BOOKS AND SUPPLIES

Students are responsible for purchasing all books and supplies prior to the first day of classes.    Responsible students typically plan ahead to have the resources to purchase books before the semester begins.  This involves setting aside sufficient funds in the weeks/months ahead to purchase books from personal funds.   The college does offer a limited means for students to charge their books against their "anticipated" financial aid.      

It takes 24 hours from the point you are awarded and you have enrolled in classes to be able to spend some of the amount remaining from your financial aid in the bookstore.  To charge your books and supplies to financial aid, you must go to a campus bookstore.   First check with the bookstore to ensure you have a balance to spend. Then select your books and supplies, take your selections to a cashier, and ask the cashier to charge them to your financial aid.

*For Summer aid, students must complete a separate JSRCC Summer Aid application, available from February - May each year.

Please plan ahead.  Not all of your remaining aid will appear.   Maximum amounts to spend will vary based on you enrollment status as follows:

Note:  The Bookstore/Financial Aid link is a service not found at most four year colleges.   Students are typically required to purchase books from personal funds and it is a good idea to plan ahead for book expenses rather than rely on Financial Aid.

ATTEND YOUR CLASSES!

Financial Aid will hold your courses and if you decide not to attend this semester, you must drop the classes either on the web or in person at the access center.    If we pay you grant money for courses you never attend, you are responsible for repaying that debt. 

SATISFACTORY ACADEMIC PROGRESS (SAP)

The U.S. Department of Education expects students on grants and loans to meet certain minimum standards.  The standards used to judge satisfactory academic progress are cumulative and include all periods of student enrollment, even periods in which you did not receive financial aid.  The Financial Aid Office will assess your progress at the end of each semester.  

The basic satisfactory progress standards that you must meet to maintain eligibility for financial aid are:

Cumulative GPA: The table below describes the GPA requirements

Credit Hour Completion Rate: WITHDRAWALS can be just as harmful to your academic progress as an F or U.  You must successfully complete two thirds (66.67%) of the semester hours you have attempted at the point in time that satisfactory progress is assessed.  For students in associate degree and certificate programs, the first time completion rate can be assessed is when you have attempted at least 17 semester hours.  For students in career studies certificate programs, the first time completion rate can be assessed is when you have attempted at least 12 credit hours.  By law we must count developmental, ESL, and credit courses.  “Completed” grades are A, B, C, D, P, S, or R.    Grades of  F, I, U or missing grades are considered non-completed courses.

Maximum Time Frame: Program requirements must be completed within 150% of the length of your program as published in the College catalog.  For example, students in the Accounting AAS program should complete their program within 99 credit hours attempted, based on a program length of 66 credit hours.

A full explanation of the SAP requirements can be found in a current schedule of classes or at the SAP link.

ABSOLUTE MAXIMUM NUMBER OF CREDITS

 Once you attempt the equivalent of 135 semester credit hours, your financial aid eligibility ends.  No extension is allowed and no appeals are granted beyond this point.  Federal regulation requires us to count all coursework attempted at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College.

DEVELOPMENTAL STUDIES 

According to federal regulations, you may only receive financial aid for the first 30 credit hours of developmental studies attempted, regardless of whether or not you received any financial aid for any of the hours.  You may only enroll in the same developmental studies class three times and receive financial aid.

CHANGE OF PROGRAM OR SECOND PROGRAM

 You can double major!!!  If you plan to change your program or enroll in a second program, the College will award financial aid to you once you have been admitted into the “new” program and have been granted credit for all previously completed classes that fulfill the requirements of the new program.  The maximum time frame for completion of the new program will be individually determined based upon the number of additional classes you must take.

GRADUATION OR PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS COMPLETED 

Once you have graduated from a program or completed your program’s requirements, your financial aid eligibility ends for that program/plan, and to get more aid, you will need to select a new major.

CENTER FOR DISTANCE EDUCATION (CDE) COURSES

 If you take a Print-Based course, your financial aid will likely be reduced and the disbursement of your aid will be delayed until you have completed at least 50% of the print based course requirements.    For more information, please contact the Financial Aid representative at the Access Center , or call the Central Financial Aid Office.  For the Spring semester, print based courses have the section number 97A or 97B.

ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE (ESL)

 Although federal regulations do not limit the number of ESL credit hours a financial aid recipient may take, College policy will only allow you to receive financial aid for the same ESL class three times.

LOAN CHECKS AND ENTRANCE COUNSELING

 New borrowers at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College must complete loan entrance counseling before the banks can wire the funds to the college. The Entrance Counseling site is at www.mapping-your-future.org. 

The college adopted EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer) as the means for banks to send student loan disbursements.  It will take approximately 3 – 5 business days for the loan disbursements to then be mailed to the student borrower.

FEDERAL WORK-STUDY & ELEMENTARY SCHOOL READING TUTORS

If you have been awarded Work-Study, you can visit the Campus Job Center or the Access Center to get a listing of on campus jobs.  Work-Study jobs pay you twice a month for working on or off campus in an approved job location.   In addition, you can get paid to serve as a reading tutor at you local elementary school.  If you are interested in serving as a Reading Tutor (the pay is higher than on-campus jobs) please contact the Central Financial Aid Office at 523-5137 and ask for the Work-Study Coordinator.

ENROLLMENT DEFINITIONS AND POLICIES

 These are minimum term enrollment requirements:

Audited Classes: The College does not grant academic credit for an audited class; therefore, you cannot receive financial aid for such a class.  Audited classes are not counted for financial aid satisfactory academic progress purposes either.  You must pay for them from personal funds.

RETURN OF TITLE IV FUNDS – WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU WITHDRAW FROM ALL YOUR CLASSES 

If you withdraw from all of your classes in a  semester, you will likely loose your aid eligibility for not finishing 67% of your courses and you may owe back a portion of Federal Grants and Loans

Visit our Withdrawing page for an example of how much you would owe if you withdraw.

MINI-SESSIONS

The college offers short sessions each semester and they are a great way to get your credits in a short period of time.   In the Fall and Spring they are 8 week sessions, some starting early and others starting half way through the normal 16 week semester.   The later starting classes can cause problems for students.   Things to beware of regarding mini-sessions are:

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

If you need additional information, call or visit the appropriate Student Access Center listed below:  

J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College
Central Financial Aid Office
P.O. Box 85622
Richmond, VA  23285-5622