Financial Aid Policies

As a recipient of federal aid funds, you must attend all classes if you want to keep your financial assistance. Failure to begin attendance in all classes by the 14th class day of the Fall/Spring semesters or 7th class day of Summer sessions could result in a reduction or cancellation of your aid. You could be required to repay some or all of your financial aid and you could lose your eligibility for future financial assistance.

The enrollment status for financial aid purposes is determined by the semester credit hours (SCH). The SCH enrollment status for regular semesters is:

0-5 hours = Less than half-time
6-8 hours = Half-time
9-11 hours = Three quarter time
12 or more hours = Full-time.

Summer enrollment is calculated as follows:

3-4 hours = Half-time
5 hours = Three quarter time
6 or more hours = Full-time based on an eight week term.

Students who enroll in mini-sessions or accelerated courses should contact the Financial Aid Office to determine enrollment status and eligibility for aid.

Effective July 1, 2011, Federal regulations specify that students may receive federal financial aid to repeat a previously passed course. A passed course is defined as one in which a grade of A, B, C, D, P or S is received.

Students are eligible to have remedial courses counted as part of their determination for financial aid for up to 30 hours pursued. Students who continue to be enrolled after having pursued 30 hours of remedial courses will receive aid based on the number of non-remedial course hours in which they are enrolled for that semester.

Return of Title IV Funds Policy

If a student officially withdraws, stops attending without officially withdrawing, or is dismissed prior to completing 60% of the payment period, the student and/or the school may be required to return some of the federal funds awarded to the student. Based on the return of funds policy, a tuition refund may have to be returned to the grant or loan source from which the assistance was received. A student who is withdrawing should report to the Registrar’s Office to complete the required resignation form. This procedure will enable LSU Eunice to refund the maximum possible institutional charges. Failure to resign properly could result in the student receiving a letter grade of F in all courses and still being held to the Return of Funds Policy once an official withdrawal date is determined. Withdrawal date is defined as the actual date the student begins the institution’s withdrawal process, the student’s last date of academically related activity or the midpoint of the payment period for a student who leaves without notifying the school. LSU Eunice’s Refund Policy exists for calculating the refund of institutional charges. The federal “Return of Title IV Funds” formula dictates the amount of Federal Title IV aid that must be returned to the federal government by the school and/or the student. The federal formula is applicable to a student receiving federal aid other than Federal Work-Study if that student withdraws on or before the 60% point during the semester. The amount of refund of institutional charges will be the greater of the amount the school must return to federal Title IV programs or the amount determined by LSUE’s Refund Policy.

LSU Eunice's Refund Policy

Students who withdraw from the University will receive a pro-rated refund of educational fees according to the following schedule:

• Before classes begin – 100%
• Through the second day of class (first in summer session) – 90%
• From the third through the fifth day of classes (second through the third day in regular summer session) – 75%
• From the sixth through the fourteenth day of class (fourth through fifth day in regular summer session) – 50%
• No refunds there after

The federal formula requires a return of Title IV aid if the student received federal financial assistance in the form of a grantor loan and withdrew on or before completing 60% of the semester. The percentage of Title IV aid to be returned is equal to the number of calendar days remaining in the semester divided by the number of calendar days in the semester. The return of funds will occur in the following program order: Unsubsidized Direct Stafford, Subsidized Direct Stafford, Direct Perkins Loan, Direct PLUS, Federal Pell Grant, Federal SEOG then any other Title IV program. Scheduled breaks of five consecutive days or more are excluded. If any funds are to be returned after the return of Title IV aid, it will be used to repay LSU Eunice funds, state funds, other private sources and the student in proportion to the amount received from each non-federal source; as long as there was no unpaid balance at the time of withdrawal. If there was an unpaid balance, then all aid sources will be repaid before any funds are returned to the student. Also, if you resign or drop below half-time, your cost of attendance budget may have to be adjusted so that, if you enroll in a subsequent session during the current academic year, your financial aid may be lower than indicated in your original award.

NOTE: If funds are released to a student because of a credit balance on the student’s account, then the student may be required to repay some of the federal grants if the student withdraws.

Special Circumstances and Professional Judgment Policy

Financial Aid awards (including grants, federal loans and federal work study) are based upon the Student Aid Index (SAI) calculated by the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). We understand that circumstances may arise where your family’s financial situation may be jeopardized, creating challenges in financing your education.

Federal regulations allow an aid administrator to use their Professional Judgement on a case-by-case basis to alter the data elements on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) used to calculate the Student Aid Index (SAI) in special circumstances, to change the student’s dependency status or to adjust the student’s cost of attendance. The adjustments must be determined to be appropriate and reasonable as deemed by the aid administrator.  

A student must provide documentation to demonstrate the reason for an adjustment, and it must relate to the special circumstances that distinguishes a difference in circumstances for the student.  Prior to reviewing a student’s request - all inconsistencies and/or conflicting information must be resolved before changes or adjustments can be made and prior to meeting with an administrator. This is in including but not limited to selection for federal verification. A special circumstance cannot be processed until the verification process has been finalized.

 Please note: *The submission of a special circumstance and professional judgement request does not guarantee a change to your financial aid award. 

Special Circumstances

The primary reason for a special circumstance is to make adjustments that may lower a student’s Student Aid Index (SAI). In some instances, the adjustments will assist in qualifying the student for need based funding for increases to tuition and fees.

Reasons for submitting a special circumstance include:

  • Loss of employment:  If the year to date income is equal to or more than the previous year income, no changes can be made for loss of employment.
  • Separation or divorce:  Changes can only be made if both parent/stepparent income was included on the FAFSA and a separation or divorce occurred after the FAFSA was submitted.
  • Unusual medical expenses (not covered by insurance)
  • Death of a spouse or parent:  Changes can only be made if income of the deceased was included on the FAFSA.
  • One-time taxable income used for life-changing events (e.g. IRA, pension distribution, back-year Social Security payments)
  • Parent retired
  • Marriage of the student
  • Child Support reduction or change

Reasons that do not merit a special circumstance include:

  • Standard living expenses (e.g. utilities, credit card payments, mortgage payments, etc.)
  • Credit card or other personal debts

 How to request a Special Circumstance 

E-mail the Financial Aid Office at: finaid@lsue.edu to determine if a special circumstance may help you qualify for additional aid for increases to tuition and fees. Please provide a detailed explanation of your special circumstances. You will receive a response requesting the necessary documents for the review.  A list of documentation that may be requested are as follows:

  • Signed tax return (years to be determined by the counselor)
  • W-2S and/or 1099 forms
  • Unemployment benefits statement
  • Court or Legal documents
  • Death certificates
  • Other applicable documentation determined by the financial aid counselor

Changes to the Cost of Attendance:  Budget Adjustment

The Cost of Attendance (COA) is the maximum amount of financial and scholarships a student can receive. Cost of attendance does not represent an amount you will owe to the university.  COA includes tuition and fees, food and housing, allowances for books and supplies, transportation, and miscellaneous/personal expenses.  Students with an unusual expense that might affect their COA can contact Financial Aid to determine if an increase is appropriate.

Each student’s financial needs are different, so the estimated COA may not accurately reflect every student’s circumstances.  Federal regulations permit aid administrators, on a case-by-case basis, to increase the COA to reflect the student’s actual (documented) living expenses. The goal of adjusting the COA is to allow the student to borrow additional loan funds, subject to annual loan limits and/or credit approval (for PLUS or private loans).  Adjusting the COA does not result in additional need-based grant or scholarship eligibility.

 

Examples of reasons to request a COA adjustment:

  • Computer Cost:  This cost may be added for students who purchase a computer for their major or residential college. The computer does not have to be required by the college or major to be added to the COA.
  • Housing costs in excess to the amount allotted in the COA
  • Food costs in excess of the amount allotted in the COA
  • Transportation costs in excess of the amount allotted in the COA (car payments/lease NOT allowed)
  • Dependent childcare expenses

 

How to request a Change in your Cost of Attendance 

E-mail the Financial Aid Office at: finaid@lsue.edu to determine if a special circumstance may help you qualify for additional aid. Please provide a detailed explanation of your actual expenses related to the cost of attendance. You will receive a response requesting the necessary documents for the review.  A list of documentation that may be requested are as follows:

  • Signed copy of lease
  • Receipts (grocery, computer, etc…)
  • Other applicable documentation determined by the financial aid counselor

 

Petition for Independent Student Status

Generally, undergraduate students are considered dependents of their legal (biological, adoptive, or otherwise determined by the state) parent(s) for the purposes of calculating financial aid eligibility and parental information must be provided on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). An undergraduate student’s dependency status for tax filing purposes is not necessarily reflective of their dependency status for financial aid.

Under very limited circumstances, undergraduate students may qualify to have a change made to their dependency status for the purpose of determining financial aid eligibility. Documented cases of abuse, neglect, incarceration, abandonment by the parents, etc. will be considered.

Parent refusal to provide information on the FAFSA is not a valid reason for a petition for independent status. However, students whose parents refuse to provide information on the FAFSA may be eligible to receive dependent level unsubsidized loans. If this applies to you, please submit an email to the Financial Aid Office.

 

How to request a Petition for Independent Student Status

E-mail the Financial Aid Office at: finaid@lsue.edu to determine if a special circumstance may help you qualify for additional aid. Please provide a detailed explanation of your circumstances related to the petition for independent student status. You will receive a response requesting the necessary documents for the review.