2011-12 CATALOG - Cascadia Community College

TUITION, FEES, AND FINANCIAL AID
TUITION, FEES, AND FINANCIAL AID
Selected academic programs of study at
Cascadia Community College are
approved by the Higher Education
Coordinating Board’s State Approving
Agency (HECB/SAA) for enrollment of
persons eligible to receive educational
benefits under Title 38 and Title 10, U.S.
Code.
Financial Aid Refund
Policy
A fair and equitable refund policy is
applied to all financial aid students at
Cascadia Community College. Students
who withdraw, drop classes, or complete
zero credits for the period of enrollment
for which they have been charged tuition
and received financial aid may have to
repay a portion of the grants and/or loans
they received, as well as any tuition
Cascadia returns to financial aid programs
as a result of withdrawal. This policy does
not apply to Work-Study earnings
received. Students who remain enrolled
through at least 60% of the payment
period are considered to have earned 100%
of the aid received and will not owe a
repayment of financial aid. If a student
completes at least one course they will be
subject to the Satisfactory Academic
Progress Policy, rather than the
Repayment/Return of Funds Policy. Please
note that the Financial Aid Repayment/
Return of Funds Policy and Cascadia’s
tuition refund policy are separate.
Funds are to be returned in the following
order:
1. Unsubsidized Stafford Loan
2. Subsidized Stafford Loan
3. PLUS (Parent loan)
4. Pell Grant
5. Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG)
6. Federal Supplemental Educational
Opportunity Grant (SEOG)
Students receiving the Washington State
Need Grant (WSNG) are subject to the
student Washington State Need Grant
Repayment Policy, as defined by the
Washington State Higher Education
Coordinating Board. Students who receive
only a Cascadia Community College
Grant without any other federal or state
funding will have the repayment and
return of funds calculated according to
the calculation described above. Please
contact Student Financial Services for a
copy of the entire Repayment/Return of
Funds Policy or for more details regarding
financial aid refunds. You may also view
the policy via the Cascadia website.
Rights
All financial aid recipients have the right
to inspect their financial aid files for the
accuracy of the information contained
therein, and to submit corrections.
Confidential information covered under
the Privacy Act may not be reviewed by
anyone else without prior written approval
of the individual concerned. Requests to
review files should be done in writing and
submitted to the financial aid office.
Responsibilities
The student is responsible for reading and
signing the “conditions of award” on the
Cascadia Data Sheet, for notifying the
Student Financial Services Office upon
receipt of additional outside income,
resources from scholarships and private
loans, and for submitting additional
documents as required during the year to
the Student Financial Services Office. All
information submitted to the Student
Financial Services Office must be true
and complete to the best of the student’s
knowledge.
Tax Credit Information
Please note: The following is general information
and individuals will be affected
differently based on their circumstances. Individuals
should contact their tax advisor or
IRS for assistance in claiming the tax credit.
Students must provide their social security
number to Enrollment Services in order to
receive a 1098T form.
The American Opportunity Credit
(previously the HOPE tax credit) provides
up to $2,500 per student on qualified
tuition and related expenses for the first
two years of post-secondary education.
The Lifetime Learning Credit applies to
all courses taken to acquire or improve
job skills, whether as part-time, full-time,
undergraduate, graduate, or continuing
education student. There is no limit on
the number of years that the credit is
available to a student. This credit lets
taxpayers claim a maximum credit of
$2,000 per taxpayer (20 percent of up to
$10,000 paid in higher education
expenses). It is available to parents of
dependent students or to students who
are not claimed as dependents on their
parents’ federal tax return. Taxpayers
cannot take both the American
Opportunity Credit and the Lifetime
Learning Credit in the same year for the
same student.
At the end of the tax year students will
receive a 1098T form from the college
that will list out-of-pocket expenses for
tuition. The 1098T is for notification only;
it cannot be sent in with taxes. To claim
the tax credit, students must complete
IRS form 8863.
Students must be enrolled at least halftime
in a degree or certificate program to
qualify for the American Opportunity
Credit tax credit. The Lifetime Learning
tax credit does not require half-time
enrollment.
Qualified Tuition and
Related Expenses
The terms “qualified tuition” and “related
expenses” mean the tuition and fees that
an individual is required to pay to be
enrolled at an eligible institution for
courses leading to a degree or certificate.
Charges and fees related to courses
involving sports, games, or hobbies are
not eligible for the credit unless the course
is part of the degree or certificate
program. Charges and fees associated
with room, board, student activities,
athletics, insurance, books, equipment,
transportation, and personal living
expenses are not qualified. It is up to the
student to determine which of their
tuition-related expenses are eligible.
Four Things to Remember
1. Students must provide their social
security number to the Kodiak Corner
main counter when they apply in order
to have a 1098T form mailed to them.
2. Obtain a copy of the IRS Education
Credits Tax Form 8863.
3. Recalculate the qualified out-of-pocket
tuition expenses.
4. Consult a tax advisor as to whether or
not the credit may be claimed.
Learning Resources
Campus Library
Library Collections
The Campus Library provides an array of
print and electronic resources designed to
support Cascadia students as they pursue
their educational goals. Books, journals,
and multimedia materials are selected by
librarians and faculty with Cascadia’s
curriculum in mind. Students also have
access to the collections of the University
of Washington Libraries to further
support their studies. The Campus
Library can be reached at 425.352.5340.
Services
The Campus Library features an
Information Commons, which houses
over 50 PC workstations that provide
internet access to CD-ROMs, databases,
and other web resources, Word, Excel,
PowerPoint, and other software. Students
16 Catalog 2011-12 Cascadia Community College