Student Financial Aid

The Student Financial Aid Office at Sam Houston State University is available to assist students in achieving educational goals even when their personal or family finances are limited. While the student and/or his or her immediate family are primarily responsible for financing an education, the University recognizes its role in making a maximum effort to acquire additional funds for qualified students through a variety of aid programs. Specific financial aid programs the University administers are listed below.

Grants

• Federal Pell Grant
• Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant
• Student Property Deposit Scholarship (grant)
• Texas Public Educational Grant
• Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership
• Toward EXcellence, Access and Success Grant (TEXAS grant)

Employment

• Federal College Work-Study Program
• Texas College Work-Study Program

Loans

• College Access Loan
• Emergency Tuition and Fees Loan
• Federal Perkins Loan
• Federal Stafford Student Loan
• Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students (PLUS)
• Short-term Loan for Books
• Short-term Loan for Dining
• Short-term Loan for Housing
• Texas B-On-Time Loan Program

Information on programs, eligibility requirements, student budgets, deadlines and the method of aid processing is available online at http://www.shsu.edu/fao. A student may also request the information by inquiring in person in the Estill Building, 2nd floor, or by writing to the Office of Student Financial Aid, Sam Houston State University, Box 2328, Huntsville, Texas 77341-2328; (936) 294-1774.

Scholarships

(The Student Financial Aid Office does not award, disburse, or process scholarship application forms. Students are to contact the department that sponsors the particular scholarship.)

• Departmental Scholarships
• Designated Scholarships
• Elliott T. Bowers Honors Scholarship
• Legislative Scholarships
• Transfer Scholarships
• University Scholars

A more comprehensive list is available online at http://www.shsu.edu/fao. Students interested in a specific departmental scholarship may request further information from the chair of that department.

Resignations/Withdrawals

Students who receive Title IV financial aid and withdraw or drop all courses during the semester must be aware of the impact on their financial aid. Federal Title IV aid includes Pell Grant, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, and Subsidized/Unsubsidized Stafford Loans.

Title IV aid recipients must be continuously enrolled for at least 60% of the semester for which aid is disbursed to retain all of the financial assistance issued for that semester. After the 60% point, students are considered to have earned 100% of the Title IV funds disbursed. Any student who resigns prior to completing 60% of a semester must repay any unearned portion of their federal financial aid.

The amount of the repayment depends on the number of days attended during the semester, the type and amount of financial aid received and the total amount of institutional charges.

Earned federal financial aid is prorated according to the percentage of the semester completed. The earned aid is determined by the amount of total aid received minus the amount of unearned aid.

Unearned aid is allocated and/or returned in the following order:

• Unsubsidized FFEL Stafford Loan
• Subsidized FFEL Stafford Loan
• Perkins Loan
• FFEL PLUS Loan
• Pell Grant
• Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)
• Other Title IV Monies
• The Student

Different requirements apply to maintain Reasonable Academic Progress (RAP).

Minimum requirements for undergraduate students are:

• A minimum SHSU grade point average (GPA) of 2.0.
• Enrollment at SHSU.

Students are not eligible for financial aid while resolving deficiencies.

Minimum requirements for post-graduate students seeking a second bachelors degree, enrolled in a certification program, or taking preparatory course work are:

• A minimum SHSU grade point average (GPA) of 2.0.
• Completion of second bachelor’s degree or certification program in two academic years.
• Completion of preparatory course work within twelve consecutive months.

Minimum requirements for graduate and professional students are:

• A minimum SHSU grade point average (GPA) of 3.0.
• Deficiencies in GPA and/or hours may be made up during the summer enrollment at SHSU.

Students are not eligible for financial aid while resolving deficiencies.

The complete RAP Policy is available online at http://www.shsu.edu/fao.

Veteran’s Benefits Assistance

For information relating to Veteran’s Benefits Assistance, visit with the VA representative in the Registrar’s Office, located in the Estill Building, room 331. Assistance is available for those seeking to use the following:

• Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB)
• Chapter 30 – Veteran status
• Chapter 31 – Vocational Rehabilitation
• Chapter 1606 – Reservist
• Chapter 35 – Dependent

Hope Scholarship Income Tax Credit and Lifetime Learning Tax Credit

Beginning January 1, 1998, taxpayers (students or their parents) may be eligible to claim a nonrefundable Hope Scholarship Tax Credit against their federal income taxes. The Hope Scholarship Credit may be claimed for the qualified tuition and certain related expenses (not housing/dining) of EACH student in the taxpayer’s family (i.e., the taxpayer, the taxpayer’s spouse, or an eligible dependent) who is enrolled at least halftime in one of the first two years of post secondary education and who is enrolled in a program leading to a degree, certificate, or other organized educational credential. The credit that may be claimed varies, depending on the family and student financial situation, but may be as much as $1,500 for a freshman or sophomore.

Another tax credit known as the Lifetime Learning Credit applies to junior, senior and/or graduate students enrolled at least halftime in an institution of higher education. Congress has established that the Lifetime Learning Tax Credit begins for payments made after July 1, 1998.