If you become ineligible for financial aid, you can file an appeal to ask for your aid to be reinstated.
Your eligibility may have ended for one of two reasons:
- You failed to meet the GPA or pace of completion requirements
- You have attempted at least 150 percent of the credit hours needed to complete your certificate or degree
In your appeal, you will explain your situation to the Financial Aid Committee by answering a couple of questions. You should include things that may have impacted your success, such as a personal illness or accident, a serious illness or death in your immediate family or other things that may have happened.
You may be asked if you want to turn in documentation which will support your situation. Some examples of acceptable documentation include a letter from a doctor, attorney, social worker or parole officer, copies of medical records, a copy of a death certificate or divorce decree or academic records from other schools. You must submit the documentation to the Financial Aid office within one week of submitting your appeal. If you don’t, your appeal will be reviewed without it.
To appeal, you must fill out a Financial Aid Appeal online through your MyWCC account.
Four decisions are possible after the Financial Aid Committee reviews your appeal:
- Financial Aid Probation: You will receive one more semester of aid because it’s mathematically possible for you to meet the GPA and pace of completion requirements at the end of the next semester.
- Financial Aid Academic Plan: Based on your academic performance and expected enrollment, it will not be mathematically possible for you to meet the GPA and pace of completion requirements at the end of the next semester. You must meet with an advisor or counselor to develop an academic plan. The academic plan may limit the number of credits you can take, require you to enroll in specific courses or impose other restrictions. You must abide by the academic plan and meet grade requirements to keep your aid.
- Financial Aid Maximum Credit: Based on your total attempted credit hours, you have exceeded the allowed credits for your program. You are approved to receive aid for a set number of semesters. However, due to your attempted credit hours you must abide by an academic plan to continue receiving aid. You must meet with an advisor or counselor to develop an academic plan. The academic plan may limit the number of credits you can take, require you to enroll in specific classes or impose other restrictions. You must abide by the academic plan and meet grade requirements to keep your aid.
- Financial Aid Denied: You are not eligible to receive financial aid at WCC. However, if you successfully complete courses in the future, you can submit another appeal and the committee may reinstate you.
The Financial Aid Committee reviews all appeals and decisions are final.