Student Handbook - Wilson Community College

• Must attend class and have their attendance verified by their instructor.• Must be enrolled in an eligible degree, diploma, or certificate program. Students enrolled insome diploma and certificate programs will have their financial aid eligibility determinedby clock or contact hours rather than credit hours. The number of hours required to befull-time is subject to change by legislative action. All diploma and certificate studentsare encouraged to talk with FA before registration each semester.• Only courses required in a student’s chosen program(s) of study will be counted towardfinancial aid eligibility, unless approved by the Director of Admissions/Registrar and/orthe Dean of Student Development.• If a student reduces the number of credit hours for course load or withdraws from a coursewithin a certain specified period of time during the semester, the student’s award will berecalculated to reflect current course load at that time.• If a student withdraws during the period prior to the 60% point of the semester, the awardmust be recalculated to determine the amount of Title IV Federal aid the student did notearn, and the student is usually responsible for repayment of these funds. Failure to repayan overpayment results in a loss of financial aid eligibility.• Hours for courses being repeated when the student has previously passed the course or hasapproved transfer credit will be counted for Pell eligibility one time only.• The Higher Education Act of 2008 reauthorized Pell Grants, set new maximum annualawards, and set a maximum number of semesters any student can receive a Pell Grant atany institution of post-secondary education.Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grants (SEOG)SEOG is a federally subsidized program. Awards are based on exceptional financial need andacademic promise. These grants are available to a limited number of students. Eligibilitymust be established with the Financial Aid Office. The College requires SEOG recipients tomaintain a 2.7 or higher cumulative grade point average. Students are encouraged to submittheir FAFSA early, as SEOG awards are distributed on a first come-first served basis.Federal Work Study (FWS)The Federal Work Study (FWS) Program is a federally funded program to provide a limitedamount of funds for the employment of students who are eligible for federal financial aid andwho demonstrate need as determined by the FAFSA. Eligible students must also have beenaccepted to the College and are enrolled in a qualified curriculum program, must be in goodacademic standing with the College and must maintain satisfactory academic progress, mustbe a US citizen or eligible non-citizen, and must authorize a criminal background check priorto their beginning work at the College. Past criminal records will not automatically disqualifya student from College Work Study. Questions should be directed to the Dean of StudentDevelopment. The College’s Human Resources Office will conduct the background checkand results will be considered confidential, will not become a part of the student’s educationalrecord, and will not be used to make any admissions, financial aid (other than Work Study), oracademic decisions, other than where required by law. The student authorizing the backgroundcheck may be made aware of the results if they make such a written request to the Dean ofStudent Development.The FWS program provides jobs for students with financial need, allowing them to earn moneyto help pay educational expenses. The average workload is 10 hours or less per week. Duringvacation periods, the student may work up to 28 hours per week. The basic rate of pay is$7.25 per hour. On-campus jobs include work in offices, shops, the library, and maintenance.Students participating in the FWS program will be paid on the last day of each month for hoursworked the previous month.34