Students must enroll in and complete 15 credit hours per semester to maintain eligibility for state aid programs including MTAG, MESG, HELP, Academic, Leadership, Recognition, and Service Scholarships.
To receive financial aid through most of the student financial assistance programs at Copiah-Lincoln Community College, you must:
- Be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen
- Be enrolled or accepted for enrollment in an eligible degree or certificate program;
- Make satisfactory academic progress toward a degree
- Not be in default on a loan or owe a repayment on a grant received at Copiah-Lincoln Community College or any other institution
- Demonstrate financial need (some scholarships and loans are exceptions; refer to the descriptions of individual programs)
- Have a high school diploma or a General Education Development (GED) certificate, pass a test approved by the U.S. Department of Education, or meet other state standards
- Have a valid social security number
- Use assistance for educational purposes
Policy for Withdrawals and for the Return of Title IV Funds (Pell Grant, FSEOG, Direct Loans):
A Title IV federal aid recipient who withdraws, officially or unofficially, from all classes on or before the 60 percent point of the academic term (10th week of school) will be subject to repayment based upon the federal “Return of Title IV Funds” calculation. Federal regulations require that a percentage of the funds disbursed be returned. This percentage is calculated by dividing the number of days in the term (excluding breaks of five days or longer) into the number of days completed prior to the withdrawal (excluding breaks of five days or longer). Students “earn” federal aid funds in direct proportion to the length of time they remain enrolled. A student who remains enrolled past the 60 percent point of the academic term has earned 100 percent of the Title IV federal aid for the enrollment period. The date of withdrawal will be the last date the student attended class. Pell grant awards are processed based on the student’s enrollment status after the add/drop date is past for the semester.
Once the amount of federal funds to be returned has been calculated, the funds will be returned in the following order to the Department of Education:
- Unsubsidized Stafford Loans
- Subsidized Stafford Loans
- PLUS Loans
- Pell Grants
- Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants
