Financial Aid

Applying for Financial Aid

Financial aid consists of federal loans that provide funds for students to assist them in paying for educational expenses. The financial aid award year begins the  autumn term and ends after the summer term.

A new student applying for financial aid should:

1. Complete the Doane University application for admission and submit it along with the non-refundable application fee.
2. Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online at www.fafsa.gov. Doane’s Title IV code is 002544. The application is used to determine eligibility for all federal aid. This application must be completed each school year.
3. Complete the Doane University Financial Aid Questionnaire. The site is www.doane.edu/forms-worksheets
4. Register for classes.

A continuing student applying for financial aid should:

1. Complete the Renewal Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online at www.fafsa.gov. Doane’s Title IV code is 002544. This application must be completed annually.
2. Complete the Doane University Financial Aid Questionnaire. This can be found at www.doane.edu/forms-worksheets
3. Register for classes.

Requirements and Availability of Financial Aid

All types of financial aid are normally awarded for an academic year and credited equally to each term’s charges. After, each term, the Financial Aid Office examines the records of students receiving financial aid to determine if they are fulfilling the necessary requirements to continue to receive federal aid.

Students receiving any additional scholarships or tuition assistance from any outside source or employer must report this resource to the Financial Aid Office or on the Financial Aid Questionnaire. All resources available must be included in the financial aid award. In some instances, it may be necessary to adjust other financial aid.

More information on financial aid can be located on the Doane University website or at www.doane.edu/financial-aid-newsletter.

Students are not eligible to receive financial aid for classes added after census day (last day to drop and add).

Satisfactory Academic Progress for Title IV Federal Financial Aid - Graduate Students

Doane University is required by federal regulations to define and monitor standards of satisfactory academic progress for students who are receiving or wish to receive Title IV Federal Financial Aid from one or more of the following programs:

1. Federal Perkins Loan
2. Federal Stafford Loan
3. Federal TEACH Grant

Standards of Satisfactory Academic progress consist of two measurements:

1. Qualitative or Cumulative GPA (CGPA)- ensures the student is able to meet the minimum academic grade point average (GPA) to complete a Master’s degree at Doane University
2. Quantitative or PACE - measures the student’s progress toward a degree by completing a certain percentage of attempted hours.

Each term the financial aid office reviews the academic records of all students to determine if a student is maintaining the required minimum grade point average to be eligible to receive Title IV Federal Financial Aid. Below is the minimum grade point average requirements based on the number of attempted credits:

For federal financial aid purposes, the Financial Aid Office uses the same required cumulative grade point average (CGPA) the institution uses to be in good academic standing. A student must have a CGPA of 3.0 to be considered making qualitative progress for federal financial aid purposes.

In addition to the qualitative standard, a student must also meet the pace standard. This means a student must receive credit for a minimum of 75 percent of the total number of credits he/she has attempted as registered for at the end of census day (last day to drop and add).

Note: Transfer credits are not factored into a student’s cumulative GPA but are considered in the number of attempted credits.

Only credit hours passed (grades A through D and P) are considered as credits earned. Transfer credits are considered in both the total credit hours completed and in the total credit hours attempted. Grades of I and /or IP are not counted as credits earned until they are replaced by a satisfactory letter grade. Grades of I, IP, W, F, and NP are included as attempted credits in the calculation. A student should notify the financial aid office when I and IP’s grades are replaced with a satisfactory letter grade.

Maximum Time Frame

Depending on the graduate program of study, the student can receive federal financial aid for up to the following amount of attempted credit hours:

Master of Arts in Management (MAM) 54 credits
Master of Art in Counseling (MAC) 69 credits
Master of Art in Counseling-School Counseling 54 credits
Master of Education 54 credits
Educational Specialist 42 credits
Doctorate of Education 66 credits

If it is determined by the university the student is not able to complete his/her Master’s degree without surpassing the time frame indicated above, the student would be placed on Financial Aid Suspension.

Financial Aid Warning:

Students who are not meeting either the cumulative GPA and/or the Pace requirements measurements at the end of a term are placed on Financial Aid Warning the ensuing term of enrollment. Students are allowed to receive financial aid during the Financial Aid Warning period. A student receives only one Financial Aid Warning term while at Doane University. The student will be notified in writing of their Financial Aid Warning Status.

Financial Aid Suspension:

Financial Aid Suspension occurs following the term of Warning or any subsequent term after the Warning term if the student fails to achieve the minimum CGPA and/or the 75 percent completion rate. Students are not eligible to receive Title IV federal financial aid if on suspension and are notified in writing of their Financial Aid Suspension status. Students may be able to continue taking coursework, however they are not able to receive Title IV federal aid funds and will need to pay at their own expense.

Appeals:

If the student has experienced extenuating circumstances which have impeded his/her ability to make satisfactory academic progress, the student may appeal his/her suspension. The contents of the academic program are determined on a case by case basis dependent on the circumstances and whether or not it is a qualitative or quantitative issue which has caused the financial aid suspension. Examples of extenuating circumstances include: death of a relative, personal injury or illness of the student, family medical emergency, etc.

A student must submit their circumstances in writing by the date notated in their suspension letter. The appeal must include the following information:

1. Explanation of the circumstance that prevented him/her from making satisfactory progress
2. Explanation of what has changed or been resolved for him/her to make satisfactory progress in the ensuing term and going forward.
3. Supporting documentation of the extenuating circumstance.

The appeal is considered incomplete if any of the three requirements are missing and it will not be sent to the Financial Aid Appeal Committee for review. If the financial aid appeal committee agrees to let the student continue to receive financial aid for an additional term due to extenuating circumstances, the student will be placed on Financial Aid Probation or Financial Aid Academic Monitoring.

Financial Aid Probation/Financial Aid Academic Monitoring:

Students placed on Financial Aid Probation or Financial Aid Monitoring will be required to complete an academic plan and agree to the terms and the conditions of the plan in order to receive financial aid. The student’s progress will be monitored to ensure he/she is meeting the conditions of the academic plan. If the student completes the terms and conditions of the academic plan, and does not return to satisfactory status after the ensuing term, the student will remain on Financial Aid Probation. The student can continue to receive financial aid as long as he/she is meeting the conditions of the academic plan.

If after the term of Financial Aid Probation or Financial Aid Academic Monitoring the student has not complied with the terms of the academic plan and has not returned to satisfactory status, the student will be placed on Financial Aid Suspension and is not eligible to receive Title IV federal financial aid.

Reinstatement:

Reinstatement of Title IV federal financial aid occurs at the end of any term in which the student reaches the 75% percent completion rate and has met the required minimum GPA requirement consistent with graduation requirements. At his/her own expense, a student may take courses to attempt to regain their Title IV federal financial aid eligibility. A student who has regained their eligibility may contact the financial aid office if they wish to begin receiving Title IV federal financial aid.

Repeat Coursework:

A student may receive financial aid for a course taken previously. The student may only receive financial aid twice for the repeated coursework.

In addition to the Title IV federal aid rules, a student is subject to Doane University’s Institutional Academic Policies. A student not maintaining the minimum grade point average based on credits attempted (as referenced above) may be subject to Academic Probation and/or Academic Suspension at the end of any term if the student is not meeting the above referenced cumulative GPA requirements. The Vice President for Academic Affairs may place a student on Academic Probation or Academic Suspension if a student is not making satisfactory progress or is in danger of not meeting all graduation requirements. If a student is on Academic Suspension, he/she is not allowed to enroll in classes at Doane University. Specific conditions of Academic Probation and Academic Suspension are communicated in writing to the student by the Academic Affairs office.

Note: Doane University’s Institutional Academic Policies are separate from Title IV Federal Aid Satisfactory Progress policy and the policies differ.