At its simplest
level, financial aid
is money provided to
help bridge the gap
between your
family's own
resources and the
amount needed to pay
for the cost of
attending Mercer
University. The
primary
responsibility for
meeting the cost of
a Mercer education
rests with the
student and his/her
family. Eligibility
for financial aid is
based on Mercer
University's cost
minus the amount the
Federal Government
expects your family
to contribute
towards that cost.
The formula for
determining this
contribution, as
written into federal
law, takes into
account your family
income and assets.
Financial Aid
administered by
Mercer may only be
used for educational
purposes (e.g.
tuition, room,
board,
transportation,
books, supplies,
etc.).
Some aid is gift aid
(grant and
scholarship),
some you must earn (work-study),
and some is in the
form of long-term
loans (you must
repay) designed to
extend the financing
of your education
beyond the years of
enrollment. Our
primary objective is
to assist as many
students as possible
and to provide
access to Mercer
University for all
qualified
individuals.
To receive federal
funds administered
by the Office of
Student Financial
Planning, you must have a
high school diploma
(or equivalent), be
fully admitted and enrolled as a
regular student
(e.g. not a special
admit, transient or
audit student) in a
degree-granting
or
teacher-certification program at least
half-time (6 hours),
have a valid social
security number, be
a US citizen or
eligible non-citizen
and be making
satisfactory
academic progress
toward completion of
your degree. You
must not owe a
refund on any
federal grant and
must not be in
default on any
student loan
previously received.
You must be
registered with the
Selective Service
and the Immigration
and Naturalization
Service if required
by law to do so. You
must not have been
rendered ineligible
for federal aid as a
result of a drug
conviction.
Suspected cases of
fraud or abuse will
be reported to the
US Office of
Inspector General.
Federal regulations
require that we
verify the accuracy
of information
provided. As a
result, many
applicants must
submit tax returns
and other requested
documents. If you do
not provide these
materials in a
timely manner, you
will not receive
financial aid.
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Family Share of
Expenses
Our basic premise is
that the primary
responsibility for
meeting the costs at
Mercer rests with
the student and
his/her family. To
calculate each
family's ability to
pay, or family share
of expenses, we use
an established
Federal formula that
takes into account
information reported
by the family on the
Free Application for
Federal Student Aid
(FAFSA).
The family share of
expenses represents
the best estimate of
your family's
capacity to afford,
over time, the cost
of education. It is
not a prediction of
how much cash you
have on hand, nor
is it the amount you
must pay directly to
the University;
but rather, the
family's share of
the total "Cost of
Education" (Tuition,
Room, Board,
Books/Supplies,
Transportation, and
Miscellaneous
Expenses) over one
academic year.
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Whose Income Do
We Consider?
For financial aid
purposes, students
are considered
either dependent or
independent. For the
2007-2008 award
year, you are
considered
independent for
federal programs if
you meet one of the
following criteria:
-
You were born
before Jan. 1,
1984.
-
You are a
veteran of the
US Armed Forces.
-
You are an
orphan or ward
of the court.
-
You have
children who
receive more
than half their
support from
you.
-
You have legal
dependents,
other than a
child or spouse,
who live with
you and receive
more than half
their support
form you.
-
You are a
graduate or
professional
student.
-
You are a
married person.
If you do not meet
at least one of the
criteria listed
above, you are
considered dependent
and must report
parental income as
outlined on the Free
Application for
Federal Student Aid.
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Changes in
Circumstances
In the event of a
substantial change
in your family
circumstances (loss
of employment,
death, etc.), you
may write to the
Office of Student
Financial Planning
to request another
review of your file.
You should describe
all changes in
detail, including
specific dollar
amounts. Any award
adjustment made by
the Office of
Student
Financial Planning
will be contingent
upon documentation
of your eligibility
and the availability
of funds. Please
contact your
Financial Planning
Advisor for
additional
information.
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Federal regulations
and Mercer
University policies
require that
financial aid
recipients make
satisfactory
academic progress.
This means that you
must proceed toward
successful and
timely completion of
your degree
requirements. The
programs affected by
the satisfactory
academic progress
requirements include
all Federal and
State programs. If
you receive funds
from any of these
programs, you must
demonstrate and
maintain
satisfactory
academic progress or
you will face
financial aid
probation, denial of
aid from these
sources, or both.
Appeal for
Satisfactory
Academic Progress
Policy
If you are denied
aid under the
satisfactory
progress policy, you
have the right to
appeal the decision.
Your appeal must be
submitted in writing
to the Office of
Student Financial
Planning. You will
be notified of the
decision regarding
the appeal and
minimum requirements
to continue
receiving aid.
Satisfactory
Academic Progress
Standards
The Financial Aid
Office is required
under Federal and
State regulations to
review the academic
performance of every
student at the end
of each academic
year. Failure to
maintain
Satisfactory
Academic Progress
jeopardizes a
student's
eligibility to
receive Federal and
State financial aid
funding.
Satisfactory
Academic Progress at
Mercer University is
defined as follows:
1. Each student
must receive a
passing grade in at
least 67% of all
courses attempted at
Mercer. A course is
considered attempted
if the student is
enrolled in the
course at the end of
the drop-add
period. Grades of
"W" (Withdrawn) and
"I" (Incomplete)
count as hours
attempted, but not
earned. Repeated
courses will also
count as hours
attempted.
2. Each student
must have the
minimum cumulative
grade point average
required for
continued enrollment
as approved by the
school/college in
which the student is
enrolled.
3. Students are not
eligible to receive
Federal or State aid
once they have
attempted 150% of
the program length,
as measured in
credit hours. Hours
accepted for
transfer credit are
counted as hours
attempted.
A student who fails
to meet Satisfactory
Academic Progress
standards #1 and #2
is given one
probationary
semester of Federal
and State financial
aid eligibility at
Mercer. To
successfully
complete the
probationary
semester, the
student must
successfully
complete each course
attempted during the
probationary
semester with a
grade of "C" or
better. (Grades of
"F", "D", "U", "W",
and "I" are
considered
unsuccessful
completions.)
Successful
completion of the
probationary
semester will result
in one additional
probationary
semester of Federal
and State financial
aid eligibility. A
student must
successfully
complete each
probationary
semester, as defined
above, until
cumulative
performance at
Mercer meets
Satisfactory
Academic Progress
standards #1 and
#2. Failure to
successfully
complete any
probationary
semester will result
in the loss of
Federal and State
financial aid
eligibility until a
student's cumulative
performance at
Mercer meets the
Satisfactory
Academic Progress
standards.
Students may appeal
decisions made
regarding
Satisfactory
Academic Progress by
writing to the
Financial Aid
Committee, c/o the
Financial Aid
Office. This
committee, which is
comprised of
financial aid
representatives,
will review all such
appeals and notify
students of their
decisions.
Decisions made by
this committee are
final.
Students who
fall into category
#3 will not receive
Federal or State
financial aid funds
and are not eligible
for probationary
status.
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Students' Rights
and Responsibilities
Student Rights
You have the right
to know:
-
The cost of
attendance
-
The refund
policy for
students who
withdraw
-
What financial
assistance is
available from
federal, state,
and
institutional
sources
-
Procedures and
deadlines for
submitting
applications for
financial aid
-
How financial
aid recipients
are selected for
verification.
-
How your
eligibility was
determined,
including all
resources the
Office of
Student
Financial Planning
considered
available to you
-
How and when
funds will be
disbursed to you
-
An explanation
of each type of
award you
receive
-
For any student
loan you
receive: the
interest rate,
total amount you
must repay, when
your repayment
begins, the
length of your
repayment
period, and the
cancellation or
deferment
provisions of
your loan
-
For any Federal
Work-Study job:
a description of
the job, the
hours you must
work, the rate
of pay, and how
and when you
will be paid
-
The criteria
used to
determine
satisfactory
academic
progress for
financial aid
purposes and how
to appeal a
decision
-
How to appeal a
decision by the
Office of
Student
Financial Planning
concerning your
aid award.
Student
Responsibilities
It is your
responsibility to:
-
Read directions
thoroughly,
complete all
application
forms
accurately, and
to comply with
any deadlines
-
Provide any
supplemental
information or
documentation
required by the
Office of
Student
Financial Planning
or other agency
if applicable
-
Read,
understand, and
keep copies of
any forms you
are required to
sign
-
Repay any
student loans
you may receive
