FINANCIAL AID POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

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1 FINANCIAL AID POLICIES AND PROCEDURES Saint Louis University NCAA Financial Aid Polices and Procedures are coordinated and monitored by the Associate AD for Sport Administration & Compliance and the Director of the Office of Student Financial Services. The Associate AD for Sport Administration & Compliance and the Head Coach of each sport in coordination with the Director of Student Financial Services is responsible for coordinating and monitoring the financial aid of Saint Louis University student athletes who are squad list players for each particular sport. All countable financial aid is factored and monitored per NCAA financial aid equivalency limitations for each sport to ensure that all NCAA financial aid polices and procedures for renewal and non renewal student athletes is factored and monitored in accordance with NCAA regulations. I. Athletics Grant-In-Aid An Athletics Grant-In-Aid is an agreement between the Saint Louis University Department of Athletics and the student athlete which stipulates the amount of athletic financial aid that the student athlete is to receive in return for his/her participation in a sport and the obligations of both parties after the agreement is signed. A full Athletic Grant-In-Aid consists of tuition and fees, room, board, and required course related books. NCAA regulations specify that student athletes cannot accept financial aid beyond these costs, except as permitted by NCAA legislation for which the Federal Pell Grant program is an exception. Athletics Grant-In-Aids will not be used to pay for a class that a student athlete failed, regardless if the course is retaken in summer school or the traditional semester. The student athlete must pay for failed classes. To qualify for NCAA athletic aid at Saint Louis University, the student athlete must: Fulfill all admission requirements of the University; Meet and maintain all eligibility requirements for participation and financial aid established by the NCAA, the Atlantic 10, and Saint Louis University II. Institutional Financial Aid All financial assistance received by a student athlete must be reported annually and be in compliance with NCAA and Atlantic 10 rules and regulations. Therefore, it is important that a student athlete on athletic scholarship notify the coach and the Associate AD for Sport Administration & Compliance before accepting any financial aid not awarded to the student athlete by Saint Louis University. A student athlete s combined aid cannot exceed a full scholarship equivalency; however, a student athlete may be eligible to receive funds from the Pell Grant program without affecting his/her athletic scholarship. Any student athlete receiving institutional assistance (athletic and other) in addition to any other aid without the approval of 1

2 the Associate AD for Sport Administration & Compliance could run the risk of losing their athletic assistance. NCAA regulations restrict the total amount of financial aid that a student athlete can receive. Should the student athlete receive a federal grant or other financial aid, those funds may replace a portion of the athletic assistance grant in order to comply with NCAA and Atlantic 10 financial aid limitations. Academic Honor Awards NCAA regulations dictate whether institutional academic awards are countable or noncountable in team equivalency limits. The following types of scholarships can be COUNTABLE or NON-COUNTABLE: Freshman Academic Honor Awards are NON-COUNTABLE if, as a freshman, a student has one of the following, per NCAA Bylaw : A. Final High School GPA is greater than or equal to 3.5 B. ACT sum of 105 or SAT sum of 1200 (excluding the writing section) C. Final High School Ranking greater than or equal to Top 10% IF a student does NOT meet one of these three criteria, their academic award is COUNTABLE aid. SLU s Academic Honor Awards may include: I. Presidential II. Presidential Finalist III. Vice President (formerly the Provost) IV. University V. Deans VI. Ignatian VII. Billiken VIII. MLKing ***Please note per NCAA Bylaw , for an institutional Academic Honor to remain exempt after the freshman year, the student-athlete s cumulative GPA must be greater than or equal to 3.0 and the student-athlete must meet all satisfactory progress requirements. Transfer Academic Honor Awards are NON COUNTABLE if the transfer student has a transferable GPA (calculated using criteria in ) of at least 3.3 (based on a 4.0) per NCAA Bylaw SLU s transfer scholarships are awarded based on a student s collegiate cumulative GPA at time of application: 2

3 I. $8000 awarded with GPA of II. $10,000 awarded with GPA of III. $12,000 awarded with GPA of 3.5 or higher SLU has other, less common merit-based transfer scholarship programs each with their unique awarding criteria. Details can be found at ***Please note per NCAA Bylaw , for an institutional transfer academic honor award to remain exempt after the transfer student s first year at SLU, the student-athlete s cumulative GPA must be greater than or equal to 3.3 and the student-athlete must meet all satisfactory progress requirements. Institutional Academic Scholarships given to returning students are NON-COUNTABLE if, per NCAA Bylaw , the following criteria are met: 1. Recipient has completed at least one academic year of full-time enrollment at SLU and 2. Recipient has a cumulative GPA of at least 3.3 at SLU. SLU has various departmental awards of varying amounts which would fall into this category. SLU Tuition Remission is NON-COUNTABLE institutional aid per NCAA Bylaw IF the parent/legal guardian has been employed at SLU for more than five years. If the parent/legal guardian has been employed by SLU for less than 5 years, the aid is COUNTABLE. III. Tender of Athletic Financial Assistance The Saint Louis University Department of Athletics Tender of Financial Assistance is the document that is sent to each Saint Louis University student athlete that is being offered athletic financial aid. This Tender of Financial Assistance document must be signed by the recipient, and returned to the Department of Athletics to be official. Student athletes should keep a copy of all official documents that they sign for their own records. IV. Period of Award Athletic aid must be awarded for a period of one year and may not be awarded for a period of more than one academic year. Exceptions: Financial aid may be awarded to a student-athlete for a period of less than one academic year only under the following circumstances: (a) Midyear Enrollment student-athlete s first full-time attendance at the University occurs at midyear (b) Final Semester student is in the final semester of his/her degree program and the University has certified that the student is carrying (for credit) the courses necessary to complete the degree requirements (c) One-Time Exception provided the student-athlete has been enrolled full time at the University for at least one regular academic term and has not previously received athletically related financial aid from the University 3

4 During the Period of the Award: Athletic Aid may be reduced or cancelled during the period of the award if the recipient: Becomes ineligible for intercollegiate competition Fraudulently misrepresents any information on an application, letter of intent or financial aid agreement Engaged in serious misconduct warranting substantial disciplinary penalty Voluntarily withdraws from the sport for personal reasons Athletic Aid will be reduced or cancelled during the period of the award if the recipient: Signs a professional sports contract Accepts money or other aid that exceeds NCAA financial aid limitations; or Agrees to be represented by an agent Athletic aid may not be increased, reduced or cancelled during the period of the award: On the basis of a student-athlete s athletics ability, performance or contribution to a team s success Because of an injury, illness, or physical or mental medical condition; or For any other athletics reason If athletic aid is to be reduced or discontinued, and the student athlete disagrees with the decision, the student athlete is entitled to a prompt appeals hearing before the Director of Student Financial Services. Post Eligibility Aid (Fifth-Year Grants) The Department of Athletics makes every effort to financially assist a student athlete if they have not graduated by the time their eligibility is complete. Such assistance is recommended by the head coach to the Associate AD for Sport Administration & Compliance. This is not an automatic benefit. However, if based on the student athlete s record, it is believed that continued financial aid should be given; every effort is made to provide such financial aid. In accordance with NCAA rules, financial aid will be terminated if a student athlete acquires an agent, or is under contract with a professional sports organization. V. Financial Aid for Off-Campus Student Athletes Student athletes receiving a full scholarship are required to live in on-campus housing unless a student-athlete is married, has children or has gotten approval from the Director of Athletics. Off-campus board will be determined in the same fashion as students living in on-campus apartment housing without a full meal plan. The dollar amount of these awards will be determined in coordination with the Associate AD for Sport Administration & Compliance and the Director of Student Financial Services. 4

5 VI. Pell Grant Refund Student athletes eligible to receive a Pell Grant are able to receive a refund from this federal grant program. Pell Grant refunds for student athletes are coordinated and monitored by the Associate AD for Sport Administration & Compliance and the Director of Student Financial Services. VII. Renewals and Non Renewals Renewal of Athletic aid is made before July 1 of the next academic year in coordination with the Director of Athletics, the Associate AD for Sport Administration & Compliance, the Head Coach of each sport, and the Director of Student Financial Services. Renewal decisions are made known to the student athlete by the new academic year s Tender of Financial Assistance as described in the Tender of Athletic Financial Assistance section above. Student athletes are notified by the Director of Student Financial Services if their athletic aid is renewed, reduced, or discontinued. VIII. Procedures for Removing an Athlete from Athletic Aid The head coach of the sport will notify the student athlete, the Director of Athletics, and the Associate AD for Sport Administration & Compliance in writing via the Renewal/Non-renewal of Scholarship Form that they wish to remove or reduce a student athlete s athletic assistance. The head coach should provide the rationale for the removal or reduction to the Sport Supervisor and the Associate AD for Sport Administration & Compliance. Once this process is complete and the Sport Supervisor and Associate AD for Sport Administration & Compliance agree with the reduction/cancellation, the Associate AD for Sport Administration & Compliance notifies the Director of Student Financial Services. In accordance with NCAA regulations, Saint Louis University s Director of Student Financial Services notifies the student athlete in writing before July 1 about the aid reduction/cancellation, and their opportunity for an appeal hearing per Saint Louis University Athletic Aid Reduction/Cancellation Appeal Policies and Procedures. IX. Student Athlete s Appeal Procedure After being notified in writing prior to July 1 by the Director of Student Financial Services that the student s athletic aid will be reduced or eliminated for the next academic year, the student athlete who wishes to appeal, must notify the Director of Student Financial Services in writing by a specified deadline date of their desire to meet with the Appeal s committee. The student s letter must include the student athlete s reasons for their appeal. The Director of Student Financial Services will forward a copy of the letter to the Associate AD for Sport Administration & Compliance in addition to detailing the date, time and place of the appeal hearing. X. Procedures for Awarding Athletic Aid to a Prospective Student-athlete In order to award athletic aid to a student-athlete, a coach must complete an NLI/Scholarship Request Form and submit it to the compliance office. 5

6 The amount of athletic aid for incoming freshmen and transfers should be awarded based on the availability of athletic aid due to the graduation and completion of eligibility of current student athletes. The offer of financial aid to freshmen and junior college transfers should be accompanied by a National Letter of Intent. XI. Procedures for Renewing/Non Renewing Athletic Aid 1. In April, coaches in coordination with the Assistant Director of Athletics for Compliance and Student Services review the current academic year s squad lists, and note the amounts of other countable aid that is being received by their sport s counters. Other countable aid will effect the equivalency figure for each team sport, and must be considered when making the new academic year s athletic assistance decisions. 2. In early April, coaches meet with their sport s student athletes individually to review the current year and to discuss the plan to increase or decrease their athletic aid or simply renew or not renew the student s athletic assistance. 3. Following the meeting with each student athlete, coaches should prepare their scholarship recommendations and submit Athletics Aid Renewal/Non-renewal Form. Scholarship allocations should be made based on the budget and institutional costs for the coming academic year. All changes in athletic aid (non-renewals, increases and decreases) should be noted on the student s renewal/non-renewal form. 4. The value of a full Athletic Grant-In-Aid for each new academic year is based on the following Saint Louis University Costs, as provided by the Director of Student Financial Services or designee, on per semester of enrollment a. Full Time Undergraduate Tuition b. All required student fees c. Room d. Board e. $400 Books 5. Head coaches schedule a meeting with the Associate AD for Sport Administration & Compliance, no later than May 1, to review scholarship recommendations and NCAA equivalency limits on the squad lists for the coming academic year. All non-renewals and aid reductions will be discussed during this meeting, in addition to any aid that is to be awarded for summer school. 6. Any requests for changes after the Scholarship Renewal/Non Renewal has been approved and before the first day of classes for the fall semester should be submitted in writing to the Associate AD for Sport Administration & Compliance who upon approval will submit these changes to the Director of Student Financial Services. 7. The Associate AD for Sport Administration & Compliance in coordination with the Director of Athletics and the Director of Student Financial Services reviews and approves Scholarship Renewal/Nonrenewal for the upcoming academic year. Tenders of Financial Assistance documents and non-renewal/reduction letters are sent to the student athletes no later than July 1. 6

7 8. The Associate AD for Sport Administration & Compliance prepares a preliminary squad list for each sport during the summer. Coaches should carefully review the squad list and continually monitor their equivalency status. XII. Summer Athletic Aid Coaches may reserve budgeted scholarship funds, with the approval of the Associate AD for Sport Administration & Compliance, to provide athletic aid for deserving student athletes who need summer school courses for graduation or to maintain eligibility for the fall. Eligible students must have specific academic purposes for attending summer school. Funds for summer school sessions are charged to the scholarship budget for the upcoming academic year. To qualify for summer school aid, the student athlete must meet the satisfactory progress requirements established by the NCAA and Saint Louis University. Recommendations for summer school aid are submitted the Associate AD for Sport Administration & Compliance for review and approval. Limitations on Summer Athletic Aid Athletic assistance cannot be used to attend summer school at another institution. A student athlete can only receive aid in proportion to the amount of athletically related financial aid the student athlete received during the previous academic year. If a student-athlete fails to pass a summer class paid for by the Department of Athletics, the student-athlete must pay back in full the cost of tuition. SUMMARY OF NCAA LEGISLATION FOR SUMMER SCHOOL ATHLETIC AID Bylaw Summer Financial Aid Summer financial aid may be awarded only to attend Saint Louis University s summer school or summer orientation program, provided the student has been in residence a minimum of one term during the regular academic year or the student is a two or four-year college transfer and is receiving aid. Bylaw General Stipulations A student athlete who is eligible for institutional financial aid during the summer is not required to be enrolled in a minimum full-time program of studies. However, the student athlete may not receive financial aid that exceeds the cost of a full grant-in-aid for attendance in that summer term. Bylaw Enrolled Student athletes A student athlete shall not receive athletically-related financial aid to attend Saint Louis University s summer term unless the student athlete received such athletically-related aid from that institution during the student athlete s previous academic year. Further, athletic aid for summer school may be awarded only in proportion to the amount of athletically-related financial aid received by the student athlete during the previous academic year except that this proportionality restriction shall not apply to a student athlete who has exhausted his or her 7

8 eligibility and is enrolled in a summer program of studies that will permit the student athlete to complete his or her degree requirements. Bylaw Multiple Summer Sessions An institution that conducts multiple summer sessions may not award athletically related financial aid to attend any one session that exceeds the proportion of the amount of athletically related financial aid received by the student athlete during the previous academic year. Bylaw Branch School Saint Louis University may not provide a student athlete with financial aid to attend a summer session at a branch campus of the institution. Bylaw Exception for Nonqualifiers A nonqualifier may receive athletically related financial aid to attend Saint Louis University s summer school subsequent to the first academic year in residence under the following conditions: The student athlete has satisfied satisfactory progress requirements and, thus, would be eligible for competition for the succeeding year. The student athlete has been awarded athletically related financial aid for the succeeding academic year; and The student athlete receives athletically related financial aid to attend Saint Louis University s summer school only in proportion to the amount of athletically related financial aid the student will receive for the succeeding year Summer Financial Aid-Prior to Initial, Full-Time Enrollment at the Certifying Institution-Athletics Aid. The following conditions apply to the awarding of athletically related financial aid to prospective student-athletes to attend an institution in the summer prior to initial full-time enrollment. The recipient should be admitted to the institution through regular, published means. The recipient is enrolled in a minimum of six hours of academic coursework. The recipient, if recruiting, is subject to NCAA transfer provisions pursuant to Bylaw (h) unless admission to the institution as a full-time student is denied. No countable athletically related activities can occur except for those specifically permitted in Bylaw 17. XIII. Understanding the Squad Lists A squad list names all of the student athletes who are involved in a particular sport at Saint Louis University and provides information about them. It is a common record maintained between the Athletics department and Office of Student Financial Services that tracks the financial aid status of student athletes. The form must be completed and on file in the office of the Director of Athletics by the first day of outside competition in each individual sport at Saint 8

9 Louis University. Any student athlete not listed is not eligible to represent Saint Louis University in intercollegiate competition in that sport. In addition, any student athlete listed on a squad lists must have signed a Student Athlete Statement and Drug-Testing Consent Form. The squad lists includes two types of information about each student athlete listed: * Identification and status, and * Financial aid information. Seven items of identification and status information are to be listed on each squad list: 1. Name of each student athlete including each squad member and other student athletes who do not compete but receive aid that must be counted (i.e., studentathletes who redshirt, those fulfilling a transfer requirement, those who qualify for a hardship waiver, partial or nonqualifiers). 2. ID number for each student athlete. 3. Term first enrolled at any institution (to be verified by the Registrar). 4. Term first enrolled at Saint Louis University (to be verified by the Registrar). 5. Number of years received financial aid (not including current year). 6. Number of seasons of eligibility used (not including current year). 7. Whether recruited or not recruited. A change in status section provides a tracking mechanism for student athletes who initially appear on the squad list, and whose status changes during the academic year. In addition to the date of student athlete s change in status, Saint Louis University needs to indicate one of the following five reasons (with the appropriate code) for the change in status: 1. Cut/dismissed from the team ( C ); 2. Exhausted eligibility in the sport ( E ); 3. Graduated ( G ); 4. Medical exception resulting from a career-ending injury/condition ( M ); or 5. Quit the team ( Q ). Saint Louis University also uses the change in status column to note the status of other student athletes who may be nonqualifiers ( N ), transfers ( T ), redshirts ( R ) or academically ineligible ( AI ). 9

10 NOTE: A student athlete who is a counter at the time of the change of status remains a counter for the remainder of the academic year unless the student athlete qualifies for an exception (i.e., Bylaw Injury or illness Prior to Initial Practice). Four items of financial aid information are to be listed on each squad list: 1. Period of award not to exceed one academic year (i.e., full year or one semester); 2. Amount of athletics grant; 3. Amount of other aid that counts against institutional limits; and 4. Amount of total countable aid. XIV. Squad List Preparation All squad lists must be signed by the Head Coach and the Director of Athletics. The Associate AD for Sport Administration & Compliance will record, for each sport, the names of all known (those who have signed the Student Athlete Statement and the Drug Testing Consent Form) enrolled student athletes on a squad list (through contact with the Registrar and Admission office) and review all information prior to each sport s first competition date. For all financial aid information on squad list, the Associate Director of Student Financial Services shall be consulted. Squad lists must be revised whenever student athletes are added or dropped from the team, or whenever there is a change in financial aid status affecting the maximum individual limit or the maximum team limit. Coaches should notify the Associate AD for Sport Administration & Compliance promptly of changes in participation status of their student athletes (i.e., walk-ons, student athletes who have quit the term, exhausted eligibility, medical exceptions, etc.) on the Official Roster Change Form, as well as changes in financial aid status of current squad members. 10