Financial Aid Eligibility

Students should be accepted for admission to the college before any action can be taken on their application for federal financial assistance, including scholarships, student employment, grants, or loans. A student should meet the following eligibility requirements to receive federal assistance:

• enroll in an eligible program of study (PDF)
• submit official high school and college transcripts to Student Records
• have a high school diploma or GED
• be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen
• not be a member of a religious community that directs the program of study or provides maintenance
• not be in default on or owe a repayment a Title IV grant or loan received for attendance at any institution
• not have borrowed in excess of Title IV loan limits
• maintain satisfactory academic progress
• not be enrolled concurrently in an elementary or secondary school
• provide a valid social security number
• maintain correct mailing address with Central Piedmont Student Records — this is the address we use for all financial aid correspondence
• complete and submit all requested correspondence before the semester's priority date; students who fail to meet the deadline will have to pay out-of-pocket and financial aid will reimburse according to eligibility

Students should fill out a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Aid) each year regardless of the financial aid they may have been awarded in the past. A student’s financial situation is rarely exactly the same as it was in a previous year. A student that does not fill out a FAFSA may be missing out on some forms of financial aid that they may have been eligible for had they completed the FAFSA.

Students who are in default on long-term loans (Federal Perkins Loan or Federal Family Educational Loans or Direct loans) received from any post-secondary institution will not be considered for federal financial aid at Central Piedmont until their default status is cleared.

There is no income cutoff for which a student may or may not qualify for financial aid. The analysis procedure determines each student's financial need based upon a number of variables: income, family size, investments, number of family members enrolled at least half-time in college, medical expenses, assets, etc. All students are urged to apply for financial aid for an accurate and professional evaluation, regardless of parents' income level, because income is only one consideration.

Financial aid can only cover state-approved degrees or federal-approved certificates. Certificate programs need to be at least 16 credit hours in length to be eligible; however, not all 16-hour certificate programs are eligible programs. In addition, financial aid will only cover required courses in your program of study.

You may take up to 30 credits of developmental course work and receive financial aid even though those courses are not required in your program of study.

Continuing Education courses, audit courses, or credit by exam courses are not eligible for financial aid. 

To determine which courses are eligible: 

• Log in to your Central Piedmont MyCollege account.
• Select: Academics, then Student Planning, then My Progress.
• Choose your active program.

If you are enrolled in a program that is not eligible  for financial aid, you will be notified through your Central Piedmont MyCollege account. The ineligible program will be listed under Financial Aid in MyCollege as a required document/item. If you are enrolled in an ineligible program, contact your advisor and have your program updated to reflect an eligible program. Once your program is updated, notify the Financial Aid Office of the change.

Required enrollment status for financial aid per semester — fall, spring, summer:

• full time status: 12 or more credit hours
• three-quarter-time: 9–11 credit hours
• half-time: 6–8 credit hours
• less-than-half-time: 1–5 credit hours

Enrollment Intensity

Enrollment intensity is a percentage that represents how many units you are taking compared to a full-time course load. Your Pell Grant award will be calculated based on the enrollment intensity percentage, rather than the enrollment status level categories listed above. The enrollment intensity system provides a more flexible and accurate way to calculate your Pell Grant, tailoring the award amount to your actual enrollment level rather than fitting into broad categories. Keep in mind, the following chart is only for the Federal Pell Grant, other aid, such as scholarships, will use enrollment level to award (full time, 3/4 time, 1/2 time, etc.)

Less Than Half-Time Attendance

Federal regulations require a less than half-time budget calculation restriction to tuition, books, and transportation for students who are enrolled less than half-lime. If a less-than half-time enrollment status is the result of dropped or never attended classes, federal Pell is reduced and an over-award could occur. It is the responsibility of the student to satisfy any balance before receiving additional federal aid.

Credit/Clock Hour Conversion Programs

If you are in one of the following programs, your enrollment status (full, 3/4, 1/2, or less) is determined differently:

• Dental assisting: D45240 dental assisting diploma (PDF)
• Diesel and heavy equipment technology: D60460-D3 diesel and heavy equipment technology diploma (PDF)
• Ophthalmic medical personnel: ;D45210 ophthalmic medical assistant diploma (PDF)
• Practical nursing: D45660 practical nursing diploma (PDF)

This determination of enrollment status is different because the programs have one or more courses that cannot be used toward a two-year degree program. Enrollment status determination for the above programs is determined by totaling the clock/contact hours a student takes each semester for each course. Total hours are then divided by 30 to obtain the converted credits. Converted credits are then used to determine the enrollment status.

Use the following information to determine if you meet the definition of "Veteran" for Purposes of Completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid ("FAFSA"):

• Question: "Are You Currently Serving on Active Duty in the U.S. Armed Forces for purposes other than training?
  • Answer “Yes” if you are currently serving in the U.S. Armed Forces or are a National Guard or Reserves enlistee who is on active duty for other than state or training purposes.
  • Answer “No” if you are a National Guard or Reserves enlistee who is on active duty for state or training purposes.
• Question: Are You a Veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces?
  • Answer “Yes” (you are a veteran) if you have engaged in active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines or Coast Guard) or are a National Guard or Reserve enlistee who was called to active duty for purposes other than training, or were a cadet or midshipman at one of the service academies, AND were released under a condition other than dishonorable
  • Answer “Yes” if you are not a veteran now, but will be one by June 30, 2017.
  • Answer “No” (you are not a veteran) if you:
    • have never engaged in active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces
    • are currently an ROTC student or a cadet or midshipman at a service academy
    • are a National Guard or Reserves enlistee activated only for training
    • were engaged in active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces but released under dishonorable conditions
    • are currently serving in the U.S. Armed Forces and will continue to serve through June 30, 2017.

Qualifying Veterans: HEROES Act

The Higher Education Relief Opportunities for Students (HEROES) Act provides for the modification and waiving of some statutory and regulatory provisions related to students who receive financial aid and who are on active duty during a war or other military operation or who reside or are employed in a declared disaster area. These adjustments apply to return of funds and signature requirements for verification and application, among other things. These waivers and modifications were due to expire on September 30, 2007, but on that date the law — and with it the Secretary’s authority to issue the waivers and modifications — was made permanent. As a result, the above actions will remain in effect until September 30, 2012, unless the Secretary ends or changes them before then. For all the details on the Act and a list of the eligible students, see pages 69312–69318 of the Federal Register dated December 12, 2003.  (Reference page AVG-85)

During the period of eligible military service:

• forbearance and military service deferment documentation requirements are relaxed
• in-school status is retained
• grace period or school-related deferment status is retained for up to 3 years
• collection activity on defaulted loans may be suspended
• missed payments are not treated as an interruption of a stream of required payments
• return of Title IV requirements are modified
• copies of IRS forms documenting AGI and income tax paid are not required
• written leave of absence request is not required
• requirement that loan cancellation or forgiveness service be uninterrupted or consecutive does not apply
• period of time for cancelling loan proceeds under cash management regulations is extended
• oral, rather than written, authorizations from the borrower may be accepted by the school

You can be eligible for financial aid for EFL classes as long as you:

• take the EFL courses as part of an eligible program
• meet financial aid standards of academic progress (SAP) requirements