FEDERAL FINANCIAL AID

Aid programs are subject to change based on funding and regulations from governing agencies. Applications for most programs and current procedures, recipient selection, award schedules, and responsibilities of recipients are available in the Financial Services Office.

You may be eligible for federal aid from the Department of Education if you meet the following criteria:

• Are enrolled in a degree or certificate program
• Are a U.S. citizen or an eligible non-citizen
• Have a high school diploma or GED
• Demonstrate satisfactory academic progress
• Are not in default on a Perkins Loan, Stafford Loan, PLUS or SLS Loan at any institution
• Do not owe a refund of any federal financial aid at any institution
• Are registered with Selective Service, if required
• Have not exceeded maximum lifetime eligibility for loans and Pell

FEDERAL PELL GRANT

This Federal Pell Grant program enables eligible undergraduate students to receive grants based on college costs and your family’s expected contribution (determined by factors such as family income and assets, size of family and number of post-secondary students in the family). Apply using the FAFSA. You will receive a Student Aid Report, which you should review and keep for your records. The Federal Government does not require repayment of Federal Pell Grants. Students are eligible to receive Pell Grants for a maximum of six years as a full-time student.

FEDERAL SUPPLEMENTAL EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY GRANTS (FSEOG)

As an undergraduate student, you may be eligible to receive federal supplemental educational opportunity grants. These grants are awarded based on exceptional need and circumstances. Apply using the FAFSA. The Federal Government does not require repayment of Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity grants. Apply by completing the FAFSA.

FEDERAL WORK-STUDY

This program, supported through federal and college funds, is available if you are enrolled and can demonstrate financial need. Awards vary according to need and available funds. You may be employed either on- or off-campus with public or nonprofit agencies. Earnings must be used solely for educational purposes. Apply through campus aid procedures and completing the FAFSA. Biweekly payment is made directly to you based on wages and hours worked. Work-study awards cannot be used as a deferral on your bill.

• Student Employment Handbook
• Supervisor Student Employment Handbook

FORD FEDERAL DIRECT LOAN

This loan is available if you need financial assistance and are attending Cayuga at least half-time (six credits or more). First-year students may be eligible to borrow up to a maximum of $3,500 in the subsidized direct loan program. Students who have completed at least 28 credit hours may be eligible to borrow up to a maximum of $4,500 in the subsidized direct loan program. Dependent students may be eligible to borrow an additional $2,000 in the unsubsidized direct loan program. Independent students and dependent students whose parents can not borrow a PLUS loan may be eligible to borrow an additional $6,000 in an unsubsidized direct loan. First-time borrowers on or after July 1, 2013, are subject to a period not to exceed 150% of the length of borrower’s educational program (three years) when determining a student’s eligibility for subsidized loans. Under certain conditions, the provision also causes first-time borrowers who have exceeded the 150% limit to lose the interest subsidy on their direct subsidized loans.

To apply, you must complete a FAFSA. An origination fee and insurance premium will be deducted from the loan amount. Loans are disbursed in two separate checks over the loan period. Repayment begins six months after termination of study or if you drop below six credits.

Students must accept their student loans on their myCayuga as permission for the college to process the loan for payment. First-time borrowers at Cayuga Community College must complete a promissory note and entrance counseling online at https://studentaid.gov/.

FEDERAL PLUS LOAN

If you are a dependent student and your parents have no adverse credit history, they may be eligible for this program. Annual loan limits are based on the cost of college attendance less other financial aid. An origination fee is deducted from the co-payable loan check. Repayment begins within 60 days at a variable interest rate, not to exceed 10 percent. Contact the Financial Services Office to apply.

VETERANS’ BENEFITS

Cayuga Community College is approved for full Veterans Administration educational benefits.

NEW YORK STATE TUITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (TAP)

This state program is available if you are a New York State resident attending college full-time (12 credits or more) in New York State. Part-time students who meet additional requirements may also be eligible.
You must be in Good Academic Standing to continue eligibility. Awards are based on family income. Maximum awards may be reduced based on the New York State budget.

To apply, complete, and submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online. You will be directed to the electronic TAP application at the end of the FAFSA process. You will need to list at least one school in New York State and complete the TAP application form provided. Cayuga’s TAP code is 2005.

If you did not complete a TAP application as part of your online FAFSA, apply for TAP at https://www.tap.hesc.ny.gov/totw/ after receiving a FAFSA acknowledgment. Cayuga’s TAP code is 2005.

Your award notification will be e-mailed to you. You will be paid through the Student Accounts Office once your attendance is certified. A TAP award may only be used to defer tuition costs. No repayment is required.

AID FOR PART-TIME STUDY (APTS)

This state program is specifically for New York State residents enrolled in an approved program for at least 3 but fewer than 12 credits. You must have completed 6 credits with a 2.0 at Cayuga in addition to maintaining Good Academic Standing according to Cayuga regulations for state aid. Eligibility is based on income.

You can apply directly to Cayuga using an APTS application available in the Financial Services Office. Deadline dates are July 1 for fall semester enrollment and November 15 for spring semester enrollment. If you apply late, your application will be considered only if funds are available. Awards are based on tuition costs, availability of funds, and financial need and may not exceed tuition. APTS awards may be used to defer tuition costs only. No repayment is necessary.

PART-TIME TAP

This is for students enrolled in 6-11 credits who are New York State Residents. You must be in Good Academic Standing to continue eligibility. Students who are part-time will not be eligible for TAP and will be reviewed for Part-Time TAP eligibility.

To apply, complete and submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at https://studentaid.gov/. You will be directed to the electronic New York Student Aid payment application at the end of the FAFSA process. You will need to list at least one school in New York State and complete the New York Student Aid payment application form provided. Cayuga’s TAP code is 2005. If you did not complete a New York State Student Aid Payment Application as part of your online FAFSA, apply for TAP at https://www.hesc.ny.gov/.

Awards are based on family income, number of credits and tuition costs and may not exceed tuition. Part-Time TAP awards may be used to defer tuition costs only.

EXCELSIOR SCHOLARSHIP

This scholarship, in combination with other student financial aid programs, allows students to attend Cayuga Community College tuition-free. The scholarship is a “last award.” As such, the scholarship will cover the remaining balance of tuition after payments of TAP, Pell, and other grant and scholarship programs received by the student are considered. Therefore, if you receive grant and/or scholarship funds that cover the cost of tuition, you will not be eligible for the monetary Excelsior Scholarship. To receive payments, students must be enrolled full time both the fall and spring semester and earn 30 credits which count toward the student’s degree. There is a separate application process, and contract students must complete the NYS Higher Education Services Corporation.

NYS PART-TIME SCHOLARSHIP AWARD

This is for students who are attending college part-time. Students must be enrolled in at least 6 credits but less than 12 credits. Applicants must have and maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or better. You are eligible to receive this award even if you are receiving a NYS Part-time TAP award or Aid for Part-time Study award. Students are limited to four semesters. This award is based on the availability of funds. This award will not exceed the cost of six credit hours per semester to attend Cayuga.

PART-TIME TAP FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES IN NYS

On July 14, 1998, Governor Pataki signed Senate Bill 7072 into law as Chapter 332 of the Laws of 1998. This law provides that students who are disabled, as defined by the 1990 Federal Americans with Disabilities Act, do not have to be in full-time attendance to be eligible for Tuition Assistance Program payments. These students are now eligible for TAP if they are attending part-time, as defined by the Commissioner of Education.

Under prior law, regulation and policy, students with disabilities who attended school part-time because of their disability were eligible for a TAP award payment only after the number of credits they took equaled the number necessary to be considered a full-time student. Chapter 332 provides these students are eligible for a partial TAP award payment in the first term in which they attend on a part-time basis. The law does not require students with disabilities to attend part-time; students with disabilities who attend full-time continue to be eligible, as any other student, for a full TAP award.

Other than full-time enrollment, ADA Part-Time TAP recipients must meet all TAP eligibility requirements. The State will calculate TAP awards as a percentage of the award the ADA student would be eligible to receive if the student were enrolled full time. Students will need to provide documentation of this disability to the appropriate office. For the purposes of application processing, students with disabilities should follow the same procedures as other students applying for a full-time TAP by completing the application at https://www.hesc.ny.gov.

ADDITIONAL AID PROGRAMS

Information on other aid programs is available in the Financial Services Office. Among these are U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs Aid to Native Americans, Regents Award for Children of Deceased or Disabled Veterans, Regents Award for Children of Deceased Police Officers and Firemen, and State Aid to Native Americans.

This information is accurate as of the date of publication. For further information on state financial aid programs, please refer to the New York State Higher Education Services website at https://www.hesc.ny.gov.

* A remedial student is defined as a student taking at least six (6) developmental courses in the first semester of enrollment.

REPEATED COURSES

New York State regulations mandate that if a student repeats a course in which a passing grade acceptable to the institution has been received previously, the course cannot be included as part of the student’s minimum full-time course load for New York State financial aid purposes. However, in the following instances, repeated courses may count toward full-time or part-time study: (1) when a failed course is repeated, and (2) when a grade received is passing at the College, but is not acceptable in a particular student’s major field of study.

SECOND DEGREE

TAP is available if students have remaining eligibility. However, the law limits a student to three years of TAP if enrolled in a certificate or Associate Degree program.

INCOMPLETE COURSES

Incomplete courses earn credits and are considered attempted courses when calculating earned credit hours. Students are encouraged to complete all incompletes before the beginning of the next semester. If a student completes their courses after Satisfactory Academic Progress has been determined for the next semester, the student may request in writing a re-evaluation of their academic progress.

WITHDRAWALS

A grade of “W” does not indicate whether the student passed, failed, or completed all work in a course, and therefore cannot be counted toward meeting either qualitative or quantitative standards. Students who received New York State aid for a semester from which they withdraw or take a leave of absence and do not earn any academic credits are not considered to be meeting the state’s pursuit of program requirements and will not be eligible to receive state aid the following semester.

LOSS OF GOOD ACADEMIC STANDING FOR STATE FINANCIAL AID

Students who have not fulfilled the chart requirements listed above in a term when they received a state grant or scholarship are not eligible for an award for the next semester. At the end of each semester the Financial Services Office will notify students who have been determined to be ineligible for state financial aid.

The satisfactory academic progress requirements for state aid may be waived for undue hardship based on: (1) the death of an immediate family member, (2) the personal injury or illness of the student, or (3) other extenuating circumstances. The waiver is intended only to accommodate extraordinary or unusual cases directly related to academic performance and the student’s failure to achieve the requirements. Submission of a completed Loss Eligibility and Waiver request form does not guarantee that the request will be approved. Students must complete the Loss Eligibility and Waiver Request Form located online or in the Financial Services Office. Students will be asked in their waiver to (1) explain the reasons the student failed to meet satisfactory academic progress, and (2) describe what actions the student plans on taking to ensure their academic success in the next semester. A waiver will be granted only when there is reasonable expectation that the student will meet future satisfactory academic progress requirements. According to New York State Law, a student can receive only one waiver for failure to achieve program pursuit.

Students who have lost their state financial aid and have not been granted a waiver can restore their aid eligibility in one of the following ways:

• Attend Cayuga Community College without financial aid. The Financial Services Office will review academic progress every semester. When past academic deficiencies have been addressed, aid can be reinstated. Financial aid cannot be retroactively reinstated for semesters the student was not achieving satisfactory academic progress.
• If satisfactory academic progress based on earning the required number of credits has not been achieved, a student could attend another institution and earn credits that could be transferred back to Cayuga.
• Students who leave the College for two full semesters can apply for a waiver. Summer is not considered a full semester.
• Students who received TAP funds while not in attendance at Cayuga will be required to submit an official transcript from their prior college.

TRANSFER STUDENT ELIGIBILITY FOR FEDERAL AND STATE AID

Transfer students will be considered using slightly different procedures than that of students in continuing status. For example, when a student transfers to Cayuga from another institution, the College will evaluate the student’s academic record and determine a certain number of credits it is willing to accept in transfer from the student’s previous study. That assessment and the number of awards received by the student will be used to place the student at an appropriate point in the institution’s schedule of academic progress. Placement for state aid purposes may be either in accord with the number of payments received or number of credits earned, whichever is more beneficial to the student. Placement for federal aid purposes is in accord with the number of credits earned and accepted by the College.