Expenses and Financial Aid

Fee Payment

The Citadel Student Business Services is responsible for the collection of monies due to The Citadel. All fees are due and payable at the time of registration. If fees are not paid by the date on the term calendar, the student may be dropped from registered classes. Checks should be made payable to The Citadel and mailed to 171 Moultrie Street, Charleston, SC 29409. Fees may also be paid online with Visa, Mastercard, Discover or American Express. Electronic check payments are available at no charge. Deferred payment plans may be arranged in advance of a semester through the Citadel Tuition Payment Plan. Forms are available on the Student Business Services’ webpage at https://www.citadel.edu/sbs/. The Citadel reserves the right to adjust fees at any time to meet the current cost of operation. Fee schedules are published each semester on The Citadel’s web page. All correspondence concerning fees, payments, and status of accounts should be directed to Student Business Services.

Cost of Attendance

The Cost of Attendance (COA) budget figure is different than the school’s catalog costs - or actual billing charges that the student pays to attend the college each year. The COA figure is an annual budget number regulated by the federal government that serves as a ceiling in each student’s financial aid account. This means that the COA limits the total amount of loans, grants, and scholarships (aid) that the school can award each year.

The individual budget line items used to establish the COA is the total cost of attendance. The COA is always higher than the school’s actual catalog costs, and it includes estimated costs that might be incurred each year beyond what the school charges, such as travel/transportation expenses, loan fees, and personal items. View Cost of Attendance information here.

Financial Aid and Scholarships

The Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships administers student loan applications, grants, scholarships, and work-study programs. The office is located in Bond Hall, Room 138, and staff can be reached at (843) 953-5187 or by email at financial_aid@citadel.edu.

Forms and Deadlines

To apply for financial aid at The Citadel, all students should file a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online at fafsa. ed.gov as soon as possible after October 1 each year. Additional information may be requested by the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships. Students are responsible for checking their Lesesne Gateway accounts, completing all requested paperwork, and meeting financial aid requirements in a timely manner. Funds are limited, so late applications are considered for aid only if resources are still available.

Applicants who have not completed all financial aid paperwork by June 30 should not expect to receive notification of awards prior to the beginning of fall semester. These applicants should be prepared to pay for their tuition, fees, and other costs by established fee payment deadlines. Students are reimbursed if subsequently determined to be eligible for financial aid.

Determining Financial Need

The amount of financial aid is based on the FAFSA form the applicant files after October 1 each year. This form solicits information about the family’s current financial situation and produces an “expected family contribution” (EFC). Adjusted gross income data from tax forms are used, along with current asset information to determine family resources. Allowances are made for federal and state taxes, social security, employment (when both parents work), unusual medical and dental expenses, and family size. Other factors considered include any unusual expenses and the number of family members in college. In its simplest definition, financial need is the difference between what a student will pay to attend college and the expected family contribution, as determined by the need analysis. If costs exceed the amount of family contribution, then the applicant has “demonstrated” financial need.

Dependent or Independent Status

Federal student aid programs are based on the premise that parents have the primary responsibility of financing their children’s education. However, independent students are not required to submit parental data. Students who fall into at least one of the following categories are considered independent:

• He/she is at least 24 years old by Dec 31 of the academic year.
• He/she is a graduate student.
• He/she is married.
• He/she is currently serving on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces for purposes other than training.
• He/she is a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces.
• He/she has children (or other dependents) and will provide more than half of their support.
• He/she was in foster care or deemed a dependent or ward of the court.
• He/she was an emancipated minor or in legal guardianship as determined by a court.
• He/she is determined to be an unaccompanied youth who is homeless or self-supporting and at risk of being homeless.

Federal Eligibility Requirements

Any student who is accepted for admission is eligible to request financial assistance. However, there are several general eligibility requirements a student must meet to receive federal financial aid:

1. A student must be admitted to The Citadel as a regular or provisional student.
2. A student must be a U.S. citizen, or a national or permanent resident.
3. A student may not receive aid if he or she is in default at any institution on any Federal Student Loan Program.
4. Students must be enrolled at least half-time. This is defined as 4.5 hours/semester for graduate students and six (6) hours/semester for undergraduate students. The only exception to this rule will be internships and practicums, which, given their somewhat unique composition and requirements, qualify a student for half-time status. This definition of half-time status is important to be eligible for financial aid and to qualify for in-school deferment on prior federal student loans.
5. A student may not receive aid if he or she owes a repayment at any institution on a Pell Grant, Supplemental Grant, or State Student Incentive Grant.
6. A student must have the minimum grade point average and must make satisfactory academic progress (SAP) toward a degree to continue to receive federal financial aid.
7. A graduate certificate student is not eligible for federal financial aid.

Types of Financial Aid

Please visit http://www.citadel.edu/finaid for detailed information about the various financial aid programs offered.

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) for Financial Aid Recipients

In compliance with regulations governing federal and/or state financial aid programs, The Citadel is required to monitor each student to be certain that he or she is maintaining Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) in his or her course of study. SAP standards are separate from The Citadel’s academic policies and are reviewed annually at the end of each spring semester.

How the Policy Works

Students who fail to meet published SAP standards for financial aid recipients will be ineligible to receive federal or state financial aid funds. However, those students failing to meet the minimum standards, as prescribed in this policy, may appeal their status by following outlined conditions.

Academic Year

The academic year for SAP determination is comprised of the fall, spring, and summer terms.

Minimum Standards

Unsatisfactory academic progress is defined as a failure to meet at least one of the following standards:

Graduate Students

1. Academic Progression
   1. Full-time students (enrolled in at least 6 hours/semester) must earn at least 67% of credit hours attempted in an academic year. 
   2. Part-time students (enrolled in 3 hours/semester) must earn at least 67% of credit hours attempted in an academic year.
2. GPA - A student must earn at least a 3.0 grade point average.
3. Attempted credit hours cannot exceed 150% of the student’s program length.

SAP Appeal

Students who have not met SAP have the opportunity to complete an appeal to regain eligibility for federal aid. Completion of this process does not guarantee reinstatement of federal financial aid. Students are responsible for full payment of tuition/fees regardless of financial aid status. It is also the student’s responsibility to be aware of and to meet all fee payment and financial aid deadlines.  The outcome of an SAP appeal does not affect the outcome of an academic appeal, or vice versa.  The two processes run independantly.

The SAP Appeal form is available on the Office of Financial Aid & Scholarship’s webpage on The Citadel website at citadel.edu.

The SAP Appeal must include:

1. A completed SAP Appeal Form and Academic Improvement Plan approved by Academic Affairs and signed by both the advisor and the student, and
2. A letter written by the student that defines why the student failed to make SAP and what has changed that enables the student to meet SAP at the next evaluation.

If a student fails to either regain regular SAP eligibility after one semester or meet the conditions of the Academic Improvement Plan, the student is ineligible to receive federal financial aid (Title IV aid).

Appeal Deadlines

Completed appeal forms must be turned in two weeks before the end of the term for which the appeal is filed.

Grades

Only letter grades are given to evaluate a student’s progress. The following definitions of letter grades are applicable:

“A” Superior

“B” Very Good

“C” Satisfactory; Acceptable

“D” Marginal; Passing

“F” Unsatisfactory

“P” Grade assigned in pass/fail courses that do not carry credit hours to designate passing performance

“S” Grade assigned in pass/fail courses that carry credit hours to designate that a grade of “A”, “B” or “C” has been earned and credit has been awarded

“U” Grade assigned in pass/fail courses and in ENGL 101 to designate that a grade of “D” or “F” has been earned and no credit has been awarded

“W” Withdrawal from a course prior to the official deadline

“I” An Incomplete is awarded when course requirements have been very nearly met but for authorized reasons (illness, injury, family emergency, etc.) cannot be completed during the current semester.

“IP” Grade assigned for courses in which requirements are not expected to be met in one academic term. The grade of “IP” must be removed after two full semesters, or the “IP” becomes an “F.” The summer session will not be considered a semester in this case. Under extenuating circumstances, an extension may be awarded by the Associate Provost for Academic Affairs with the recommendation of the instructor. The removal of the “IP” is the responsibility of the student. Students may not enroll in a course in which they currently have an “IP.”

Students who are enrolled in audit courses will not receive financial aid for these courses.

Students can access midterm progress and semester grade reports online by using BANNER Self-Service through the Lesesne Gateway portal.

Taking or Repeating Courses to Improve the GPA/Grade Replacement

The regulatory definition for full-time enrollment status (for undergraduates) has been revised to allow a student to retake (one time only per previously passed course) any previously passed course. For this purpose, passed means any grade higher than an “F,” regardless of any school or program policy requiring a higher qualitative grade or measure to have been considered to have passed the course. This retaken class may be counted towards a student’s enrollment status, and the student may be awarded Title IV aid for the enrollment status based on inclusion of the class. A student may be repeatedly paid for repeatedly failing the same course (normal SAP policy still applies to such cases), and if a student withdraws before completing the course that he or she is being paid Title IV funds for retaking, then that is not counted as his or her one allowed retake for that course. However, if a student passed a class once, then is repaid for retaking it, and fails the second time, that failure counts as their paid retake, and the student may not be paid for retaking the class a third time.

Transfer Credits

When evaluating SAP, a student’s transfer credits, accepted by The Citadel toward completion of the student’s degree program, will count as both credit hours attempted and hours earned.

Change of Major

Students that have changed majors and earn more than the maximum allowable number of credit hours toward graduation will be required to submit an SAP Appeal.

Second Degrees

Students that are completing a second degree will be required to submit an SAP Appeal to explain the reason behind earning more than 150% of allowable credit hours.

Financial Aid Funds Covered By SAP Standards

• Federal Pell Grant
• Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG)
• Federal Work Study
• Federal Direct Loan, subsidized and unsubsidized
• Federal Direct PLUS Loan
• Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan
• South Carolina Teachers Loan
• South Carolina Career Changers Loan
• South Carolina Palmetto Fellows Scholarship
• South Carolina LIFE Scholarship
• South Carolina Need-Based Grant
• Other federal/state programs as required
• Some Private Educational Loans (as required by the lender)

Financial Aid Refund and Repayment Policy

Refunds

Refunds will be returned to the programs from which the student received aid. The Higher Education Act of 1998, Public Law 105- 244, substantially changed the way funds paid toward a student’s education are managed should the student, as a recipient of federal financial aid, withdraw from school. If a student who was awarded financial aid withdraws from school, he/she is eligible for the “institutionally-determined refund” that remains after the immediate repayments of the financial aid award to the Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships. This policy also applies to students on whose behalf a parent has borrowed a Title IV loan. Refunds are returned to the programs that awarded the student aid. In the case of federal financial aid, a statutory schedule is used to determine the amount of federal financial aid that has been earned based on the period the student was in attendance. Up through the 60% point, in each payment period of enrollment, a pro rata schedule is used to determine how much federal financial aid the student will receive. After the 60% point, in the payment period of enrollment, a student has earned 100% of the federal funds awarded for the period.

For example, if a student has received $1,000 in Federal Financial Aid and withdraws within the first week of classes, that student will receive 6 percent ($60) of the aid award applied to total charges. The remaining $940 will be returned to the Federal Financial Aid programs in the following order:

1. Unsubsidized Student Loans
2. Subsidized Student Loans
3. Perkins Loans
4. PLUS Loans/Graduate PLUS Loans
5. Federal Grants
6. Other Assistance under Title IV

The refund and repayment provisions mandated by the federal government for federal aid recipients apply when a student receives financial aid funds and withdraws, drops out, takes an unapproved leave of absence, fails to return from an approved leave of absence, is expelled, or otherwise fails to complete the period of enrollment for which he or she was charged. The refund and repayment requirements DO NOT APPLY to a student who:

• Withdraws, drops out, or is expelled before his or her first day of class, or
• Withdraws from some classes, but continues to be enrolled in other classes, or
• Does not receive funds for the period in question. (Students whose parents received a PLUS Loan are considered to have received funds and so are covered for the refund and repayment requirements.)

Repayments

If a student’s non-instructional educational expenses (allowances as prescribed below) incurred up to the time of withdrawal exceed the amount of cash disbursement, the student does not owe a repayment. If cash disbursed exceeds the non-instructional costs of education incurred up to the time of withdrawal, the student does owe a repayment. This repayment is the difference between costs incurred and the actual cash refund received. Non-instructional expenses are determined by calculating the percentage of room, board, books, supplies, travel, and personal expenses incurred during the portion of the term a student is enrolled. Off-campus board and personal expenses are prorated on a weekly basis. There is no proration of on-campus room charges. A percentage of books, supplies, and travel costs is allowed based on length of enrollment.

Student Aid Accounts to be Refunded and Repaid

Once the amounts to be refunded and/or repaid are determined, the aid programs from which the student received funds will be reimbursed in the following order:

1. Federal Direct/Stafford loans
2. Federal Perkins loans
3. Federal PLUS loans received on behalf of the student
4. Federal Pell Grants
5. Federal SEOG Grants
6. Other Title IV programs
7. Other federal, state, private, or institutional student financial assistance received by the student for which refunds are required
8. The student

Other Assistance

Vocational Rehabilitation Scholarships: This program provides for education and training if the student has a physical or mental disability that is a substantial handicap to employment and if there exists reasonable expectation that vocational rehabilitation services may lead to gainful employment. Additional information is available through the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation in the student’s home state.

College Budget Plans: The Citadel Tuition Payment Plan (CTPP) allows all students and families to finance the cost of Tuition, Auxiliary Fees (Housing/Room/Board) and OneCard. The plan is offered as a service to the student, allowing the student to finance education and related costs over the period of a semester. To calculate the amount to include in the plan, students should subtract financial aid and any scholarships from their balance- and only place their uncovered expenses in the payment pan. There is a $50 enrollment fee per term. The plan is for 4 equal payments. Enrollment deadlines can be found on the Treasurer’s web page at www.citadel.edu\treasurer. Failure to pay any outstanding balance by the end of the semester will result in a registration hold being placed on their account until the balance is paid off.

Veterans Services: Services are administered under the umbrella of the Veteran Student Success Center at The Citadel. Veteran services are intended to meet the needs of students receiving benefits under the following programs:

• Ch. 30-Montgomery GI Bill ®-Active Duty, Veterans
• Ch. 31-Vocational Rehabilitation
• Ch. 33-Post 9-11 GI Bill®
• Ch. 35-Dependents’ Educational Assistance Program
• Ch. 1606-Montgomery GI Bill®-Selected Reserve

Due to the complexity of VA educational benefits, students are encouraged to contact The Citadel’s Veterans Student Success Office well in advance of the beginning of the semester. Students who have already applied for benefits should submit a copy of their Department of Veterans Affairs Certificate Eligibility. In compliance with federal regulations, students are required to follow guidelines set by the Department of Veterans Affairs. VA Certification Policies and Procedures can be found on The Citadel’s website under Veterans Services. Staff can be reached at 843-953-9824 or email at va_benefits@citadel.edu.

Pending Veterans Benefits Payment

In accordance with Title 38 US Code 3679(e), The Citadel adopts the following additional provisions for any students using U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Veterans Readiness and Employment (Ch. 31) benefits, Post-9/11 G.I. Bill^® (Ch. 33), while payment to the institution is pending from VA.  The Citadel will not:

• Prevent the student’s enrollment;
• Assess a late penalty fee to the student;
• Require the student to secure alternative or additional funding;
• Deny the student access to any resources (access to classes, libraries, or other institutional facilities) available to other students who have satisfied their tuition and fee bills to the institution.

However, to qualify for this provision, such students may be required to:

• Produce the VA Certificate of Eligibility (COE) by the first day of class;
• Provide a written request to be certified;
• Provide additional information needed to properly certify the enrollment as described in other institutional policies

Refunds

No fees are refunded after the published drop deadline. This date is usually following two class meetings and is published in the term calendar ahttp://www.my.citadel.edu/root/registrar-important-dates. To obtain the appropriate refund, a student must drop the course via Lesesne Gateway. The Citadel Graduate College may authorize a refund for extenuating circumstances after the scheduled refund date if a formal appeal is made in writing to the Associate Provost for Enrollment Management. Extenuating circumstances are defined as a death in immediate family, or serious medical issues.  Registration, technology, infrastructure, and application fees are not refundable.