Policies Associated with Merit Aid
- Required Cumulative GPA – students receiving merit aid through High Point University are required to maintain certain levels of academic performance to retain their particular award. Please contact your financial planning counselor for the specific minimum cumulative GPA requirements of your scholarship award.
- Full-time Enrollment – students must be enrolled full-time to receive any institutionally-funded aid to include merit awards. There are 2 exceptions to this general policy:
- Summer attendance (explained below)
- Last semester prior to graduation and student only needs less-than-full-time hours to complete their degree. In this case, the merit aid will be prorated based on the actual number of hours (and associated tuition charged) needed to graduate. Proration calculation is taking the percent that the merit aid represents of full time tuition in a normal Fall or Spring semester and applying that same percentage to the actual charges for part-time tuition in which the student is enrolled.
- Study Abroad Eligibility – The only program where a student may utilize their merit awards is the Exchange Program. Students going on Affiliated or Unaffiliated programs are not eligible for any institutional aid.
- Maximum number of semesters and Amount per semester – Students awarded merit aid coming in as an entering freshmen have a maximum eligibility of 8 semesters of full-time enrollment provided they are maintaining the required cumulative GPA. Students who graduate a semester early are not eligible to receive the full annual amount in one semester. No more than half the annual amount will be allowed in any one semester.
- Summer attendance – Students may use one of their maximum 8 semesters of eligibility for their merit aid during the Summer term, however the amount received will be based on actual charges. The merit aid will be prorated which will allow the student to receive the same percentage of merit aid toward Summer tuition charges as the merit aid represents toward normal full-time tuition in a standard Fall or Spring semester.
- Students Not Maintaining Required Cumulative GPA – As stated, students must maintain a certain cumulative GPA to retain their merit aid. If a student fails to meet the minimum requirement, students will no longer be eligible to receive their merit aid until such time as the student’s cumulative GPA is raised to the required level. Students may submit a written appeal requesting a probationary term based on extenuating circumstances which will allow the student to continue to receive their merit aid for one semester in order to raise their cumulative GPA to the minimum requirement. Please note students may appeal only twice. If a student is still below the minimum requirement after 2 appeals, no further appeals will be considered. In this case the student will not be eligible for merit aid until the minimum cumulative GPA has been obtained. See How to Complete a Merit SAP Appeal for instructions for submitting an appeal online.
- Deferral, Leave of Absence, Withdraw – Perspective students who request and are granted a deferral for one or two semesters are not guaranteed to receive the their original scholarships and other aid as initially awarded to them and may require reapplication. Returning students requesting a leave of absence for more than one semester or attend another institution while on leave are not guaranteed to receive their same institutional aid upon return to the University. Student who have withdrawn from University must reapply for admittance and will be re-awarded aid based upon the new admissions information (not guaranteed to be the same as previously awarded).
Standards of Academic Progress
Statement of Standards: Students are required to maintain standard academic progress and remain in academic good standing to continue eligibility for financial assistance. Students who are applying for financial assistance are expected to be enrolled full time each semester during the academic year. Students enrolled less than full time must notify the Office of Student Financial Planning. Students enrolled less than full time will be subject to reductions in assistance. Full-time enrollment is defined as 12 credits or more. Please note that all institutional programs require students to be enrolled full time.
Federal Regulations require the University’s Standard of Academic Progress to include the following:
Quantitative Measure: To remain in good academic standing and retain eligibility for financial aid, students must successfully complete at least two-thirds of all hours attempted to include Pass/Fail, repeated courses, incompletes, and courses dropped after the last day to drop a course without penalty (as published in the academic calendar).
Qualitative Measure: Students must maintain the following minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) on all attempted hours:
| For Hours Attempted: | Minimum GPA that must be maintained: |
| Fewer than 29 | 1.70 |
| at least 29 but fewer than 60 | 1.80 |
| at least 29 but fewer than 96 | 1.90 |
| 96 or more | 2.0 |
If the standards of academic progress (SAP) are not met then students have 2 courses of action available to them:
1. Academic Plan for Improvement
If a student is not meeting both federal and institutional standards for academic progress they must develop and follow an academic plan for improvement with Karen Naylon in the Office of Academic Development.
Karen Naylon, Assistant Dean, 401 Smith Library, 336-888-6388; knaylon@highpoint.edu
2. Students meeting institutional standards but not meeting federal standards of academic progress have the right to appeal any decision of ineligibility to receive financial aid based on academic performance. Your appeal must be made in writing to the Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeals Committee and emailed to The Office of Student Financial Planning at finplan@highpoint.edu. Please note that an appeal based on your need for assistance or your lack of knowledge of the academic progress requirements to remain in good standing is not a valid justification for an appeal and will not be approved. An appeal should be based on some unusual situation or condition that prevented you from passing a sufficient number of courses attempted or maintaining the required GPA.
For additional information on SAP click here:
Appeals
Federal Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeals: Federal regulations require that all students receiving financial aid must be making satisfactory academic progress. Information on standards of academic progress and the appeal options can be found under the SAP – Academic Progress tab above.
Merit Aid Appeals: Students receiving merit aid through High Point University are required to maintain a certain cumulative grade point average (GPA) to retain their particular award. Information on merit aid policy and appeals can be found under the Merit Aid Policy tab above.
Financial Appeals: Students encountering unusual situations or special circumstances that may impact their eligibility for need-based financial aid are able to be considered for a professional judgement evaluation to be made. Students must first have a current valid FAFSA on file, verification complete (where applicable), and have already received their financial aid offer. The appropriate special circumstances form needs to be completed and submitted online with the appropriate supporting documentation. must be submitted to the Financial Planning Appeals Committee.
23-24 Special Circumstance Form Dependent Student
23-24 Special Circumstance Form Independent Student
The document How to Complete a Professional Judgement Appeal provides instruction for submitting your appeal online.
We’re glad you’re considering a Semester Abroad, Maymester or Global Experience opportunity! When you’re ready to meet with a Study Abroad Advisor, please schedule an appointment by calling (336) 841-9280, or e-mail studyabroad@highpoint.edu for more information.
For information on Finances while studying abroad please visit www.highpoint.edu/global/semester-study-abroad/
If you started HPU as a first time Freshman in the Fall of 2021 or Fall of 2022 and would like more information on the Go Global Grant, then please visit www.highpoint.edu/global/go-global-grant/
To withdraw from High Point University, students must start by reaching out to the Office of Student Life on the third floor of the Slane Student Center. They are open daily from 8:30am – 5:00pm or may be reached via phone (336-841-9231), fax (336-841-4513) or email (studentlife@highpoint.edu). Please visit www.highpoint.edu/studentlife/leave-and-withdrawal-policy/ for HPU’s complete Leave and Withdrawal Policy.
The federal government mandates that students who withdraw from all classes may only keep the financial aid they have “earned” up to the time of withdrawal. Title IV funds that were disbursed in excess of the earned amount must be returned by the University and/or the student to the federal government. This situation could result in the student owing aid funds to the University, government or both.
To determine the amount of aid the student has earned up to the time of withdrawal, the University will divide the number of calendar days the student attended classes by the total number of calendar days in the semester (less any scheduled breaks of 5 days or more). The resulting percentage is then multiplied by the total federal funds that were disbursed (either to the student’s university account or to the student directly by check or direct deposit) for the semester. This calculation determines the amount of aid earned by the student which he or she may keep (e.g., if the student attended 25% of the term, the student will have earned 25% of the aid disbursed). The unearned amount – total aid disbursed less the earned amount – must be returned to the federal government by the University or the student. The University will notify and provide instructions to students who are required to return funds to the government.
Allocating Returned Title IV (Federal) Aid
Funds that are returned to the federal government are used to reduce the outstanding balances in individual federal programs.
Financial aid returned (by the University and/or you or your parents) must be allocated in the following order.
- Unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loans
- Subsidized Federal Stafford Loans
- Federal Graduate Plus Loans
- Federal Parent (PLUS) Loans
- Federal Pell Grant
- Federal SEOG
If your circumstances require that you withdraw from all classes, you are strongly encouraged to contact Student Financial Planning and your academic advisor before doing so. At that time, the consequences of withdrawing from all classes can be explained and clearly illustrated. The Student Financial Planning Office can provide refund examples and further explain this policy to you and your parents.
You should also be aware that as a recipient of financial assistance, you must comply with the Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy. By withdrawing, you may not be eligible for financial assistance from High Point University in the future, because you did not complete a specified number of credit hours for which aid was disbursed.
For information on whether tuition may be refunded based on withdrawal from the university, please visit www.highpoint.edu/studentaccounts/withdrawal-information/undergraduate/
Exit Counseling
Is required for any student who borrowed federal student loans at the time of withdrawal, graduation, or enrollment drops below half-time attendance (even if you plan to transfer to another school).
This counseling information will help you
- understand your rights and responsibilities as a federal student loan borrower
- provide useful tips and information to help you manage your federal student loans
- provide details on repayment options
Please visit studentaid.gov/exit-counseling/?counselingType=exit to complete this federal requirement.
Military Tuition Assistance (TA) Policy
Military Tuition Assistance (TA) is awarded to a student under the assumption that the student will attend High Point University for the entire period for which the assistance is awarded. When a student withdraws, the student may no longer be eligible for the full amount of the TA funds originally awarded.
In order to comply with the Department of Defense policy, High Point University will return any unearned TA funds on a prorated basis through at least the 60% portion of the period for which the funds were provided. TA funds are earned proportionally during an enrollment period, with unearned funds returned based upon when a student withdraws. The unearned funds will be returned to the military Service branch accordingly.
Instances when a Service member stops attending due to a military service obligation, High Point University will work with the individual Service member to identify solutions that will not result in student debt for the returned portion.
Return of Unearned Military Tuition Assistance Funds (TA)
The following tables explain the percentage of return of Military Tuition Assistance Funds (TA) for any student who withdraws for the different terms they may be enrolled in.
Fall and Spring Semesters Portion of TA funds to be returned
Withdrawal before the Semester Begins 100%
During the First Week of the Semester 75%
During the Second Week of the Semester 50%
During the Third Week of the Semester classes 25%
After the Third Week of the Semester 0%
Full Summer Session (June & July) Portion of TA funds to be returned
Withdrawal before the Session Begins 100%
Within the First Five Days of the Session 50%
After the Fifth Day of the Session 0%
Maymester, Summer I or Summer II Session Portion of TA funds to be returned
Withdrawal before the Session Begins 100%
Within the First Five Days of the Session 50%
After the Fifth Day of the Session 0%