BOOKSTORE CHARGES:
If you have financial aid awarded to your account that is more than what you owe Columbia State Community College for the term, you may be able to charge books and supplies up to a specified amount at the Columbia State Bookstore (Columbia Campus and Williamson County Campus).
Bookstore charges are only authorized during certain times of the year. These authorizations are usually allowed for a short period of time before the beginning of each new semester.
If you are expecting a financial aid refund check, please be aware that charging books will impact your refund amount.
REPEATED COURSES:
Should you pass a course and decide to repeat the course in an attempt to improve your grade, please be aware that you may only repeat that course one time and receive Federal financial assistance to do so. Repeating a previously passed course and later withdrawing from the course with a grade of ‘W’ still counts as your 1 allowed repeat of that course.
LEARNING SUPPORT COURSES:
Per Federal regulations you may not receive Federal Title IV assistance for more than 30 attempted hours of Learning Support coursework (i.e. 0800 and 0900 level courses). This 30 hour limit is cumulative and must consider any and all transferred Learning Support courses from other institutions of higher education.
Should you reach your 30 hour limit and enroll in any additional Learning Support courses beyond your limit, you are responsible for paying related tuition and fee expenses out-of-pocket.
FINANCIAL AID DISBURSEMENTS:
Your instructors must verify that you are attending your classes before financial will disburse in a term. For some types of financial aid, such as the Federal Pell Grant, the number of hours that you are verified as attending impacts the amount of the award that is disbursed.
Attendance is reported to the Records Office by your instructors and must be reported no later than 14 days after a term begins. The 14th day of the term is called the Census Date. No financial aid, including loans, is disbursed to student accounts until after the census date.
FINANCIAL AID REFUNDS:
In the event that awarded financial aid for a term is more than what you owe Columbia State Community College in tuition and fees for the term, a refund of the excess funds will be issued to you by the Office of Business Services.
Refunds of excess funds may be direct deposited into an existing checking account or you may elect to receive a physical check. If you wish to set up direct deposit, please go to your MyChargerNet account and select 'Direct Deposit' under the Student tab. If you have further questions regarding refunds please contact the Office of Business Services at (931) 540-2530.
Notice: DO NOT pick up a refund check from the Office of Business Services if you a) have stopped attending classes for the term or b) you have not attended your classes at least one time.
If you pick up a refund check from the Office of Business Services and it is later discovered that you were not attending your classes at the point you picked up the check, you may be required to repay all or some of the refunded amount back to Columbia State Community College immediately.
DROPPING OR WITHDRAWING FROM CLASSES:
Before you drop or withdrawal from classes, please contact the Financial Aid Office to see how dropping classes or withdrawing from college could affect your financial aid. This includes all financial aid: Pell Grant, State Grants, Student Loans, Lottery Scholarships, Institutional Scholarships and VA benefits.
Please be aware that if you totally withdraw from classes for a term you may be required to repay to Columbia State Community College all or some of your financial aid for the term.
CONSUMER INFORMATION:
Due to federal regulations pertaining to the Federal Student Right-to-Know and Campus Security Act, all currently enrolled students at Columbia State and perspective students have access to information regarding campus security, financial assistance, certain institutional information including our graduation rate and students’ rights under FERPA (Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act).
The above information can be obtained from the Office of Student Services and/or the Financial Aid Office.
SATISFACTORY PROGRESS STANDARDS FOR FEDERAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE:
All students awarded financial assistance which is college or state controlled and/or through any Title IV* federal program MUST maintain satisfactory progress in terms of (1) semester grade-point average (G.P.A.), (2) number of hours completed each semester and (3) cumulative progress toward completion of program of study within a maximum time limit.
TITLE IV FUNDS POLICY:
Students who receive Title IV funds are required to earn these funds by attending classes through at least 60% of an enrollment term. Students who withdraw from all classes prior to completing 60% of an enrollment term will have their aid recalculated based on the percent of the term they completed. The Financial Aid Office encourages you to read this policy carefully.
Click here for more information on Columbia State Community College's Title IV Funds Policy.
RIGHTS & RESPONSIBILITIES:
As a student financial aid consumer, you have the right to:
o Be informed about financial aid application procedures, cost of attendance, aid available and renewal requirements. Additional consumer information is available from the Office of Financial Aid upon request.
o Confidential protection of your financial aid records. The contents of your financial aid file are maintained in accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.
o Appeal decisions made by the financial aid staff at Columbia State. A written appeal must be submitted to the Director of Financial Aid
As a student financial aid consumer, you have the responsibility to:
o Complete applications correctly and on time.
o Read and understand all materials sent to you from the Office of Financial Aid and other financial aid agencies; keep copies of all forms and materials submitted.
o Know and comply with the rules governing your aid programs.
o Comply with the provisions of any promissory note and all other agreements you sign.
o Register for the number of credit hours required and maintain satisfactory academic progress.
o Request personal assistance if you have questions or don’t understand the information provided to you.