Financial Aid

The Office of Financial Aid has full responsibility for administering all Federal, State, Institutional and Private student financial aid programs. Student aid can consist of federal Pell Grant, federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG), federal or private loans, federal work study, Teach Grant program and other related programs. Interested students may seek information at the Office of Financial Aid or log onto www.morgan.edu/financialaid and link to Financial Aid for related websites and additional information. The goal of the Office of Financial Aid is to assist in the efforts of students to meet their responsibilities to bear the cost of a college education. Students are encouraged to seek out other sources of aid, especially state and private scholarships, and to submit early applications for funding.

Procedures for Applying

1. COMPLETE THE FREE APPLICATION FOR FEDERAL STUDENT AID (FAFSA) FOR NEW OR RETURNING STUDENTS at: www.fafsa.ed.gov and submit it to the U.S. Department of Education for processing. Students seeking federal aid must use the FAFSA to apply for the Federal Pell Grant, loans, and most State aid and other programs discussed herein. Morgan’s school code is 002083
2. The Department of Education encourages students and parents to use the FAFSA DATA RETRIEVAL TOOL for reporting prior calendar year tax information that will be downloaded from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Copies of the IRS Tax Return Transcripts are the required tax documents that the school will use to satisfy a process called verification. Only under certain circumstances can the school accept copies of 1040s, 1040 or 1040ez.
   To request a free copy of an IRS Tax Return Transcript log onto www.irs.gov or make a telephone request at 1-800-908-9946.

Priority Dates

First consideration for aid will be given to eligible students who have completed applications that have been received by the following dates:

*Applications for the Spring semester and Summer Sessions will be accepted based on the availability of funds. Winter session aid will only consist of Pell Grant funding.

Avoid Processing Delays

For priority, file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) no later than February 1st for the Fall semester. Processing time may take 2-3 weeks;

Complete the FAFSA application form according to directions, making certain that all items are legible and completed accurately;

Contact the Office of Financial Aid if you have questions on how to complete the forms.
Use the Data Retrieval Tool (DRT) for faster FAFSA processing.
Submit all requested documents to the Office of Financial Aid as soon as possible.

Award Notification Process

The Office of Financial Aid will acknowledge receipt of all documents online by accessing the WEBSIS system. Students should retain copies of all documents. Offers of awards will be made within 10 days after information has been received and grades and other necessary information become available.

Students must electronically confirm acceptance of award offers by accessing the WEBSIS system within 10 days after receipt of the award notification.The award offer is for one academic year. Students must apply separately for summer and winter financial aid. Applications are available online at: www.morgan.edu or from the Office of Financial Aid, Montebello, rm.A-203

Calculation of Financial Aid

The award offers are based upon a review and determination of students’ financial need as determined by an analysis of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and by the Department of Education Federal Student Aid Program.

Once the “Expected Family Contribution” (EFC) has been determined and the cost of attendance at the university (including tuition and fees, housing, books, transportation, and personal expenses) has been considered, most financial aid award offers will be made based on availability of funds. Due to limitations of funds and the large number of eligible aid applicants, the University is usually unable to meet up to 80% of the student’s need. The student should expect to contribute to the cost of his/her educational expenses.

Disbursement of Funds

Awards are usually disbursed in two equal installments: one half the yearly awards for the Fall semester, and the other half for the Spring semester. Funds for direct expenses (tuition, fees, campus room and board) will be credited to the student’s account prior to the beginning of each semester.

Refunds/Cash Disbursements

Refunds/Cash Disbursements are processed by the Office of Financial Aid after determining if students remained eligible for the refunds/cash disbursements and allowing for adjustments based on enrollment changes, changes in housing decisions, and other changes. Funds are delivered to students by the Office of the Bursar.

Satisfactory Academic Progress

Policy: Effective July 1, 2011
In accordance with Federal Regulations Morgan State University (MSU) has developed a revised Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) policy. The university SAP policy measures Qualitative (grade point average), Quantitative (must have earned 67% attempted credits) and the Maximum Time Frame for completion of the program of study. This policy must apply consistently to all educational programs and to all students that apply for financial aid. The Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress policy may slightly differ from the university’s Satisfactory Academic Performance requirements that are located in the university’s catalog.

Purpose: The intent of this policy is to ensure that all students that are recipients of federal student aid are evaluated to ensure that they are meeting the SAP requirements developed by the university in accordance with the regulations and guidelines put forth by the Department of Education.

Students applying for financial aid through programs under the Title IV of Higher Education Act must meet SAP requirements in order to receive financial aid assistance from programs, such as: Federal Pell Grant, Federal SEOG, Federal Work Study, Federal Direct Loans, Federal Plus Loans, State Scholarships Programs, Institutional Scholarships and others that may not be mentioned but still require SAP monitoring.

Satisfactory Academic Progress is determined after each spring semester which is generally one year in length, unless otherwise stated and documented.

Procedure: To be eligible for financial aid, students must be making satisfactory academic progress. The Office of Financial Aid will determine aid eligibility by using the following criteria.

Undergraduate Students

Satisfactory Academic Progress Calculations:

To meet Sap requirements at Morgan State University students must successfully pass a minimum 67% of all accumulated attempted credits and have a minimum 2.0 grade point average (GPA), and be within the maximum time frame for completion.

Qualitative standard Students must maintain a minimum cumulative 2.0 GPA by the end of each academic year, unless otherwise stated and documented.

Quantitative standard and maximum time frame to accurately measure a student’s progress in a program, more than a qualitative standard is needed. A student who is maintaining a high GPA by withdrawing from every course they attempt after the first year would meet a qualitative standard but would not be progressing towards graduation. Hence, the university measures the cumulative completion rate.

Cumulative Completion Rate calculation: Example: If a student attempts 16 credit hours, and earns 11 credit hours. The completion rate calculation is the number of earned credits divided by the number of attempted credits = the cumulative completion rate. In this example, 11/16 = 68%, so the student’s completion rate is 68%.

Additionally, MSU has a maximum time frame in which a student is expected to finish a program. For an undergraduate program the time frame cannot exceed 150% of the published length of the program measured in academic years or terms or credit hours attempted, as determined by MSU. For instance, if the published length of an academic program is 120 credit hours, the maximum credits attempted must not exceed 180 (120 × 1.5).

Change of major, dual major, 2^nd degree, Consortium Agreements and Transfer Students

Generally, all periods of the student’s enrollment count when determining SAP, including periods in which the student did not receive financial aid. However, for MSU students who change majors, credits attempted and credits earned that do not count toward the new major will not be included in the SAP determination. This due to changing major SAP “reset”, maybe only done one time.

Students seeking dual degrees and 2nd degrees will have to be evaluated via the Office of Financial Aid Audit Credit Evaluation Form because only credits that apply to the educational programs that they are currently seeking will be counted for SAP purposes. Generally, the total acceptable transfer credits are added to the student records, but not all accepted credits go towards the actual degree seeking program. Therefore, it must be determined that students that are in one of the above categories must request an Audit Credit Evaluation Form from Office of Financial Aid to submit to their perspective Academic Advisor. Students are required to submit to the financial aid office the completed form with an Academic Advisor’s signature and phone extension, with no exceptions. In addition, if the student’s credits are close to reaching 150 %, a Credit Evaluation Form will assist the Office of Financial Aid with determining the exact number of credits that will be counted toward that program.

Consortium credits hours are treated the same as transfer credits.

Note: Consortium Agreement forms are online

Graduate Students

All graduate students must meet the Qualitative component of the SAP policy by maintaining a minimum 3.0 GPA. The maximum time frame is based on the statute of limitations and the required number of credits required for each educational program.

Repeating Courses, July 2012, Federal Regulation 34 CFR 668.2(b) and 34 CFR 668.20(d),(f)

Per federal regulations the institution will count credits towards enrollment status and award federal aid funds to a student who is repeat a class for a previously passed course. The school will not pay federal aid to students for retaking previously passed classes several times. While a student may be repeatedly paid for repeatedly failing the same course, the SAP policy still applies to each case. If a student withdraws before completing the course that they were paid federal aid funds for retaking, that class will not be counted as their one allowed to retake. However, if a student passed a class once and then is repaid for retaking the class and fails the second time, that failure counts as their paid retake and the student may not be paid aid for retaking the class a third time.

Withdrawal

Students that withdraw officially from the university should do so by contacting their Deans or designated official within their Schools to begin the process of officially withdrawing from the university. Students are instructed to get signatures from all departments listed on the Withdrawal Routing form. The Financial Aid Administrator will perform the Federal Student Aid Return of Title IV Funds Calculation to determine the amount of aid that the school is allowed to remain on student’s accounts or return to the Federal Title IV programs. Students that unofficially withdraw are treated the same. The Office of Financial Aid will determine the students last day of attendance per the activity date recorded by the Registrar. If federal aid has posted, the Office of Financial Aid will perform the Return of Title IV calculation.

Incompletes,

Students that received an incomplete in a course in the prior term and are completing the coursework in the subsequent term to erase the incomplete in the prior term, are not considered to be enrolled in the subsequent term. Therefore, the hours in the course do not count toward the student’s enrollment status for the subsequent term, and the student may not receive federal aid for retaking the course. However, if a student who received an incomplete in a course in the prior term is retaking the entire course for credit in the subsequent term, the hours in the course count towards the student’s enrollment status, and the student may receive federal student aid funds for retaking the course.

Remedial and Non-Credit Courses

A one-year limitation on remedial and non-credit courses applies. A student repeating a remedial or non-credit course that exceeds the one- year limitation cannot have the class included in his enrollment status.

Failing Satisfactory Academic Progress Requirements, Revised July, 2011 SAP Appeals

Students who become ineligible for aid because of unsatisfactory academic progress may appeal by submitting a typed letter along with supportive documentation attached to the Financial Aid Appeal Form explaining why the student failed to meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). The appeal should be submitted to the Financial Aid Appeals Committee no later than the online designated dates made available prior to each term. It can take up to 3 or more weeks to receive a decision from the committee. If a student’s appeals are denied, the student will remain ineligible for federal aid but can apply for an Alternative non-federal loan (see Financial Aid website for online lender information). Students may appeal a denied by the committee by submitting a second typed appeal letter and additional supporting documentation to the Director of the Office of Financial Aid seeking to regain eligibility for federal aid. If the second appeal is approved, students will be granted a one term only financial aid probation for the semester. The terms for a Director’s one term probation period are as follows:

• student must sign a written statement agreeing to these requirements:
• student must pass all credits.
• student cannot receive any grade of a F,I or W.
• student has to earn a semester GPA of a 2.0 or better.
• The decision of the Director is final. There is no further way to appeal.

Financial Aid Probation

If it is determined that a student should be able to meet the SAP standards, they may be given financial aid probation, which requires students to meet the Financial Aid Satisfactory Progress requirements by earning 67% of attempted credits and having a minimum 2.0 GPA or at the end of the one term probation period. Students must pass all attempted classes without receiving any I, F or W grades. During the probation period, students may continue to receive Title IV aid until the end of the subsequent semester. However, at the end of the one-time only financial aid probation period, if the student did not meet the SAP standards, the student can regain aid eligibility by participating in the Academic Plan.

Re-establishing Academic Progress with the Academic Plan

A student who loses financial aid eligibility because they are not meeting MSU’s SAP standards can regain eligibility only by participating in the Academic Plan Program. Students will meet with their designated faculty advisor, CASA advisor or Retention advisor to develop an academic plan. Once the Plan is developed, students must make sure that they are academically progressing for 4 consecutive semesters and either the Plan’s requirements or SAP standards. The Plan will allow students to take action that will bring them into compliance with the qualitative and quantitative components of SAP standards, and to help them stay on pace for completion of their program to graduate

Types of Aid

Student Financial Aid types consist Federal Student Aid Programs, Private and Institutional Student Aid Programs. More information may be found at www.morgan.edu/financial_aid/type_of_aid.html

1. Federal Pell Grant. Students must apply for the Federal Pell Grant to be considered for other types of financial aid. If eligible, the amount of their grant is based on the following but not limited to;
   1. The number of credit hours
   2. The cost of attendance, and
   3. Student’s level of need as determined by the processing of their FAFSA and the resultant Student Aid Report (SAR). The SAR will be sent electronically to the student by the federal processor. Students must read their SAR and carefully submit any needed corrections back to the Federal Student Aid Services.

The student’s signature (electronic pin #) means that he/she understands the conditions of the award. If the student’s Expected Family Income (EFC) is asterisked (*), he/she must complete a verification process through the Office of Financial Aid. In those instances where verification is required, a verification form and other forms can be obtained via the web at to financial aid at www.morgan.edu/financialaid. All forms are available at the Office of Financial Aid campus location; Montebello Complex A Wing, Room A203. Verification must be completed prior to the award of any type of federal student aid.

Students who use the Federal Pell Grant or other aid for only one regular semester in the academic school year may use the remaining portion for summer school attendance.

NOTE: Summer sessions financial aid applications are available online

Federal Work-Study (FWS) Program provides employment opportunities to students. If eligible funds are available, Work- Study allows a student to work on or off campus. The FASFA application results must be on file in the Office of Financial Aid before awards can be determined. All Student Work Programs must be cleared through the Student Employment Office (SEO). Students may work a maximum of 20 hours a week. Award amounts vary, and hourly wages are determined by the SEO and employment category. Federal Work-Study earnings are not credited to a student’s bill. Students receive a bi-weekly check for hours worked. Applications and Employment Listings are available online at www.morgan.edu/financialaid, as well as in the Student Employment Office (SEO) located in the Montebello Complex, A Wing, Room 223, (443) 885-3141.

Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)

FSEOG is a federal grant awarded to Pell eligible students in amounts not to exceed $2,000 annually. Further, this award is dependent on the availability of funds. FSEOG is for undergraduates with exceptional financial need.

Federal Perkins Loans

These loans are available to eligible undergraduate and graduate students. The Perkins Loan is a low interest loan to help students pay for their education. These loans are made through the Office of Financial Aid and students must accept the award on WEBSIS. The Office of the Bursar will contact the awardees via their MSU student email and will typically send students a package, including a promissory note, entrance interview, etc. The Perkins Loan is a Federal Student Aid Program; however Morgan State University is the lender. Repayment on this loan begins nine months after graduation. Enrolling for less than half-time or discontinuing study will also result in repayment of the loan. Payments are to be made payable to,

Campus Partners
P.O. Box 2902 Winston Salem, NC 27102-2902
Telephone: 1-800-458-4492
Web: www.mycampusloan.com

Eligible students may receive a Federal Perkins Loan to the extent to which funds are available. The Office of the Bursar-Perkins Office is in Montebello Complex, A Wing, Room 109, (443) 885-3108. An Entrance Interview and the Federal Perkins Loan Promissory note must be completed and submitted to the Office of the Bursar before disbursement of this loan.

Federal Direct Loans

Federal Direct Loans are low-interest loans given to students by the federal government and are disbursed directly to the school. The institution determines your eligibility and annual loan amounts student’s grade level and FAFSA information. The loans must be repaid with interest charges as indicated in the loan agreement/promissory note. The Federal Direct Loan Program offers subsidized and unsubsidized loans. With the subsidized loan, no interest is charged and no repayment is required until six months after you cease to be enrolled on at least a half-time basis. If you borrow the unsubsidized loan, interest will accrue while you are in school and during your grace periods. Like the subsidized loan, no repayment is due until six months after you cease to be enrolled on at least a half-time basis.

As an undergraduate dependent student you may borrow up to $5,500 for the freshman year, up to $6,500 for the sophomore year, and up to $7,500 for the junior and senior years combining subsidized and unsubsidized to an aggregate maximum of $31,000 (no more than $23, 000 of which can be subsidized) for your undergraduate studies.

Dependent undergraduate students are eligible for an additional unsubsidized loan at each grade level whose parents are unable to borrow. PLUS Loans will have to denied and documented by the loan officer and independent status will have to be verified by FAFSA data, in order to award additional funds.

As an undergraduate independent student you may borrow up to $9,500 as a freshman and up to $10,500 as a sophomore and up to $12,500 as a junior and senior combining subsidized and unsubsidized to an aggregate loan limit at $57,500 (no more than 23, 000 of which can be subsidized) for your undergraduate studies.

Graduate students may borrow up to $20,500 a year, and up to an aggregate loan limit total of $138,500, including loans made at the undergraduate level.

The amount students may borrow depends on the students’ financial need as established by the FAFSA and other information. Limitations are established by the Federal Government.

Offers are made through the Office of Financial Aid and students must accept loans on WEBSIS. New borrowers must log on to www.studentloans.gov to complete an Entrance Counseling session and electronically sign the Master Promissory. Students must be making satisfactory academic progress to be approved for federal loans. Further, before the students can receive loans, the University must first determine their eligibility for the Federal Pell Grant. For more information please contact the Loan Office, Montebello Complex, C Wing Room 200. (443)-885-3637.

Federal Parent Loans Undergraduate Students (FPLUS). FPLUS Loans are for parents who want to borrow to help pay for their student’s education. The annual loan limits are the cost of attendance minus all the other aid the student receives for that academic year.

The borrower must apply online for a Parent Plus Loan at; www.studentloans.gov. The borrower must be one of the dependent student’s parents. Once the Plus is approved the money will disburse to the school if the Plus Loan is denied the student will be offered an additional unsubsidized loan and must accept or decline on WEBSIS. The interest rate is variable, but it will never exceed 9 percent. Interest begins to accrue on the day the loan is disbursed, and borrowers usually have ten years to repay (excluding periods of deferment and forbearance).

Alternative Loan Programs.

The Alternative (private) Loan Programs were developed to meet the special financing needs of students and are offered through private agencies. Lenders may require a cosigner, have interest rates that are usually higher than the Federal Direct Stafford Loans, and have interest accrual from the disbursement date.

Institutional Scholarships and Grants

Honors Scholarships.

These awards are available to entering freshman with high SAT scores and high school grade point averages. For details, students should contact their Director of the University Honors Program, Jenkins Building, Room 101, (443) 885- 3429 or visit www.morgan.edu/honrsprogram.

Institutional Grants

These awards are available on a limited bases to new and continuing Morgan students, primarily based on need. Award amounts very. Students may apply online at the Office of Financial Aid website, by clicking the link to the common Institutional Aid application.

Admissions Grants

The Office of Undergraduate Admissions and Recruitment awards several types of scholarships and grants for new students. For details, students should contact the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. For details, students should contact the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.

Athletic Grants

Grants are available to selected participants on intercollegiate athletic teams. Amounts vary and are determined by the University Athletic Department. For details, contact the Athletic Compliance Officer, Hill Field House, (443) 885-3050

ROTC Scholarships

Four-year Army ROTC scholarships are offered by the U.S. Army to selected high school seniors who desire to pursue a military career. These scholarships pay for all tuition, books and laboratory fees and provide monthly stipends. Three, two and one-year scholarships are awarded to college freshman, sophomores, and juniors, respectively, on a competitive bases. For details, students should contact the Chairperson of the Military Science Department, Turner’s Armory, Room 115, (443) 885-3263.

Maryland State Scholarships.

To be eligible for many state programs, the student must be a Maryland resident and submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA must be postmarked by March 1st of the award year. Students may visit the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) homepage at www.mhec.state.md.us to view all of the Programs and Applications. Other states may have scholarship programs. Students are encouraged to contact their state scholarship administration.

Private Scholarships/Grants.

A limited number of private scholarships/grants are available each year through the institution. These may be based on area of study or other requirements. They also may be limited by student classification. For details, students should contact the appropriate department or school/college. Also, students should do regular on line private scholarship searches throughout the academic year.

or other requirements. They also may be limited by student classification. For details, students should contact the appropriate department or school/college. Also, students should do regular on line private scholarship searches throughout the academic year.