Financial Aid for Distance Degree Students
Financial Aid is available for distance degree students at Adams State College. There are three types of aid for distance degree students: loans, grants, and scholarships. If you are admitted in a distance degree program and enrolled in distance education courses, you may be eligible for Financial Aid, but it may be limited.
Correspondence Courses & Federal Student Aid
Some students find it necessary to take a correspondence course to augment their normal class attendance in order to complete their degree requirements. It is very important that you consult with your academic advisor to determine if the course meets your degree requirements.
Cost of Attendance
Your current financial aid budget (cost of attendance) includes a tuition and fees amount based on the cost of regular credits. Correspondence courses have different tuition costs than regular on-campus credit courses. The cost of attendance for correspondence programs is limited to tuition and fees, and in certain cases, books and supplies. If you have combined enrollment, your cost of attendance will include tuition, fees, and books for the correspondence courses plus tuition, fees, books, room and board for the regular coursework. You can review your financial aid budget here
Your budget will be calculated to reflect the actual costs that can be included. Your award package may be reduced. You may owe money back to the institution if you received a financial aid refund prior to the start of classes.
Enrollment Status
You must be enrolled in the class by the end of the add/drop period for that semester. Financial aid eligibility is determined by your enrollment on that date. All courses must be completed within the semester of enrollment. Combined enrollment is calculated as follows:
Regular or Telecommunications
| Correspondence
| Adjusted
| Enrollment
|
| 2 | 6 | 6 | 1/2 time |
| 3 | 3 | 6 | 1/2 time |
| 3 | 6 | 6 | 1/2 time |
| 3 | 9 | 6 | 1/2 time |
| 6 | 3 | 9 | 3/4 time |
| 6 | 6 | 12 | full time |
| 9 | 3 | 12 | full time |
| 12 | 3 | 15 | full time |
Funding Sources
Students who are enrolled in correspondence or telecommunication coursework and who are admitted into an Extended Studies degree program are only eligible for Federal Pell grants and Stafford loans. In the event that your cost of attendance exceeds your federal aid eligibility, you may be eligible for an alternative education loan.
If you are a distance degree student and are uncertain how correspondence courses will affect your financial aid, please contact your advisor.
Disbursement Timing
If you are enrolling in all correspondence courses and are eligible for federal student aid, federal regulations state that you cannot receive your disbursement until you have completed 50% of the lessons. Your course professor will notify your academic advisor and the Financial Aid Office when you have completed 50% of your course requirements.
Satisfactory Academic Progress
A correspondence course is counted the same as a regular course when calculating Satisfactory Academic Progress. You must complete the course within the semester of enrollment. If you have not completed the course by the end of the term, you will receive a grade of "IN" (Incomplete). In order to maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress, you must complete 75% of the credits you attempt, as well as maintain the minimum GPA of 2.0. You may review the Adams State College Satisfactory Academic Policy here
*Financial Aid definitions and frequently asked questions can be found on this pdf file:
Scholarship information is available by clicking on "Scholarships" on the right hand side of the page.
