To maintain your Financial Aid, you must meet requirements known as Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). In the event that you don't meet SAP, you have the ability to appeal that decision. Check below for Financial Aid forms, deadlines, and other frequently asked questions.
Check you SAP status here.
Under current federal law, all students who receive federal or state financial aid, including federal or state grants, loans, and work-study, must be making Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) as defined by the college in order to receive or continue to receive aid at WCJC. The following are WCJC’s SAP requirements.
Financial Aid Eligibility
All recipients of financial aid must be enrolled in a program of study leading to an associate degree, an eligible certificate, or a program that is transferable toward a baccalaureate degree. Students may only receive aid at one institution per semester.
Students can only receive financial aid for classes that are required as part of their WCJC degree or certificate. Financial aid does not apply to courses taken by audit, credit hours earned by placement tests, continuing education courses, or courses taken outside a student’s degree plan.
Students must have a diploma from an accredited high school or a recognized equivalency, typically a General Education Development (GED) certificate. Transcripts from private and foreign schools and homeschool transcripts will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. WCJC reserves the right to deny financial aid to any student who does not have a high school diploma or GED from an accredited institution.
Financial aid is available for only the first 30 semester credit hours of remedial or developmental coursework attempted. Remedial or developmental coursework is counted in the 67% completion rate. Remedial coursework includes courses that are not part of the student’s program plan but are a prerequisite for entry into courses that are part of the student’s degree or certificate.
Students must achieve the following requirements to maintain financial aid eligibility:
67% Completion Rate (Pace)
Students receiving financial aid must successfully complete 67% of all institutional and transferrable credit hours attempted, regardless of whether financial aid was received for the credit hours. WCJC only recognizes and accepts transferrable credit from colleges or universities that are accredited, as defined in the college’s catalog.
To calculate the completion rate, divide the total hours successfully completed by total attempted hours. The total is not rounded up (Ex: Completion of .6666667 is a 66% completion rate).
The completion rate of transfer students will be evaluated upon enrollment at WCJC. Students who have not previously met the 67% completion rate but for whom it is possible to achieve a 67% completion rate in one semester of full-time enrollment (defined as 12 semester credit hours) will enter on Warning (“Probation”) status. If it is mathematically impossible for a student to achieve a 67% completion rate following one semester of full-time enrollment, the student will enter on Suspension status, with the opportunity to appeal.
2.0 Institutional GPA
Students receiving financial aid must maintain a 2.0 term and cumulative grade point average on all college-level credit hours attempted at WCJC (this includes developmental studies and dual credit hours) in order to remain eligible for financial aid.
Maximum Timeframe of 90 Attempted Hours
A student is eligible for financial aid for up to 150% of the credit hours required for their program. Eligibility is lost beyond this limit.
Example: An Associate of Arts Degree requires 60 credit hours. 60 credits hours x 150% = 90 credit hours. After 90 credit hours, eligibility for financial aid is lost
NOTE: ALL attempted academic coursework in a student’s academic history, including developmental coursework, foreign credits, and credits from proprietary institutions, is included in the 150% limit, regardless if it transfers to WCJC for course credit or not.
SAP Evaluation
SAP for new and returning students, including transfer students, will be evaluated upon enrollment at WCJC. SAP for continuing students will be measured three times per year, at the end of each semester, fall, spring, and summer. The evaluation will be
made regardless of the number of credit hours attempted during the semester. Grades of A, B, C, and D are considered credit hours attempted and successfully completed (earned). Grades of F, I (Incomplete), and W (Withdrawals or Drops) are counted as credit hours attempted but not successfully completed (unearned).
Course repeats are counted as attempted credit hours and either earned or unearned depending upon the grade assigned. The last grade is included for GPA purposes if the course was attempted for the last time at WCJC.
Only the first two attempts of a course completed with a passing grade can be paid by financial aid. The third attempt cannot be included for payment purposes. Coursework attempted and grades earned in semesters forgiven through the State of Texas “Academic Fresh Start” program will be included in the SAP calculation. Students failing to meet a term or cumulative 2.0 GPA on institutional coursework and/or complete 67% of their transferrable and institutional coursework will be placed on “Warning” status for one term. Students in “Warning” status will have “Probation” posted as their financial aid status in Online Services. Students who receive all F’s, W’s, I’s, or a combination of these for the last attempted semester are considered to have earned a zero (0) GPA for that semester and will be placed on financial aid “Suspension”. This policy applies to all students, including transfer students, regardless of the coursework transfers. Students not meeting the minimum SAP criteria at the end of their “Warning” period will have “Suspension” status (NONSAP) posted in Online Services and will be ineligible for financial aid.
Regaining Financial Aid Eligibility
Students placed on “Suspension” may continue to enroll at WCJC but must pay for their coursework from their own funds. Financial aid eligibility will be reinstated after a student meets the SAP criteria, both the completion rate (67%) and institutional term and cumulative grade point average (2.0). Reinstatement will occur at the end of the academic term and will secure financial aid eligibility for the next term of enrollment
Students who are on “Suspension” status may file a financial aid appeal.
Financial Aid Appeals
A student who has been suspended from financial aid for failure to meet SAP requirements due to extenuating circumstances may appeal the decision by completing an appeal form, explaining the extenuating circumstances, and providing appropriate documentation to support their claim. Appeals without documentation will not be considered.
Students who can document extenuating circumstances for a zero (0) GPA need to file a financial aid appeal with the financial aid office as soon as possible with information/documentation regarding their circumstances. Financial aid appeal information is available on the WCJC website. Students are advised these circumstances include but are not limited to
Appeals for attempting below a 67% completion rate require a copy of a degree plan, an appeal form, and an explanation why coursework was not successfully completed, with supporting documentation as relevant to the situation. Students for whom it is mathematically possible to achieve a 67% completion rate in one semester of full-time enrollment (defined as 12 semester credit hours) and who successfully appeal enter the next semester on “Warning” status and must achieve 67% completion at the end of the term.
If it is mathematically impossible for a student to achieve a 67% completion rate in one semester of full-time enrollment and the student successfully appeals, the student will be placed on an academic plan, which they must follow. Students must complete 67% of the classes for which they register each term and maintain both a term and overall grade point average of at least 2.0. Violation of any of these conditions will result in the appeal becoming void.
Appeals for attempting beyond the maximum timeframe require a copy of a degree plan and an appeal form explaining why the additional coursework is necessary.
Students approved for over 150% of the program length will be placed on an academic plan, which they must follow. Students must complete 67% of the classes for which they register each term and maintain both a term and overall grade point average of at least 2.0. Violation of any of these conditions will result in the appeal becoming void.
Rounding
SAP guidelines do not allow rounding of financial aid SAP standards. For example, a 66.7% completion rate would not meet the 67% completion rate standard, and a GPA of 1.95 does not meet the 2.0 standard.
SAP and Veteran Benefits
Students receiving veteran benefits must adhere to the completion rate, GPA, and maximum timeframe criteria outlined in the WCJC Satisfactory Academic Progress policy to achieve and maintain eligibility for state or federal benefits and may appeal a Suspension status.
2023-2024 Verification Worksheet- V1-V5
2023-2024 Statement of Educational Purpose-V4, V5
2023-2024 Income Verification Worksheet
2023-2024 Request for Federal Stafford Loans
2023-2024 Asset and Investment Value Worksheet
2023-2024 Texas State Grant Verification of Student Eligibility
The WCJC Financial Aid Office accepts forms in the following ways:
In-person or delivery via USPS:
WCJC Financial Aid Office
911 Boling Hwy
Administration Building, Room 101
Wharton, TX 77488
Email: finaid@wcjc.edu
Fax: 979-532-6937
General Deadlines
Financial aid applications are due on the following dates to ensure your aid is processed by the first day of class:
Freeze Dates
The financial aid freeze date is the day that the WCJC Financial Aid Office will review enrollment for all students receiving financial aid. The number of eligible registered hours a student is registered for on the freeze date will determine the financial aid award for that semester. Increasing enrollment after the freeze date will not increase the aid amount.
Financial aid freeze dates for 2023-2024:
Appeal Dates
Appeal documentation for the Summer 2023 and Fall 2023 semesters must be submitted by noon on Tuesday, May 23, 2023.
Decisions will be posted in Online Services by midnight on June 2, 2023. Students will also receive a postal letter explaining the appeal decision.
Dates for Using Financial Credit for Books and Parking Permits
Students who have been awarded financial aid may charge their books at the Barnes and Noble bookstores on the Richmond and Wharton Campuses or online.
While your FAFSA application will automatically be sent to WCJC, you may be asked to submit additional materials. You can send the documents by:
To be compliant with federal regulations, if you are pursuing federal financial aid to attend WCJC, you will need to submit a notarized transcript with the appropriate signatures (parent signature for a home school and head of instruction for a nontraditional high school). The financial aid staff will evaluate the transcript for compliance with the standards for federal financial aid.
If the Financial Aid Office determines that your transcript does not meet compliance standards for federal aid, you will be advised to obtain your GED if you would like to continue the pursuit of federal aid.
It is your responsibility to provide proof of high school program accreditation upon request.
Yes. The FAFSA and any scholarship applications must be completed yearly.
Possibly. The Department of Education requires schools to use contact hours, rather than credit hours, to determine financial aid award amounts for certificate programs that are not a part of or do not roll into an associate degree program. Consequentially, students in certain certificate programs may experience a reduction in the award amount quoted in the award letter. At WCJC, the certificate programs included in this requirement are as follows: Air Conditioning, Heating, Refrigeration, and Electrical Technology; Welding; Cosmetology; Manufacturing Technology; and Licensed Vocational Nursing.
No, if you are not a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, you cannot obtain federal aid, except under certain conditions. You may be eligible for state aid and/or scholarships. To apply for state aid, you should complete and submit the TASFA.
The Department of Education has created this fact sheet to answer questions specific to undocumented and DACA students.
Your parents’ citizenship status does not affect your eligibility for federal student aid. In fact, the FAFSA form doesn’t even ask about your parents’ status.
Here are some tips if your parents are noncitzens:
No. Although the award you see in Online Services is based on full-time (12 hours) enrollment, your aid will be adjusted to reflect the number of hours you are enrolled each semester. Only classes that are required for your degree/certificate plan can be funded.
Certain scholarships require full-time enrollment as a condition of eligibility.
You must be enrolled at least half-time to be eligible for Direct Loans.
Always check with the Wharton County Junior College Office of Financial Aid for specific details. The drop form requires a signature by the financial aid office staff.
Dropping a class can reduce your Pell Grant and could also impact your future loan level. Loan recipients who drop below half-time will begin their loan grace period. Dropping a class can also create Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) problems, and you might not be eligible for any future financial aid assistance.
You can receive financial aid for the summer session. You may be eligible for summer financial aid if you have not already reached your maximum annual or aggregate limits on loans and have maintained satisfactory academic progress during the fall and spring. Review the year-round Pell Grant information.
