Important Financial Aid Facts/Reminders

• Courses taken that do not count toward your degree will not be funded with financial aid. Check with your academic advisor regarding course selection.
  
  
• Submit all academic credentials to our admissions office in order to be classified as a matriculated student. This includes proof that you are a high school graduate, have earned a general equivalency diploma, transcripts from your previous institution(s), if you are a transfer student, or successfully passed the College administered “ability to benefit” test. Failure to do this makes you ineligible to receive financial aid.
  
  
• The financial aid deducted from your bill may be estimated prior to verification of data included on your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). It is your responsibility to assure that your application has been fully processed by our office. 
  
  
• Students who obtain their degree or complete their certificate program at the end of a semester will not be eligible for financial aid in subsequent semesters unless they are enrolled in another degree program.  Bachelor’s Degree: If you already have this degree, you are ineligible for federal Pell and SEOG.
  
  
• Submit all required documentation prior to your last date of enrollment.
  
  
• Complete the FAFSA form once every academic year. Apply early.
  
  
• For Students in Remediation Classes
  First time TAP recipients must be registered for non-remedial courses equal to 3 credits. Second time TAP recipients must be registered for non-remedial courses equal to 6 credits. The remaining classes can be non-credit provided the total enrollment equals full-time status, which is 12 or more credits.
  
  
• You can view the status of your financial aid through student self-service by logging into your MyNCC Banner account.  It is important for you to check the self-service on a regular basis.
  
  
• Nassau has also given you an e-mail address, which is your NCC ID @students.ncc.edu or firstname.lastname @students.ncc.edu. It is required that you activate it by going to: http://www.ncc.edu/studentemail. Your student e-mail is where you will receive all official student related correspondence from the College.
  
  
• Repeat Courses
  Courses in which the student has already received a passing grade cannot be included in meeting full-time study requirements for state sponsored financial aid. Repeat courses may be counted toward full-time study if a failed course is repeated or when a student has received a passing grade at the College but is unacceptable in a particular curriculum or area of concentration.
       
                     
• The full name that appears on your birth certificate, marriage certificate or alien registration card must match your social security card, financial aid application and the name in the registrar's office.
   
                       
• If you are having problems with your direct loan that your school cannot resolve, contact the U.S. Dept. of Education's Office of Loan Ombudsman at 1.877.557.2575 or visit their website at www.ombudsman.ed.gov.
      
       
• Ability to Benefit
  Students first receiving state aid in 2006/07, who received their high school diploma from a foreign school, must take the "Ability to Benefit Test" and attain a passing score within the institution’s drop/add period. Contact the Placement Testing Center at 516.572.9604 in Bldg. U. You must take this test prior to the end of the third week of the start of the semester you plan to attend classes.
  
  
• Aid for Part-Time Study (APTS)
  Grant recipients must be enrolled for 3 to 11.5 credits. Students carrying a part-time course load that includes non-credit remedial courses must be registered for non-remedial courses equal to 3 credits.
  
                                 
• Your award is determined by the number of credits for the courses that you are enrolled in at the end of the College's refund period. This is generally at the end of the third week of the semester. If you withdraw from all of your classes, your award may be reduced based upon a federal refund calculation. If you register for more classes than you attend and incur a tuition liability for non-attended courses, financial aid cannot be credited toward that tuition liability.
   
  
• Changes in your actual enrollment status, such as non-attendance or course withdrawals, could reduce or cancel your award.
   
  
• Males between the ages of 18-25 must register with selective service.
  
  
• Study well and attend classes regularly in order to maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) as outlined in the College catalog. You must not exceed 150 percent of your program requirements. Utilize NCC’s academic and student services that are available for you on campus.
  
  
• Any additional awards or scholarships not appearing on the award letter must be reported. The financial aid office is required to adjust your awards.
  
  
• If it is determined that you have provided or purposely given false or misleading information, you may be fined up to $20,000, sent to prison, or both.
  
  
• You must be registered for at least six credits in order to receive a federal Direct Stafford Loan, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education.
  
  
• WINTERIM SEMESTER: YOUR CREDITS ARE ADDED TO THE SPRING SEMESTER TO DETERMINE YOUR FEDERAL PELL FOR BOTH SEMESTERS.  THIS ONLY APPLIES TO PART-TIME STUDENTS ATTENDING THE SPRING SEMESTER.
  

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS - ABILITY TO BENEFIT

My College has informed me that I need to take an Ability to Benefit (ATB) exam in order to be eligible for the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) and Scholarships. What exactly is meant by ATB?
If you do not have a US high school diploma or recognized equivalent such as a GED, you must take and pass an ability to benefit (ATB) exam designated by your school to be eligible to apply for State aid. The ATB exam demonstrates the student's ability to benefit from the training offered.

I have an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) from my high school, is this considered the same as a high school diploma or GED for State aid purposes?
No, an IEP diploma is not equivalent to a local or Regents high school diploma. You must contact your college to identify the procedures you will need to follow to be considered for admission. For State aid purposes, you will still need to take and pass an ATB exam.

I do not have a high school diploma or GED and have not been home schooled; however, I have attended college before and have earned 24 college credits. Can schools accept these credits in place of an ATB exam?
Yes, if you have earned 24 credits in the core classes required by the New York State Education Department you will not be required to take an ATB exam to be eligible for State aid. Also, the 24 credits can be used to obtain a GED.

What college credits meet the 24 core credits requirement?
To meet the requirement, the required distribution is: six (6) credits of English, three (3) credits of humanities, three (3) credits of social science, three (3) credits of natural science, three (3) credits of math, six (6) credits applicable to the student's program.

Do I need to receive the GED if I have the 24 core credits or do the credits alone meet the ATB requirement?
No, you do not need to apply for the GED to be eligible to apply for State aid, however, you should contact your college directly as it may be an admission requirement.

I have been to college before, am transferring my credits to another college and have never received any State aid. My new school said that I need to take and pass an ATB exam in order to be eligible to receive any State aid since I do not have a high school diploma.  Is this true?
Yes, the Ability to Benefit regulations apply to all students who are first-time state aid recipients in the 2006-07 academic year or thereafter, who do not have a high school diploma or its equivalent (GED), unless the credits already taken satisfy the 24 credit requirement.

I currently have a college degree and am continuing with my education, however, I do not have a high school diploma or GED. Will I need to take and pass an ATB exam to be eligible to apply for State aid at my new college?
If you are seeking to earn a degree and already have earned a degree from a regionally accredited college or university or any institution in New York State authorized by the Board of Regents to confer degrees, your prior degree can be used to satisfy State requirements to be used in place of an ATB exam.

I graduated from a university outside the United States. Will my foreign degree allow me to be eligible for State aid without taking the ATB exam?
If your degree comes from a college or university that is recognized by your home country’s Ministry of Education, you are considered to meet the requirements and do not have to take an ATB exam.

I have a non-U.S. high school diploma and have never had any New York State aid before. Do I qualify for State aid or any State scholarships?
Without a U.S. high school diploma or its equivalent you will need to take and pass an Ability to Benefit (ATB) exam. Again, the ATB requirements apply to all students who are first-time state aid recipients and the exam is required to be eligible to receive any State aid in the 2006-07 academic year or thereafter.

I have taken the required ATB exam but have just found out that I did not pass it. Will I be able to retake the exam?
You will need to contact your college directly to see what the requirements are for the specific ATB exam you have taken.

I have already started at my college and have just found out I did not pass the ATB exam I took prior to the start of school. If I retake the exam and pass it this time will I be able to receive State aid for the term I am currently in?
For both the fall and spring term of academic year 2007-08 you will be allowed to take and pass an ATB exam up until the end of the term to be eligible for State aid. However, beginning with the summer term of 2008 in academic year 2008-09, you must take the exam within the institution's add/drop period to establish award eligibility in that term.

I have been home-schooled. Am I eligible for State aid?
Yes, you will be eligible to apply for State aid once you have received a letter from your home school’s district superintendent attesting to the substantial equivalence of the homeschooling to the education completed by public high school graduates.

I was previously enrolled in a college prior to the start of the 2006-07 academic school year but due to extenuating circumstances I had to defer my enrollment to a later date. I am now being told that I need to take and pass an ATB exam, however, I was never informed of this when I first applied. Why do I need to do this now?
Schools are required by State law to use the date of actual enrollment. Since you enrolled but never attended prior to the 2006-07 academic year, the new State regulations apply. You must take and pass an ATB exam to be eligible to apply for State aid.

Are United States high school diplomas the only high school diplomas that are acceptable to be eligible for State aid?
Yes. Note: U.S. high school diplomas include diplomas from the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam or the Northern Mariana Islands and qualify you to be eligible to apply for State aid.