Student Rights & Responsibilities

Legal Rights of Financial Aid Recipients

The student has the right to know what financial aid assistance is available at Southwestern College (SWC), including information on all Federal, State and Institutional financial aid programs.
The student has the right to know all deadlines for submitting applications for each of the available financial aid programs.
The student has the right to know how financial aid will be distributed and how and why these decisions are made.
The student has the right to know how financial aid eligibility is determined, including how the Cost of Attendance (COA) (which includes tuition and fees, room and meals, transportation, books, supplies and personal /miscellaneous expenses) is subtracted from the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) to determine financial need.
The student has the right to know what resources (such as parental contribution, other financial aid, assets, etc.) were considered in the calculation of determining his/her Expected Family Contribution (EFC).
The student has the right to know how much of his/her financial need, as determined by the institution, has been met.
The student has the right to request an explanation of the various awards in his/her student aid package.
The student has the right to know the school’s refund policy.
The student has the right to request reconsideration of his/her financial aid package if the student feels that a mistake has been made in determining eligibility, and or special circumstance.
The student has the right to know how the school determines whether he/she is making Satisfactory Academic Progress, and the results of not meeting these standards.
The student has the right to know what portion of the financial aid he/she receives must be repaid and what portion is a grant (free). If the financial aid is a loan, the student has the right to know what the interest rate is, fees during repayment, how to pay back, the total amount of repayment, the amount of time the student has to payback, when repayment will begin and available options for consolidation.
The student has the right to know if he/she is eligible to apply for a College Work Study job, if offered, he/she has the right to know the required work hours, job duties, rate of pay, and how and when paychecks are received.

Legal Responsibilities of Financial Aid Recipients

The student must complete all application forms accurately and submit them on time to the Financial Aid Office.
The student is responsible to comply with the deadlines for application or reapplication for aid.
The student must provide correct information. The intentional misreporting of information on financial aid application forms is a violation of the law and is considered a criminal offense which could result in indictment under the U.S. Criminal Code.
The student must return all additional documentation, verification, corrections, and/or new information requested by either the Financial Aid Office or the agency to which an application was submitted.
The student must report to the Financial Aid Office any additional financial resources received by him/her during the period of his/her financial aid award.
The student is responsible for reading and understanding all forms that he/she is asked to sign and it is recommended that a copy be maintained for recordkeeping.
The student must accept responsibility for all agreements that he/she signs.
The student is responsible for maintaining Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) as published by Southwestern College SAP Policy.
The student must perform the work that he/she has agreed upon in accepting College Work-Study or regular student employment.
The student should be aware of the school's refund and withdrawal policy.
If the students receives a loan, he/she must notify the lender if any of the following occurs before the loan is repaid:
Graduation
Withdrawal from school or less than half-time enrollment
Change of address
Name change
Transfer to other school(s)
The student must repay all student loans, which will include accrued interest (is applicable), in accordance with the repayment schedule.
The student must notify the lender of any occurrence which may affect eligibility for a deferment of repayment.