Determining Your Eligibility – Policies & Conditions – Virginia Western Community College

Most students are eligible for some type of financial aid. Many of the financial aid programs are need-based in nature, meaning that the student’s cost of education must exceed the student’s expected family contribution, added to any external financial aid resources that will be received (scholarships, veterans’ educational benefits, Trade Act support, etc.).

Students who do not demonstrate financial need typically can still receive loan support. This support could be in the form of a loan taken in the student’s name, or a loan received by the parents on behalf of the student. In either case, interest on the loan begins to accumulate immediately. Repayment of parent loans typically begins immediately, as well.

The following factor into how your award is determined.

Eligible Programs of Study

To receive financial aid, you must be admitted to and enrolled in an eligible associate degree or certificate program. Certificate programs requiring fewer than 16 credits do not qualify.

Enrollment Status

VWCC calculates financial aid eligibility based on the number of credits for which you enroll:

Full-time: 12 or more credit hours
3/4 Time: 9-11 credit hours
1/2 Time: 6-8 credit hours
Less than 1/2 Time: 1-5 credit hours

To be considered for Federal Work Study, SEOG, COMA, Federal Direct Student Loans, and Federal Parent PLUS Loan, you need to be enrolled at least half-time.
For VGAP, you need to be enrolled full-time.
For PTAP, you may be enrolled in 1 to 8 credits.
The Pell Grant doesn’t have a minimum enrollment requirement, but the amount you get depends on how many credits you are taking. If you take fewer classes, the Financial Aid Office adjusts the grant accordingly.
Audited courses do not count in the enrollment status calculation.

The Financial Aid Office will not increase a student’s financial aid for classes added after the regular session drop/add period.

Beginning with the 2024-2025 aid year, the Pell Grant will be based on the actual number credits in which you enroll. You will earn your full Pell Grant by enrolling full-time in 12 or more credits per semester. If you enroll in fewer than 12 credits, your Pell Grant will be adjusted down based on your exact enrollment.

Credit Hours	Enrollment Intensity (Percentage of Pell)
12 (or more)	100%
11	92%
10	83%
9	75%
8	67%
7	58%
6	50%
5	42%
4	33%
3	25%
2	17%
1	8%

Cost of Attendance

The “Cost of Attendance” is the starting point for figuring out how much financial aid you can get. This is the estimated total cost for you to attend the college.

There are two types of expenses in the cost of attendance:

Direct Expenses: These are things you pay directly to the college, like tuition, fees, books, and supplies.
Indirect Expenses: These are costs related to your education but not paid directly to the college. They include estimated expenses for transportation, living, and, with proper documentation, things like dependent care, disability-related needs, and computer purchases.

Tuition and fees are determined by:

Where you (your parent(s) if a dependent student) live: In-state or out-of-state. (Virginia domicile law applies.)
How many credits you’re taking: Full-time (12+ credits), three-fourths-time (9-11 credits), half-time (6-8 credits), or less than half time (5 or fewer credits). This changes in 2024-25 to reflect actual enrollment (see the Enrollment Status Section above).

For living expenses, there are three categories:

Dependent students living with parents.
Dependent students living outside the parental home.
Independent students.

These categories cover costs like room and board, personal needs, health care, clothing,transportation, and other miscellaneous expenses.

Important to note, the living expenses of your spouse and/or dependents (if applicable) are considered in the FAFSA for calculating your family’s financial contribution. However, these expenses are not included in determining the cost of attendance.

Expected Family Contribution (through 2023-24)

The government has a special way of figuring out how much money your family can contribute to your college expenses or the Expected Family Contribution (EFC). They use a formula that looks at things like how much money your family makes, how many people are in your family, and if anyone else in your family is also in college. They also consider savings, investments, and some other stuff. This formula uses information from your family’s income tax return from two years ago. So, for example, if you’re applying for financial aid for the 2023-24 school year, they’ll use information from your family’s 2021 income tax return. If something big has changed in your family’s money situation since then, you can ask for a financial aid special circumstance appeal.

Student Aid Index (beginning 2024-25)

Beginning with the 2024-25 FAFSA, the Expected Family Contribution gets renamed to the Student Aid Index (SAI). The Student Aid Index is a number that colleges use to figure out how much financial help you can get for college. It’s calculated using information you provide on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) including family size, family income, and family savings and assets. The SAI directly determines your eligibility for the Federal Pell Grant, and it affects your eligibility for federal student loans, Virginia state grants, and some scholarships – including CCAP at VWCC. . If something big has changed in your family’s money situation since then, you can ask for a financial aid special circumstance appeal.

Reporting Other Financial Aid

You must report all scholarships and financial aid received from sources external to the Financial Aid Office. In addition, you must send outside aid checks and copies of authorization letters to the Financial Aid Office. Scholarships and awards will not be credited to your account until VWCC receives official notification or payment from the third-party sponsor. Receipt of additional scholarships and awards will cause recalculation of your financial aid eligibility, which may result in a reduction of your previously-awarded financial aid.

Right to Refuse a Loan

You have the right to decline all or part of a Direct Student Loan, even after you have signed the promissory note. You will need to complete the Request Adjustment to Direct Student Loan form and submit it to the Financial Aid Office. If there are outstanding charges at the time of refusal, you must pay them in full at that time.