Graduate Student – Financial Aid

 

Graduate students at Farmingdale State College may be eligible for federal loans to help them finance their education. There are two federal loan options: Federal Direct Unsubsidized loans and Federal Graduate PLUS loans. Graduate students must be enrolled in 6 or more semester credits that apply to their current academic program and meet the Graduate Satisfactory Academic Progress Standards to be eligible for federal loan funding.

Federal Unsubsidized Loan

Graduate students can borrow up to $20,500 in Federal Direct Unsubsidized loan funding (if eligible) each year. To determine eligibility students must complete a FAFSA application each year.

Graduate Plus Loan

To apply for the Graduate PLUS loan online, go to www.studentaid.gov A credit check is performed as part of the application process. Applicants will receive an immediate credit decision. Award recipients must also complete an additional Master Promissory Note (MPN) for the Graduate PLUS loan at www.studentaid.gov.

Alternative (Private) Loan

Alternative, or private, loans are an additional resource for students to borrow from outside lenders. You can search “Alternative Student Loans” on-line.

Graduate Satisfactory Academic Progress Standards for Federal Financial Aid

The Graduate SAP Standards are utilized solely to determine federal financial aid eligibility. SAP financial aid eligibility standards do not cancel, modify or override the College Academic Standards Policy.

Qualitative and Quantitative SAP Standards

The following SAP standards must be met:

1. Cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) Component
   1. A student must be in good academic standing to receive federal financial A student must maintain a graduate level institutional cumulative GPA of 2.75.
2. Minimum Completion Rate for Attempted Credit Hours – Pace (Quantitative) Component
   1. A student must demonstrate progress by accumulating academic credits at a rate that indicates graduation in a timely A student who is not progressing toward graduation at a defined Completion Rate will not receive federal financial aid regardless of GPA.
   2. A student must complete at least 75 percent of all cumulative attempted credits hours in order to be eligible for federal financial The cumulative attempted credit hours include all accepted transfer credits.
      1. The following grades are considered to be attempted but not successfully completed: W, F, N, UW, UWF
      2. Courses repeated will count in attempted credit

Financial Aid Warning/Suspension

A student who fails to maintain the cumulative GPA and/or meet Pace (completion rate) standard will be placed on Academic Warning for the next registered semester.

A student who continues to fall below the standards for a subsequent semester after the warning period, will be placed on Academic Suspension and be ineligible to receive federal financial aid until all SAP standards are met.

Students may appeal the loss of eligibility if mitigating circumstances (events totally beyond the student’s control) occurred during the preceding semester.