Financial Aid

About Student Financial Aid

The most important function of the Alamo Colleges District’s Student Financial Aid (SFA) office is to administer and manage financial assistance programs to the benefit of eligible students and families who are unable to afford the cost of a college education. The goal of the SFA office is to award and help students maintain eligibility for the federal, state and institutional financial aid programs they qualify for. 

Financial aid comes in three basic types:

• Grants and Scholarships 
• Work-study programs
• Loans

This section describes most available financial aid programs, their requirements, and other pertinent policies and procedures.  The Alamo Colleges District complies with all state and federal regulations governing administration of student financial aid programs. It is important to note that these policies may change unexpectedly as a result of legislative action or U. S. Department of Education interpretation. Therefore, in the event of changes after the editing of this catalog, the Alamo Colleges District will comply with the most current regulations and interpretations thereof. Extensive financial aid information can be found at the Alamo Colleges District’s Student Financial Aid webpage. 

What Is a FAFSA and What Does It Do

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), established by the U.S. Department of Education, determines a student’s eligibility for all federal aid, and the majority of all state and institutional financial aid programs.

The FAFSA is available online at studentaid.gov, and each person who is a required contributor will need to create an FSA ID. Completing a FAFSA is the first step in the financial aid process and assesses students’ or a families’ financial ability to pay their college expenses through the calculation of the student’s Student Aid Index (SAI).

Applying for Financial Aid at the Alamo Colleges District

Students who apply for financial aid at the Alamo Colleges District are automatically considered for the following programs:

• Federal Pell Grant
• Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant (SEOG)
• Texas Public Education Grant (TPEG)
• Texas Educational Opportunity Grant (TEOG)
• Federal Work Study

Students may also qualify through a separate application for the following programs:

• Federal Direct Loan Program
• Federal Direct Parent Plus Loan

The Alamo Colleges District’s Scholarship program is administered separately from the Financial Aid office, however scholarship awards are considered a part of the total financial aid award package. Students may apply for Alamo’s general scholarship located on the Foundation scholarship webpage or specific college’s scholarships online.

Applications for aid will be considered complete when the following has taken place at one of the colleges in the Alamo Colleges District:

1. The student has been accepted for admission in a program of study leading to a degree or certificate.
2. The student has submitted a FAFSA or TASFA application.
3. The student has completed all required financial aid documentation requested on ACES. 

Deadlines for Filing the FAFSA

The FAFSA application deadline published by the U.S. Department of Education, along with the Alamo colleges priority submission dates, are posted below. No FAFSA applications may be submitted after the final submission deadline has passed. As grants and scholarships are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, the submission of a FAFSA does not guarantee that an eligible student will receive financial aid. Applications should be submitted by the priority dates below to ensure that the FAFSA and all required documents are processed in time for the start of the indicated semester:

Calculating Financial Need

The information students report when completing the FAFSA or TASFA goes into a federal formula that calculates their Student Aid Index (SAI). The SAI is used to determine how much financial support a student may need in the following equation:

   Cost of Attendance
- Student Aid Index
= Financial Need

The financial need calculation helps the SFA Office establish eligibility for grants, scholarships, work study, and loans. The combination of financial aid from these sources is called a financial aid package and it is meant to help meet the student’s financial need.

Additional information about the SAI calculation is available on the U.S. Department of Education webpage.

Verification

Verification is a review process that confirms the accuracy of all student, parent, and spouse data reported on the FAFSA. Students are selected for verification by the U.S. Department of Education, however the review is completed by Alamo Colleges in partnership with our verification provider, ProVerifier+ (ProEd).

Selected students are required to submit documentation such as Federal Tax Transcripts, W2s, and verification forms to confirm all FAFSA information is correct and to determine their financial aid eligibility. 

Instructions will be sent to the student’s alamo email address by ProEd on how to log into the verification portal and view your required documents to submit. You will also see a verification requirement listed directly within your student ACES account. 

Notification of Financial Aid Awards

The Financial Aid Office does not send financial aid award offer notifications via U.S. mail or to the personal email address on the FAFSA. All award notifications are sent to the student alamo email address, and awards are listed in the ACES account.

Most financial aid awards are automatically accepted for the student. Financial Aid will be paid directly to the student bill 10 days prior to the first day of class each semester, should all eligibility requirements be completed, and the student is enrolled. The amount of aid awarded is based on the expectation of full-time enrollment and is automatically adjusted based on actual enrollment through the “official” census date.

Students who have been awarded but do not intend to stay enrolled must officially drop their classes at least eleven (11) days prior to the first day of classes to avoid their financial aid paying out. Students may also submit a Cancel Aid Request Form to ensure their aid is canceled at Alamo

Receiving Financial Aid Funds

All refunds are issued by the Business Office to the student through BankMobile Disbursements. Visit Alamo Colleges Business Office Refunds for  more information.

Satisfactory Academic Progress for Purposes of Financial Aid

Federal Regulations require all students to maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) to receive financial aid. The following criteria are used to determine SAP status:

• Student must maintain a 2.0 minimum overall GPA.
• Student must complete a minimum of 67% of all credit hours attempted.
• Student may not exceed the maximum time frame allotted to complete an associate or bachelor’s degree - 150% of the published length of their degree program.

SAP is evaluated at the end of each term (Fall, Spring, Summer), after grades are posted. Students are advised to check their status through their ACES account. The information below describes each status in more detail:

Good Standing

Students are considered to be in “Good Standing” with Financial Aid if they meet all three (3) of the Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) criteria listed above. These students may participate in any financial aid programs provided they meet all other eligibility criteria, subject to availability of funds.

Financial Aid Warning

Students are no longer considered to be in good standing with financial aid if they do not meet one (1) or more of the Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) criteria listed above. Students who do not meet SAP are granted a warning/probationary semester to improve their standing while continuing to receive aid. If SAP status has not been met by the end of the probationary semester, the student will be placed on financial aid suspension.

Financial Aid Suspension

Students are “suspended” from financial aid if they do not meet one (1) or more of the Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) criteria listed above and fail to meet SAP status during the probationary semester. Students who do not meet SAP will no longer be eligible for financial aid. An email is sent to the student regarding their status and their ability to submit an appeal for financial aid.

Appeal Process

An appeal process is available for students to potentially regain financial aid eligibility based on extenuating circumstances. The SAP appeal process is initiated by the student through a meeting with their assigned Academic Advisor. The student can then complete the Appeal for Financial Aid Reinstatement located in their ACES portal. This appeal requires students to explain the reasons for not meeting SAP requirements and how they plan to improve. Additional documentation substantiating the reason(s) for not meeting SAP should be submitted to the Student Financial Aid office at the student’s primary institution within seven (7) days of submitting the online appeal via the ACES portal. Students should be prepared to pay for tuition and fees until the appeal has been reviewed.

If the appeal is approved, the student’s eligibility for financial aid is reinstated subject to continued compliance with SAP requirements. If the appeal is denied, no federal or state financial aid (including student loans) may be awarded. Students may continue to enroll by paying their tuition out of pocket. Students can re-appeal during the next scheduled appeal period should they successfully meet the SAP requirements for one (1) semester.

The detailed SAP policy, appeal instructions, and appeal deadline dates are found on the SFA webpage.

Aid Eligibility for Continuing Education Courses

The Texas Public Education Grant for Continuing Education (TPEG-CE) is a need-based grant that helps to cover a portion of student’s Continuing Education tuition and fees charges. To be considered, students must submit the TPEG-CE application and submit either a FAFSA or TASFA. TPEG-CE applications may be completed in person at the Student Financial Aid office or an online form may be added to students’ ACES accounts. Awards will be based on financial need as determined by the FAFSA process and available state funding. There is no reimbursement for tuition paid out of pocket before TPEG was awarded. Visit the Alamo Colleges grant webpage for more information.

Spring and Summer Transfer Students

Students transferring from another institution during the Spring or Summer semesters must make sure that their prior institution reports to the National Student Loan Database System (NSLDS) the cancellation of any undisbursed Federal Pell Grant and Direct Student Loan awards for the applicable semester. Failure to do so will prevent any of the colleges in the Alamo Colleges District from awarding any remaining funds for which a student is still eligible from those student aid programs. Students who plan to enroll at one of the colleges in the Alamo Colleges District only during the Summer and then return to their home institution the following Fall semester, are considered transient students and are therefore not eligible for financial aid at the Alamo Colleges District.

Concurrent Enrollment and Financial Aid Eligibility

Students may receive aid at only one Alamo college per period of enrollment. Students who are enrolled at two (2) or more of the colleges in the Alamo Colleges District for the same semester may receive financial aid only at the college they have declared as their home college. At no time will students be allowed to count enrollment at a non-Alamo Colleges District college or university towards their eligibility for financial aid at the Alamo Colleges District.

Enrollment Requirements

Eligibility for financial aid is based on the number of credit hours in which students are enrolled and whether these credits count towards the student’s program of study. Students may learn more about these enrollment requirements and how they affect the amount of financial aid that will be paid out to them by reviewing the Alamo Colleges District’s Student Financial Aid Enrollment webpage. 

Consortium Agreements and Financial Aid Eligibility

Students may enter into a consortium agreement with an institution that accepts the student’s enrollment at the Alamo Colleges as counting towards the total enrollment and eligibility of financial aid at their institution. These students will not be eligible for any financial aid at the Alamo Colleges while the agreement is in place and must make arrangements to pay all Alamo tuition & fee expenses prior to the payment deadlines. All consortium agreements must be approved by the appropriate Alamo Colleges District authorizing official in the Student Financial Aid office.

Withdrawing from College and Returning Financial Aid Funds

Partial Withdrawals:

Students are awarded based on the expectation of full-time enrollment (12+ credit hours), meaning financial aid will be recalculated should actual enrollment be less than 12 hours by the Census Day for the term.

For some aid programs this means that a student who drops classes and is now in 6 hours must pay back a portion of the aid originally received. A drop in enrollment after the Census Day will not impact the amount of aid paid to the student, except when their awards no longer fit within the students lowered Cost of Attendance.

Complete Withdrawal

When a student withdraws from 100% of their courses for a semester, federal regulations require schools to recalculate the amount of federal financial aid the student has earned based on the percentage of the semester that they have attended classes. This means the student may have to pay back a portion of their financial aid that was not calculated as being earned. Failure to repay these funds may result in holds that prevent future registration.

Visit the Withdrawals and Returning Financial Aid Funds webpage for  more information.