Appeals

Re-establishing Eligibility for Financial Aid

To be reconsidered for eligibility status, students will need to submit an appeal form with required documentation.  This form can be completed at FDTC Central.  This requirement is both for students who were suspended previously and have since increased their CGPA to a 2.0 and have passed 67% of the attempted credit hours as well as those students who have been suspended but have documented unusual circumstances that would have significantly contributed to their inability to meet the minimum requirements for SAP.

It is the student’s responsibility to provide all the documentation required at the time the appeals is submitted.  Students are encourage to read the appeal form carefully and completely.  The appeal form gives both instructions and examples of what is required.  If a student has questions concerning what documentation is needed, those questions should be addressed prior to submitting the appeal.  Financial Aid Office counselors will be glad to answer your questions.  Paperwork submitted without the required documentation will not be reviewed.

Appeal of Financial Aid Ineligibility

Reviews of SAP Appeals are done by committees of individuals who are familiar with the criteria of eligibility for federal/state financial aid.  The decision of the committee will be sent in writing to the student through FDTC student email.  The time frame for decision is usually within 10 – 20 business days, depending upon the quantity of appeals submitted during various times of the year.  It is the student’s responsibility to submit evidence that he/she has once again met the minimum requirements for eligibility.  In the case of an appeal due to unusual circumstances, it is the student’s responsibility to provide the required documentation for review so that a decision can be made.

If the SAP Appeal Committee decided to approve/reinstate a student’s financial aid eligibility due to unusual circumstances, the student is in a probationary status during which time he/she is required to meet stipulations set forth by the committee in its approval of the appeal.  Stipulations could include but are not limited to the following:

1. Pass all classes with a minimum of a C grade.
2. Do not drop or withdraw from any class during the semester.
3. Increase CGPA to a 2.0 in a specific time frame (Academic Plan).
4. Limit the number of credit hours attempted in a semester.

Failure to meet the stipulations set forth by the committee would place the student back on Financial Aid Suspension.  The student would then have the option to submit another appeal, following the same procedures as in the previous appeal.

If the SAP Appeal Committee denies the appeal, the student may still attend school but will not receive financial aid for the semester in question.  Once a student has attended for a semester without financial aid and has neither made a grade lower than a C, nor dropped/withdrawn from a class during that semester, he/she may submit an additional appeal for the SAP Committee to consider.

SAP Committee decisions regarding appeals cannot be appealed on the federal level.

If you have questions regarding information found above, you may call the Financial Aid Office (843-661-8085) for further explanation.