completing the FAFSA?

The financial aid staff provides workshops to help students complete the application online. The workshop dates and locations are available in the financial aid office and at www.sinclair.edu/services/finaid/calendar/.

What is the next step?

The results from the FAFSA will be received electronically. Students will be sent an e-mail to their Sinclair e-mail address if additional documentation is needed to complete the file.

How will I know when my file is complete and I have been awarded?

Students will be sent an e-mail to their Sinclair e-mail address when their file is complete and their financial aid awards are available to review on Web Advisor at my.sinclair.edu. They will need to accept the awards before the funds will be available to pay their tuition.

How will my tuition be paid?

Once you are registered for the term, scholarships and/or state grants will be applied toward tuition. Ten (10) days before the term begins, your accepted federal financial aid will be applied toward any remaining tuition and fees. If students have accepted the awards but the balance has not been paid, they need to contact the Financial Aid office. If you are only registered for B term or late starting classes, federal aid will not pay until ten (10) days before the start of your B term or late starting classes.

Please note that first time student loan borrowers will not be eligible for federal loan funds to disburse until the 31st day of the term after the student begins classes. If funds are remaining after tuition and fees have been paid the student may, if authorized, use the funds to buy books or make Tartan Card transfers. After the start of the term, any federal financial aid not used on tuition, fees, books and/or Tartan Card transfers will be eligible for refund. Refund checks are mailed to students by the Bursar during the term after verification of attendance is established.

Can I use my financial aid to buy books?

After tuition and fees are paid, students may use remaining federal financial aid or scholarships up to a maximum of $1000 per term to purchase books in the Sinclair Bookstore. Students must show their Tartan Card for identification. Book charge dates can be found at www.sinclair.edu/services/finaid/calendar/index.cfm.

Can I put financial aid funds on my Tartan Card?

Students who have remaining federal financial aid available after the tuition and fees are paid and their book charges are complete, may put up to $100 per term on their Tartan Card in the Sinclair Bookstore.

Can I use financial aid for all three terms?

It is possible to use financial aid for all three terms. State grants and federal loans can be used for all three terms. The Federal Pell Grant will be awarded over two terms with a possible option for the third term if student meets eligibility requirements for a second scheduled Pell Grant award. The number of terms in which scholarships are awarded will vary based on the criteria of each scholarship.

Do I have to be enrolled full time to receive financial aid?

Students are not required to attend full time, but most financial aid is prorated for students enrolled in fewer than 12 credit hours per term. Some financial aid requires the students to be enrolled at least 6 credit hours--such as loans, some scholarships, work study, etc. Contact a financial aid representative for more information.

How often do I apply for financial aid?

Apply once each academic year. The academic year at Sinclair Community College starts with fall term and ends with summer term. The FAFSA is available after January 1 for the next year at www.fafsa.gov .

What are the important dates for financial aid?

The guarantee date is the date that all required documents must be received by the Financial Aid office in order for the financial aid process to be complete by the payment due date. The following are the dates for each term:

Fall Semester - Aug 6
Spring Semester - Nov. 16

What happens if I miss the guarantee date?

The financial aid will still be processed as quickly as possible. However, students may have to pay tuition charges by the payment deadline date or enroll in the Payment Plan at facts.sinclair.edu. Check the Facts Payment Plan web site for the enrollment deadline dates. Once the financial aid process is complete, students may be reimbursed up to the amount of the accepted awards, if any.

How do I apply for a student loan?

When students complete the FAFSA, their eligibility for federal loans will be determined. Students do not need to complete a separate application (except for the PLUS loan). When they go into Web Advisor to review their Financial Aid Awards, they will be able to accept or reject the student loans offered. The amount of loan will be limited to $5,500 for a 1st year student and $6,500 for a 2nd year student. Independent students may qualify for more, but must attend a loan counseling session. Dates and times will be posted on the calendar of events.

If students accept the loans, they will receive an e-mail outlining the steps needed to complete the loan process. This could include completing Promissory Notes. Students new to Sinclair and new to the loan program will be required to complete the Loan Entrance Counseling Session available online at www.studentloans.gov.

Note: If students do not have an offered loan on Web Advisor, they may not be eligible for a loan. Contact a financial aid representative for more information.

What is a subsidized, unsubsidized and PLUS loan?

Subsidized: The federal government pays interest while borrower is in school or under a deferment status.

Unsubsidized: Borrower is responsible for interest during life of the loan.

PLUS+: Loan available to parents of dependent students.

The parent must complete the Parent Loan form to apply for the PLUS loan. These forms are available in the Financial Aid & Scholarships office or on the web site. The parent will also be required to complete promissory notes.

How do I apply for a scholarship?

Scholarship applications are available on the web site. Scholarships may also be included in your financial aid package.

What if one of my classes is cancelled?

Since the class is no longer on the students’ schedule, financial aid may need to be adjusted. Depending on the time of the term, you may be able to add a class to avoid any changes with your financial aid. Students will be responsible for updating their schedule or paying any balance caused by a reduction in financial aid.

Will my financial aid be affected if I drop classes?

There are several points to consider before dropping classes. These are reviewed on the “Dropping a Class” flyer at www.sinclair.edu/services/finaid/pub/DropClassflyer12.pdf. Please contact a financial aid representative before dropping a class.

Are there academic requirements for maintaining my financial aid?

Note: As of October 1, 2012 our Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) policy was revised to exclude up to 30 credit hours of cumulative remedial course work from the maximum hour calculation. This policy change is effective for all regularly scheduled SAP evaluations from this date forward and will exclude remedial courses taken at any point during the student's enrollment at the institution. No SAP evaluations will be performed out of sequence in an effort to assist a student in regaining eligibility due to this policy change.

Sinclair Community College students receiving federal financial aid are required to maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) according to federal law. Academic records are reviewed for all students receiving federal financial aid or being considered for federal financial aid from the following sources:

Federal Pell Grant
Federal Work Study Program
Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant
Federal Direct Stafford Loan Program (subsidized and unsubsidized)
Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loan
Other programs as determined by the Financial Aid & Scholarships office

The review of a student's SAP status is based on the entire academic record. The SAP status is monitored after each term's grades are posted. Being eligible to enroll in classes does not mean the student is maintaining SAP for federal financial aid.

Sinclair's SAP policy is explained below. The SAP policy is applied to all federal financial aid recipients regardless of whether they have received federal financial aid previously. Also, Sinclair's Fresh Start Policy has no bearing on the SAP Policy.

Students will be considered to be maintaining SAP if they: maintain the required cumulative grade point average, satisfactorily complete the necessary number of credit hours, or Pace of completion and will graduate within 150% of the credit hours required to complete the program of study.

Grade Point Average Requirement:

Students must maintain a cumulative 2.0 grade point average.

Credit Hour Requirement or Pace of Completion:

Students must successfully complete 67% or more of the credit hours attempted since the first term of enrollment at Sinclair Community College. This includes all remedial/developmental course work. No SAP evaluations will be performed out of sequence in an effort to assist a student in regaining eligibility due to this policy change.
Grades of A, B, C, D, Y, P and S will be considered successfully completed. Grades of N, W, F, U, I, IP and Z will be considered credit hours not successfully completed.

Maximum Timeframe to Complete the Program:

Students must complete their program of study within 150% of the published length of the program as measured by credit hours attempted. Up to 30 credit hours of remedial/developmental course work will be excluded from this calculation beginning with all SAP evaluations performed after October 1, 2012. No SAP evaluations will be performed out of sequence in an effort to assist a student in regaining eligibility due to this policy change.

Additional Certificates/Degrees:

Students can pursue an additional certificate and/or degree. No more than two degrees will be considered for federal aid purposes. Students must have their Academic Advisor complete a Graduate Appeal Form so the Financial Aid office can determine how many credit hours are needed to complete the second program.

Student Attendance:

To be eligibile for federal financial aid federal regulations require that students receiving financial aid establish attendance/participation in coursework each term to be eligible for financial aid.
Class instructors will report student class attendance/participation through the Census Date for the course. Instructors will provide an attendance policy for each course. The Census Date is typically the 8th day of the semester.
Students who have not established attendance in any or all classes will have their Financial Aid eligibility adjusted. The student will remain enrolled in the course and may incur a balance owed to Sinclair.
Students may review the college attendance policy here and the attendance policy for on-line or hybrid courses here.
If a student has been reported as not beginning attendance in a class due to an attendance reporting error, the student may appeal the decision. The student will be responsible for requesting the appeal from the instructor who reported their non-attendance. The student will be notified through their Sinclair Gmail account when a decision is made regarding the appeal. Appeal decisions can take up to 10 business days. All appeal decisions are final and must be completed before the last day of the appealed course. The appeal form is available here.

Change of Major/Program:

Students may change their program of study. However, all credit hours attempted and grades earned will count toward the new program and be included in SAP determination.

Transfer Credits:

Transfer hours accepted by Sinclair Community College must be evaluated by an Academic Advisor. Students must have their Acadeic Advisor complete a Transfer Hour Appeal form to determine how many transfer hours count toward a student's program of study. These transfer hours will be used in calculating federal aid eligibility.

ESL Courses:

English as a Second Language course work will count towards the student's timeframe and completion rate components of the SAP policy.

Remedial Courses:

A student is limited to 30 credit hours of developmental course work while receiving federal financial aid. Federal financial aid programs will not cover any developmental courses taken after reaching the maximum 30 credit hour limit.
Remedial course work will count towards the determination Pace and/or GPA where appropriate.
No more than 30 credit hours of remedial/developmental course work will be excluded from the maximum hour calculation on any evaluation performed after October 1, 2012. No SAP evaluations will be performed out of sequence in an effort to assist a student in regaining eligibility due to this policy change.
Any remedial/developmental hours beyond 30 credit hours will be included in the Maximum Hour calculation.
If a student has only ever enrolled in all DEV classes and passes all of their DEV classes with an S or a P, they will not be placed on warning.
If a student does not pass all of their DEV classes, they will be placed on warning to earn a 2.0 cumulative GPA and possibly earn a 67% completion rate in the next term enrolled. This includes students who earn an N, U or drop a class with a W.

Repeated Courses:

Students who have failed a class may repeat it and receive federal financial aid for the credit hours.
Financial aid can pay for one repetition of a passed class.
However, if a student has passed a class more than once and wants to take it a third time, they can repeat it, but the credit hours will not be used in determining the amount of federal aid they can receive. Students in this situation can learn more by contacting the Financial Aid & Scholarships office.
A student may appeal a repeated course with an identical course number but different course content. The course must be required for graduation in the student's valid active program as described in the course catalog.

Warning Status

After grades are posted for each term, a student's SAP status will be calculated. Students who fail to meet the SAP requirements will be placed on warning for one term. Students will receive written notification informing them of not meeting one or more of the minimum requirements.
- A student who has not completed at least 67% of their total attempted hours, or is below the minimum 2.0 GPA for credit hours attempted, will be placed on warning. The student has one term to correct the deficiencies.

Suspension

If the warning requirements are not met, federal financial aid will be suspended.

Appeal Process

Students who fail to maintain satisfactory academic progress may appeal the suspension of federal financial aid if they feel they have extenuating circumstances. These circumstances must be documented and submitted with the appeal which will be reviewed along with academic transcripts by the Financial Aid Appeals Committee. The committee will also consider appeals for students pursuing additional degrees or certificates.
- Appealable circumstances include: The student's illness or injury, the death of a relative or other special circumstances.
- Appeals must include an explanation of why satisfactory academic progress was not made and what has changed that will allow the student to make satisfactory academic progess the next term.
- The student must provide supporting documentation concerning their appealable circumstance and their explanation of what has changed. Additional documentation may be requested in order to evaluate the appeal.
Appeals are currently reviewed on the 2nd Tuesday of every month, and appeals are due in the Financial Aid & Scholarships office on the first Friday of the month. Therefore, if you plan to attend the term, you must be prepared to pay your tuition, fees and books by the payment deadline date. The FACTS Payment Plan is an option for paying your tuition and fees.
Students will be notified by letter of the decision by the Appeals Committee. All decisions of the Appeals Committee are final.
If your appeal is approved, it will be effective for the current term if you are registered. Students may be reimburesed up to the amount of the accepted awards, if any. Otherwise, the appeal will be effective for the following term. Once the appeal is determined, it will not be changed.
If a student changes their valid active program after they have an approved appeal and before they have met the conditions of their appeal, their aid will be suspended.

Procedures for Re-establishing Satisfactory Academic Progress

Students may regain their eligibility for federal financial aid by approval of an appeal or:
Successfully completing the requirements originally requested under the warning status. Students must notify the Financial Aid & Scholarships office when they believe they have met the requirements necessary for reinstatement of aid.

How can I regain my eligibility for federal financial aid?

Students may regain their eligibility and have their federal financial aid reinstated after one of the following:

Approval of an appeal, or
Successfully completing the requirements originally requested under the warning status. Students must notify the Financial Aid & Scholarships office when they believe they have met the requirements necessary for reinstatement of aid.

Can I work on campus?

Sinclair offers students part-time employment opportunities on campus. Students can look for job postings and apply for positions in Career Services, Room 10312.

Positions are categorized as Regular or Work Study. Any student can apply for regular positions. Students must have a Federal Work Study award on Web Advisor to apply for Work Study Only positions. Students who do not have a Federal Work Study award may contact a financial aid representative to see if you qualify.