How Does Financial Aid Work?

How Financial Aid Pays for College

When you register at Ivy Tech, financial aid may pay for all or a portion of your class fees, books and supplies. If there are dollars left over from the total amount of your financial aid, you will receive the money approximately seven weeks into the semester. If your financial aid does not cover all of your fees, then you are expected to make payment arrangements with the Business Office before classes start. Contact the Business Office for more information.

Do My Grades Affect My Financial Aid?

A student's eligibility for federal financial aid is based on the enrollment status at the end of the 100% refund period. If a student adds a class after the end of the 100% refund period, their federal and state aid will not increase and they may owe money for the added class(es).

Attendance: Students must not only be "enrolled" but must actually be attending class. Students that never attend class or stop attending class without formally withdrawing will have their aid adjusted as required by the federal refund policy.

Withdrawing from ALL your courses during the semester causes another situation owing to Federal regulations governing aid. If you withdraw from all your classes on or before the 60% point of the semester, you will be required to repay a portion of your aid to the college and possibly to the Federal Government. THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS TO THIS RULE. The same rule applies if you receive an “F” in all your classes because you stopped attending and your last date of attendance was prior to the 60% point in the semester. Each semester the college will place signs in various offices showing the date of the 60% point. Keep in mind that if you owe the college money because of this, you will not be allowed to enroll for future semesters until this debt is repaid.

If you receive financial aid, you must maintain standards of progress . That means that you must demonstrate satisfactory progress toward completion of your program within a specific time period, based on the number of hours your take each semester. Failing to meet the standards could have you terminated from receiving financial aid.

Reinstatement Options

If financial aid has been terminated for not meeting standards of progress, students may be able to submit an appeal to explain extenuating circumstances that contributed to their failure to meet the expected standards of progress. In addition, students may be able to increase their GPA by enrolling in courses without financial aid. Contact the Financial Aid Office for more information on financial aid termination appeal options.

Veterans Information

Veterans may contact the VA Certifying Official at Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana or the Department of Veterans Affairs (http://www.gibill.va.gov) for information concerning eligibility. In order to receive benefits, the veteran must be enrolled in an Associate degree or Technical Certificate program at the College. Generally, 10-14 weeks are needed to activate benefits. More information