CARES Act Resources
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act provides emergency funding and other benefits.
Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund
Review the disclosure concerning student emergency relief funding under the CARES act and apply for an emergency grant.
CARES Act Unemployment Benefits
Visit the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators website to review your eligibility for unemployment benefits under the CARES Act as a current student or recent graduate.
Return of Title IV Funding
This policy applies to students who complete 60% or less of the enrollment period (i.e., Fall, Spring, or Summer session) for which they received Federal Title IV aid. A student who drops a class but still completes one or more classes does not qualify for the Return of Title IV Funds policy. The term “Title IV aid” refers to the following Federal financial aid programs: Federal Direct Unsubsidized loans, Federal Perkins loans, Federal Grad PLUS loans, and Federal TEACH Grant.
To conform with the policy, Teachers College must determine the student’s withdrawal date. The withdrawal date is defined as: 1. the date the student began the withdrawal process or officially notified Teachers College of their intent to withdraw; or 2. the last date of attendance at an academically-related activity by a student who doesn’t notify Teachers College. The calculation required by the federal government determines a student’s earned and unearned Title IV aid based on the percentage of the enrollment period completed by the student. The percentage of the period that the student remained enrolled is derived by dividing the number of days the student attended by the number of days in the period. Calendar days (including weekends) are used, but breaks of at least 5 days are excluded from both the numerator and denominator.
Until a student has passed the 60% point of an enrollment period, only a portion of the student’s aid has been earned. A student who remains enrolled beyond the 60% point is considered to have earned all awarded aid for the enrollment period. Earned aid is not related in any way to institutional charges. In addition, the College’s refund policy and Return of Title IV Funds procedures are independent of one another. A student who withdraws from a course may be required to return unearned aid and still owe the college for the course. For more information on the Teachers College withdrawal and institutional charges’ policies, please consult the Teachers College catalog.
Overview of Satisfactory Academic Progress at Teachers College
Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) is a government-mandated process that each school uses to decide if a student is meeting all of the educational requirements needed to graduate on time with a degree or certificate. The purpose of measuring and enforcing these standards is to ensure that you are making satisfactory progress toward degree completion if you receive federal financial aid. Our Office of Financial Aid abides by the federal regulations to establish, publish, and apply our standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) for federal financial aid eligibility. This section of the website provides detailed information about SAP at Teachers College. If you have questions about SAP, please contact our office. In addition, you may review the Teachers College SAP Policy - Printable Version [PDF].
If you fail to meet SAP, you become ineligible to receive federal financial aid funding until you are in compliance. The following federal financial aid programs are impacted by SAP:
- Direct Unsubsidized Loan
- Direct Graduate PLUS Loan
- Nurse Faculty Loan Program
- Federal Work-Study
- Federal TEACH Grant
The following information outlines the policies and procedures that TC uses to determine whether to place a student’s enrollment on a Financial Aid Warning or Financial Aid Denied status. The policies outlined in the document refer to the standards for SAP for the disbursement of federal financial aid only and do not pertain to scholarship funding.
SAP for Financial Aid Regulations
Teachers College (TC) in accordance with federal regulations for Title IV financial aid eligibility has developed the following standards for the evaluation of SAP. Federal regulations require TC to evaluate SAP for all students matriculated at the College whether or not Federal Title IV aid is received. SAP for financial aid is typically evaluated after the grading deadline at the end of each academic term in the Fall and Spring terms. For example, a student who has enrolled for the Fall semester will receive an SAP evaluation after the grading deadline of the Fall term, and the evaluation will affect the student’s eligibility for federal financial aid in the subsequent term(s). Additionally, students who have enrolled during the Summer term will also be evaluated after the grading deadline at the end of that academic term.
SAP standards outlined below refer to the disbursement of federal financial aid only (this does NOT include scholarships). Academic programs at TC will also have academic progress requirements separate from those outlined within this policy and are addressed within the TC Catalog and Program of Study Guides each year.
SAP for Master's Degree Programs
SAP for Doctor Of Philosophy programs
SAP for Doctor Of Education and Doctor Of Education In College Teaching Of An Academic Subject programs
Treatment Of WD, IN, F, R, P, DP, * Grades, Repeated Coursework, And Transfer Credit
|
Grading status/item |
Included in GPA calculation for SAP? |
Considered as completion of attempted coursework for SAP? |
|
Course withdrawals (WD) |
No |
No |
|
Incomplete (IN)* |
No |
No |
|
Failing (F) |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Attendance credit (R) |
No |
Yes |
|
Pass (P), Year Course (YC), and Doctoral Pass (DP) |
No |
Yes |
|
Missing grades (*)** |
No |
No |
|
Transfer credits |
No |
Yes |
|
Repeated courses |
Yes |
Yes |
* If the IN grade is replaced with a permanent grade, academic progress will be reevaluated for GPA and course completion calculations.
** Once a grade has been recorded for a missing grade, academic progress will be reevaluated.
A student who does not meet the aforementioned SAP standards will fall under one of the following statuses: Financial Aid Warning or Financial Aid Denied. Students who are in a Financial Aid Warning status will receive federal financial aid for the upcoming semester, but will need to rectify the SAP issue before the start of the subsequent semester in order to continue to receive federal financial aid. If the SAP issue is not cleared up, the student will fall into a Financial Aid Denied status. For students whose financial aid eligibility status is Financial Aid Denied, the College has established an appeals process for reinstatement of eligibility for federal financial aid; continue reading for additional details.
All students who are requesting federal aid reinstatement must submit a SAP Appeal to the Office of Financial Aid by the published semester deadline on the Office of Financial Aid website. Additionally, students will be notified of the submission deadline through their official TC Gmail. Late SAP Appeal submissions will not be considered.
Reinstatement of federal financial aid after a student is on Financial Aid Denied status can be achieved in two ways:
- A SAP Appeals Form can be submitted and reviewed by the SAP Appeals Committee. Students must be in a Financial Aid Approved and Financial Aid Probation status to receive aid after being denied. The SAP Appeals Committee will follow the process outlined in the appeals process section below.
- The student officially registers for TC courses and pays for tuition and fees without federal financial aid meets SAP standards based on their registered coursework by the next SAP evaluation. Students who do not meet the Maximum Time to Completion or Over Maximum Credit Allowance standard(s) cannot regain eligibility this way.
The Office of Financial Aid at TC will evaluate both, Master’s and Doctoral students prior to the start of each academic term to determine if they are meeting SAP standards. Students who are on Financial Aid Probation or in a Financial Aid Warning status at the end of the spring term will have to be reviewed prior to the start of the summer term if they wish to enroll for this additional term.
Students flagged as not meeting institutional SAP standards will be notified via email by the Office of Financial Aid. These students may fall under one of two categories/statuses: Financial Aid Warning or Financial Aid Denied. A student whose financial aid status is Financial Aid Warning will receive federal financial aid for that semester only and must be in compliance by the end of the subsequent semester. A student whose financial aid status is Financial Aid Denied will not receive federal financial aid for the semester. Students in a Financial Aid Denied status who wish to take advantage of any federal student aid must submit the SAP Appeals Form, along with any necessary written statements or supplemental documentation, to the Office of Financial Aid. Appeals will only be granted under extenuating circumstances, such as death or extreme sickness of an immediate family member, unexpected injury or illness, extended hospitalization, or another reasonable explanation. Work conflicts and/or an increased amount of reported schoolwork are typically not considered extenuating circumstances.
All SAP appeals will first be reviewed by the designated SAP Coordinator located in the Office of Financial Aid. The SAP Coordinator will ensure that all documents are included and attached to the SAP Appeals Form. Once all documents are successfully received, the completed appeal will be forwarded to the SAP Appeals Committee. The SAP Appeals Committee will typically meet multiple times in a semester, depending on the volume of submitted appeals. Students will be notified of their SAP Appeal decision based on committee review. Students who have been approved for aid reinstatement with Financial Aid Approved or Financial Aid Probation status will need to sign an academic agreement with the Office of Financial Aid.
All students who are requesting federal aid reinstatement must submit a SAP Appeal to the Office of Financial Aid by the published semester deadline on the Office of Financial Aid website. Additionally, students will be notified of the submission deadline through their official TC Gmail. Late SAP Appeal submissions will not be considered.
- If a student’s SAP appeal is APPROVED, they will receive appropriate notification via email and will then be eligible for federal student aid for the specified semester/academic year.
- If a student’s SAP appeal is DENIED, they will receive appropriate notification via email and will not be eligible for any federal student aid until they are in compliance with institutional SAP standards.
- If a student’s appeal is deemed as anything other than the above statuses (i.e. PROBATION or PENDING), the student will receive appropriate notification via email; this notification will detail any additional documentation and/or steps required on the student’s behalf.
- The decisions of the SAP Appeals Committee are final.
Any student who registers for a term is obligated to pay tuition and fees as outlined in the TC Catalog. If a student’s SAP appeal is denied, they are still responsible for paying tuition and fees even though federal financial aid was not awarded.