Student Rights & Responsibilities

Student Rights

• You have the right to know what financial aid programs are available at your school.
• You have the right to know the deadlines for submitting applications for each of the financial aid programs available.
• You have the right to know how financial aid will be distributed, how decisions on that distribution are made, and how these decisions have been reached.
• You have the right to know how your financial need was determined including the way costs for tuition and fees, room and board, travel, books and supplies, personal and miscellaneous expenses, etc. are considered in your budget.
• You have the right to know what resources (such as parental contribution, other financial aid, your assets, etc.) were considered in the calculation of your need.
• You have the right to know how much of your financial need (as determined by the institution) has been met.
• You have the right to request an explanation of the various programs in your student aid package.
• You have the right to know your school's refund policy.
• You have the right to know what portion of the financial aid you receive must be repaid and what portion is grant aid. If the aid is a loan, you have the right to know what the interest rate is, the total amount that must be repaid, the pay back procedures, the length of time you have to repay the loan, and when repayment is to begin.
• You have the right to know how the school determines whether you are making satisfactory progress and what happens if you are not.

Financial Aid Recipient Responsibilities

• You must complete all application forms accurately and submit them on time to the appropriate office.
• You must provide correct information. Failure to report accurate information on financial aid application forms is a violation of law and may be considered a criminal offense which could result in indictment under the U.S. Criminal Code.
• You must supply all additional documentation, verification, corrections, and/or new information requested by either the Financial Aid Office or the agency to which you submit your application.
• You are responsible for reading and understanding all forms that you are asked to sign and for keeping copies of them.
• You must accept responsibility for all agreements that you sign.
• You must perform the work that is agreed upon in accepting a College Work-Study Award.
• You must be aware of and comply with the deadline for application or reapplication for aid.
• You should be aware of your school's refund policy.

Federal Student Financial Aid Penalties for Drug Law Violations

Is it true that drug convictions affect students' ability to receive federal aid?

No, your eligibility won’t be suspended. Drug convictions no longer affect your federal student aid eligibility. When you complete the FAFSA form, you will be asked whether you had a drug conviction for an offense that occurred while you were receiving federal student aid. If the answer is yes, you will be provided a worksheet. Please answer the questions correctly; however, they won’t impact your eligibility.

• “1” means your eligibility for federal student aid is not affected by question 23.
• “2” means your drug conviction(s) affect eligibility for federal student aid for part of this school year. To receive federal student aid, you need to tell the financial aid office at your college your “eligibility date” from question 11 on this worksheet. You can become eligible earlier in the school year if you complete an acceptable drug rehabilitation program or pass two unannounced drug tests administered by an acceptable drug rehabilitation program. Even if you are not eligible for federal student aid, you may still be eligible for aid from your state or college.
• “3” means you are not eligible for federal student aid for this school year unless you complete an acceptable drug rehabilitation program or pass two unannounced drug tests administered by an acceptable drug rehabilitation program. Even if you are not eligible for federal student aid, you may still be eligible for aid from your state or college.