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The financial aid programs listed below are available to students seeking an undergraduate degree at University of Houston-Clear Lake. Students who wish to apply for financial aid should complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. More information regarding the types of aid listed below can be found at www.uhcl.edu/finaid.
| Program |
| Federal Pell Grant |
| Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) |
| Federal Smart Grant |
| Federal TEACH Grant |
| Texas Public Educational Grant (TPEG) |
| University Competitive Scholarship |
| Automatic Transfer Scholarships |
| Certified Educational Aides Exemption Program |
| Fifth Year Accounting Scholarship |
| Resident Undergraduate Student Assistance Grant |
| Federal College Work Study Program (FWSP) |
| Texas College Work Study Program (TWSP) |
| Federal Perkins Loan |
| *Federal Direct Subsidized Stafford Loan |
| Hinson-Hazlewood Loan |
| Federal Direct Parent Loan for Undergraduate Student (PLUS) Loan |
| *Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan |
| Short Term Loans |
*All students applying for their first Federal Direct Loan at UHCL must complete entrance loan counseling at www.dl.ed.govbefore loan funds can be disbursed.
Students must meet these minimum requirements:
Because regulations governing financial aid change each year, students are required to reapply and submit new documentation annually. Funding sources and requirements change from year to year, and the amount and type of aid awarded to students may also change. All financial aid applicants are required to submit the following:
2009-2010 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Available online at www.fafsa.ed.gov.
Priority deadline is April 1 of each year. Students applying after April 1 can expect certain types of grant money to be exhausted.
Financial aid is awarded based on enrollment projections on the applicant's FAFSA. Therefore, eligibility and enrollment must be verified before funds are disbursed to each student's account at the beginning of each semester.
Enrollment must again be verified after classes begin. Awards that are processed after the semester begins are based on the actual number of hours in which students are enrolled, excluding hours of withdrawal.
Students whose files are incomplete should be prepared to pay for their tuition, fees, books and supplies at the time of registration. Financial aid will not be awarded until all financial aid documents have been received and admission requirements have been met.
The Office of Student Financial Aid will notify students regarding information needed, awards offered, etc. via e-mail. Students should check their UHCL e-mail accounts regularly to receive information from the Office of Student Financial Aid as well as other university offices. For information regarding UHCL e-mail, or to log in, go to http://webmail.uhcl.edu.
Financial aid disbursements begin approximately ten days prior to the first class day. In some cases, financial aid disbursements may occur after the fee payment deadline. Any student who has anticipated aid showing on their student account in E-Services does not need to make payment arrangements for the fee payment deadline if the anticipated aid will pay their account balance in full. Students whose accounts will be paid in full with anticipated aid will not be charged late fees or dropped for non-payment.
If the financial aid credited to a student's account creates a credit balance, a refund will be issued to the student by the Office of the Cashier after the term begins.
The Office of Student Financial Aid will notify students by e-mail when their financial aid is applied to their account.
Under federal and state statutes all students applying for or receiving federal or state financial assistance must be making satisfactory academic progress (SAP) toward a degree or certification. The Office of Student Financial Aid also uses this requirement for awarding institutional funds.
Review for SAP is done at the time the student first applies for financial aid and after that on a yearly basis (unless the student has been on financial aid probation previously, then SAP is calculated at the end of each semester). SAP is based on the following qualitative and quantitative measures:
Grade Point Average
Completion Ratio
Timeframe to Complete Academic Program
Note: Students changing plans are still held to timeframes originally begun with the first major chosen. However, if students require additional time for completion of the new plan, they can petition the Office of Student Financial Aid for review of extended time. Also, the Office of Student Financial Aid will extend the timeframe for students who are enrolled in particularly long programs of study per students request (student must provided Candidate Plan of Study).
Students who fail to meet the grade point average requirement or the completion ratio requirement will be placed on "financial aid probation" for the following semester. Students will be notified via UHCL e-mail of their probationary status. If students fail to meet SAP the following semester, they will not be eligible to receive financial aid unless they complete a SAP appeal and that appeal is approved.
Students who fail to meet the timeframe requirement are not granted an automatic probationary status and will not be eligible to receive financial aid unless they complete an SAP appeal and that appeal is approved.
Appeals are considered for the following reasons:
Appeal forms are available online at www.uhcl.edu/finaid under Online Forms and Services and must contain the following:
Appeal forms must be submitted to the Office of Student Financial Aid by the census date each semester. (Appeals received after this date may be reviewed at the discretion of the SAP Committee). Supporting letters must be typed with documentation attached plus a copy of the student's Candidate Plan of Study. Letters must contain the student's name, student id number, number of semesters or credit hours needed to complete degree requirements, the degree objective and the explanation for the unsatisfactory academic progress. Appeals not meeting this format will be returned to the student without consideration. The SAP Committee will review all appeals weekly. All decisions reached by the SAP Committee are final. Students will be notified via e-mail regarding the outcome of their appeal.
Students who receive financial aid and completely withdraw from the University must repay all or part of their financial aid according to the policy explained below.
Financial aid recipients who receive federal student aid who withdraw on or before the 60% point in time of the semester enrolled will have the percentage and amount of Title IV unearned assistance calculated by the university. The unearned funds must be returned to the Title IV programs The federal formula used to determine the less than 60% portion of enrollment requires that the number of the calendar days in the period of enrollment for which the assistance is awarded be divided into the number of calendar days completed in that period as of the day the student withdrew. The Office of Student Financial Aid will then determine the amount of money to be refunded.
Refunds will be applied to the funds received by the student in the following priority:
Financial aid awards are based on the number of hours indicated on the student's FAFSA. Students who change their enrollment status prior to census day will have their awards reevaluated based on their actual enrollment. Students who received funds based on the original enrollment status will be required to make repayment to the appropriate funds.
Students who reduce their course load after census day but remain enrolled at UHCL at least half-time will not have their financial aid adjusted and will not owe a refund. However, dropped courses are considered in the ratio calculation used to determine satisfactory academic progress.
Students awarded a college work-study (CWS) job as part of their financial aid package work on or off campus for up to 20 hours per week and are paid on a biweekly basis. Students who are awarded CWS will receive an e-mail containing a secure link with available jobs. After reviewing the position description students can apply for jobs online.
When Stafford or Perkins loan recipients complete a degree or drop below half-time federal statutes require those students to have an exit interview to clarify and establish a repayment schedule on any monies owed. Students' academic records will be encumbered if the student borrower does not complete an exit interview.
Stafford exit interviews are completed online atwww.dl.ed.gov. Perkins exit interviews may be scheduled through the Cashier's Office.
The Office of Student Financial Aid is committed to awarding scholarships to students consistent with the educational mission of our university. UHCL offers automatic transfer scholarships to new undergraduate students who meet certain GPA requirements. Additionally, UHCL offers scholarship opportunities to other new students and to continuing students. For additional information, please visit www.uhcl.edu/scholarships.
Automatic Transfer Scholarship
Eligibility
Awards
To be certified for VA educational benefits veterans must be accepted for admission at UHCL and submit the following:
Satisfactory academic progress for veterans receiving VA educational benefits is defined by VARO. Undergraduates must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.000. Veterans failing to achieve the required cumulative GPA will be placed on probation for one semester. At the end of the probationary semester, veterans who:
The Hazlewood Act passed by the Texas legislature provides for a waiver of tuition and certain fees for Texas veterans. A veteran may qualify for benefits under Hazlewood Act if he or she:
Hazlewood benefits are not transferred from one state university to another. Veterans must reapply and provide UHCL with all necessary documents, including a completed Hazlewood Application (available at www.uhcl.edu/finaid under Online Forms and Services), a DD-214 (Honorable discharge, Home of Record, and six months of service must appear on DD-214) and a letter from VARO stating all VA Benefits have been exhausted (unless the veteran has been out of the military for more than ten years).
If the student provides his or her eligibility for the Hazlewood Exemption before the census date of each semester, then the institution must honor the waiver. But, all students must turn in a statewide Hazlewood application to their institution by the census date; all other supporting documentation can have extensions on them. UHCL will not honor Hazlewood requests after the census date. (Hazlewood exemptions are not retroactive to prior terms).
The Texas Rehabilitation Commission offers assistance for tuition and required fees to students having certain physical or emotional handicaps, provided vocational objectives selected by the handicapped persons have been approved by appropriate representatives of the commission. Through this state agency, other rehabilitation services are available to assist handicapped persons to become employable. Applications for assistance should be made to the nearest rehabilitation office.