Terms and Conditions of Financial Aid Awards

General Terms

Awards are determined based on the application form(s) which you have submitted, as well as the requirements and regulations pertaining to federal, state, and institutional programs. You should refer to your Student Aid Report (SAR) for information concerning your need determination.

Financial aid (except Federal Work-Study) must be used to satisfy allowable University fees for the applicable academic period.

Federal regulations require the University to review your eligibility for aid and to make necessary adjustments to your awards prior to disbursment. You will be notified of any changes to your award package.

Any credit balance created as a result of this aid will be released to you at your request, upon establishment and verification of your eligibility for the aid. No credit balance will be released prior to the time at which the University has determined that you are eligible for the funds. Typically credit balances may be released from the Accounting Office the Friday after the last day to register for an enrollment period.

General Conditions

This notice supersedes any previous notices you may have received from our office.
 
We reserve the right to cancel or modify your awards at any time due to changes in your enrollment status, eligibility, academic progress or availability of funds.
 
Federal loan recipients must be enrolled for at least half time (6 credit hours for undergrad and 4.5 hours for graduate and seminary) each semester in order to maintain eligibility.
 
The University reserves the right to require additional loan counseling of any student loan borrower at any time.
 
CIU Scholarship and/or Endowment recipients must be enrolled full time (at least 12 credit hours for undergrad and 9 hours for graduate and seminary) on-campus each semester in order to maintain eligibility.
 
Undergrad only: South Carolina Tuition Grant (SCTG), LIFE, Palmetto Fellows and HOPE recipients must be enrolled full time (at least 12 hours) each semester in order to maintain eligibility.
 
Undergrad only: South Carolina LIFE recipients must earn an average of at least 30 hours each academic year and have a 3.0 GPA to maintain eligibility. SCTG recipients must earn a minium of 24 hours each academic year and have a 2.0 GPA to maintain eligibility.
 
Undergrad only: Federal Pell Grant awards are based on the information from the Student Aid Report.
 
Federal funds are not fully earned until you have completed at least 60% of the course(s) in which you are enrolled. If you stop attending classes or withdraw before the 60% point, your federal funds will be prorated and returned according to federal regulations.
 
You are required to notify the Financial Aid Office of any other form of assistance being offered to you from outside sources.
 
For purposes of aid disbursement and verification of eligibility, your enrollment status is determined as of 5 p.m. on the last day to register for an enrollment period. Levels and terms for evaluating your academic status and progress are also established based on this date.
 
All awards are subject to Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirements. Refer to the Financial Aid section of the appropriate Academic Catalog for the complete policy.
 
All awards are subject to the Financial Aid Refund policy. Refer to the Financial Aid section of the appropriate Academic Catalog for the complete policy.
 
In order to make CIU Scholarships and Endowments available to as many eligible students as possible, all current CIU Scholarships and/or Endowments that you may have been awarded will be completely forfeited if you withdraw before the end of the term or drop below full time enrollment.
 
CIU Scholarships and Endowments have additional character requirements and are subject to the recipient maintaining and displaying excellent Christian character.
 
You must reapply for aid each year. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the school year beginning in August becomes available online in January. Application information, links and instructions are always available at: http://www.ciu.edu/undergrad/financialaid/process
 

Necessary Actions

All federal loan recipients who wish to borrow loan funds must complete and return a Master Promissory Note (if applicable).
 
You should notify the Financial Aid Office immediately if you change your enrollment status or estimated date of graduation.
 
All federal loan recipients who borrow loan funds while attending CIU, must attend an Exit Counseling session with the Financial Aid Office.
 
All charges must be paid in full during registration.
 
Failure to satisfy balances due will result in the cancellation of your enrollment