Policies and Procedures

Table of Contents

Introduction
Academic Year
Admissions/Ability to Benefit
Cost of Attendance
Verification Policy
Eligibility Issues
Deadlines
Board of Governors Fee Waiver
Professional Judgment
Cal Grant Administration

Additional Consumer Information is available.

I. Introduction

Santa Barbara City College's Financial Aid programs stem from a belief that student aid services should facilitate and foster the successful academic participation of financially needy students. As part of its commitment to students’ positive college experience, the Financial Aid Office provides this information to help students better understand their relationship with financial aid.

State and federal regulations allow community colleges participating in financial aid programs discretion when establishing college specific policies and procedures. This manual represents SBCC’s current practices whenever state and federal regulations determine that policy decision-making is the responsibility of the college.

It is the goal of the Financial Aid Office to provide students with the most current policy information affecting their financial aid while and SBCC. Accordingly, as new state or federal regulations take effect or college practices evolve, this manual will be updated.

For further information, comments, or questions please contact Brad Hardison, Santa Barbara City College Financial Aid Director.

II. Academic Year

Minimum Academic Year Definition

Academic programs offered at SBCC are calculated in units and measured by semesters. SBCC establishes two 16 week semesters (fall and spring) and one 6 week summer session per academic year. This meets the federal minimum academic year definition (30 weeks of instruction minimum).

For example, during the 2011-2012 academic year, instruction for the Fall 2011 semester begins Monday, August 22, 2011 and ends on Saturday, December 10, 2011. This provides 15 weeks of instruction. With the additional week for finals, the Fall 2011 semester is 16 weeks long.

For financial aid purposes, this definition is important because it affects how payment periods are calculated. SBCC makes financial aid payments based on the college’s semester. A student’s financial aid is calculated by semester, rather than by weeks or classes attended.

Programs Offered

SBCC offers an Associate in Arts degree (AA) and an Associate in Science degree (AS), both which meet the minimum academic year definition. In addition, SBCC offers certificate programs which also meet the minimum academic year definition. For the most updated list of certificate programs approved for aid at SBCC, refer to the SBCC participation agreement with the US Department of Education.

III. Admissions / Ability to Benefit

The SBCC Admissions Office ensures that students are beyond the age of cumpulsory attendance (18 years of age for CA) when admitting them as regularly enrolled students.

Applicants to the college who do not hold a high school diploma or it’s equivalent and who wish to receive Federal financial aid must demonstrate their ability to benefit from college enrollment. Ability to benefit is demonstrated by scores received on assessment instruments prescribed by the Federal government taken prior to approval for Federal financial aid or the completion of six college credits that are applicable to a degree or certificate at SBCC.

Students wishing to have their transcripts reviewed for at least six degree applicable units are asked to contact their financial aid advisor so that determination can be made by an academic counselor.

Students will be tested in reading, writing and computation using the College Board’s Accuplacer exam. ESL students will be given the opportunity to be tested using the Combined English Language Skills Assessment (CELSA).

Students will be assigned to either of these two ATB tests based on results of the College's regular assessment test.

Federal guidelines require that the passing scores for qualification for Ability-to-Benefit for Accuplacer are set as one standard deviation below the mean for students graduating from high school who have taken the exam in the past three years. This data is determined by the test publisher. The passing score for the CELSA is one standard deviation below the mean as determined by the test publisher.

Students must successfully pass the CELSA or or the Accuplacer to be considered "able to benefit."

Students will be required to use the time parameter established by the test publisher, except for applicants with documented disabilities who require extended time on tests.

Federal guidelines require that the College follow the re-test policy established by the test publisher. Accuplacer: Within any three-month period, ATB candidates may be permitted an initial test and one retest. There should be a two-week period between the initial test and the retest. If the candidate does not pass after the retest, he/she must wait three months from the date of the initial test.CELSA: The ATB candidate may take a retest at any time. For a retake requested in fewer than 15 days, however, an alternate form of the test must be given. Retests are allowed under the following circumstances: 1. The first testing situation did not reflect the student’s ability. Examples of situations where the student’s ability was not accurately assessed could be an interruption during testing, or extreme illness during testing. 2. The student’s ability has significantly changed since the previous test. This change could be the result of a learning activity such as classroom instruction. 3. The student missed passing by a few points. Scores received on the other College's assessment instruments used for placement of all new matriculated students shall not be used for purposes of "Ability to Benefit."

IV. Cost of Attendance

Cost of attendance refers to the average amount a full-time student enrolled in classes at SBCC can expect to spend during the semester. It is different for students living independently or at home, or who are residents of California or from another state.

Included in COA

The cost of attendance covers:

·Tuition and Fees

·Books and Supplies

·Room and Board

·Personal Expenses

·Transportation

Determination of COA

Every year, SBCC’s Financial Aid Office reviews the California Student Aid Commission’s most current Student Expenses and Resources Survey (SEARS). It is a broad survey of students’ budgets and expenses from UCs, CSUs, community colleges, independent, and private career institutions. If the survey is not from the current year, it is adjusted for inflation.

Then the cost of attendance information from two other nearby institutions is reviewed. The University of California, Santa Barbara’s student budget (if available) is considered because the school is in the same geographic area as SBCC. The California State University, Channel Island’s student budget (if available) is also consulted because it is the closest CSU.

Each year California legislators establish the cost for tuition per unit. The average amount of units enrolled at SBCC or full-time enrollment units are used along with information about health and transportation fees. This sets the amount for tuition and fees while information from the SEARS is used to establish amounts for books and supplies and personal expenses. Finally, UCSB’s student budget information about room and board and transportation is used because of the close geographic proximity and shared residential areas. If the data from UCSB is not available, the figures from CSAC are used.

In this way, the Financial Aid Office establishes a recommended cost of attendance.

The cost of attendance is subject to change depending on legislative activity. It sets the maximum amount of financial aid a student can receive for the year. It represents a modest budget by which a student can live adequately while attending SBCC.

Not Included in COA

Currently, SBCC does not vary cost of attendance for particular programs, including study abroad or online coursework. Neither does SBCC make any adjustments to cost of attendance using professional judgment.

V. Verification Policy

Verification Process

Each year the US Department of Education designates financial aid recipients whose documentation will be verified. SBCC verifies every file identified by the federal government as part of its own verification process. Financial aid recipients’ files are verified all year using a verification worksheet designed by SBCC which complies with federal regulations.

Verification Documentation

A dependent student is required to provide copies of the student’s parent’s tax return as well as the student’s personal tax return. An independent student is required to provide the student’s personal tax return and that of the student’s spouse, if the student is married. In both cases, only complete tax returns (1040’s with all schedules, signed by the tax payer or with the tax preparer’s stamp) will be accepted. For a student who has not filed tax returns, copies of the student’s W-2 forms are required.

Verification Deadline

Once a student is selected for verification, they are required to submit all documentation within 30 days of the date the letter was sent.

Secondary Verification

SBCC uses a secondary verification process specific to the campus. For example, SBCC verifies all the dependency questions except for age from the FAFSA, i.e. “Are you married?” If a student is independent only because they are married, then the marriage certificate is requested as part of the secondary verification process.

Eligibility Changes Resulting from Verification

If the verification process results in a change of a student’s financial aid eligibility, SBCC repackages the student for financial aid based on their new eligibility status and notifies the student with a new award letter.

Corrections are made in the Financial Aid System and sent to the Central Processing System through ED Connect. Students are notified of corrections through receipt of an acknowledgment form from the CPS.

VI. Eligibility Issues

Citizenship Documentation

SBCC uses any acceptable documentation in the Federal Student Aid Handbook for US citizens or permanent residents.

Conflicting Data

If in the process of reviewing a student’s financial aid file, SBCC’s Financial Aid Office notices conflicting data, the conflict must be resolved before awarding can take place.

Resolving Conflicting Data

The process of resolving the conflicting data is for the Financial Aid Office to:

send out a form to the student if appropriate
send an email to the student with a question or a request for additional documents
send an email to the student with a request that the student contact the Financial Aid Office
have a phone conversation with the student.

Timelines

SBCC will not award a student financial aid until the student replies and the conflicting data is resolved. Additionally, if conflicting data turns up even after the first disbursement to a student, the conflicting data must be resolved before additional disbursements can be made.

SAR Comments

The Financial Aid Office meets once a year to determine which Student Aid Report (SAR) comments in addition to the federally required comments it will resolve.

Resolving SAR Comments

The same process used for resolving the federal SAR comments is used to resolve the college selected comments. Students are contacted by email and asked to provide documentation or submit forms to the Financial Aid Office. This process can happen anytime during the year when an SAR comment is generated that needs resolving.

Monitoring Mid-Year Transfers

When awarding a student within the academic year, sometimes the Financial Aid Office determines that the student was not enrolled at SBCC during the previous semester, (i.e. awarding for spring and the student was not enrolled in fall). In this case, SBCC checks NSLDS to calculate what the student was paid in Title IV aid, (Pell Grants, SEOG, and loans), and determines if any of the student’s scheduled awards need to be changed. These adjustments are made manually to keep the students awards within the federal limits.

VII. Deadlines

Financial Aid Deadlines

SBCC lists deadlines for documentation on the Financial Aid Office website and in the Terms of Offer information available to students online.

Late Documents

SBCC does not accept documents that are submitted late. If there are extenuating circumstances, the student should talk to an advisor and the decision is made on a case by case basis by the Financial Aid Director.

VIII. Board of Governors Fee Waiver (BOG Fee Waiver)

The Board of Governors Fee Waiver Program is available to any California resident who meets the financial eligibility requirements or qualifies through another program. California state law pertaining to the BOG fee waiver allows community colleges discretion in certain areas. These are SBCC’s practices with regards to the BOG fee waiver policies outlined in the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office Board of Governors Fee Waiver Program and Special Programs 2009 Program Manual:

1.SBCC’s Financial Aid Office considers the summer session a “trailer” for the academic year. (3.1) If a student applies for a BOG fee waiver for the summer session of 2011, the student is in effect applying for financial aid for the 2010-2011 academic year, not the 2011-2012 academic year.

2.If a student wants to qualify for the BOG fee waiver under Part A then the student must submit the BOG fee waiver application with the appropriate supporting documentation. SBCC does not provide any other supplemental form for use with the FAFSA for BOG Part A eligibility. (2.2.2)

3.If SBCC Admissions enrolls a student without a social security number, then the student may receive a BOG fee waiver as long as they are a California resident and otherwise qualify for the program. (3.4.1)

4.A student who fails to register with selective service in accordance with the law (50 USC App 451 et seq.) may still receive a BOG fee waiver at SBCC as long as they otherwise qualify for the program. (3.4.7)

5.If a student signs the BOG fee waiver application and reports a registered domestic partnership, SBCC does not require additional documentation to verify the student’s status. (4.1.2)

6.If a student requests a dependency override, the student is required to submit the FAFSA. Then SBCC applies the same criteria used for federal purposes for that same student, doing so on a case-by-case basis and requiring the same documentation. (4.1.4)

7.If a student is independent only under the BOG fee waiver application criteria, SBCC accepts the information on the signed application without requiring any additional documentation. (4.1.5)

8.In order to qualify under Part A for the BOG fee waiver, SBCC accepts the following documentation: (4.2.2)

a.TANF cash assistance – the student must provide a copy of their current letter from the county confirming that the student will receive assistance during the period of time for which the student is requesting financial aid. The monthly cash grant must include the dependent student or be the sole source of income for the family. Students/families receiving food stamps or CalWORKs services but no TANF cash grant are not eligible under Part A,
b.SSI/SSP – the student must provide a copy of a letter from SSI/SSP stating their projected monthly benefits or a yearly summary. In either case, the documentation must span the period of time for which the student is requesting financial aid. The benefits must include the dependent student or be the primary source of income for the family. Other associated benefits such as Social Security Disability Income (SSDI) are regular Social Security retirement benefits do not qualify under Part A.
c.General Assistance – the student must provide a print out from the county confirming that the student will receive assistance during the period of time for which the student is requesting financial aid. Evidence of the student receiving food stamps or medi-cal is not enough.

9.If a student wants adjustments made to the student’s/family’s income for Part B of the BOG fee waiver then the student must submit a FAFSA and request special circumstances consideration. Professional judgment is not used by SBCC for the BOG fee waiver application alone. Any consideration will be in the context of a broader determination of a student's eligibility for all types of financial assistance as provided for in Section 4.4.2 of the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office Board of Governors Fee Waiver Program and Special Programs 2009 Program Manual. (4.3.3)

10.Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations requires documentation of those who are eligible for the BOG fee waiver program under Part B. SBCC requires all eligible students to self-certify their information and does not collect any additional documents. (4.3.4)

11.The BOG fee waiver is considered an award in the package of financial aid to meet the enrollment fee as assessed per the California Code of Education. The amount listed by SBCC is currently $504 per semester for students eligible for the program under part B. (4.5) This amount is determined annually by the following formula:

average full-time enrollment units 14
times cost per unit x $36
$504

equals BOG fee waiver award for Part B $504

For students who qualify under Part A, the amount to cover the campus transportation fee of $26 is added. The BOG fee waiver award for students qualifying under Part A is $504 + $26 = $530.

12.Students must provide documentation demonstrating eligibility for the Dependents of Law Enforcement or Fire Suppression Personnel Fee Waiver. SBCC requires a letter from the appropriate public agency indicating that the student is the surviving spouse, registered domestic partner or the child, natural or adopted of a deceased person who met all of the requirements of Education Code Section 68120. (5.6.1)

The letter must be on agency letterhead and indicate for the deceased person, that:
a. He or she was a resident of California;
b. He or she was employed by a public agency;
c. His or her principal duties consisted of active law enforcement service or active fire
suppression and prevention;
d. He or she was killed in the performance of active law enforcement or active fire
suppression and prevention duties.

13.SBCC establishes all students’ eligibility for the BOG fee waiver program the same day the student’s application is received. Thus, there is no “pending eligibility status”. The last day to establish eligibility for the BOG fee waiver for the fall and spring semesters is the last day of the summer semester. Similarly, students have until the last day of the summer semester to establish BOG fee waiver program eligibility for the summer semester. (6.2)

14.SBCC will reimburse students for fees if the student establishes BOG fee waiver eligibility after having paid the fees.

15. If SBCC determines that a student is eligible for the BOG fee waiver program at the time of application, then SBCC does not pursue the repayment of fees if the student later becomes ineligible for the program. (6.4)

16. Once a student has been determined to be eligible for one BOGW Type (A, B or C, etc), that BOGW type is not changed if the student later brings in additiional information to quality under a different BOGW type.

IX. Professional Judgment

Financial Eligibility

In cases of extenuating circumstances affecting a student’s financial eligibility, the student or the student’s parent can request special consideration by submitting the appropriate (student or parent) Special Circumstances Appeal form. The forms can be obtained from the Financial Aid Office or by downloading them from the financial aid website.

Student or a student’s parent should consider requesting review of the student’s eligibility if either experience:

1. loss of employment

2. loss of income due to divorce or legal separation

3. loss of income due to death of a spouse

4. one-time income

5. loss or hardship due to natural disaster.

The documentation required in each case is listed on the Secial Circumstances Appeal form.

Dependency Override

A student can request to be considered independent if the student does not meet the federal requirement by submitting the Dependency Override Request form. The form is available from the Financial Aid Office or by downloading it from the financial aid website. The required documentation is listed on the Dependency Override Request form.

Issues of professional judgment are reviewed by the Financial Aid Director for final determination.

X. Cal Grant Administration

Award Packaging and Notifcation

After appearing on the Cal Grant Roster, students are awarded Cal Grants if their file is complete and packaged. At that time, determination of the elgibility criteria for the Cal Grant award is done.

New and Renewal Cal Grant recipients are notified of their Cal Grants on their award notification from the school. Revised award notifications are emailed to students if the Cal Grant is added subsequent to the initial award notification. Students are also able to review their awards, including the Cal Grant, online via the campus student portal at any time.

Disbursement of Funds

Cal Grant B Access and Books Supplies payments are credited to student's account no earlier than 10 days before the start of the semester. The same is true for Cal Grant C payments. The dates of the earliest first and second disbursement for each term can be found on the financial aid calendar. Cal Grants are disbursed in two payments per term. Cal grant payments are adjusted at the second disbursement to account for the enrollment of student's at that time for the term. Cal Grants are disbursed weekly throughout the term as students become eligible for the funds. Cal Grant payments are based on classes that the student is attending or will be attending within 10 days. Disbursements from Cal Grant payments to student accounts are sent within 3 to 7 days of crediting the student account and verifying enrollment status.

Funds Credited to Student Account

Cal Grant B and C payments are credited to student accounts along with other financial aid. Cal Grant funds are used to pay for mandatory institutional charges in all cases unless the student notifies the Financial Aid Office in writing to not use their Cal Grant funds in this manner. This authorization from the student would affect future Cal Grant payments until canceled by the student.

Refunds and Repayment

Since Santa Barbara City College only awards Cal Grant B and C awards which are not specifically for tuition and fees, the college does not consider Cal Grants in the federal Return to Title IV calculations. Eligibility for Cal Grant awards (i.e. Satisfactory Academic Progress, Enrollment, Eligible Program, Default Status, Residency, etc) are checked at the time of awarding and again at the time of disbursement preventing the need for repayment.

Overawards

At the time Cal Grants are awarded, any overawards are resolved by reducing other aid sources or the Cal Grant award so students do not exceed need or Cost of Attendance. Prior to each disbursement, overaward reports are worked to identify any new overawards as the result of additional resources. Any students recieving Cal Grants would be part of those reports and any overawards resolved.