Financial Aid

Financial assistance is necessary for many students to be able to pursue a higher education. While the process may seem overwhelming at times, please read the information carefully and remain in constant contact with the Financial Aid Office if you have any questions about your status.

Limited information regarding financial aid is provided in the university catalog and the student handbook; for details and the most current information concerning financial aid at Lander University, please visit:
//www.lander.edu/finaid

For information regarding the SC state scholarship programs (Palmetto Fellows, LIFE, HOPE, National Guard College Assistance Program), please visit the SC Commission on Higher Education website at: http://www.che.sc.gov.

Application Process
Lander University uses the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to award all federal and state sponsored financial aid programs, which include grants, work-study, student loans and parental loans. No additional institutional application is necessary; however, the Financial Aid Office may require supplementary information during the awarding process. Students are encouraged to respond to all requests for information in a timely manner. The FAFSA must be completed for each academic year that aid is requested. The Financial Aid Office awards aid upon receipt of the results of the FAFSA throughout the academic year. However, students whose FAFSA results are received by the priority deadline of November 1 preceding the fall term will be considered for all aid programs. Funding is limited for students whose applications are received after the priority deadline, so students are strongly encouraged to file the FAFSA electronically and follow up immediately with required documents in order to complete their file by the November 1 priority deadline. Students who submit documents after August 1 for the upcoming fall semester must make payment arrangements until these documents are processed.

To apply for Lander Foundation/Departmental Scholarships, students must submit an on-line application at:
https://lander.academicworks.com/

More information on other Lander scholarships is available at:
https://www.lander.edu/admissions/tuition-financial-aid/scholarships/index.html

Adjustments to Aid
Lander University reserves the right to adjust any aid awarded based on verification of eligibility or enrollment status. Further, at any time that new, corrected, or additional information becomes available, Lander University reserves the right to review any aid for accuracy and eligibility and to make adjustments as necessary. If transcripts received after the beginning of the term cause students to not adhere to the Satisfactory Academic Progress policy, the student will be liable for any aid already received for that term. Total aid (including scholarships, grants, loans and Federal Work-Study) is limited to the student’s Cost of Attendance (COA) as determined by the Financial Aid Office.

Mail and Email
The Financial Aid Office uses the official Lander email address for communications with students about awards, requirements, and most other aid-related issues. On occasion, letters may be sent to the address of record. Students are responsible for checking their Lander email regularly (at least once per week) and maintaining their email accounts and mailing addresses consistent with University policy. Failure to receive an email or a mailing sent by the Financial Aid Office is the responsibility of the student.

Return of Title IV Funds
Federal regulations require each educational institution to have a written policy for the refund and repayment of federal aid received by students who withdraw during a term for which payment has been received. This policy is effective only if the student completely terminates enrollment (i.e. cancels his/her registration, withdraws, or is dismissed) or stops attending classes before completing more than 60 percent of the enrollment period. All returned funds will be distributed back to the aid programs in the order prescribed by law. The amount of refunded fees for students who withdraw will be calculated based on the percentage of the aid earned before separation as outlined in federal law. Students who may be eligible for post-withdrawal disbursements will be notified in writing. Students may contact the Business Office for details or visit: www.lander.edu/businessoffice

Summer School Aid
Aid for summer school is based on unused eligibility from the academic year immediately preceding summer enrollment. Students who wish to be considered for summer aid must have a current FAFSA on file and must complete a separate, one-page application in the Financial Aid Office. Summer Aid applications are available by March 1 each year and are processed in the order in which they are received. Students should plan in advance to reserve aid eligibility if they know they must attend summer school. Most summer aid eligibility requires enrollment in at least six (6) hours over the course of the summer for undergraduates and (3) hours for graduate students. Students are not eligible to receive aid for enrollment at another institution (limited exceptions for study-abroad apply). Contact the Financial Aid Office for more information regarding aid for summer school or visit: www.lander.edu/summeraid

Installment Payment Plan

The university offers a semester installment payment plan that divides the charges for tuition, fees, room, and board into multiple installments each semester. Information on this plan is available from the Business Office website at: www.lander.edu/installment-plan

Student Work Program

Many part-time student jobs are available each year from the Federal Work-Study Program and Lander’s student assistant work program. Students interested in seeking employment on campus should check employment postings and procedures at https://www.lander.edu/studentemployment

Types of Aid

Scholarships and grants are gift aid and do not require repayment. Work programs allow the student to work part-time and receive payment for hours worked. Loans must be repaid, but students are not required to do so until six months after they drop below half-time or cease to be enrolled (note that while payments are not required while enrolled at least halftime for unsubsidized student loans, interest accrues while the student is in school unless it is paid). In order to qualify for federal funds, a student must meet the eligibility criteria listed on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). In addition, students must be enrolled at least half time for most programs. The FAFSA can be completed online at https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa. A brief description of the federal programs can be found on the FAFSA website. A more detailed description of the financial aid process and programs is available online at https://studentaid.gov/.

The most common programs at Lander University are:

Federal Pell Grant
Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG)
Federal Work-Study
Federal Direct Student Loans (Subsidized and Unsubsidized)
Federal Parent Loan to Undergraduate Students (PLUS)
S.C. Palmetto Fellows Scholarship
S.C. Legislative Incentives for Future Excellence (LIFE)
S.C. HOPE Scholarship
S.C. Need-Based Grant
S.C. Teaching Fellows Program
S.C. Teachers Loan Program
S.C. Air and Army National Guard College Assistance Program (CAP)
Lander Foundation and other University Scholarships
VA Benefits

Satisfactory Academic Progress

In addition to maintaining all general federal aid requirements, students receiving all federal funds and most state funds must maintain satisfactory academic progress in order to receive these funds. Certain programs have more stringent requirements than those listed. In order to maintain satisfactory progress and continue to receive assistance, a student must meet the criteria in three distinct areas listed below.

1. Quantitative Evaluation (Completion Ratio)
The quantitative evaluation requires that all students pass a percentage of ALL attempted hours. *The percentage is calculated by dividing the overall passed hours by the overall attempted hours. (Passed ÷ Attempted = Ratio). Passed hours include transfer hours for which a student may, or may not, receive earned hours toward graduation at Lander. This standard is designed so students may reasonably complete their degree within the required maximum time frame. The minimum standards are outlined below:

Overall Hours Attempted	Minimum Completion Ratio Required
0-29	50%
30-59	58%
60-	67%
Graduate	67%

*Attempted hours include Pass/Fail courses, withdrawals, repeated courses, and failed courses. Summer hours are included. All transfer hours attempted from all institutions (including withdrawals or failing grades) and hours for which a student did not receive financial aid are counted. Courses that are dropped during the regular Drop/Add periods and are not reflected on the academic transcript are not counted.

2. Qualitative Evaluation (GPA)
The qualitative evaluation requires that students maintain a minimum level of academic achievement. The current levels of academic achievement are provided below:

Cumulative Hours Passed	Minimum Cumulative Grade Point Average Required
0-29	1.700
30-59	1.900
60-	2.000
Graduate	2.000

3. Time Frame Evaluation
The time frame evaluation limits the length of time that undergraduate students can receive federal and state funding to complete degree requirements. An undergraduate student cannot be eligible for federal or state aid after attempting more than 187 credit hours. A student who cannot mathematically finish their program within the maximum time frame is not eligible for aid. For example, a transfer student has attempted 150 credit hours but still needs 60 hours to complete their degree requirements at Lander; they are not eligible because they only have 37 credit hours remaining before reaching the 187 maximum.

This standard applies to all undergraduate degree candidates, including second-degree students and includes transfer hours from ALL prior institutions. See #1 above for a definition of hours counted as attempted hours. Undergraduate students who are enrolled in a program of study requiring more than 125 hours for completion of the degree may appeal for an extension of the time frame.

Graduate students must complete all degree and graduation requirements within 54 credit hours.

Satisfactory Academic Progress Evaluation Procedure
Evaluation is conducted after spring grades are official each academic year. Satisfactory Academic Progress evaluations must take into consideration ALL periods of enrollment, including periods in which the student did not receive financial aid. Students who do not meet the criteria at the end of an academic year will no longer be eligible for aid – THERE IS NO WARNING PERIOD. Students who fail to meet the Satisfactory Academic Progress standards are not eligible for federal or state aid until they meet the standards. Students who fail to meet the Satisfactory Academic Progress standards will be notified by the Financial Aid Office. Information on the appeals process will be included with the notification.

Evaluation for the time frame criteria will be conducted throughout the year. Students will be notified if they are not eligible to receive funds in future terms or warned if they are approaching the time frame limits. Transfer grades and credits are evaluated at the time of receipt for students transferring into Lander University. ALL transcripts from ALL prior institutions must be received and articulated before any financial aid or Satisfactory Academic Progress appeals can be processed. Transfer students must meet the above Satisfactory Academic Progress standards to be considered eligible for aid.

Appeals to Satisfactory Academic Progress Decisions
All students who are denied aid due to failure to maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress may appeal in writing to the Financial Aid Office. Completed appeal forms must be received by the date specified in the notification to the student. If the Financial Aid Office determines that mitigating circumstances prevented a student from maintaining Satisfactory Academic Progress and those circumstances have been resolved, the student may be allowed to continue eligibility for one probationary term at a time or until the student is making satisfactory progress.

Students who are enrolled in a program that requires more than 125 hours to complete the degree may appeal to receive an extended time frame. The extended time frame may vary depending upon the program but will not exceed 150% of the program length as published in the catalog or documented by the department chair.

All appeals must include an academic plan (signed by an advisor) detailing an anticipated graduation timeframe and in some cases may restrict students to specific courses or enrollment loads.

Scholarships

All institutional awards are contingent upon funding.

Scholarship Eligibility Policy
Incoming Freshmen: Lander Academic scholarships are awarded to high school seniors who have been accepted for admission and demonstrate academic merit. Students are encouraged to complete their application for admission by November 15 as awards are made on a first-come, first-served basis and funding is limited. No separate application is required, but generally, students who are admitted and have at least a 3.5 high school GPA (S.C. Uniform Grading Scale) and at least a 20 ACT or a 1000 SAT score (not including the writing portion) will be offered a scholarship.

Transfer Students: A limited number of scholarships may also be awarded to transfer students entering in the fall who have a cumulative GPA of 2.7 or better with a minimum of 12 earned credit hours, but not more than 90 attempted hours and have a satisfactory completion rate. Students must be admitted and have all final transcripts submitted by June 15. These scholarships are contingent upon funding each year.

All scholarship awards require full-time enrollment at Lander University unless otherwise specifically stated in the terms of the awards contract. Students may not receive scholarships for semesters in which they are enrolled less than full-time, nor will semesters of ineligibility be extended to the end of the academic career. Scholarships apply to the academic year only, exclusive of summer school, except where otherwise stated. Students may never receive financial aid (including, but not limited to grants, scholarships, loans, and Federal Work-Study) that exceeds the total Cost of Attendance (COA) for the academic year. Students must remain in good standing with the Lander Honor Code, as outlined in the Student Handbook.

Scholarship Renewal Policy
There are certain standards for renewal of Lander scholarships. Recipients generally must complete 24 credit hours each academic year, excluding summer school, unless otherwise specifically stated in the terms of the awards contract. Recipients of all scholarships must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0, unless otherwise specifically stated in the terms of the awards contract. If a scholarship is renewable and the student maintains the required academic standards, the scholarship will be renewed automatically. Renewals are made in the summer of each year for the upcoming year. Students who fail to meet the renewal requirements will be granted the opportunity to appeal in writing. Scholarships are awarded for up to, but never exceeding, four years from the initial term of college enrollment. Academic departments may disclose separate renewal criteria for departmental scholarships in the written scholarship contract.