Financial Aid

Third Floor, Allison Administration Building, Room 309
(P) 803.786.3612

The Office of Financial Aid is dedicated to helping students and their families make attendance at Columbia College an academic and financial reality through financial aid planning. There are many different sources of financial aid available to qualified students. It is best to submit all required forms as soon as possible, since most aid is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis for qualified applicants. The Office of Financial Aid awards aid to qualified applicants regardless of race, religious creed, place of national origin, ethnic group, or physical disability.

Financial Aid Application

Applicants are required to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This form will determine how much the family or student is expected to contribute to the educational costs for the academic year. It is a fair and equitable system of establishing how much aid each student needs. By completing the FAFSA, a student applies for federal, state, and institutional aid. The FAFSA or the Renewal FAFSA has to be filed each year to apply or reapply for assistance for the upcoming academic year. The FAFSA is available December 1st at www.FAFSA.gov.

The priority deadline for completion of the FAFSA is March 15th, but students are encouraged to apply for financial aid as early as possible. Applications received after this date will be considered for aid as long as funds are available.

All students are strongly urged to check with the Office of Financial Aid concerning questions related to the financial aid process. In addition, students are advised to check with local service clubs, churches and employers about scholarships that might be offered. These scholarships often go unused.

Procedure for Making Application

1. The student applies for admission to Columbia College and is accepted.
2. The student files the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at www.fafsa.gov. (All South Carolina residents must apply by June 30 for the South Carolina Tuition Grant)
3. In the event additional documentation is required, or errors were made on the FAFSA, students will receive notification of additional requirements.
4. The student applying for assistance will receive an official award notification from the Office of Financial Aid via email.
5. Students are not required to return a copy of the award letter. All aid will be processed as offered unless the student returns a signed copy of the award with notations indicating a desire to decline or reduce a specific award.
6. VA students should notify the Columbia College certifying official in the Office of Financial Aid.

Students can view their financial aid information in Koala Connection under Financial Services.

Scholarship Renewal Criteria

All students must meet the cumulative Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirements below to continue to receive all institutional scholarships. The Office of Financial Aid will review student eligibility at the end of each spring semester. Summer school at Columbia College can be considered to meet SAP standards.

Students failing to meet SAP requirements at the end of the semester will lose their merit scholarships. Once an institutional scholarship has been cancelled, it cannot be reinstated. 

Satisfactory Academic Progress

Pursuant to Federal Regulations, the Columbia College Office of Financial Aid is required to monitor the academic progress of all students who apply for federal financial aid. Financial aid funds can only be awarded to students who are completing and passing a minimum percentage of hours attempted, maintain a specific GPA, and who meet the college’s standards for continued enrollment as defined in the “Academic Standing ” section of the Columbia College Bulletin. If a student fails to meet SAP standards, they will become ineligible for federal financial aid. A student is considered making Satisfactory Academic Progress and eligible for financial aid if they:

1. Are admitted and enrolled as a degree-seeking student.
2. Meets Columbia College’s standards for continued enrollment (See the “Academic Standing” section of Columbia College’s Bulletin.)
3. Maintains the minimum Columbia College GPA requirement as follows below.
4. Passes 67% (0.6665) of all attempted hours (includes all transferred credits).
5. Has not attempted more than 150% of their program of study.

Undergraduate Students

Graduate Students

To maintain good standing in graduate programs, students must consistently do “B” quality work or above in coursework and maintain a cumulative 3.00 GPA. A student whose cumulative GPA falls below a 3.00 in any given semester is placed on academic probation. A student will be dismissed for academic reasons if her/his cumulative GPA is less than 3.00 at the end of the following consecutive semester. Consecutive semesters are fall/spring/summer. The College requires a final cumulative GPA of at least 3.00 (“B”) for receiving the master’s degree.

Special Note: Certain scholarships and grants require a higher grade-point average or earned credit hours (e.g., LIFE/HOPE Scholarships; Palmetto Fellows Scholarship)

Full-time/Part-time

For the purposes of Satisfactory Academic Progress, Columbia College does not distinguish between full-time and part-time enrollment. Students’ progress is assessed on both a quantitative (GPA) and qualitative scale (percentage of hours completed). Basing the qualitative measure on percentage of hours completed negates any differences in enrollment status.

No undergraduate student exceeding maximum timeframe is eligible for Title IV Federal or state aid.

Re-admit and Entering Transfer Students

Credit transferred from other institutions will count as both attempted and earned hours, but do not count towards the GPA requirement, for the purposes of satisfactory academic progress.  Re-admitting students will be assessed for eligibility upon re-application to Columbia College and will be considered eligible for Title IV Assistance if they meet SAP standards. New transfer students will be assessed for eligibility upon acceptance. All students receiving LIFE Scholarship or Palmetto Fellows Scholarship must meet the credit hour requirement for those programs. Full-time students must earn 24 semester credit hours per year for SCTG, average 30 credits per year for the LIFE Scholarship, and 30 total credit hours per year for the Palmetto Fellows Scholarship). Courses taken at other institutions do count towards the credit hour and GPA requirements for the LIFE and Palmetto Fellows scholarships.

Treatment of Courses and grades in determining Satisfactory Academic Progress

Withdrawals (WD) count toward total hours attempted for the Cumulative Completion Rate and are included in the GPA calculation. Only administrative withdrawals do not count against the GPA.

Incompletes (I) or No Grade (NG) count toward total hours attempted for the Cumulative Completion Rate, but are not included in the GPA calculation.

No Credit (NC) is assigned to audited courses.  The hours are not included in the attempted hours or the GPA calculation.

Transfer credits accepted by the College count toward the Cumulative Completion Rate and will not count in the GPA calculation.

Repeated courses count toward total hours attempted for the Cumulative Completion Rate. The highest grade is included in the GPA calculation. Federal student aid is available for only one retake of a passed course.

Change in Majors. Only courses counting toward a student’s program of study (major) count toward maximum timeframe. Students are allowed a maximum of three times to change major.

Failing (F) grades count toward total hours attempted for the Cumulative Completion Rate and are included in the GPA calculation.

Satisfactory (S)/Unsatisfactory (U) are Pass/Fail credit hours that count toward total hours attempted for the Cumulative Completion Rate. Successfully completed courses are included in the total hours earned. The grades are not included in the GPA calculation.

Summer School

Summer School is considered a period of enrichment.  Therefore, students are encouraged to attend summer school to improve their academic status.  If summer school is attended, a SAP evaluation will be performed at the end of this term.

Maximum Timeframe

Students are no longer eligible for aid if it is mathematically impossible to complete their program of study within 150 percent of the published program length. The maximum number of attempted hours eligible to be covered by aid is 180 semester hours for a 120-credit hour bachelor’s degree (120 x 150%=180). The hours included in the evaluation will only include the hours for their current major, regardless of how many times they change majors.  Students may appeal their status, if their aid is cancelled and they are pursuing multiple majors or degrees. If at the time when SAP is reviewed at the conclusion of the spring term or any other term it is determined that a student has exceeded the maximum number of attempted credit hours based upon their degree, the student is no longer eligible for financial aid.

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Cycle

The Office of Financial Aid will review the Satisfactory Academic Progress of undergraduate students at the end of each semester. Students who have not met Satisfactory Academic Progress after the designated checkpoint are placed in a warning status. If a student is still not meeting the standards after the subsequent semester, the student will be placed on financial aid suspension. Students on suspension are classified as ineligible for aid and are not eligible for Title IV federal aid programs, institutional, or state funding.

Students who are determined to be ineligible for federal financial aid under the Satisfactory Academic Progress policy may appeal this determination if the student feels extenuating circumstances were a major factor in their inability to meet the Satisfactory Academic Progress standards. Extenuating circumstances are documented conditions beyond the student’s control (e.g., injury, illness, or family crisis). Appeals governing that circumstance will only be granted once. If the appeal is approved, the student will return under a probation status with an academic plan.  If a student does not meet the terms of their academic plan or cumulative SAP standards while on probation, they are suspended. Students who subsequently meet Satisfactory Academic Progress standards will restart the Satisfactory Academic Progress cycle.

What happens when the appealed probation semester is complete?

A student may regain or lose eligibility following the appealed probation semester.  The status for the semester following the appealed probation semester will fall into one of the categories below: 

1. Stay in an appealed probation status. In order to remain in appealed probation status, a student must meet his or her academic plan requirements. Students who remain in an appealed probationary status will continue on their established academic plan.
2. Move back to a suspension status. If a student does not meet either:
   1. the required pace of completion or GPA for the semester or
   2. the requirements of his/her academic plan the student’s status will return to suspension and federal aid will be cancelled for future semesters.

Students who move back to a suspension status will not be eligible for financial aid and no longer have the option to appeal.

3. ​Move to a satisfactory status. If a student meets the overall GPA and Cumulative Completion Rate (while meeting maximum timeframe conditions) for satisfactory academic progress.  Students who move to a satisfactory status will no longer be on probation and are now meeting cumulative SAP standards. 

Financial Aid Appeals

Students who do not meet these guidelines will be sent a letter and/or e-mail explaining that they are on financial aid suspension. Students who feel there are extenuating circumstances which may affect the denial of financial aid have the right to appeal in accordance with the Financial Aid Appeal Process.

Students who have been on financial aid suspension cannot merely skip a semester to regain eligibility. To regain eligibility for financial aid, the student may submit a written appeal (see Appeals Process below) in accordance with the appeals process and the Office of Financial Aid must approve the appeal. The student is then placed on probation with an academic plan.

To appeal, the student must follow the process below:

1. Complete the Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal Application in which the student clearly explains extenuating circumstances which prevented them from meeting the Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements.  The application must explain:
   1. What occurred; why did you fail to meet the SAP requirements?
   2. How have you resolved these circumstances so that they will not continue to affect your academic performance in the future? What is your plan of action to ensure your academic success?
2. For maximum timeframe, the student must explain the number of hours accumulated and submit a degree audit.
3. Submit your completed appeal application and all supporting documents. Submit the appeal during the following times:
   1. Second week of August
   2. Last week of December
   3. Second week of May
   4. Third week of July

4. Students will be notified of the decision by mail or email within 48 hours of the decision.  The decision of the Financial Aid Office is final.

Submit Appeals Form and Supporting Documents to:

Columbia College

Office of Financial Aid

Attn: Satisfactory Academic Progress

1301 Columbia College Drive Columbia, SC 29203

Email To: fa@columbiacollegesc.edu

If a student’s appeal is denied, then the student will be required to successfully attain minimum SAP requirements using their own financial resources to continue enrollment. Once minimum SAP requirements have been met, aid eligibility is reinstated.

Students who have exceeded the maximum timeframe may appeal. Appeals for the extension of aid beyond the 150 percent maximum timeframe are available only to those students for whom one additional semester of aid will result in graduation. No appeal will be granted for students that require more than one term beyond the maximum timeframe to attain a degree.

Appeals for the upcoming fall semester will be reviewed after spring grades are available (if necessary) and prior to the last day of the add/drop period for the fall semester. Appeals for the upcoming spring semester will be reviewed after fall grades are available (if necessary) and prior to the last day of the add/drop period for the spring semester. Appeals for the upcoming summer sessions will be reviewed during the spring semester and prior to the last day of the add/drop period for the summer session.

Academic Plan

Students whose appeal has been approved and cannot achieve minimum SAP requirements within one semester will be placed on an Academic Plan. 

An Academic Plan will detail the specific expectations and requirements that must be met for each semester the student receives aid until SAP requirements are met. The Academic Plan will be created by the Office of Student Success and forwarded to the Office of Financial Aid. Requirements may include, but are not limited to regular meetings with faculty, advisors, and the Pearce Communication Center, presentation of progress reports to the Director of Financial Aid or other representatives, and optional sessions with the campus Counselor. A specific GPA and percentage of hours completed will be assigned for each semester to ensure that SAP requirements are met within the required time frame. Failure to comply with any part of the Academic Plan requirements or to achieve the expected GPA and percentage will terminate the Academic Plan provision and the student will become ineligible for aid. No additional appeals will be considered.

Columbia College reserves the right to terminate an Academic Plan at any time. Any decision to terminate a plan early will be deliberated by the Financial Aid Committee.

Personal Property Insurance

Columbia College is not responsible for damage or loss of personal property brought on campus. Students are advised to obtain adequate insurance coverage for their property.

Miscellaneous

1. Students will be charged for the repair or replacement of grounds, buildings or equipment that may be damaged or lost through negligence, carelessness, or willful intent on the part of the student or guests of students. A charge will also be made for vacated rooms left in an untidy condition.
2. Columbia College is not responsible for damages, losses, repairs, etc. to automobiles, personal belongings or other items brought to the campus by students, guests, employees, or visitors. Students are advised to obtain adequate insurance coverage for their property.
3. Columbia College is not responsible for, and does not provide insurance coverage for, illnesses or accidents of students, guests, or visitors.
4. Situations not specifically provided for in these regulations will be provided for in accordance with accepted practices and in keeping with principles which ensure fairness to all concerned. Charges in such instances will be agreed upon by all parties involved prior to registration or immediately upon a change in the student’s status. Otherwise, charges which the College may levy will prevail.