There are several policies and regulations that pertain to the awarding and disbursing of financial aid funds. This section covers the most common financial aid policies and regulations.
FAFSA Verification Process
The U.S. Department of Education chooses applications to verify at random; this process is called Verification and it is used to ensure the information reported on your FAFSA is accurate. In order to successfully complete the verification process, you must submit certain required documents to the Office of Financial Aid. Your documents will be matched against the information you reported on your FAFSA.
If your application must be verified, aTo Do List” item will be posted in your CUNYfirst Student Center. You will also receive an e-mail notification instructing you what to submit to the Office of Financial Aid. After you submit your information, your application will be reviewed and, if necessary, corrected. This process can take up to 2-4 weeks during peak time. For additional information on how to submit your documents click here.
Once you have submitted the required information to the Office of Financial Aid, make no further changes to your application unless you contact the Office of Financial Aid first. Your awards will be calculated based on information from your FAFSA submission and any verification documentation you may have been required to submit. A Financial Aid Offer Letter will be emailed to you once your eligibility is determined.
Financial Aid Certification Date
Guttman Community College has a modular academic calendar that allows students to enroll in two sessions per term (Fall 1/Fall 2 and Spring 1/Spring 2). Financial aid eligibility is determined based on numerous factors such as a student’s matriculation, cost of attendance (COA), Estimated Family Contribution (EFC) or Student Aid Index (SAI), remaining financial aid, academic standing, and enrollment (amount of credits as student is enrolled in). Your enrollment for the term (which includes both sessions) is locked on the 7th day of the term. Please refer to the Academic Calendar for details. For financial aid purposes, your enrollment for the term is locked on the 7th day of the term; as such, it is important to pre-register for your Session 2 courses, prior to the 7th day of the term (if applicable). Your financial aid awards will be based on the enrollment locked in on the 7th day of the term. If you need to adjust your enrollment/class schedule, the Office of Financial Aid advises that you speak to an academic advisor and a financial aid counselor prior to making changes to your enrollment as this may affect your financial aid awards for the term.
Withdrawals and Return of Federal Student Aid
Federal Student Aid regulations specify that students “earn” their Federal Student Aid according to the number of days they attend class each term. The amount of aid that a student may keep is in direct proportion to the length of time the student attends classes during the term. In cases where a student completely withdraws (W, WD, WA or WU grades assigned) from Guttman Community College before the end of a term, Guttman must determine whether a portion of that student’s federal aid must be returned to the U.S. Department of Education; this is done through a calculation known as Return of Title IV – R2T4.
Once more than 60% of the session or term has passed, the student has earned 100% of the Federal Student Aid awarded for that term; however, eligibility for subsequent terms may be impacted (refer to the Federal Satisfactory Academic Progress section for additional information). Federal Student Aid funds that are considered in the Return of Title IV Funds calculation include Pell Grant, FSEOG, Direct Loan (Subsidized and Unsubsidized) and PLUS Loans (Parent PLUS and Graduate Plus). If the student did not earn 100% of their aid and funds need to be returned, this may result in an outstanding balance on the student’s account with Guttman Community College; it is the student’s responsibility to pay the unearned aid back to the college.
| 60+% Dates for Session/Term | |
| Fall 2023 – Session 1 Only | Sunday, November 5th, 2023 |
| Fall 2023 Term (Session 1 and 2) | Monday, December 11th, 2023 |
| Fall 2023 – Session 2 Only | Saturday, February 3rd, 2024 |
| Spring 2024 – Session 1 Only | Thursday, May 9, 2024 |
| Spring 2024 Term (Session 1 and 2) | Monday, June 10, 2024 |
| Spring 2024 – Session 2 Only | Saturday, July 20, 2024 |
Unofficial Withdrawal
When a student stops attending classes during a semester and does not officially withdraw, they will be assigned an unofficial withdrawal grade of “WU”. At the end of each session, the Registrar’s Office will receive grade rosters where the instructor notifies the office of students who have stopped attending the course. In such cases, the Office of Financial Aid will perform the Return of Title IV (R2T4) calculation and determine how much Federal Student Aid the student has earned.
It is recommended that you speak with your professors, academic advisors and financial aid advisors when considering withdrawing from your courses.
Failure to attend one or more Courses (WN grades)
If you receive a WN administrative grade in one or more of your courses, it means that the instructor has reported that you have never attended the course. A WN administrative grade affects financial aid eligibility and may create a balance on your account, which is your responsibility as a student to pay back to Guttman Community College. A WN administrative grade is not eligible for financial aid and does not count towards your enrollment for the session or term.
If you decide not to attend Guttman Community College, it is your obligation to properly notify the college and dropping your classes. Refer to the Academic Calendar to determine when to drop your classes to avoid incurring a tuition liability. Non-attendance of classes does not classify as an official withdrawal, and does not relieve you of your financial obligation as a student.
Lifetime Eligibility Usage (LEU)
Did you know there’s a maximum amount of Federal Pell grant funds you can receive over your lifetime as an undergraduate student?
The amount of Federal Pell grant funds you may receive over your lifetime as an undergraduate student is limited by federal law to be the equivalent of six (6) years of Pell grant funding. Since the amount of a scheduled Pell grant you can receive each award year is equal to 100%, six years of Pell eligibility is equivalent to 600%.
How is Federal Pell grant LEU Calculated?
Scheduled award: The maximum amount of Federal Pell Grant funding you can receive is calculated for an award year. An award year is a period from July 1 of one calendar year to June 30 of the next calendar year.
Your scheduled award:
- is partially determined by using your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) or Student Aid Index (SAI) that is calculated from the information you and your family provided when you filed your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form;
- is the maximum amount you would be able to receive for the award year if you were enrolled full-time for the full school year; and
- represents 100% of your Pell grant eligibility for that award year.
If your LEU equals or exceeds 600%, you may no longer receive Pell grant funding. Similarly, if your LEU is greater than 500% but less than 600%, while you will be eligible for a Pell grant for the next award year, you will not be able to receive a full scheduled award.
Where can you see the LEU percentage?
You can log in to “My Aid” using your FSA ID to view your LEU percentage.
Federal Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)
Guttman Community College students who receive Federal Student Aid ( also known as Title IV) must maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) according to the CUNY SAP policy in order to receive and maintain eligibility for their Federal Student Aid. Failure to maintain SAP will result in the loss of future eligibility.
SAP Requirements for Federal Student Aid
Federal Satisfactory Academic Progress is evaluated annually at the end of the Spring II session. In order for a student to receive Federal Student Aid, they must meet all three requirements listed below:
- Minimum GPA – To be in good academic standing, a student is required to earn a minimum GPA based on attempted credits* as follows:
0.5 – 12 attempted credits | a minimum GPA of 1.5 is required |
13 – 24 attempted credits | a minimum GPA of 1.75 is required |
Over 24 attempted credits | a minimum GPA of 2.0 is required |
- Maximum Time Frame – For Federal Student Aid purposes, a student may not attempt more than 150% of the credits required for completion of their degree. For example: if the program of study requires 60 credits for a student to graduate with an Associate’s degree, a student cannot attempt more than 90 credits.
- Pace of Progression – A student must successfully complete** a minimum number of credits based on the total number of attempted credits* according to the following (For Associate Degree Programs):
| ATTEMPTED CREDITS* | 12 | 18 | 24 | 30 | 36 | 42 | 48 | 54 | 60 | 66 | 72 | 78 | 84 | 90 |
| EARNED CREDITS | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 13 | 19 | 23 | 27 | 33 | 39 | 44 | 49 | 55 | 61 |
*Attempted credits are courses for which a student registered and did not drop before the add/drop period of the semester as per the schools’ academic calendar.
**Successfully completed is defined as having received grades of “A, B, C, D, or P.”
Grades of “F, FIN, W, WA, WD, WU, INC, or Z” count as attempted credits; however, they do not count as successfully completed courses.
For more information about grading policy and the academic calendar, visit the Office of the Registrar website.
New York State Academic Progress Standards
Students receiving NYS awards must show evidence of good academic standing by meeting program pursuit standards and reaching specific benchmarks of academic progress. For NYS financial aid purposes, good academic standing consists of two elements: Program Pursuit and Satisfactory Academic Progress. An award recipient who fails to maintain good academic standing by not meeting the program pursuit or the academic progress requirement loses eligibility for further NYS awards until he or she is reinstated in good standing.
Meeting the New York State Academic Progress standard requires that the student (1) accumulate at least 6 degree credits by the end of the second semester and between 12-15 credits each semester thereafter AND (2) attain a minimum grade point average (GPA) as specified by CUNY for each TAP payment requested.
Grade Point Average (GPA): New York State requires each student to maintain a minimum cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) as specified in the chart(s) below for each payment.
Cumulative Credit Hours Earned: A student is required to have accumulated a specific number of units (credits) to maintain their academic progress for a New York State award.
NYS Academic Progress Chart
To receive payments under New York State Tuition Assistance Programs each student must maintain good academic standing. NYS Satisfactory Academic Progress has two components:
- students must accumulate credits toward the degree at a certain rate and
- maintain a minimum grade point average in each term a state award payment is received.
Academic Progress for students who received their first NYS award in the 2010-2011 school year or after and have no remedial (non-credit) coursework their first semester. Meeting the Academic Progress Standard requires that you meet the requirements listed in the chart below:
| Associate 2 Year Program: Students First NYS Award Payment in 2010-11 and After – Non-remedial | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Before Being Certified for This Payment | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th |
| A Student Must Have Accrued at Least This Many Credits | 0 | 6 | 15 | 27 | 39 | 51 |
| With at Least This Grade Point Average | 0 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 1.8 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
Program Pursuit
Program pursuit is defined as completing a certain percentage of degree-specific course work each term. Meeting Program Pursuit requires that you complete the specified percentage of a minimum full-time or part-time course load for each payment received.
| Program Pursuit | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| In semester # | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| Complete this % | 50 | 50 | 75 | 75 | 100 | 100 |
ADA Part-Time TAP
Education Law section 661(d)(4) provides that for students who are disabled as defined by the Americans with Disability Act of 1990, “the full-time attendance requirement is eliminated. Such disabled students may be in part-time attendance, as defined by the commissioner in order to be eligible to receive payments. . .”
ADA Part-Time TAP recipients must meet all TAP eligibility requirements. Prior to the 2015-16 academic year, good academic standing was determined using the same satisfactory academic progress standard used for Aid for Part-Time Study—that was, for each ADA Part-Time TAP award, a recipient had two semesters to meet the progress standard.
Beginning with the 2015-2016 academic year, for ADA students who received their first state award during the 2010-2011 academic year and thereafter and who are enrolled less than full-time, good academic standing will be determined using new SAP standards which does not modify the requirements for disabled students, but aligns them to be equivalent with those required of full-time students.
| Program: Associate Program Calendar: Semester 2015-16 and thereafter (ADA Part-time students) |
||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Before Being Certified for This Payment | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th |
| A Student Must Have Accrued at Least This Many Credits | 0 | 3 | 9 | 18 | 30 | 42 | 51 | 60 |
| With at Least This Grade Point Average | 0 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 1.8 | 2.00 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
More information can be found on the New York State Higher Education Services Corporation’s (HESC) Website.
Students who have lost eligibility to TAP due to the loss of good academic standing may submit an appeal to have their aid reinstated if they experienced exceptional or extenuating circumstances beyond their control. For additional information, refer to the New York State Aid Appeals.
Release of Student Information
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1976, as amended and contained in the Code of Federal Regulations (34 CFS 99, subpart D99.30), requires a written and dated consent from any student before disclosing personal identifiable information from the student’s educational/financial records.
Once a student reaches 18 years of age or attends a postsecondary institution, he or she becomes an “eligible student,” and all rights formerly given to parents under FERPA transfer to the student.
A student’s consent is required to disclose personally identifiable information contained in a student’s education records to a third person. For more information about completing the FERPA Release Form, please visit the Hub Student Information Center on the 3rd floor.
Code of Conduct
CUNY’s Code of Conduct – The provisions of this Model Code of Conduct apply to all employees of CUNY or of any of its constituent colleges or units.