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Undergraduate Financial Aid

Eligibility, Policies and Unique Circumstances

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Undergraduate Financial Aid

Eligibility, Policies and Unique Circumstances

We strongly urge every undergraduate applicant and student to explore and apply for financial aid. To be eligible for financial aid you must be matriculated into a degree-granting program, be a U.S. citizen, permanent resident or eligible non-citizen as defined by the FAFSA, be in compliance with various regulatory requirements of federal and state programs and university policies and procedures including making Satisfactory Academic Progress. In addition, you must be enrolled as least part-time (6 or more credits each semester).

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Renewal of Aid

Renewal is not automatic. Because your aid is need based, you must re-establish your need each year by completing the FAFSA form prior to the April 1 renewal deadline. As a general rule, if family circumstances remain the same, grant dollars remain the same from year to year. The FAFSA must be electronically date stamped by April 1 to be considered on time.

Students can go online each year to update their FAFSA information and submit it to the university. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is now open. Applicants are encouraged to file the FAFSA to apply for financial aid as early as possible. Learn more about the FAFSA

  • Returning students who initially file the FAFSA will have much of their personal information pre-populated when they file the FAFSA for the upcoming year.

  • Students who have never filed a FAFSA will need to complete the FAFSA in its entirety.

Financial aid eligibility is contingent upon maintaining satisfactory academic progress, according to the university’s policy. Copies of the policy are available in the university catalog, at qu.edu/finaid or in the financial aid office.

Our office works with all applicants to ensure that they receive the maximum state and federal aid for which they are eligible.

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) federal law prohibits our office from disclosing certain types of information to individuals other than the student.

If you want us to release information to a non-custodial parent or other person who may be acting on your behalf, you may sign an information release form, which is available online or in the financial aid office.
Complete an information release form

For further questions regarding FERPA with regard to your situation, you may edit or remove permissions for individuals at any time.
Learn more information about proxy access

Academic Scholarship Policies

Merit scholarships are awarded to incoming students through the admissions office and there are no separate applications to complete for merit scholarship consideration.

Students are notified of their award in their letter of acceptance, and scholarships are renewable for up to four years of undergraduate study (or until the student achieves their bachelor's degree) as specified in the full policy linked below, or as indicated otherwise on the initial scholarship letter. The amount of the scholarship remains the same each year, provided eligibility requirements are met.

Merit scholarships are not available to students who do not receive them in their initial year and the amount of the scholarship awarded will remain the same each year, provided eligibility requirements are met.

Students who drop below full-time, or fail to meet the minimum cumulative grade point average, will be notified by the Office of Financial Aid if their merit scholarship is at risk of non-renewal.

Students who lose their merit scholarship can appeal this decision and may be re-evaluated by the appeal committee to have their merit scholarship reinstated.

Read the full policy

Definition of an Independent Student

Many forms of financial assistance assume that a student is considered a dependent member of the family. An increasing number of students who qualify as independent seek admission to the university. One or more of the following qualifications must be met to apply for funding as an independent student:

  • The student is 24 years of age or older

  • Married

  • A graduate or professional student

  • Someone with legal dependents other than a spouse

  • An orphan or ward of the court

  • A veteran

  • An emancipated minor, in a court-appointed legal guardianship or an unaccompanied homeless youth.

Change of Circumstance, Enrollment Status or Housing Arrangements

You may request a review of your financial aid if there is a major change in your family’s financial circumstances. The Office of Financial Aid can send you a review request form. You must meet the conditions set forth on this form, and you must document any changes to assist with this reconsideration.

Most financial aid awards are based originally upon the assumption that a student will enroll full time unless he or she has notified us to the contrary. If a student changes his or her academic plan from full time to part time or changes the housing status from on campus or off campus to a commuter student living at home, the Office of Financial Aid must be notified as an aid adjustment may be necessary.

The Office of Financial Aid reserves the privilege of reviewing and possibly revising awards. The applicant should notify the Office of Financial Aid if there is a change in the family’s situation, enrollment status or housing plans.

Standards for Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) for Financial Aid Recipients and Applicants

Undergraduate students who wish to receive assistance through any federal, state or institutionally supported grant, loan, or work-study program must comply with the following minimum standards for satisfactory progress and academic performance. The following policy is for financial aid evaluation purposes and is in addition to the Academic Good Standing Policy for all undergraduate students in the university catalog. Failure to meet the Satisfactory Academic Progress standards will result in the loss of financial aid.

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Requirements

To be meeting SAP standards for financial aid at Quinnipiac, undergraduate students must meet minimum GPA and completed credit requirements, which demonstrate measurable progress towards a degree within the maximum timeframe. To meet SAP requirements a student must:

  1. Earn a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0

  2. Complete at least 66.67% of attempted credits

  3. Stay within max timeframe of credits attempted

Grade Point Average (GPA) Requirements

Students must meet a minimum cumulative GPA standard to remain eligibility for financial aid. To meet SAP standards, a student must maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0.

Pace/Earned Credit Requirements

Students must progress through their program at a pace that will ensure graduation within the maximum timeframe. Progress is measured for students cumulatively and is calculated using standard rounding rules.
Students must successfully complete at least 66.67% of cumulative credit hours attempted.

To calculate pace, divide the cumulative number of credits successfully earned by the cumulative number of credits attempted (W, F, I grades are not earned grades).

Maximum Timeframe

All students must complete course work over a period no longer than 150 percent of their program length to maintain the satisfactory academic progress standards of the university.

  • Transfer Credits: Transfer credit that is accepted by the University is included in the pace rate calculation. However, minimum GPA is based only on courses completed at Quinnipiac.

  • Incompletes: Incomplete courses are not counted towards GPA requirements.

  • Course Withdrawals (“W” Grades): Course withdrawals after the end of add/drop period are considered "attempted but not completed" for pace/earned credit requirements. Withdraws are not included in the GPA calculations.

  • Repeated Courses: All repeated courses are counted toward the maximum timeframe and included in the calculation of pace. Repeated courses are also included in the cumulative average for GPA.

SAP Review Process and Timing

Financial Aid will evaluate the progress and performance of each student at the end of the spring term for the prior academic year. The academic year is defined as running from the beginning of the fall term to the end of the spring semester.

Students who are not meeting SAP requirements will be notified by an email to their Quinnipiac email address. Students who are not making satisfactory progress and who have not filed an application for financial aid for the upcoming year will not receive this letter until such forms are filed.

Students who were granted financial aid eligibility on a probationary basis and were placed on an academic plan will be evaluated every semester to determine whether they are meeting the terms of their plan. If they are either meeting the terms of the plan or are meeting SAP, they may continue to receive financial aid for the subsequent term. If they are not, they immediately cease to be eligible for financial aid.

Regaining Eligibility

Students whose performance or progress does not meet the required standards may repair the deficiency during the summer. Those who do not complete the required hours or attain the required GPA prior to the fall term will not be eligible for any form of federal, state or institutionally supported financial aid (loan, scholarship, grant, or work study program) until performance and progress is consistent with the standards stated herein.

Students who have corrected their satisfactory academic progress deficiencies MUST contact the University Director of Financial Aid if they wish to receive financial aid. Reinstatement of aid is not automatic, and a subsequent review of satisfactory academic progress is done only at the request of the student.

Students applying for re-admission to the university whose transcript shows deficiencies in the area of satisfactory academic progress should follow the appeals process listed below in order to be reconsidered for financial aid.

Appeals

A student who wishes to appeal the loss of financial aid eligibility because of sickness or other extenuating circumstances may do so by submitting the Appeal Form for Financial Aid/Scholarship Reinstatement online.

Questions about the form may be directed to the Office of Undergraduate Financial Aid at finaid@qu.edu or 203-582-8750

Your appeal should include:

  • Any mitigating circumstances that may have caused your deficiency

  • Documentation to support your circumstances

  • A description of the specific steps you will take to reach the satisfactory academic progress standards by the next evaluation period. It is important to note that coursework taken outside Quinnipiac can repair credit deficiencies but will NOT help to restore a GPA deficiency.

Once the Appeals Committee Chair receives your written appeal, (s)he will review the merits of your request. A written response will be sent to you within 10 days of this review outlining the results of your appeal. The Committee Chair will also notify the University Director of Financial Aid of this decision, WHICH IS FINAL.

  • Approved Appeals: Students whose SAP appeal is approved will be eligible for financial aid on a probationary basis for one semester, with an academic plan to assist them in achieving the required standards. Financial Aid will review the academic record of each student on financial aid probation at the end of the semester. If the student is meeting SAP or has met all of the requirements of the academic plan, they may continue to receive financial aid until the next review period in May.

  • Denied Appeals: Students whose SAP appeal has been denied are no longer eligible for financial aid until they meet one of the conditions in the “Regaining Eligibility” section, above.

For a complete listing of all academic standards required for financial aid, please consult the Quinnipiac University Catalog. Also, individual programs may have other academic requirements to remain in good standing in the specific program. Students should refer to the program section of the catalog for information regarding individual program requirements. Individual programs or scholarships may have GPA and completed credit requirements that are higher than those listed above.

Revised April 2024

Changes to a Financial Aid Offer

Quinnipiac reserves the right to change, update or modify a student’s offer if circumstances warrant. We make every attempt to provide the most accurate financial aid commitment to you; however, the following factors often result in a modified financial aid offer:

  • Inaccurate information reported on the FAFSA

  • Error in family size or the number of children attending college

  • Corrections/updates due to verification of information

  • Change in housing status (i.e., on-campus to living at home with parents)

  • Change in enrollment status (i.e., full time to part time)

  • Change in major, satisfactory academic progress deficiencies, or scholarship ineligibility

  • Large amounts of outside aid received (i.e., Tuition Exchange benefits, outside scholarships)

  • Funds received after the initial offer (outside scholarships, state grants, athletic aid, etc.)

This list is not meant to be all-inclusive, but rather to highlight some common items that might result in a revised financial aid offer.

Policy on Institutional Financial Aid for Undocumented Students

The following policy applies to undergraduate students who are undocumented, which includes those with DACA status (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals). Effective Fall 2022, undocumented students may apply for and receive Quinnipiac institutional financial aid. They are eligible for institutional aid using the same need-based eligibility formulas as domestic students. Per federal law, these students are not eligible for any federal student aid.

Política de institucional financias económicas para estudiantes indocumentados

La siguiente política aplica para estudiantes obteniendo su título pregados y son indocumentados, en cuáles incluyen estado DACA, (Consideración de Acción Diferida para los Llegados en la Infancia). Efectivo otoño del año 2022, estudiantes indocumentados pueden aplicar y recibir ayuda económica de la institución de Quinnipiac University. Los estudiantes so elegibles para ayuda institucional usando las mismas bases de necesidad elegibles en las fórmulas como los estudiantes domésticos. De acuerdo al gobierno federal, estudiantes indocumentados no son elegibles por ayuda económica del gobierno federal.

Wait Lists

We are unable to guarantee funding for students who file late or whose financial aid file remains incomplete. Under either of these conditions, your financial aid offer may not contain all the funds for which you might have qualified. Federal work-study, Quinnipiac grants, federal and state grant funds are some of the more common programs that are limited in nature and eventually run out. Pell Grants, Federal Direct loans, Federal Direct PLUS loans and private loans are usually available regardless of filing deadlines.

Eligible students who did not receive federal work-study or grant aid because of a missed filing deadline or fund unavailability may call the Office of Undergraduate Financial Aid and request to be placed on a wait list.

Students placed on a work-study wait list are considered in late September after all funds have been reconciled and are considered for funds in wait list order. Students on a grant wait list will be reviewed only if funds become available and will be given preference based on their FAFSA filing date.

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