Keeping Your Financial Aid

Unfortunately, financial aid is an ongoing process. Not only must you reapply for financial aid every year, but the OSFA must continually monitor your eligibility for aid. Please review the policies below.

Satisfactory Academic Progress
In order to receive financial aid, you must make progress toward your degree as defined by the OSFA. There are three components to academic progress:

1. Grade Point Requirement:
   Undergraduate students must achieve and maintain at least a 2.0 cumulative grade point average on all coursework attempted.
   
   Graduate students must achieve and maintain at least a 3.0 cumulative grade point average on all coursework attempted.
   
2. Completion Requirement: You must complete at least 73% of all coursework attempted.
   
3. Time Frame Requirement: You may attempt up to 170 hours without earning a degree. If you have earned your first bachelor’s degree, you are allowed 150% of the hours remaining to complete your program.

A complete copy of the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy is available upon request or view it by clicking here. Please read the complete Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy to see how your progress will be monitored.

The OSFA is required to review your entire academic record (regardless of the age of the record or whether or not aid was received) to determine if you are in compliance. If you are not in compliance, you will be notified in writing of your denial/suspension and the appropriate appeal procedure.

Dropping Classes
Your final eligibility for aid will be based on the number of hours for which you are enrolled on the Official Day of Record listed in the class schedule. If you register and then drop class(es) prior to that date, your eligibility for aid will be RECALCULATED on your remaining hours as of the Official Day of Record. Since financial aid is released prior to the Official Day of Record, students who receive a financial aid payment based on more hours than those remaining as of the Official Day of Record may be responsible for repaying a portion of any financial aid received. Dropping classes may affect your eligibility for future aid. You should consult the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy to determine if dropping classes will affect your eligibility for aid.

Total Withdrawal from School
If you register and then totally withdraw from all classes, your eligibility for aid will be RECALCULATED based on the number of days you attended class. If you totally withdraw from all classes prior to the first class day, you must repay any and all financial aid received. If you withdraw on or after the first class day, you may have to repay a portion of any cash financial aid received. See Return of Title IV Funds below. If you totally withdraw, you should consult the definition of Satisfactory Academic Progress to determine if your withdrawal will affect your eligibility for future aid.

When a Student Fails to Earn a Passing Grade in any of Their Classes
If a student who began attendance and has not officially withdrawn fails to earn a passing grade in at least one course offered over an entire period, the institution must assume, for Title IV purposes, that the student has unofficially withdrawn, unless the institution can document that the student completed the period.

As a result all or a portion of the student’s financial aid received must be returned to Department of Education, which will leave the student owing a balance to the University. The student will be responsible for paying the balance owed and will not be allowed to register the next term or apply for financial aid until the balance has been paid.

Return of Title IV Funds
The Higher Education Amendments of 1998 changed the formula for calculating the amount of aid a student and school can retain when the student totally withdraws from all classes. Students who withdraw from all classes prior to completing 60% of the semester will have their eligibility for aid recalculated based on the percent of the semester completed. For example, a student who withdraws completing only 30% of the term will have "earned" only 30% of any Title IV aid received. The remaining 70% must be returned by the school and/or the student. The OSFA encourages you to read a complete copy of this policy carefully. If you are thinking about withdrawing from all classes PRIOR to completing 60% of the semester, you should contact the OSFA to see how your withdrawal will affect your financial aid.

Remedial/Developmental Coursework
Federal regulations allow that only the first thirty (30) hours of remedial/developmental coursework be used to determine your eligibility for financial aid. Once you have attempted thirty (30) remedial hours, only non-remedial college credit courses can be used to determine your eligibility for aid.

Address Changes
PLEASE let us know how to find you. Notify us in writing when your address or phone number changes. Also, since our financial aid database is separate from the student records system, you must update your address and/or phone number with both the OSFA and the Admissions and Records Office.

Aid Received from Sources other than the OSFA
You are required to report to our office any aid received from a source other than the OSFA. Types of aid that should be reported include, but are not limited to: scholarships not awarded by UHD, tuition assistance from an employer or agency such as the Texas Rehabilitation Commission, Veterans' Benefits, tuition waivers under Texas Education Code or private educational loans (e.g., Norwest Collegiate, PLATO). Failure to report such assistance could result in a reduction or cancellation of your financial aid.

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