Financial Assistance

Available Assistance

Northwest awards and/or administers many types of financial aid from federal, state, University, and private sources. Financial aid can be divided into four general categories:

• Grants, which are financial gifts usually based on financial need.
• Scholarships, which are financial gifts usually based on academic, athletic, or other high achievement.
• Loans, which can be from the University or the Department of Education.
• Employment, which can be either on- or off-campus. If the student is employed on-campus, he or she may be “regularly” employed, or employed as “work-study.”

Grants and scholarships are gifts and usually do not have to be repaid. Loans must be repaid with interest at a future date, which usually commences six months after the student ceases to be enrolled as at least a half-time student. For information, contact the Office of Scholarships and Financial Assistance, (660) 562-1363.

Financial aid programs assume that the primary responsibility for educational and living expenses rests with the students and/or parents to the extent they are able to provide assistance. Most of Northwest’s aid is designed to supplement family resources. In addition to parental contributions and student savings, other sources of non-University funding to be considered are monetary service and religious organization awards, and high school awards.

Maximum Time Frame and Credit Hours

Undergraduate students are eligible to apply for aid for up to one-and-one-half times the normal program length. The normal program length for an undergraduate degree is 120 credit hours; therefore undergraduates are eligible to apply for aid for up to 180 attempted semester credit hours, including transfer credit.

Students who have attempted the maximum number of credit hours are ineligible for any type of federal financial aid. A change of major does not extend the number of credit hours that may be attempted.

Application Procedures

Students should contact the Northwest Office of Scholarships and Financial Assistance on or after October 1 for information and application procedures for federal student financial aid. Some of the information required on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) must be taken from the student’s and/or parents’ federal income tax forms. Northwest holds all financial information in strictest confidence and uses the information only to determine eligibility for federal aid. See the “Student Records  (p. 67)” section of this catalog for more information on records privacy.

Deadlines

For maximum consideration, applications and required documentation should be submitted at the earliest possible date after October 1 for the following academic year. Some federal, state, and institutional programs have limited funds that will be awarded to the earliest pool of applicants.

Aid Processing

The Office of Scholarships and Financial Assistance will attempt to meet all students’ financial need pending the availability of funds. Federal financial assistance will continue to be awarded until all funds are committed or until the specified deadlines, whichever occurs first.

The priority order for awarding federal financial assistance is as follows:

• Federal Pell Grant
• Iraq-Afghanistan Service Grant (IASG)
• Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (must be Pell Grant eligible)
• Federal Work Study Program
• Federal Direct Loan (subsidized)
• Federal Direct Loan (unsubsidized)
• Federal Parent PLUS Loan

Aid Offer Notification

The Office of Scholarships and Financial Assistance will notify students via their university assigned e-mail account, when their aid offer is available and how it can be accessed on their CatPAWS account in the Secure Area. Students may accept all or part of their aid offer. All first-time borrowers at Northwest must also complete a loan entrance counseling session and a master promissory note before loan funds can be credited to their account.

Satisfactory Academic Progress

To be eligible to receive federal student aid, students must be maintaining satisfactory academic progress toward a degree or certificate. Federal law requires that the University monitor both qualitative and quantitative academic progress of its students.

Quantitative progress requires students to successfully complete a certain percentage of attempted courses. Qualitative progress requires students to earn predetermined Northwest and cumulative grade point averages. Students must be in compliance with the University’s written standards for both qualitative and quantitative progress to maintain eligibility for any type of federal financial aid.

The University will attempt to notify students by email when they have not maintained satisfactory academic progress. Students are responsible for being aware of the satisfactory academic progress policies and will remain ineligible even if the University’s notification is not received.

When a student does not meet the qualitative or quantitative academic progress standard they will be placed on Financial Aid Warning for the next term of attendance. Students remain eligible to receive aid during the warning period and their record will be reviewed for compliance again following their next term of enrollment.

A student who is placed on Financial Aid Warning and does not meet the qualitative and quantitative academic progress standards at the conclusion of the warning period will be placed on Financial Aid Suspension. This suspension status results in the loss of eligibility for all types of financial aid until all SAP standards are met.

Quantitative Progress

Quantitative progress requires students to successfully complete a certain percentage of attempted courses. Final quantitative progress will be determined at the end of each semester.

To be considered making satisfactory academic progress, students must pass at least 67% of the cumulative credit hours which they have attempted.

A credit completion rate is the ratio of a student’s total credits successfully completed to the student’s total attempted credits. Attempted credits include successfully completed courses, courses dropped after the drop/add period, failed courses, repeated courses, course withdrawals and transfer credits that have been accepted by the University.

Course Audits

Students are not eligible to receive federal financial assistance for courses that have been audited. Courses audited will not be included when determining the number of credit hours a student has attempted or completed.

Incomplete Grades

Courses in which students receive incomplete grades will be counted as hours attempted but will not be counted as successfully completed until the final passing grade is officially posted to the student’s permanent record.

Qualitative Progress

Qualitative academic progress will be determined at the end of each semester. To be considered making satisfactory qualitative progress, undergraduate students must have the following minimum Northwest cumulative grade point averages:

Appeal Process

A student who fails to make satisfactory academic progress may appeal, in writing, the loss of eligibility. Students should provide documentation of circumstances that were clearly beyond their control. Types of documentation may include doctor and hospital reports, legal documents, and written confirmation from a parent or other official sources as deemed appropriate by the Financial Review Committee.

Written appeals and all supporting documentation must be submitted to the Office of Scholarships and Financial Assistance. The Financial Review Committee will review the written appeal, supporting documentation and notify the student in writing of the appeal decision within 14 days from the date received.

In the instance a student feels due process was not provided or believes the Financial Appeals Committee did not give appropriate and timely attention to the petition, the student may contact the Office of Financial Assistance to request a meeting to review the petition with the Director of Financial Assistance.

Failure to Earn a Passing Grade

If a student who began attendance and has not officially withdrawn fails to earn a passing grade in at least one enrolled course for a term, the institution must assume, for Title IV purposes, that the student has unofficially withdrawn, unless the institution can document that the student completed the term. If it cannot be documented that the student completed the term then an unofficial withdrawal calculation will be performed and depending on the proration of the aid, a balance may be owed on the student account.

Financial Assistance Programs

The following types of student financial assistance are available to eligible Northwest undergraduate students:

• Federal Pell Grant
• Iraq-Afghanistan Service Grant (IASG)
• Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity (SEOG) Grant
• Federal Work Study Program
• Federal Direct Loan (subsidized)
• Federal Direct Loan (unsubsidized)
• Federal Parents Loan for Undergraduate Students (PLUS)
• Federal TEACH Grant
• Access Missouri Grant
• Institutional Employment
• State, Institutional, and Private Scholarships

Withdrawal from the University

If a student withdraws from the University while receiving federal financial assistance, the hours of enrollment will be counted as attempted but not passed. The student must pass the required percentage of cumulative hours attempted to be considered meeting satisfactory academic progress requirements.

For a student who withdraws, the financial assistance award received will be prorated and the unused portion of the financial assistance award will be refunded to the programs involved. Depending on the proration of the aid, a balance may be owed on the student account.

Summer

To determine eligibility for financial assistance during the summer semester:

1. Students must complete a summer financial assistance application and submit it to the Office of Scholarships and Financial Assistance after enrolling and finalizing their summer course schedule.
2. A Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) must be completed for the current academic year.
3. Student must be enrolled at least half-time (6 hours for undergraduate level and 3 hours for graduate level) to receive most types of federal aid.
4. If a student is enrolled full-time (12 hours) and eligible to receive any of the academic renewal scholarships, they will be automatically applied.

Online Aid Applicants

Students must be degree or certificate seeking at Northwest and be enrolled at least half-time through Northwest before federal aid will be processed except for those who qualify for Federal Pell Grants. Students must be enrolled in a minimum of 12 credit hours at Northwest to receive Northwest scholarships or to receive consideration for State of Missouri assistance programs.

• Students choosing to enroll in courses from other institutions concurrently with their Northwest enrollment must file a completed financial aid consortium agreement for each term with the Office of Scholarships and Financial Assistance.
• Consortium agreements are for courses that are not available at Northwest and are necessary to complete degree requirements.
• Each student is responsible for initiating consortium agreements for hours taken each term at institutions other than Northwest.
• Students must have grades from classes covered by a consortium agreement transferred back to Northwest before aid for future terms will be released.
• Contact the Office of Scholarships and Financial Assistance for details.

Taxation of Financial Assistance

Scholarships and fellowships are tax exempt only if used for tuition and fees, books, supplies, and equipment required for the course of study. Scholarship recipients must be candidates for degrees.

Scholarships and fellowships are taxable if designated for purposes other than tuition and related expenses or if attributable to service performed.

Fee reductions for employee dependent graduate students must be reported as taxable income for the employee. For specific information, contact a tax preparation professional.

Veterans’ Affairs

The Office of Financial Assistance assists veterans and eligible persons in all phases of enrollment certification and retention of educational benefits, tutorial assistance, and veterans’ work-study.

Northwest students receiving benefits from the Veterans’ Administration will meet most VA conditions for satisfactorily pursuing a program of study by meeting the University’s general catalog requirements. However, a few VA requirements are more stringent than the general catalog requirements.

In addition to their eligible benefits, the following non-Missouri resident students shall be awarded a tuition waiver to ensure they only pay the current in-state tuition rate:

• A participant using educational assistance under either chapter 30 (Montgomery G.I. Bill® - Active Duty Program), chapter 31 (Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment), chapter 33 (Post-9/11 G.I. Bill®), or chapter 35 (Dependents’ Educational Act), of title 38, United States Code, who lives in the State of Missouri while attending a school located in the State of Missouri (regardless of his/her formal State of residence) and enrolls in the school within three years of discharge from a period of active duty service of 90 days or more.
• Anyone using transferred Post-9/11 G.I. Bill® benefits (38 U.S.C. § 3319) who lives in the State of Missouri while attending a school located in the State of Missouri (regardless of his/her formal State of residence) and enrolls in the school within three years of the transferor’s discharge from a period of active duty service of 90 days or more.
• Anyone using transferred Post-9/11 G.I. Bill benefits (38 U.S.C. § 3319) who lives in the State of Missouri while attending a school located in the State of Missouri (regardless of his/her formal state of residence) and the transferor is a member of the uniformed service who is serving on active duty.
• A spouse or child using benefits under the Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship (38 U.S.C. § 3311(b)(9)) who lives in the State of Missouri while attending a school located in the State of Missouri (regardless of his/her formal State of residence) and enrolls in the school within three years of the Service member’s death in the line of duty following a period of active duty service of 90 days or more.
• Anyone described above while he or she remains continuously enrolled (other than during regularly scheduled breaks between courses, semesters, or terms) at the same school. The person so described must have enrolled in the school prior to the expiration of the three year period following discharge or death described above and must be using education benefits under either chapter 30, chapter 31, chapter 33, or chapter 35,of title 38, United States Code.

Regular Attendance

VA students must attend all classes according to each instructor’s attendance policies. VA benefits will be terminated as of the last date of attendance reported by the instructor for students with unsatisfactory attendance. All VA students using Chapter 30, 33, 1606, and 1607 must verify their attendance monthly on or after the last day of each month. Students using Chapter 30, 1606, and 1607 can verify attendance by using the Web Automated Verification of Enrollment (WAVE) system or by calling 877.823.2378. Students using Chapter 33 must verify their attendance by using the VA’s text message or email process.

Unsatisfactory Progress

The University is required to notify the Veterans’ Administration that a student did not make satisfactory progress if the student:

1. receives a non-punitive grade in any course;
2. fails or withdraws from all classes; or
3. is suspended by the University.

Education benefits will be terminated for students who fail to make VA satisfactory progress.

Classes Not Completed

The Veterans’ Administration may require students to repay benefits received for classes dropped. All VA students must report changes in enrollment status, including drop/add/withdrawals to the school certifying official. The VA will only pay for courses that lead to a standard degree or certificate. VA benefits will not be paid for courses in which students have already earned a satisfactory grade, unless the university state that a higher grade is necessary for the completion of the curriculum. VA benefits will not be paid for courses that a student elects to audit.

Delayed/Incomplete Grades

Delayed/incomplete grades must be removed by the end of the next semester of enrollment or they will be changed to grades of “F.”

VA students should contact the Office of Veterans’ Affairs before deciding to repeat a course, withdraw from the University, drop a class, take a delayed grade or interrupt class attendance to assure compliance with VA regulations.

Veterans’ Benefits Tuition and Fee Payments

In the event a Chapter 31 or Chapter 33 payment or disbursement of tuition funds is delayed by the US Department of Veteran’s Affairs, the University will ensure students are not penalized, including any assessment of late fees, denial of access to courses, libraries or other institutional facilities, or require the recipient to borrow additional funds to cover any financial obligation to the University that will be covered by the benefit payment.

Contact Information

For information and assistance in completing and maintaining the proper documents to receive VA benefits, a student should contact the Office of Financial Assistance by calling 660.562.1363 or by e-mailing finaid@nwmissouri.edu.

Vocational Rehabilitation

All students receiving vocational funding from the State Department of Rehabilitation or Veterans’ Administration should contact the Office of Scholarships and Financial Assistance for certification and counseling assistance.