Financial Aid Rights and Responsibilities

Student Rights

You have the right to obtain from the college the:

  • names of its accrediting or licensing organizations.
  • information about its programs its instructional, laboratory, and other physical facilities and its faculty
  • cost of attending.
  • college’s policy and the Financial Aid Office policies on refunds to students who drop out
  • types of financial assistance available, including information on all federal, state, local, private and institutional financial aid programs.
  • procedures and deadlines for submitting applications for each available financial aid program.
  • criteria used to select financial aid recipients.
  • process used to determine student financial need (including how costs for tuition and fees, room and board, travel, books and supplies, and personal and miscellaneous expenses are considered in the cost of education and how resources, such as parental contribution, other financial aid, assets, etc. are considered in calculating your need.)
  • amount of you financial need, as determined by the institution, that has been met
  • procedure for paying students.
  • type and amount of assistance in your financial aid package and an explanation of each award.
  • portion of the financial aid award that must be paid, and what portion is grant aid
  • interest rate on any loan, the total amount for repayment, the length of time for repayment, the date to start repayment, and cancellation or deferment provisions that apply.
  • kind of job and the hours to be worked, the duties, the rate of pay, and the payment schedule and procedure (if offered a federal college work-study job.)
  • reconsideration of an aid package, if you believe that a mistake has been made or if enrollment or financial circumstances have changed.
  • process and policy used by the college to determine whether you are making satisfactory progress and what happens if you are not.
  • special facilities and services available to persons with disabilities.

Student Responsibilities

It is your responsibility to:

  • review and consider all information about a college's program before enrolling.
  • pay special attention to the application for student financial aid, complete it accurately, and submit it on time to the right place. Errors can delay or prevent you from receiving aid.
  • meet all deadlines for applying or reapplying for aid.
  • provide all additional documentation, verification, corrections, and/or new information requested by the Financial Aid Office.
  • read, understand, and keep copies of all forms you are asked to sign.
  • comply with the provisions of any promissory note and all other agreements that you sign.
  • Notify the school of any change in your name, address, or attendance status (half time, three-quarter time, or full-time).
  • satisfactorily perform the work agreed upon in a federal college work-study job.
  • understand the college's refund policy and the Financial Aid/Veterans Affairs Education Benefits offices' Return to Title IV Refund policy.
  • attend financial aid exit interview prior to Central Piedmont graduation, if you have borrowed federal loans at a previous college.
  • complete a new financial aid application each year.