Rhode Island Higher Education Assistance Authority: RI State Grant Program Policies

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Rhode Island State Grant and Scholarship Programs
Policy and Procedure

Available Programs

The Rhode Island State Grant Program is designed to provide grants (non-repayable financial assistance) to those students whose family resources are not sufficient to meet the costs of higher education. Applicants for the Grant program must file a completed FAFSA, however, they need not submit SAT or ACT scores to RIHEAA.

The Rhode Island Scholar Recognition Program is designed to recognize superior academic potential of Rhode Island high school seniors choosing to continue their education in post-secondary school. Academic potential is measured by a student's SAT or ACT scores. Only scores for test dates up to January of the senior year in high school can be used for Scholar determination. NOTE: Scores will automatically be sent to the Rhode Island Higher Education Assistance Authority (RIHEAA) by the test processing centers unless students specifically request that they not be sent. A limited number of applicants will be designated Rhode Island Scholars. There is no monetary award connected to this designation.

Definition of Terms

Financially Dependent Students - The Rhode Island Higher Education Assistance Authority will use the same definition of dependence as used by the federal government in administering the Pell Grant Program.
Financially Independent Students - The Rhode Island Higher Education Assistance Authority will use the same definition of independence as used by the federal government in administering the Pell Grant Program.
Financial Need is defined as the difference between the cost of attendance at an institution and an amount the student's family and the student can reasonably be expected to pay toward educational expenses. Pell Grant awards will also be considered as a resource of the student in determining need. RIHEAA awards will meet a percentage of this need.
Full-Time Enrollment means at least 12 credit hours per semester or 24 clock hours per week.
Half-Time Enrollment means enrollment less that full-time but at least 6 credit hours per semester or 12 clock hours per week.
An Academic Year for the purposes of applying for RI state grant and scholarship programs is defined as that period between July 1st and the following June 30th, inclusive.
Eligible Post-Secondary Institution means any continuing education beyond high school in an accredited institution requiring a high school diploma or its equivalent for admission, which leads to a degree or certificate, and which is approved to participate in any federal student financial assistance program. Preparatory schools are not considered eligible institutions.
Matriculating Student is a student who is enrolled in a program of study leading to a certificate or degree.

Eligibility Requirements

The applicant must be a United States Citizen or have been granted permanent resident status in the United States.
The financially independent applicant or the financially dependent applicant and his/her parent (s) must be legal residents of Rhode Island and must have resided in the state of Rhode Island since January 31st of the first calendar year of the award period. Applicants will be considered Rhode Island residents if they are not considered a resident of another state and:
1. are registered to vote in a Rhode Island city or town;
2. pay property taxes in a Rhode Island city or town;
3. have a Rhode Island driver's license; or
4. can reasonably prove RI residency through other means.
Persons who are claiming Rhode Island residency and who are in the military, government service, or other occupations requiring temporary residence outside of Rhode Island may be asked to support their claim of residency. Persons who are in the military, government service, or other occupations requiring temporary residence in Rhode Island will not be considered residents of Rhode Island. Exceptions may be made on a case-by-case basis.
The applicant must be a matriculating student enrolled in an eligible post-secondary institution.
The applicant must attend school on at least a half-time basis.
An applicant attending a school operating on clock hours must be enrolled in a program of at least 600 clock hours in length.
The applicant must not already possess a bachelor's degree.
The applicant must not owe a refund on a Title IV federal grant.
The applicant must not be in default of a Title IV federal loan without having made satisfactory repayment arrangements with the holder of the loan to reestablish Title IV eligibility.
The applicant must meet Title IV eligibility requirements concerning drug convictions and registering with Selective Service.
In order to continue eligibility, the applicant must complete the previous year in good academic standing as defined by the institution.

General Information

Grant awards range from a minimum of $250 to a legal maximum of $2000. Maximum may be less depending on total funds available.
State awards may be used at in-state or out-of-state traditional colleges and universities, vocational or technical schools that require a high school diploma or its equivalent for admission, that lead to a degree or certificate, and that participate in any federal student assistance program.
Grant eligibility is limited to undergraduate study for students who do not already have a Bachelor's degree. RIHEAA Grants are not for use for study at graduate or preparatory schools.
RIHEAA does not award Grants for summer study, which is not part of the traditional academic year.
A student enrolled in a four-year program of study is eligible to receive up to the equivalent of eight (8) full-time semesters of payment. A student enrolled in a bona fide five-year program is eligible to receive up to the equivalent of ten (10) full-time semesters of payment.
Rhode Island State Grants may be used for study at visiting institutions. To qualify for payment, course work at the visiting school must be accepted by the student's parent institution toward the degree the student is pursuing. The amount of the visiting student's Rhode Island award will be based on the cost of attendance at the institution to which the student is paying tuition. This policy is in effect for students who enroll at another institution in the United States in order to study abroad or enroll in another United States institution in order to take advantage of enrichment courses not offered at the parent institution. Students who enroll in an institution outside the United States, Canada or Mexico directly are not eligible for Rhode Island State Grants.
RIHEAA will request student expense budgets from all institutions participating in the Rhode Island Grant Program. Additional requests will be sent to those institutions not responding, if necessary. If an institution's budget is not received prior to the time RIHEAA makes initial awards for a given academic year, award determinations will be made based on the institution's prior year's budget, if on file. If the prior year's budget is not on file, RIHEAA will continue to request the expense budget and determine the student's award eligibility once the budget is received.
Payments of a student's award are made by academic term (semester, trimester, quarter) and will be made to the institution only after the institution certifies the student's enrollment, dependency status, estimated family contribution, financial need, and, if an upper class recipient, their satisfactory academic progress. This certification may result in an adjustment to the award amount.
Because payments reach the institution after each term has begun, funds will not be available for early use toward educational expenses. Therefore, students must make arrangements with the institution for payments or deferrals.
Students who, within the same academic term, start attendance at one institution then withdraw to start attendance at a different institution will not be considered for an award at the second institution if a payment was made to the first institution. Consideration will be given to those students for whom no payment was made to the first institution.
Award Notification - Students who file a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by the RI State Grant deadline and meet all eligibility and financial need requirements are made award offers via email or paper. Award recipients are asked to notify RIHEAA of their school choice and to either accept or decline the award via RIHEAA's secure on-line web system or via email or paper.
Waiting List - Eligible applicants who apply after the RI State Grant deadline are placed on a waiting list based on the receipt date of their FAFSA. Award offers are made to these students only if funds become available after on time students have been awarded.
Verification may be required in support of the student's application for state student assistance. Verification may include copies of federal and/or state income tax returns.
A student enrolled in a four-year program is eligible to receive up to eight (8) semesters of payment. A student enrolled in a bona fide five-year program is eligible to receive up to ten (10) semesters of payment.
Institutions are required to make refunds to our program on behalf of those Rhode Island state award recipients who withdraw during an academic term and are charged less than the full term's tuition. RIHEAA Grants will be adjusted by the same percentage as tuition charged to the student. For instance, at schools where tuition is charged by the semester, if a student is charged 40% of his/her total semester tuition, the RIHEAA semester award will be adjusted to 40%. At schools where tuition is charged by the academic year, if a student is charged 40% of his/her total academic year tuition, the RIHEAA yearly award will be adjusted to 40%. However, no student may receive over 50% of his/her yearly award if the student withdraws prior to January 1st of the academic year for which the grant was awarded.

The Rhode Island Higher Education Assistance Authority reserves the right to request a refund directly from an award recipient if the institution has already disbursed funds to the student and is unable to refund the Authority.

Renewal of Award

RIHEAA grants are not automatically renewed. Renewal application materials may be sent routinely by the US Department of Education each year to all students who have applied for a state grant during the previous year. However, it is the applicant's responsibility to obtain applications if they are not received by February 15 of each year. Grants will be renewed on the basis of continued financial need, successful completion of the work of the preceding academic year, and continued adherence to all eligibility requirements listed above under the title Eligibility Requirements.

Appeal Policy

RIHEAA defers to the student's institution of attendance to consider any appeals based on a change in the student's financial circumstances or on a question of dependency status. Therefore, students must contact their school to discuss such issues.
Appeals based on residency status or application receipt date must be made directly to RIHEAA in writing or via email.
Individuals will be notified in writing of the decision of the Appeals Committee.
Further appeal will follow the normal channels of administrative procedure.

Students With Disabilities

RIHEAA and The College Crusade of Rhode Island recognize that some students with disabilities who are pursuing a postsecondary education are certified by their Disability Services Coordinator to be considered full time while actually taking less than the standard full time course load. Under regulations governing the Academic Promise Scholarship (APS) and The College Crusade of Rhode Island Scholarship, students must be enrolled full time to maintain eligibility for either scholarship. Both RIHEAA and the Crusade support allowing students with disabilities who are enrolled at least half time but are considered full time to remain eligible for their respective scholarships.

In order to identify such students and ensure that they remain eligible for the RIHEAA and/or Crusade scholarships for which they would otherwise be eligible as full time students, the following procedures should be followed:

When verifying students through RIHEAA�s secure website for either an Academic Promise Scholarship or a Crusade Scholarship, the institution�s financial aid administrator designates the student as part time.

The Director of Financial Aid or his/her designee notifies RIHEAA (for APS recipients) and/or The College Crusade of Rhode Island (for Crusade Scholarship recipients) of the names of otherwise eligible scholarship recipients who have been certified by their Disability Services Coordinator to be considered full time while taking at least half time but less than the standard full time course load.

For the Academic Promise Scholarship, whether the student is attending half time or three quarter time, the scholarship will be manually pro-rated by RIHEAA at a three quarter time rate. The student will be eligible to receive the scholarship for up to five years. The total scholarship payment over the course of enrollment cannot exceed $10,000. Exception - If the student is enrolled in a bona-fide five year program, the total scholarship cannot exceed $12,500 and the student will be eligible to receive the scholarship for up to six years.

For the College Crusade Scholarship, the scholarship will be manually pro-rated by RIHEAA at a half time rate if the student is attending half time and at a three quarter time rate if the student is attending three quarter time. (The Crusade will coordinate the actual manual pro-ration of the awards with RIHEAA, the system administrator of the scholarship program). The maximum number of years for which a student is eligible to receive the scholarship and the total scholarship payment over the course of enrollment will be determined by the Crusade on a case by case basis.

This policy applies to Academic Promise scholarships and College Crusade scholarships only. It does not apply to the Rhode Island State Grant program.

Updated 07/31/07

Last Modified: July 31, 2007 09:59:23 AM

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Rhode Island State Grant and Scholarship Programs Policy and Procedure