Financial assistance administered by NWF State College does not discriminate on the basis of color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability, pregnancy, or marital status. Specific criteria and academic standing information may be required for particular assistance or scholarships.
The mission of the Office of Student Financial Aid and Veteran Affairs Office at Northwest Florida State College is to remove financial barriers; to promote the success of a diverse student body; and to increase opportunities for access in higher education. We seek to provide a premier experience for students, faculty, and staff by providing timely communication and by providing courteous and efficient financial services while complying with all federal, state, and college policies.
Financial Aid Administered by Northwest Florida State College
Federal Aid: Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG), Federal Work Study Program (FWS), and Federal Student Loans
State Aid: Bright Futures, Florida Student Assistance Grant (FSAG), First Generation Matching Grant, and Scholarships for Children and Spouses of Deceased or Disabled Veterans
Institutuional Scholarships are also awarded by NWF State College. The application can be found at: https://www.nwfsc.edu/students/financialaid/scholarships/
Steps in Applying for Financial Aid
- Complete the NWF State College Application for Admission and Residency.
- Request appropriate supporting documents for admission (i.e. high school transcript, GED, college transcripts).
- Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at www.fafsa.ed.gov.
- 24 hours after completing the FAFSA, the student will receive a Student Aid Report (SAR). The SAR must be reviewed by the student for accuracy.
- Check RaiderNet after submitting the FAFSA for red flags (Federal Verification Form, federal income tax transcript, W-2 forms, SAP, etc.).
- If a student’s financial aid file is “complete”, then an award letter will be emailed to the student by the college’s Financial Aid Office. Awards listed on a student’s award letter are tentative and are not final. Awards can be either adjusted or canceled at any time due to enrollment, academic standing or availability of funds.
- Student loans are automatically awarded to students. You can accept or decline the full or partial amount of student loan monies on the Financial Aid tab of RaiderNet.
Timelines for Applying for Financial Aid
Applications for federal financial aid should be made well in advance of registration by submitting the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
| Fall Term |
Spring Term |
Summer Term |
| May 15 |
October 1 |
February 1 |
Students not meeting the priority timeline may still qualify for financial aid but may experience delays in receiving financial aid.
The last day for determining enrollment status (i.e. part-time, three-quarter time, or full-time) is the last day to register for full-term courses during each term. (These dates are listed on the Academic calendar.) Students must be enrolled in all classes that will be included in their enrollment status, including late starting classes, by the last day to register for full-term.
Enrollment Status
The amount of federal financial aid a student is eligible to receive is dependent on the student’s enrollment status each term based on the following table. Credit hours are computed using all developmental and college credits in which the student is enrolled.
| Full-Time Enrollment |
Three-Quarter Time Enrollment |
Half-Time Enrollment |
Less Than Half-Time Enrollment |
| 12 or more credit hours |
9-11 credit hours |
6-8 credit hours |
1-5 credit hours |
| 450 clock hours |
Clock hours/program length* |
Clock hours/program length* |
Clock hours/program length* |
*To determine enrollment status other than full-time, as established by federal regulation, the number of clock hours the student is enrolled in is divided by the program length.
- Enrollment status is based upon number of credit hours enrolled in at the END of schedule adjustment period each term.
- The amount of the award will not increase if students add a class after that schedule adjustment period.
- To retain enrollment status, student must attend all of their classes. Attendance for distance learning courses is defined as attending an orientation; participating in the course, as defined by the instructor; submitting course assignments, as required, to the instructor; or initiating contact with the instructor.
- Failure to attend any enrolled course will lower the award status and amount.
- Award emails are sent to notify students the disbursement amount based upon the number of enrolled credit hours.
Enrollment status will be determined by the number of credit hours or clock hours in which a student was enrolled on the date a student’s eligibility is verified.
Student Eligibility
FEDERAL PROGRAMS
For a student to be eligible for federal financial aid at NWF State College, a student must:
- Be accepted for enrollment in an approved program of study, have a high school diploma or GED
- Be a U.S. citizen, or an eligible non-citizen
- Not owe a refund or repayment on a federal grant at any institution
- Not be in default on a federally-funded or insured student loan
- Must maintain satisfactory academic progress standards
STATE OF FLORIDA PROGRAMS
For a student to be eligible for State of Florida financial aid (i.e. FSAG, FSAG-CE) at the college, a student must:
- Have demonstrated a financial need (complete the FAFSA application)
- Have met the advertised deadline
- Have been a resident of Florida for one year or be classified as a Florida resident by the Registrar’s Office
- Be degree-seeking (enrolled in an A.A., A.S., A.A.S., B.S., B.A.S., or certificate program)
- Have a 2.0 or higher grade point average (GPA) on all previous college work
- A student must have earned credit hours equivalent to his/her enrollment status during each term of the prior academic year in which state aid was received, (12 credit hours or 360 vocational hours for each term of full-time enrollment, 9 credit hours or 270 vocational hours for each term of three-quarter-time enrollment and 6 credit hours or 180 vocational hours for each term of half-time enrollment), and
- A student enrolled as a full-time student (minimum 12 credit hours or 360 vocational hours) is eligible for a full-time FSAG or FSAG-CE award. A student enrolled part-time (6 to 11 credit hours per term or 180 to 330 vocational hours) is eligible for a part-time FSAG or FSAG-CE award. Part-time awards will be prorated according to enrollment status. FSAG and FSAG-CE awards will be offered until the limited funds are exhausted.
All FAFSA applications for the Florida Student Assistance Grant (FSAG) dated May 15 or earlier will be given first priority in determining FSAG eligibility. All FAFSA applications for the Federal Work-Study Program (FWS) and the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) dated May 15 or earlier will be given first priority in determining FWS and FSEOG eligibility.
NOTE: An applicant who believes State of Florida financial aid has been wrongly denied has a right to appeal. The applicant may appeal to the Financial Aid Office if he/she believes an error has been made in determining eligibility.
Financial Aid Standards of Academic Progress
Satisfactory Academic Progress Requirements
To be eligible for financial aid, all students, including students transferring to NWF State College from another institution, must meet NWF State College’s standards of satisfactory academic progress for financial aid. Student academic progress is reviewed at the end of each term. A transferring student’s satisfactory progress will initially be determined from the student’s academic history at all previously attended institutions. Students who attended NWF State College in the past will be reviewed based on all previously attempted courses, regardless of how long ago they attended NWF State College, in accordance with federal guidelines.
Failure to meet one or more of the established standards of satisfactory progress will make a student ineligible for financial aid. Students who become ineligible for financial aid due to the failure to meet the standards of satisfactory progress for financial aid will remain ineligible for financial aid until they meet the standards or are placed on an Academic Plan as a condition of their approved appeal. Satisfactory progress includes all previous academic history, even if the student did not receive financial aid.
Standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress for Financial Aid
Below are the standards of satisfactory progress for financial aid. These standards apply to all students:
All students must complete their degree program before attempting more than 150 % of the total credit hours required for their program.
Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) for Financial Aid Eligibility Federal regulations (34 CFR 668.34) require a student to move toward the completion of a degree or certificate within an eligible program when receiving financial aid. Specific requirements for academic progress for financial aid recipients are applied differently than college Academic Standards, Warning, Probation, and Suspension. Federal regulations state that Satisfactory Academic Progress Standards must include a review of all periods of enrollment, regardless of whether or not aid was received. The student must meet all the minimum standards in order to receive financial aid.
There are three parts to the SAP rules:
Your SAP status is calculated using your entire academic record from all schools attended, even if you did not receive financial aid. This includes dual-enrollment credits from high school.
1.You must maintain a 2.0 cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA). This is includes all course work you have taken at NWF State College or any college or university (this includes college level classes taken during high school), regardless of whether or not you received financial aid for those classes.
2.You must successfully complete at least 67% of all of the classes in which you have enrolled. This includes all the course work you have taken at NWF State College or any college or university (this includes dual enrollment classes), regardless of whether or not you received financial aid for those classes.
3.You must not attempt more than 150% of credits needed for the level of degree in which you are seeking. All coursework attempted is included in these totals.
Financial Aid Warning Status
The first semester a student fails to meet the satisfactory progress standards for financial aid, he/she will be placed on Warning Status. While the student will continue to receive financial aid during this period, it is the student’s responsibility to restore his/her academic standing for financial aid be the end of the term in which the Warning Status is given.
Students who exceed the 150% Rule are not eligible for a Financial Aid Warning Status.
Failure to restore academic standing by the end of the Warning Status term will result in the student being ineligible for financial aid. Students can appeal their failure to meet standards of Academic Progress.
Appealing Satisfactory Academic Progress Requirements
Before submitting an appeal for financial aid, students must meet with an academic advisor and obtain an approved program of study. The program of study may be the basis for the student’s academic plan. The Executive Director of Financial Planning and Scholarships may consult with the academic advisor to develop an academic plan for the student who has appealed. This academic plan becomes the core of the approved appeal. Students should file a financial aid appeal as soon as they receive notification of their failure to meet the standards of academic progress, or no later than 30 days after the semester ends. Appeal forms and procedures are available on the Financial Aid web page at https://www.nwfsc.edu/students/financialaid/forms/
Transfer students must meet the established satisfactory progress requirements or submit a financial aid appeal. Students can appeal their failure to meet the standards of academic progress for financial aid if unusual circumstances exist. Unusual and mitigating circumstances include, but are not limited to, a death in the student’s family, medical condition, hospitalization, documented emotional distress, or other situations beyond the student’s control. While federal regulations make no provision for the concept of academic amnesty or academic renewal, students are allowed to appeal those courses that were considered to be old grades and thus “reset” their academic progress. The option to “reset” is at the discretion of the financial aid committee and can be used one time only.
All situations must be fully documented.
Students’ appeals are reviewed by the Financial Aid Committee. Students do not meet with the committee, and the decision of the committee is final.
Courses Paid for by Financial Aid
Repeated Courses
Federal regulations limit the number of times a student may repeat a course and receive financial aid for that course.
- A student may receive aid when repeating a course that was previously failed (received a failing or unsatisfactory grade), regardless of the number of times the course was attempted and failed.
- A student may receive aid to repeat a previously passed course (grade of ‘D’ or higher) one additional time.
- Once a student has completed any course twice with a passing grade (grad of ‘D’ or higher), he/she is no longer eligible to receive aid for that course.
- This rule applies whether or not the student received aid for earlier enrollments in the course.
- Students will receive notification if they are aid applicants and attempt to repeat coursework beyond the limits.
Developmental Courses
NWF State College approves developmental courses for the use of financial aid and includes developmental courses where necessary when determining a student’s enrollment status. Admission placement testing requirements will determine if developmental courses are needed in a student’s degree program. Financial aid will pay for no more than 30 credit hours of developmental coursework.
Clock Hour Programs
Clock hour programs (Dental, Welding, Law Enforcement, and Fire Science/EMT) are not paid in semester hours like the other programs offered at NWF State College. Financial aid pays for the entire program, but not by semesters, and eligible amounts may be subject to proration based upon the length of the program.
Program Objective Enrollment Compliance (POEC)
Federal Financial Aid (Pell Grants, Direct Loans, Supplemental Educational Grants, college work study, etc.) will only cover courses that are part of the student’s declared program.
A student’s eligibility will be adjusted to reflect only those courses that are within the program of study (i.e. full-time status vs. part-time status). POEC is determined by the electronic degree audit - NOT the student’s paper program of study. A student’s declared program must be chosen at the beginning of the semester. Changes in declared programs will not be effective for financial aid until the subsequent semester.
Random Selection for Verification
The U. S. Department of Education randomly selects a student’s Student Aid Report (SAR) for verification. Students selected must provide all the requested documents needed for this process (i.e. income tax transcripts, W-2 forms). NWF State College’s Financial Aid Office retains the right to request supporting documents it deems necessary from any student to determine financial aid eligibility. For this reason, the college suggests that students do not file financial aid applications until the tax forms for the family are complete and correct. Inaccurate estimates of income and taxes paid may require extensive processing delays and verification of corrected data. All financial information reported MUST BE CORRECT. Penalties or delays may occur if the data is incorrect or incomplete. It is strongly recommended that students and parents utilize the IRS retrieval tool when completing the FAFSA.
Return of Title IV Financial Aid Funds
When a student awarded federal Title IV aid withdraws from or ceases attendance in ALL COURSES prior to completing more than 60% of a term, a portion of the student’s Title IV aid must be returned to the federal programs. Title IV aid includes the Federal Pell Grant, Federal SEOG, Federal Direct Loans. Federal Work study aid and FSAG aid are not included. The college must determine the percentage of Title IV aid earned by the student. Up to the 60% point of the term, the percentage of earned aid is equal to the percentage of the term completed based on the day the student withdraws from or ceases attendance in ALL COURSES. After the 60% point of the term, the percentage of aid earned is 100%. If the student received more Title IV aid than the amount earned, the unearned amount is considered an overpayment and must be returned to the Title IV programs. NWF State College will be responsible for returning to the Title IV programs the lesser of the unearned amount of Title IV aid or the institutional charges (tuition, fees and books) incurred for the term, multiplied by the percentage of unearned aid. The student will be responsible for returning to the Title IV programs the unearned amount of aid (overpayment) minus the amount the college returns, and the amount of any unpaid institutional charges to NWF State College.
In some cases, when a student receives federal Title IV aid greater than the amount of institutional charges (tuition, fees and books), he or she will have to return a portion of the federal funds. A student will lose Title IV eligibility unless he or she returns the amount of unearned aid (overpayment) in full to the college within 45 days from the date the college notifies him/her of the overpayment, or signs a repayment agreement with the U.S. Department of Education after the 45-day period.
This policy is derived from provisions of federal law. Students receiving Title IV aid should consult with the Financial Aid Office prior to withdrawing from any or all classes.
Financial Aid Unofficial Withdrawals
Per federal regulations, schools are required to review students who received federal financial aid and failed to earn a passing grade in any of the classes. An assessment must be made to determine whether the student earned the non-passing grades while attending classes or stopped attending classes, but did not officially withdraw. Students who stopped attending classes may be required to repay a portion of their federal financial aid for that semester which will result in a debt to the college.
If a student follows NWF State College’s procedures and withdraws, the student will have an official withdrawal date and their financial aid refund calculation will be completed according to NWF State College’s refund policy.
At the end of each semester, all federal financial aid recipients who received no passing grades (any combination of F, FA, FN, I, W, WN) will be reviewed to determine if the non-passing grade was earned while attending or due to no longer attending the class. Reports are generated at the end of each semester to determine the students who received no passing grades. This report is used to determine if the student completed the term and earned the “F” grade or ceased attending prior to the end of the semester. Instructors are required to indicate the last day of attendance when a grade of F is entered. The last day of attendance is then used in the calculation of the Return of Title IV Financial Aid Funds.
Veteran’s Affairs Office
All new students are encouraged to visit the VAO at the Niceville campus in the Student Services Center for assistance with starting a record. NWF State College is approved for training by the State Approving Agency under the various veterans’ training laws. Veterans planning to enroll and use their GI Bill should consult with the Veterans Affairs Office (VAO) well in advance of their first semester. All new veteran students should refer to the Application Procedures at the college website on our Veterans Page to establish their VA record with the VAO. VA students are also required to be familiar with the NWF State College Veteran’s Handbook which explains our processes and the rules imposed by U.S. Code Title 38 and Title 10. Our Veteran’s Handbook can also be downloaded from the Veteran’s Page.
Training time for all programs, except Chapter 33 Post 9/11 GI Bill, is computed at full time, three quarter time and half time; please refer to your specific chapter payment chart at the GI Bill website. Chapter 33 does not have a half time rate; it is computed by dividing the student’s credit hours by the full time rate, rounding to the nearest tenth and multiplying by the E-5 with dependent Basic Allowance for Housing rate. Example: 9 credit hours divided by 12 = .75, which the VA rounds up to 80%. If the BAH rate for zip code 32578 was $1,356 a BAH payment at 80% would be $1,084.80 a month. Chapter 33 students will also receive a book stipend payment which is calculated at $41.67 per credit hour. Chapter 33 students who schedule all distance learning classes, (Online, Hybrid, Independent Study, & Video Conferencing), will only receive half the national average in BAH which is $805.50 for a full time schedule.
| Full-Time Enrollment |
Three-Quarter Time Enrollment |
Half-Time Enrollment |
| 12 or more credit hours |
9-11 credit hours |
6-8 credit hours |
| Chapter 33: |
Chapter 33: |
Chapter 33: |
| 12 or more = 100% |
11 = 90% 9 or 10 = 80% |
8 = 70% 7 = 60% |
NWF State College also has clock hour programs that the VA calculates on a weekly basis. To maintain full time status a student must have 22 clock hours per week for Applied Welding Technologies, 18 clock hours per week for Auxiliary Law Enforcement, Corrections Officer, Law Enforcement Basic, Fire Fighter, and Dental Assisting. Chapter 33 students in a clock hour program who are full time will receive $83 a month for book stipend.
Training time for the Summer Term and any accelerated session of any term is computed differently. Veterans are advised to contact the VAO before registering for Summer Term and accelerated term classes to determine training status.
All veterans who wish to receive VA benefits must provide a signed Enrollment Certification Request Drop/Add form each semester, available on our website. VA students must submit a new Enrollment Certification Request Drop/Add form for all schedule changes, to include (drop, withdrawal, never attending, reinstatement or termination of attendance). Note: VA student attendance is reported to the VA and will affect benefit payments. A Chapter 33 student’s tuition is paid directly to the college by the VA. Chapter 35, 30, 1606, and 1607 students are responsible for paying their tuition by the due date; these students, including Chapter 33 students who do not have a Certificate of Eligibility, can use a VA deferment once a school year.
Veterans’ Fee Deferment Policy
Any eligible VA student who wishes to pursue an approved program of study shall be granted upon request, a deferment for full payment of fees for a period determined by the Business Office, once per school year (August through July). Under no circumstances shall any person be allowed to enroll or re-enroll at NWF State College who has an unpaid fee deferment. A student who defaults on a VA deferment will lose the right to receive future deferments.
|
