Federal Title IV Financial Aid Programs
Both Haverford College and the Federal Government expect students to maintain an acceptable level of academic progress in order to retain eligibility to receive financial aid. This measure is done both quantitatively (to make sure the student will finish their degree in a timely manner), and qualitatively.
To receive Federal financial aid under Title IV, a student must (1) matriculated at the college, 2) be in good academic standing, and 3) make satisfactory academic progress. A matriculated student is a person admitted through the regular admission process for the purpose of obtaining a degree in an eligible program.
One full Haverford course or credit is worth four semester hour credits in the standard terminology used by the Federal Government. Students enrolled for at least three Haverford credits in a semester are considered to be full-time for the purposes of receiving Title IV aid. A normal academic year at the College consists of two semesters and is more than thirty weeks in length.
For the purposes of receiving Title IV aid, “good academic standing” is determined solely by the Committee on Student Standing and Programs (CSSP). The minimum passing grade for good standing is 1.0 but CSSP, for stated reasons contained in the student’s file on the Dean’s Office, may permit a student to continue at the College with a grade average below 1.0 or require a student to take a leave from the College with a grade average above 1.0.
Federal regulations require institutions to check the academic progress each year. At the end of the sophomore year students receiving Title IV funds must have and subsequently maintain a least a "C" average or academic standing consistent with the graduation requirements of the program. At Haverford, students must have at least a 1.7 cumulative GPA for the minimum "C" grade with other graduation or degree requirements defined in the catalog.
Haverford Funds
Quantitative measure. Haverford College expects students to complete their full-time course of study in 4 years. Consequently, the College limits a student’s eligibility to receive Haverford funding to four years, or a maximum of 8 semesters. Full-time enrollment is defined as a minimum of 3 Haverford credits per semester. Students may register for more or less than this with approval of their advisor, dean, or the Committee on Student Standing and Programs (CSSP). CSSP approval is required for any student who wishes to extend the pursuit of their course of study beyond 4 years.
Students do not have to take a full-time course load to qualify for Haverford Grant; however, any semester a student receives Haverford Grant, even if they are less than full-time, counts toward their minimum of 8 semesters of aid eligibility.
Qualitative measure. For the first two years of study (freshman and sophomore year), the qualitative measure for retaining eligibility for Haverford Grant is determined by the student’s advisor, dean, and CSSP. For the third and fourth years (junior and senior year) the qualitative measure for retaining Haverford Grant is maintenance of a minimum GPA of 2.0. This measure is taken at the end of each semester. Students failing to maintain a 2.0 GPA must appeal to the Financial Aid Office to have their Haverford Grant reinstated. Appeals are reviewed by Committee, and reinstatement of Haverford funds is not guaranteed.
Federal Financial Aid Funds (under Title IV)
To receive Title IV financial aid at Haverford, a student must be matriculated and in good academic standing, and making satisfactory academic progress toward a recognized degree in an eligible program.
Quantitative measure. Federal regulations limit a student’s eligibility to receive federal aid to a timeframe that is equal to 150% of the normal time needed to receive a degree. For Haverford, this means a student can receive federal aid for a maximum of 6 years as they strive to complete the 32 mandatory credits required to receive a Haverford degree. However, to ensure that the student can do this within this length of time, a minimum number of completed credits is expected per semester, and this is part of the quantitative measure. Therefore, at the end of each semester a student must have successfully completed the following number of credits:
- First Year, End of Fall Semester = 2.7 cumulative credits
- First Year, End of Spring Semester = 5.4 cumulative credits
- Second Year, End of Fall Semester = 8.1 cumulative credits
- Second Year, End of Spring Semester = 10.8 cumulative credits
- Third Year, End of Fall Semester = 13.5 cumulative credits
- Third Year, End of Spring Semester = 16.2 cumulative credits
- Fourth Year, End of Fall Semester = 18.9 cumulative credits
- Fourth Year, End of Spring Semester = 21.6 cumulative credits
To attend Haverford beyond four years, the student needs permission from the dean and CSSP. To receive financial aid for additional years, the student must submit a written appeal to the Financial Aid Office for a Committee review.
- Fifth Year, End of Fall Semester = 24.3 cumulative credits
- Fifth Year, End of Spring Semester = 27 cumulative credits
- Sixth Year, End of Fall Semester = 29.7 cumulative credits
- Sixth Year, End of Spring Semester = 32 cumulative credits
Transfer students are assigned a prorated timeframe based on the academic level at which they are classified when they matriculate.
Qualitative measure. Because Haverford does not have an established GPA measure for a student’s first year, but rather tracks a student’s progress via monitoring by the student’s advisor, dean, and CSSP, the Financial Aid Office is required to use the federal standard of a 2.0 GPA by the end of the first year (freshman year). This same 2.0 GPA measure is required for all grade levels. The measure is taken at the end of each semester. Students failing to maintain a 2.0 GPA may go on financial aid probation (which is separate from any academic action) for the subsequent semester, and may receive federal aid for that semester. If at the end of the probationary semester the student has achieved the requisite 2.0 GPA, federal aid eligibility may continue. If the student fails to bring up the GPA to the requisite 2.0, all future federal aid eligibility is suspended. The student may have federal aid eligibility reinstated once he/she has achieved the 2.0 GPA, but this eligibility may not be retroactive.
Appealing Federal Aid. Any student found ineligible to continue to receive federal financial aid may request that the Director of Financial Aid review their individual circumstances. If the student is not satisfied with the Director’s decision, he/she may submit an appeal to the Financial Aid Committee. Per Federal regulations, only appeals based on the death of a relative, an injury or illness to the student, or other extreme circumstance may be considered. Appeals must provide documentation detailing the circumstances on which the appeal is based, and must also specify why the student failed to satisfy Federal satisfactory academic progress requirements. In addition, the student must meet with their dean to prepare an academic plan that will satisfy the SAP requirements, with the Dean agreeing to monitor the student’s progress in accordance with the plan. The dean and director of financial aid will consult and come to consensus regarding the student’s progress in restoring satisfactory academic progress to federal specifications.