Award Letters

 

 

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR THE NSCC 2024-25 FINANCIAL AID NOTIFICATION 

 

IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU READ THIS LETTER. Standards for Academic Progress (SAP) is applicable to all Federal Programs (grants, work-study, and loans), the Tennessee Student Assistance Award, some Tennessee scholarship, and some NSCC scholarships.   

 

1. General Award information.  

• If awarded grants/scholarships, we assume that you accept these awards.  If you register for classes and if your combined financial aid is equal to or greater than the amount you owe for fees, you will be “held” in your classes.  All awards are contingent upon funding. Awards will be adjusted on the 14th day of classes (census date) based on engagement in classes. Changes to your schedule and/or major, repeat coursework, courses not required for your major, or additional funds or transcripts received may result in adjustments to awards. Charges owed due to these adjustments are the student’s responsibility to cover.  Always check your Degree Works to make sure courses are required for your major.  We also recommend you also check your myNSCC account to determine if a balance is owed. 

• If you have pre-registered and decide not to attend NSCC, it is your responsibility to officially withdraw from your classes prior to the first day of class to receive a 100% refund for your classes.  It is also your responsibility to notify the Financial Aid Office to cancel your awards if you choose not to attend NSCC.  If you choose not to attend and you fail to officially withdraw from your classes, your financial aid will subsequently be canceled due to non-attendance, and you will be billed for the payment of fees and related collection costs. 

 

2. Bookstore charging 

 If you do not meet all these requirements, you must be prepared to pay for books and supplies out of pocket.  

1. You must have met all Financial Aid requirements in time to be awarded aid. 

2. You must be registered for classes. 

3. You have a minimum of $15 due to be refunded to you after tuition and fees have been paid. 

To charge books, you must have a valid NSCC Student ID at the time of checkout and you must have completed and agreed to additional charges on the NSCC Title IV Authorization form. The bookstore charging period is published prior to each semester. Charging will not be allowed after the charging period ends. Therefore, if you have second-session classes, be sure to charge your books during the appropriate timeframe. Be aware that if you charge books and adjustments are made to your financial aid, you may owe a liability to NSCC. This would be your responsibility to cover.  

3. Your Federal Pell Grant Award (if applicable), Tennessee Student Assistance Award (if applicable), and Tennessee  

Education Lottery Scholarship (if applicable) have been awarded based on full-time enrollment. As applicable, these awards will be adjusted based on your actual enrollment status at the point we credit your account (two weeks into the semester). You cannot receive federal student aid (such as the Federal Pell Grant) simultaneously at two colleges. You can monitor “myNSCC” (student self-service located at www.nscc.edu) regarding the current status of your awards. You may only be paid on a repeated course once after passing it. Any additional attempts after this will not be covered by federal and state aid. 

 

4. If you were awarded TN Promise, TN Reconnect, or Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship, please refer to the related information. 

 

5. Financial Awareness Counseling is available on studentaid.gov providing tools and information to help you understand your financial aid and assist you in managing your funds. Based on the low cost of registration fees at NSCC, we discourage student loan borrowing. Even so, please contact the Financial Aid Office if you need more information regarding federal student loans and eligibility requirements. If you requested a student loan, we would process your request and notify you of the results in a separate notification if they were not processed at the time this letter was printed. The NSCC Financial Aid form is used to determine the types and amounts of student loan requested.  

 

6. If applicable, you will be issued a refund (the balance of grants/scholarships beyond what is necessary to cover registration fees) approximately four weeks after classes begin each semester. These funds will be sent to you as a direct deposit if you have enrolled; otherwise, funds will be sent via paper check to your currently listed local address. If applicable, the portion of your award(s) related to the second 7-Week Session will not be credited to your account until after such classes begin.  

 

7. Federal Pell Grant: The Federal Pell Grant is awarded in the amount equivalent to two full-time semesters during an award year. Money may be available for summer courses. Pell funds are based by credit hour, so any changes may impact the amount.  

 

I. YOU MAY BE LIABLE FOR FEDERAL OR STATE FUNDS YOU RECEIVE 

The Financial Aid Office will verify engagement prior to crediting accounts with federal and state funds. If you do not engage (attend) in some / all your classes, we will adjust / cancel your award(s) and you may be responsible for payment of registration fees.  

 

If you begin classes but then decide to no longer attend, you should officially withdraw from your classes. Otherwise, you may receive a Title IV overpayment. If you simply stop attending and fail to officially withdraw, your instructor will later report you as failing to complete the course. Furthermore, they will also make us aware of your last day of engagement from which we will determine if you received an overpayment. 

 

 If it is suspected that you have misreported information and / or altered documentation to increase your student aid eligibility or to fraudulently obtain federal funds, you will be reported to the Office of Inspector General and / or to local law enforcement officials. 

 

II. RETURN OF TITLE IV FUNDS: 

This policy is only applicable to Federal Title IV Program (federal grants, SEOG (Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant), and federal student loans) recipients who totally withdraw (officially or unofficially) from classes on or before the 60% point of the semester. 

 

If you have been awarded Title IV aid and subsequently withdraw completely on or before the 60% completion date for the semester, NSCC will be required to return a portion of your financial aid. For the funds that we are required to return through the Return to Title IV calculation process, NSCC does not charge the student for this portion. However, award amounts will be adjusted down for any classes that were not engage in or that the student stopped prior to the Pell Recalculation Date (PRD). This is also referred to as the census date, which is the 14th day of class each term. This may result in a balance owed by the student. 

 

A full copy of the “Return of Title IV Funds Policy and Procedure” is available at the Financial Aid Office upon request.The policy is also posted in our catalog at https://catalog.nscc.edu/.