Academic Grades and Financial Aid

Applying for financial aid is often one of the first steps students take toward investing in their college education. Students usually receive financial aid from a variety of sources including federal, state, institutional, and outside agencies. In addition to financial eligibility, students are required to maintain academic eligibility for certain financial aid programs. Alfred State College is required to monitor your academic progress every semester to determine if you are meeting the academic progress criteria established for federal and state financial aid.

• New York State Criteria
• Federal Criteria
• Additional Information

New York State Criteria / Requirements - Full-Time Student

Also, students who have received four semester payments of New York State TAP (24 payment points) must have a 2.00 cumulative index. This includes students who may have received TAP payments at another college prior to enrolling at Alfred State. For part-time students who receive Aid for Part-Time Study (APTS), 2 APTS payments equal 1 TAP payment.

Federal Criteria / Requirements

*Completion of credit hours will be rounded to the nearest credit hour.
*Federal academic progress will be checked annually after the end of the spring semester.

A student must complete his/her degree within 150 percent of the normal credit hours required for completion of that degree or certificate. If a student changes curriculum, he/she will be considered to be at the credit hour level based on the number of transfer credits accepted by the new curriculum.

Additional Information

Some helpful points to keep in mind regarding financial aid eligibility and academics:

• Register for a sufficient number of credit hours each semester. New York State Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) requires you to register for 12 credits each semester. New York State Aid to Part-Time Study (APTS) is for part-time students. Federal aid eligibility may be prorated based on full- or part-time enrollment. Check with our office if you have questions.
  
• Never drop a class without checking on how it may affect your current or future financial aid eligibility. The Financial Aid Office can provide you with the information you need before you make a decision to drop a class.
  
• Withdrawing or taking a leave of absence from college may impact your aid eligibility. Your aid may be prorated depending on when you withdraw and you may owe a bill to the College. Also, your future aid may be affected. Check with Financial Aid for more information before you withdraw or take a leave of absence.
  
• Repeating classes may affect your TAP or APTS eligibility. NYS requirements mandate that if you repeat a class in which you previously received a passing grade, we cannot include this course as part of your required credit hours for the current semester. Some curriculums, such as nursing, require at least a "C" in some courses in order to count the grade as passing. Check the College catalog for curriculum-specific requirements or check with the Financial Aid Office. Students who lose TAP/APTS funding due to repeating classes may not appeal.
  
• Students who previously attended Alfred State College and are applying for readmission should contact their financial aid counselor to check on academic eligibility for financial aid.
  
• Financial Aid Probation: when a student is determined to be under the academic standards for federal aid eligibiity, they will be placed on financial aid probation for one semester. If the student has not regained eligibility by the end of the next semester, they will be given an additional semester of probation if the student has made 50% progress toward the applicable standards.
  
• Students who experience extenuating circumstances that affected their academic progress and subsequently lose their financial aid may contact the Financial Aid Office about filing a waiver form to appeal the aid requirements. More information is included in the Student Handbook and College Catalog. Waiver forms are available on the Financial Aid Office Documents page. (page not created yet.)
  

All students are assigned a financial aid counselor while enrolled at Alfred State College. Students are encouraged to make an appointment to meet with their counselor and discuss any financial aid concerns. The office is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. We can be reached at (607) 587-4253.