Federal Aid Eligibility

Federal Student Aid General Eligibility

Students must complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) every year. Your FAFSA must be received and processed by the federal processing system.

Additionally, students must meet all of the basic eligibility requirements below to receive Federal Student Aid:

• Be a U.S. citizen or an eligible noncitizen;
• Have a valid Social Security number (with the exception of students from the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, or the Republic of Palau);
• Be enrolled or accepted for enrollment as a regular student;
• Be enrolled at least half-time to be eligible for Direct Loan Program funds;
• Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress;
• Sign the certification statement on the FAFSA stating that
  • You are not in default on a federal student loan and do not owe money on a federal student grant and;
  • You will use federal student aid only for educational purposes.

The Office of Financial Aid will review a student’s SAP at the end of each semester to determine if the student has met the minimum requirements to remain eligible for Federal Student Aid.

Please refer to the FPU 5.00742 Satisfactory Academic Progress policy for additional information on SAP, including Warning, Appeal and Probation.

 

Cost of Attendance

The information you provide on the FAFSA calculates what is known as your Student Aid Index (SAI). The Office of Financial Aid uses the SAI to determine need-based financial aid. 

To view your cost of attendance, please click here.

Your eligibility for financial aid is calculated by this formula: Cost of Attendance (COA) – Student Aid Index (SAI) = Financial Need.

The Office of Financial Aid cannot award financial aid above the student’s COA.

 

Verification

If you have been selected for verification, you will be notified by the Financial Aid Department at Florida Polytechnic University. This process is a federal requirement with the intent to improve the accuracy of the information submitted on the FAFSA.

It will require you to submit additional documentation in order to determine your financial aid eligibility. Once the verification process is complete, your financial aid awards may be revised to reflect your correct eligibility. Failure to complete the verification process will stop your financial aid from disbursing and any balance owed for tuition and fees will become your responsibility.

*In order for your Federal Student Aid to process, this step must be completed if you have been selected for Verification.

Professional Judgment

The Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA), as amended, combined with the FAFSA Simplification Act provides the authority for financial aid administrators to make determinations when a student has unusual or special circumstances. The authority is known as Professional Judgment (PJ) and may be exercised on a case-by-case basis.

Unusual Circumstances

The Office of Financial Aid may grant a dependency override in cases of unusual circumstances such as (but not limited to):

• Abandonment by parents;
• Abusive family environments; and
• Inability to locate parents.

Special Circumstances

Special circumstances refer to the financial situations that justify an aid
administrator adjusting data elements in the COA or in the SAI
Calculation. Some examples include, but are not limited to:

• Significant change in income or assets;
• Divorce or death of a spouse;
• Unusually high medical care expenses; and
• A change in housing status resulting in an individual becoming homeless.

None of the conditions below qualify as an unusual circumstance to merit a dependency override:

• Parent refusal to complete the FAFSA or contribute to the student’s education;
• Parent does not claim the student on the taxes;
• Student demonstrates self-sufficiency.

Students who are unable to provide parent data and have a FAFSA that was rejected due to an unusual or special circumstance should reach out to financialaid@floridapoly.edu.

Adequate documentation must be provided before any professional judgment can be granted. Please contact financialaid@floridapoly.edu for more information. 

 

Withdrawals and Return of Federal Student Aid (Title IV)

Florida Polytechnic University’s Office of Financial Aid will complete a Return to Title IV calculation for any Title IV recipient who withdraws prior to completing a semester within 30 days from the date of determining the withdrawal.

Students who have withdrawn from all courses before completing more than 60 percent of the semester are not eligible for 100 percent of their federal financial aid.

The University is required to return the unearned portion of the Title IV funds to the Federal Department of Education.

Please refer to the FPU-7.0033P Calculating Return to Title IV policy for additional information.