Students planning on financial aid may receive less than expected
By Rusty Causey
[email protected]
Staff Writer
Students with HOPE scholarships, Pell grants or student loans may think they have financing their college degrees under control, but if they aren't careful, things may not go as smoothly as planned.
For example, according to Wendy Shapiro, director of financial aid, dropped classes count against the 127 total hours covered by HOPE. That means if a student drops a three-hour class to try to keep a good GPA, he or she will have only 124 hours of HOPE coverage though the student did not receive any credit for the dropped class.
Shapiro says that after students receive HOPE they have to pass 67 percent of the classes that they register for. They will be evaluated every 30, 60 and 90 hours, at which time they must have a 3.0 GPA to continue to receive the scholarship.
So if a student drops 11 or more hours out of 30, the student will lose HOPE no matter if he or she maintains a 4.0 GPA for the remaining 19 hours of credit in the evaluation period.
Also all classes that HOPE pays for count towards a student's GPA. For example Math 0097, 0098, 0099 and English 099 do not count for the Georgia Highlands College GPA, but they do count for the HOPE GPA and credit hours.
Students who receive the Pell grant must renew it every year by filing the proper paperwork. Also, Shapiro says that if a student drops out of school before completing 60 percent of the semester, the student will be required to repay some of the grant he or she received.
Mitchell Hewell, an education major from Cedartown, says he is aware of the payback rule, but thinks it �is bad for someone that is having problems and has to drop out because of these problems.�
Another way to pay for school is in the form of student loans. Unlike scholarships and grants, students must repay the loans. Shapiro said, �Students should borrow conservatively and should only use loans as a last resort.�
For more information on financial aid and scholarships, students can visit the financial aid web link located under the �Current Students� icon on the Georgia Highlands College web page.
|
