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Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid Web Site

Eligibility and General Requirements
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Applying For Financial Aid
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Determination of Financial Aid
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The Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid (OSFA) at Central Michigan University, in conjunction with the federal and state governments and private and civic organizations, offers a variety of scholarship, grant, loan, and employment opportunities to assist you in financing your education.

Approximately seventy percent of all CMU students receive some form of assistance from these sources. The purpose of financial aid is to ensure that the university continues to make it possible for students of all degrees of financial capacity, special talent, or high scholastic merit to attend CMU. Should you have any questions during the application process, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid
Central Michigan University
202 Warriner Hall
Mount Pleasant, MI 48859
(989) 774-3674
1-888-392-0007
FAX: (989) 774-3634
E-MAIL: CMUOSFA@CMICH.EDU

The following general information is provided for prospective and continuing undergraduate students.
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Financial Aid Eligibility: General Requirements
To be eligible for CMU and federal undergraduate assistance you must:

1. Be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen for federal, state, and most CMU programs.

2. Demonstrate financial need (for need-based programs) as determined by the CMU OSFA and by federal regulations.

3. Be enrolled full time (12 credits per semester except for Federal Pell Grants and/or Federal Direct Loans) in a degree program.

NOTE: In order to graduate within four years on a degree program which requires a minimum of 124 hours of credit, a student must average at least 31 hours of credit each year. Several degrees may require a minimum greater than 124 hours.

4. Federal aid recipients may not owe a refund from any federal grant or loan or be in default on any federal loan.
   
   Students must be enrolled on campus to receive financial aid, except under special circumstances. Students must notify CMU Off-Campus Programs at the time of registering for correspondence or other off-campus courses if they wish those courses to count for current financial aid eligibility or future enrollment certification or other purposes including but not limited to student loan deferments, etc. Further, these courses must be taken in conjunction with the university semester calendar, including registration, beginning and ending dates.
    

5. Students registered at other institutions are not eligible to receive CMU financial assistance.
    

6. Guest students attending CMU are not eligible to receive financial assistance through CMU. Students should check with their home institution to determine eligibility for financial assistance.
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Financial Aid Policy on Satisfactory Academic Progress

8. CMU students must make satisfactory progress toward completion of their degrees at CMU to be eligible to receive aid from the following programs: Federal Pell Grant, Federal Direct Student Loan, Federal Direct PLUS Loans (parent loan), Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, Michigan Educational Opportunity Grant, Federal Work Study, Michigan Work Study, Federal Perkins Loan, Michigan Competitive Scholarship Program, Michigan Indian Tuition Waiver, CMU Grant, Bureau of Indian Affairs Grant, Adult Part-time Grant, and CMU Board of Trustees and endowed scholarships. Grade point average, semester and cumulative credits earned, and a maximum time frame are all elements of the satisfactory progress determination. Requirements vary depending upon class level and attendance status as outlined on the accompanying table.

8-1. Transfer Students
Transfer students will be reviewed within the maximum time frame, based on the number of credits accepted by CMU.
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8-2. Other Considerations
Repeated courses will count toward determination of enrollment status. However, for purposes of financial aid Satisfactory Academic Progress, only credits adding to the cumulative credits earned will be counted toward the required minimum number of credits per year. Repeat courses for which a student previously received a passing grade will not count.

Courses with grades of I (Incomplete) or Z (Deferred) do not count as credit earned nor affect the GPA in the semester in which the course is taken; however, they are counted once they are completed. Based upon a student initiated appeal, and a mitigating circumstance, incomplete courses may be considered.

Withdrawn courses do not count as credit nor affect the GPA.

Courses numbered below 100 will count toward determination of enrollment status and minimum credit hours earned per year for purposes of determining financial aid Satisfactory Academic Progress.

Undergraduate courses taken by graduate students do not normally count as graduate credit earned or affect the GPA. Undergraduate credits registered for will not count toward determination of enrollment status and will not count toward the required minimum credits earned per year for purposes of Satisfactory Academic Progress, unless the credits are determined to be a required prerequisite.
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8-3. Summer School Attendance
Summer school attendance may be used by the student to raise the GPA or remove a credits-earned deficiency under the appropriate probation or suspension status. Upon appeal from the student, his/her status will be reviewed under the mitigating circumstances provision to determine if a status change will be granted.
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8-4. Financial Aid Probation
A student who fails to earn the minimum number of credits or achieve the GPA required by his/her attendance status, e.g., full-time, will be placed on Financial Aid Probation. To be removed from Financial Aid Probation, the student must complete his/her next semester at CMU in the same full, half or part-time status he/she was in when placed on probation and the student must complete one-half of the minimum number of credits required under the academic year new credits earned policy and achieve the cumulative grade point average required. While on Financial Aid Probation, students may still receive financial aid. Failure to earn the required credits or achieve the required GPA will result in Financial Aid Suspension.
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8-5. Financial Aid Suspension
A student who is on Financial Aid Suspension is not eligible to receive aid from financial aid programs listed in this section. To be removed from Financial Aid Suspension, the student must complete his/her next semester at CMU in the same full, half or part-time status he/she was in when placed on probation and the student must complete the minimum number of credits required and achieve the cumulative grade point average required. The semester must be completed without the receipt of financial aid.
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8-6. Mitigating Circumstances
Mitigating circumstances may cause a student to fail to achieve Satisfactory Academic Progress. The student must submit an appeal form, with appropriate documentation attached, to the OSFA. The student will be notified in writing of the outcome.

8-7. Right to Appeal
Any student who is placed on Financial Aid Probation or Suspension may appeal this decision. If the student feels he/she does have mitigating circumstances for an appeal, he/she should contact the OSFA.

8-8. Effective Dates
Implementation of this policy became effective with aid eligibility determination for the 1994-95 academic year.
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Applying For Financial Aid
To apply for financial assistance at Central Michigan University, prospective students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The need analysis form must be received by the Federal Processor by March 1 in order to meet the university’s priority deadline. Forms are available from high school counselors, financial aid offices in other institutions of higher learning, and the CMU OSFA.

All CMU awards are made for a period of one academic year only. Reapplication must be made for each year.

Financial aid awards for the prospective student are not offered before the student has attained regular admission status through the Admissions Office.

Because need-based financial aid is limited, it is awarded to the earliest applicants who demonstrate the greatest financial need until funds are exhausted.
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Verification
Students may be selected for verification through an institutional edit process and/or through a random selection for the U.S. Department of Education's Quality Assurance Program. The OSFA is required to collect documents to verify the information on the FAFSA. These documents include, but are not limited to, federal tax returns and documentation of assets and family size.

A timely response to a documentation request is important. Your financial aid application cannot be processed without the requested documentation.
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Fraud
Falsification of income information submitted for the purpose of receiving financial assistance will result in cancellation of all future assistance and repayment of all prior assistance received falsely. If federal and/or state funds are involved, notification of the false information will be provided to the proper agencies (U.S. Department of Education and/or Michigan Department of Treasury) for their further disposition.
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Determination of Financial Need
Need is determined by subtracting a student’s total family contribution, as determined by the federal needs analysis, from the estimated cost of attendance.
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Independent Status
The expected family contribution for education expenses for students who meet the criteria for financial independence is evaluated exclusive of parental support. To be independent for 2004-2005, students must answer yes to at least one of the following questions:

1. Was the student born before January 1, 1981?

2. Is the student a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces?

3. Is the student an orphan or ward of the court, or was he/she a ward of the court until age 18?

4. Does the student have legal dependents other than a spouse?

5. Is the student married?

6. Will the student be a graduate student in 2004-05?

Students may be required to document their status with the OSFA. Students with unusual or extenuating circumstances relating to independent status should contact the OSFA.
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Parental Contribution
For dependent students, the OSFA uses the Federal needs analysis to determine the contribution from each family, taking into account the family’s income and assets, taxes paid, the household size, and the number of college students in the home.
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Student Contribution
The federal needs analysis is utilized to determine the student's contribution and the student's spousal contribution, if applicable. Students and their spouses are expected to assist in meeting educational costs. The expected contribution is calculated from previous year earnings and untaxed income, and a percentage of personal savings and assets.
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