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Financial Aid & Loans

There are a variety of funding options available to help pay for college. Review the following information and contact our financial aid office to find what we offer that fits your needs – academically AND financially. This can mean evaluating living scenarios, travel, food expenses, etc. when determining the right time for you to go to school.

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Financial Aid Options at Texarkana College

Federal Financial Aid (FAFSA)
A student learning about community college scholarship opportunities.

Scholarships
Veteran making use of GI Bill benefits and Hazlewood Act

Veterans Benefits

Work Study

Student Loans
Financial Aid Office entrance

Financial Aid for Non-Citizens

Disbursement & Refunds

Upcoming Priority Deadlines

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Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

Federal regulations require that a student make satisfactory academic progress toward the completion of a degree or certificate at Texarkana College in order to receive federal financial aid. At Texarkana College, the standards that students must meet to fulfill this requirement are stated in the Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress (FA-SAP) policy. In addition, state law requires that students who receive exemptions and/or waivers to tuition and fee charges also maintain the same FA-SAP standards as students who receive financial aid. Finally, the Department of Veteran Affairs also requires that students who receive veterans’ benefits maintain FA-SAP standards in order to continue to receive benefits.

Students should be aware that FA-SAP standards are different from Academic SAP standards at Texarkana College. Students should also be aware that FA-SAP will be evaluated at the end of each semester. VA educational benefits are held to the same FA-SAP standards as Title IV Financial Aid.

Upcoming SAP Deadlines

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GPA Requirement

  • All financial aid recipients must have a cumulative financial aid SAP grade point average of 2.00.

Completion Requirements

  • Students must, at a minimum, receive satisfactory grades in 67% of cumulative credits attempted. This calculation is performed by dividing the cumulative total number of successfully completed credits by the cumulative total number of credits attempted. All credits attempted at Texarkana College (except audits, which must be entered as such by the class census date) are included. Articulated transfer credits are included in this calculation. This evaluation will be made prior to aid being awarded and after grades are posted at the end of each semester a student is enrolled at the college.
  • Credits with satisfactory grades at Texarkana College are those for which a grade of A, B, C, or D is earned. Courses with a grade of F, W, U, and I are considered unsatisfactory for financial aid purposes and are included in this calculation. Note: Federal Student Loan borrowers must meet FA-SAP requirements at the point of loan certification and again prior to the disbursement of any loan proceeds.

Maximum Time Frame (MAX Credits)

  • The regulation set by the Department of Education specifies that for an undergraduate program, the maximum time frame may not exceed 150% of the published length of the program. Developmental and ESL coursework are included in this calculation. Attempted credit from all enrollment periods at the college is counted; whether the student received financial aid for those terms is of no consequence.  Students who have previously earned a bachelor’s degree or higher are automatically placed on max credits suspension because their degree means they have already completed credits well in excess of 150% the size of an associate degree.

Warning Status

  • Students who fail to meet FA-SAP for the first time (excluding students who have already attempted 150% of the credits required for their programs of study) will be automatically placed in a Warning Status for one (1) term and are expected to meet FA-SAP requirements by the end of that term. Students who fail to meet FA-SAP requirements at the end of the warning status term will be placed on Financial Aid Suspension.

Financial Aid Suspension

  • Unless extenuating circumstances exist and an appeal is granted, a student in Financial Aid Suspension should expect to continue classes at his or her own expense until FA-SAP requirements are again met.
  • Students who fail to meet FA-SAP and who choose to enroll without benefit of student financial aid may request a review of their academic records after any term in which they are enrolled without the receipt of financial aid to determine whether they have again met FA-SAP standards. If the standards are met, eligibility is regained for subsequent terms of enrollment in the academic year.

Satisfactory Academic Progress Notification

  • Students who do not meet FA-SAP due to grade point average, completion of hours, or has reached the maximum time frame of their program will be issued an FA-SAP memo by the Financial Aid Office as soon as possible. However, notice of financial aid warning may be retroactively incurred based on an evaluation of the student’s previous academic record.
  • Note: Any student who wishes to appeal the loss of financial aid for failure to meet FA-SAP may do so through the Financial Aid Office.

Appeal Process

  • Students who become ineligible for federal/state/VA financial aid under the FA-SAP policy may submit a request for reinstatement (appeal) to the Financial Aid Office with the required supporting documentation attached. Presidential/Deans Scholars who were unable to maintain the conditions for their scholarship due to circumstances outside their control may also submit an appeal online at the same location.
  •  Appeal forms with insufficient documentation will not be processed.
  • The FA-SAP Committee will review the “Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal” submitted by the student, and a decision of approval by the committee or denial by the committee will be noted. 

SAP Probation

  • Students who have successfully appealed the loss of their financial aid are placed on probation. Students on probation are eligible to receive financial aid for one (1) semester, after which they MUST be meeting all of the FA-SAP Standards or the requirements of an academic degree plan that was pre-approved by the Financial Aid Office.

SAP Auto-Probation

  • If a student made good academic progress defined by a 100% completion rate and a 3.0 GPA during the previous semester, they do not have to formally appeal and will be granted an automatic probationary status.

Academic Bankruptcy/Fresh Start

  • Academic Fresh Start placed on Texarkana College transcripts indicates that the coursework, grades, etc. before this point is excluded from the remaining transcript.
  • The Federal Student Aid program regulations make no provision for the concept of academic amnesty. Therefore, the financial aid office at Texarkana College will consider all work attempted at other institutions to arrive at the cumulative completion rate.
  • Hours taken before the Fresh Start count toward the 150% completion rule.
  • Federal regulations require that students seeking financial aid must be making satisfactory progress toward the completion of a degree.

  • Contact information

  • If not sure, check GPA

  • GPA / Completion / Scholarship Appeal

  • Federal regulations stipulate appeals may be granted based on extenuating circumstances only.
  • If you are appealing a financial aid suspension due to low GPA or completion, or if you are a Presidential scholar who has failed to maintain the minimum standards to keep your scholarship, please answer the questions below. If your GPA and completion are good, and you are only appealing max credits, type “N/A” in these blanks and continue to the max credit portion below.
  • (If your prior academic challenges were caused by academic mistakes, what specific changes will you make as part of your “game plan” for future success? If your prior challenges were caused by events outside of school, how has that situation changed so that you can be more successful?)

  • Max Credit Appeal

  • If you are appealing a “max credits” suspension for attempting an excessive number of hours, please type an explanation as described below. If max credits does not apply to you, type “N/A”.

    This could involve repeating classes, changing your major, coming back for a second degree/certificate, etc. Your explanation should also describe what major you are currently working toward, how you believe this degree fits into your educational/career goals, and give us an estimate of how long it will take you to finish the degree.

  • Optional uploads

  • If any of the below are applicable to your appeal you may attach documents that support your case.
    • Medical documentation that supports that you were medically unable to meet the requirements for SAP; or
    • Verification of a death (obituary or death certificate) in your immediate family. Immediate family for purposes of a financial aid appeal is parents, siblings, children, spouse or grandparents; or
    • Verification of military orders for military personnel and their families that have been temporarily reassigned or called to active service; or
    • Verification of natural disasters beyond your control that impacted your academic performance; or
    • Personal tragedies that were beyond your control and are documented by a 3rd party professional, i.e. police, courts, medical, clergy, etc.
    • If you submit a divorce decree, you must submit additional documents such as a restraining order, child custody papers, or any additional legal documentation. A divorce decree alone is not considered an extenuating circumstance.
  • Drop files here or
    Accepted file types: jpg, gif, png, pdf, Max. file size: 5 MB, Max. files: 5.
      You may upload up to 5 supporting documents which must be one of the following file formats: jpg, gif, png, pdf. Individual files for upload may be up to 5MB in size each.

    • Acknowledgement

    • By submitting this form, I certify that all information and documentation submitted pertaining to this appeal is true
      For Presidential Scholars, I understand I may only submit one appeal.
    • Type your full name
    • MM slash DD slash YYYY

    Withdrawal Consequences and Return to Title IV

    In addition to harming your long-term eligibility for financial aid through the SAP process, withdrawing from your courses may also have immediate financial consequences. Very early in each semester, there is a brief time period where you may drop or withdraw and not receive a letter grade for that course. During this time (“before census date”), your financial aid will adjust up or down depending on your eligible classes, including cancelation in the case of a complete withdrawal. However, you may still owe Texarkana College a portion of the cost of the class for having held the seat after the first day, or for any charges made against your financial aid in the TC Bookstore.

    After the “census date” – the point in the semester at which you will receive some kind of grade for the course, good or bad – a complete withdrawal from all financial aid eligible courses will trigger a process called “Return to Title IV” or R2T4. (Title IV is the government program that funds all federal financial aid.) This process requires Texarkana College to recalculate your financial aid based on how long you attended during a semester and return what you didn’t “earn” through attendance, which may result in a debt to the college. Note that an “F” grade in a course you stopped attending also counts as a withdrawal. Please open the box below for full details on the Return to Title IV process.

    The Texarkana College Financial Aid office will perform a Return of Title IV (R2T4) funds calculation for any student who is withdrawn and has received Title IV aid. A student is considered to be “withdrawn” if they withdraw from their last class of the semester before it is scheduled to finish and are no longer enrolled in any other classes. (For example, a student who earned a “W” in all classes in a 16-week semester is considered to be withdrawn, but so would a student who earned one “A” in a Fall 1 class and a “W” in their only Fall 2 class, since they withdrew before their scheduled semester was over.)

    Students who receive a grade of F in all courses with a last date of attendance prior to the last scheduled date of the term are also considered withdrawn. If the last date of attendance for a failed course is the same as the last date of the course, the student has earned the F, meaning they are not considered to be withdrawn, but failed to meet the course objectives of the course.

    Texarkana College follows the guidelines of the Federal Refund policy for a student who has received Federal financial aid funds (other than Federal Work-Study) and who has withdrawn on or after the first day of class. A portion of the student’s award may need to be returned to the Title IV programs and/or the student may need to repay a portion of the award funds received. Return of unearned aid must be distributed according to a specific order of priority mandated in the law and regulations.

    If a student receiving Federal Title IV Aid withdraws after completing 60% of the semester, the student is considered to have earned 100% of the Title IV Aid and therefore no funds are returned. A calculation will still be performed to determine if the student is eligible for a post-withdrawal disbursement.

    The repayment to the various programs will be in the following priority:

    1. Unsubsidized Loans
    2. Subsidized Loans
    3. Pell Grant
    4. Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants
    5. Other Title IV programs, institutional funds, outside agency funds, and student funds

    R2T4 Calculations are to be performed by the Financial Aid Office once notification has been given that the student has totally withdrawn.

    Texarkana College will return any funds required by the R2T4 calculation to the Department of Education via the Common Origination and Disbursement System within 45 days of the date that the college determined that the student withdrew.

    The withdrawal date is defined as the “Date of school’s determination that the student withdrew”.

    Copies of the refund calculation are available upon request in the Financial Aid Office.Texarkana College is an institution required to take attendance and therefore adhere to the guidelines specific to attendance taking schools in the federal regulations. Texarkana College does not accept late responses in regards to post-withdrawal disbursements. Texarkana College notifies all R2T4 students if a return has been made by email. The email includes their last date of attendance, withdrawal date, and the funds and amount(s) of the return.

    Return of Title IV calculations include the following documentation at Texarkana College:

    • Return of Title IV calculation worksheet
    • Student’s withdrawal verification report demonstrating the student’s last date of attendance and withdrawal dates for each course. As well, as start and end dates for each course in which the student was enrolled.
    • Completed days, a pdf of a timeanddate.com calculation of total days completed by the student.
    • Percentage completed – an excel spreadsheet which calculates the percentage the student completed out of the total number of days. This document will account for any scheduled breaks within the semester.
    • Financial aid master screen which shows the number of financial aid eligible hours the student was enrolled in.
    • Financial aid awarded screen which shows the amount of financial aid packaged and disbursed to the student.
    • Account record, an excel spreadsheet of the students account listing all tuition and fee charges, and any other transactions on the student’s account used to sum the amount of tuition, fees, bookstore charges, and other charges, to be used in the R2T4 calculation.
    • Statement of account, a print-out showing the same information as the account record that is summed by another financial aid employee to ensure the totals match the account record.
    • Common Origination and Disbursement system (COD) screens showing the amount of funds returned for each fund type, and the date it was returned to demonstrate the funds were returned within 45 days of the student’s withdrawal date (date of determination that the student withdrew).
    • Any other documentation deemed necessary by the financial aid administrator performing the calculation to include in the student’s electronic file.

    Withdrawing or dropping classes affect federal VA benefits and the Texas Hazlewood exemption differently.

    Federal VA Educational Benefits

    • For all federal veteran educational benefits (all versions of GI Bill©, Veteran Readiness and Employment, and Chapter 35 for VA dependents), dropping or withdrawing from any course will usually result in a debt that must be repaid. For Post-9/11 GI Bill©, in particular, a withdrawal will usually mean a debt to both Texarkana College (for your tuition) and to the Department of Veteran Affairs (for your housing allowance and book stipend).
    • If you are using a federal VA educational benefit and need to drop a class, please contact the TC Financial Aid Office prior to doing it so we can advise you. If you owe a debt to the VA, they will contact you about the debt and allow you to potentially appeal it if you had mitigating circumstances that were beyond your control.

    Hazlewood Exemption

    • Unlike Title IV financial aid and federal VA benefits, the Hazlewood exemption is generally not owed back if you withdraw after the semester’s census date. However, those hours are still considered “used” from your original 150 credit hours of use, whether you passed the courses or not.