MJC complies with all federal and state rules and regulations and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender or disability. This holds true for all students who are interested in participating in educational programs and/or extracurricular school activities. Harassment of any employee/student with regard to race, color, national origin, gender or disability is strictly prohibited. Inquiries regarding compliance and/or grievance procedures may be directed to the college’s Title IX Officer and/or the Section 504/ADA Coordinator.
Modesto Junior College’s Financial Aid programs stem from a belief that students services should facilitate and foster the successful academic participation of financially needy students. As part of its commitment to students’ positive college experience, the Student Financial
Services Office provides this information to help students better understand their relationship with financial aid.
State and federal regulations allow community colleges participating in financial aid programs (Title IV) discretion when establishing college specific policies and procedures. This manual represents MJC’s current practices of state and federal regulations which determine policy decision-making which is the responsibility of the college.
It is the goal of Student Financial Services Aid Office to provide students with the most current policy information affecting their financial aid while at MJC. Accordingly, as new state or federal regulations take effect or college practices evolve, this manual will be updated.
Academic programs offered at MJC are calculated in units and measured by semesters. MJC establishes two 16-week semesters (fall and spring) and summer sessions are also scheduled. This meets the federal minimum academic year definition (30 weeks of instruction minimum).
For example, during the 2023-2024 academic year, instruction for the fall 2023 semester began Monday, August 28, 2023 and ended on Saturday, December 16, 2023. This provides 15 weeks of instruction. With the additional week for finals, the fall 2023 semester is 16 weeks long.
For financial aid purposes, this definition is important because it affects how payment periods are calculated. MJC makes financial aid payments based on the college’s semester. A student’s financial aid is calculated by semester, rather than by weeks or classes attended.
Modesto Junior College is accredited by Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) through the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) and has a full accreditation status.
Modesto Junior College students who complete appropriate lower division courses are given full credit upon transfer to the California State Universities, the University of California, and other four-year colleges as well as universities with which the college maintains articulation agreements. Modesto Junior College is approved by the State Department of Education for training veterans and is authorized under Federal law to enroll non-immigrant, alien students.
Accreditation is an institutional priority, and college committees continue to work diligently to address the Accrediting Commission's standards and expectations. The ultimate goal involves creating a stronger, more effective college for our students and our community. Modesto Junior College stands committed to student learning, educational excellence, and institutional effectiveness. Our college is therefore dedicated to a comprehensive, integrated and continual cycle of planning that uses the collection and evaluation of data, student learning outcomes and program review to measure and improve all aspects of student learning and student services at Modesto Junior College.
Most financial aid is awarded and based on students’ having financial need. This need is used to determine eligibility. Financial Aid is predominately funded through the federal government. In order to qualify for financial aid, a student must meet the following minimum requirements as referenced on our website at Do I Qualify.
Limitations to financial aid eligibility apply to those who already received a bachelor’s degree. These students may only gain eligibility for the California College Promise Grant (CCPG) and loans and are not eligible for Pell grant funding.
Students who are enrolled in more than one school or institution at the same time may only obtain Pell Grant from one college. It is however possible for a school to pay a student enrolled in one of its eligible programs for courses taken at other eligible schools, if those courses apply to the degree or certificate in the first school’s program. More information on this process can be obtained on our website at Consortium Agreement.
If in the process of reviewing a student’s financial aid file, MJC’s Student Financial Services
Office notices conflicting data, the conflict must be resolved before awarding can take place.
The process of resolving the conflicting data for the Student Financial Services Office is to:
To receive FSA funds, a student must be qualified to study at the post-secondary level. A student qualifies if he/she:
Applicants to the college who do not hold a high school diploma or its equivalent and who wish to receive Federal financial aid must demonstrate their ability to benefit from college enrollment. New students who do not have a high school diploma, or an equivalent such as a GED, and who did not complete secondary school in a homeschool setting are not eligible for Title IV funds. Such students can no longer become eligible by passing an approved “ability-to-benefit” test or by satisfactorily completing at least six credit hours or 225 clock hours of college work that is applicable to a degree or certificate offered by the student’s post-secondary institution.
However, students who were enrolled in an eligible educational program of study before July 1,
2012 may continue to be considered Title IV eligible under either the ATB test or credit hour standards, as discussed in Volume 1, Chapter 1 of the 2022-23 FSA Handbook. Students wishing to have their transcripts reviewed for at least six degree-applicable units are asked to contact the Student Financial Services Office so that a determination of if the student qualifies for an ATB waiver can be completed.
A dependent student who completes his/her FAFSA/CADAA without providing parental information and identified themselves as homeless, as noted below, will receive the Unaccompanied Homeless Youth Form.
A Financial Aid Specialist will review the Unaccompanied Homeless Youth Form and supporting documents, if applicable, and will forward to the Director of Student Financial Services if a determination is needed. In some cases, follow up information is necessary such as a documented interview by phone or in-person. After the documented interview is complete, the Specialist will forward to the Director if a determination is needed. If a student is approved for Unaccompanied Homeless Youth (UHY), the Specialist will make the necessary corrections to the student’s FAFSA/CADAA by selecting “FAA Homeless Youth Determination” and document the UHY status in the SSGD neumonic in Datatel. When the new ISIR is imported, student will be independent.
The California College Promise Grant (CCPG) is an enrollment fee waiver provided to California residents, eligible AB540 or AB1899 students and homeless youth who meet eligibility requirements. The CCPG waives the student's tuition; however, students are responsible for paying the MJC general fees which include the Health Fee, Student Center Fee, Student Representation Fee and all materials cost for any course.
To be considered for a CCPG fee waiver, students must complete a CCPG Fee Waiver paper application or complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or California Dream Act Application (CADAA).
Independent Students: A student qualifies if he/she receives assistance from or meets any of the following criteria. Documentation is required as indicated on the CCPG application.
NOTE: A student who receives his/her own SSI can be considered independent based on professional judgment.
Dependent Students: A student qualifies if he/she is considered “dependent” and a parent receives either of the following as his/her primary source of income:
A student qualifies if the student's income or the parent's income (if dependent) for the base year falls below the minimum standards based on the size of the family. Income levels for CCPG B are set by the State Chancellor's Office.
A student who does not meet eligibility requirements for CCPG A or B can apply through the FAFSA or CADAA application. A student qualifies if he/she is determined to have minimum unmet need (as annually established by the Chancellor’s Office) by the Student Financial Services Office.
NOTE: Students qualifying for CCPG A or B are encouraged to apply for federal aid.
CCPG applications are available in the Student Financial Services Office and on the MJC website at Financial Aid. Completed CCPG applications may be submitted by mail, fax, dropped in drop box (East or West Campus), or in person.
CCPG A: (TANF/CalWORKs, SSI/SSP, and General Assistance recipients).
Students must complete the “Agency Consent for Release of Information” form which allows the Student Financial Services Office to verify eligibility through CalWORKs. Additional documentation may be required upon request of the Student Financial Services Office
CCPG B: Under normal circumstances, the application is considered self-certified and documentation of income is not required. If conflicting information is reported or circumstances warrant verification, then documentation is requested at the discretion of the Student Financial Services Office.
CCPG C: Students must submit a FAFSA or CADAA and have a valid EFC to be considered. Determination of eligibility is made by reviewing the student’s Expected Family Contribution (EFC) which must be lower than the budget to show financial need of at least $1,104).
When the student submits an application, it is reviewed for completeness, appropriate signatures, dependency standards, and acceptable documentation.
Once applications are accepted, a final review is done to examine for completeness and eligibility. Students whose applications are incomplete or are determined to be ineligible are notified by e-mail. Ineligible students have their fee exemption removed immediately. Email notification is sent to the student that the CCPG has been removed. The Business Services Office will bill the student to pay outstanding fees.
Once eligibility has been determined, data from the CCPG application is entered into
Ellucian Colleague. Information is entered on the CCPG and AIDE screens. For CCPG B eligible students, the dependency status, income, and household size must be provided. The NEBOG code is used for students who have been determined to be not eligible. A zero-dollar amount is placed on the first line of the awarding semester.
CCPGs are awarded for an academic year (summer, fall, and spring). Chancellor's Office policy provides that a CCPG awarded at any point during the academic year is effective for the entire year, therefore, only one application is required per year. CCPG recipients who have paid enrollment fees can request a refund by filling out a Refund Request Form.
Data is reported to the Community College Chancellor’s Office through MIS. All CCPG applications and supporting documents will be kept for a minimum of three years from the end of the award year, as required by the Chancellor’s Office.
Per Title 5, Section 58108 Regulations of the California Community College Systems, students will lose eligibility for the California College Promise Grant if they do not meet Academic and Progress Standards of maintaining a 2.0 GPA and/or not successfully completing over half of the units attempted for two consecutive primary (Fall/Spring) semesters. The first calculation of a term began in Fall 2015 at MJC with Fall 2016 being the first semester a student could lose eligibility. Foster youth and former foster youth (age 24 years and younger) and students who qualify for the CCPG through the Veteran’s Office are not subject to loss of the CCPG Fee Waiver.
Students who have lost their CCPG may appeal to have it reinstated based on their extenuating circumstances, academic improvement, a change to their economic situation, inability to obtain essential support services or special consideration based on receiving certain benefits or programs.
Students are notified within 30 days of the end of a semester if they have been placed on Warning or Disqualification status. Warning status occurs after one semester below standards.
To regain eligibility, a student must complete one of the following:
Students are encouraged to:
Submit a completed appeal form with all supporting documentation as indicated on the form based on your appeal reason. Any missing information may result in the appeal being delayed or denied. Deadline to appeal is the last day of each semester. Email notification is sent within 1 – 3 weeks.
All first-time college students (including students who earned college units while still in high school) will be considered. This award is not based on financial need. The student Financial Services Office will award students who meet the following criteria. In most cases, awarding happens automatically (Students do not need to apply); however, students who apply late in the year will get picked up for the current semester but may not for the previous semesters. In this case, students will want to submit a request form. Students' fees will be waived once their eligibility is determined; no direct cash disbursements will occur. There is no limit on the number of units a student can take each semester and may qualify for a second year.
File a FAFSA or CADAA
Additional information can be found on our website at Modesto Jr. College Promise.
MJC Promise 2yr. Free College eligibility for DSPS students under AB2
AB2 allows DSPS students to receive the MJC Promise free tuition for two years, as long as a DSPS official certifies full-time status for the student if enrolled in fewer than 12 units.
ASC students must:
Funds for this award have been provided through the state chancellor’s office. Students who have not been able to pay for their housing costs are referred to SSSP staff through a Student Success Referral for consideration. Referrals get assigned once a day to the assigned cohort specialist and the student will be contacted within 48 hours. SSSP staff are responsible to support the student and follow their success through tracking grades, course completion, making housing arrangements etc. Awards are added to Datatel and refunds are processed each week as needed.
Financial and personal information provided by the students and their parents on the FAFSA/CADAA and institutional applications is often incomplete and inaccurate. To overcome this situation, certain applicants are required to validate key data elements. This is a process in which the applicant is required to provide documents to support data originally reported. When certain inconsistencies or errors are discovered during verification, the corrected information must be submitted to the processor for recalculation.
The items which need to be verified are the ones which have the greatest impact on the need analysis process. MJC complies with the current regulations. The Federal Processor selects students for verification and places them into groups. Depending on which group is assigned, the following must be verified:
Documents required for verification of these items are:
If the verification process results in a change of a student’s financial aid eligibility, MJC repackages the student for financial aid based on their new eligibility status and notifies the student with a new award notification.
Corrections are made in the Financial Aid System and sent to the Central Processing System (CPS) or the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) Webgrants system. Students are notified of corrections through receipt of an acknowledgment form from the CPS or CSAC.
Students must meet the verification deadline as set by the U.S. Secretary of Education. The Secretary sets a deadline for the completion of verification each year. This deadline is 120 days after the last day of the student’s enrollment or by approximately September 23 whichever is earlier.
MJC accepts any documentation listed in the Federal Student Aid Handbook to prove citizenship status for U.S. citizens or permanent residents.
It is the policy of Modesto Junior College, Student Financial Services Office to scan all student documentation submitted to our office. Our office will not return documents to a student without a signed written request listing the documents to be photocopied and released. Documents will
be provided to the student only, and identification is required. Students who reside outside the local area may request mailing services which will be sent through certified mail to the address on file at the expense of the student. We will not mail or fax documents to outside colleges, organizations or family members.
The U.S. Department of Education reviews and monitors all federal programs to ensure program integrity.
Unusual enrollment history is the specific pattern the Department of Education uses to select students who have received a Federal Pell Grant and/or Federal Direct Student Loans at multiple institutions during the past four academic years. Students are required to have earned academic credit during the award year in which they received Pell Grant or Federal Direct Loan funds at each previously attended institution.
The Department of Education has established regulations to address possible fraud and abuse in the Title IV student aid programs by identifying students with unusual enrollment histories. These students are identified by the Department of Education through the submission of the FAFSA. Some students who have an unusual enrollment history have legitimate reasons for their enrollment at multiple institutions. However, such an enrollment history requires the Student Financial Services office to review the student's enrollment history to determine future financial aid eligibility.
At times, students are selected for unusual enrollment history review after their financial aid has already been awarded. In these cases, future financial aid disbursements will be canceled until the issue has been resolved. No aid can be awarded or disbursed until our office has reviewed the student's academic history and the issue has been resolved. If you are selected for a review of your enrollment history, the Student Financial Services office will notify you of what is required.
To review your enrollment history, we will need official transcripts to complete the review. These transcripts should be sent to the MJC Evaluations office. No aid can be awarded until all required documentation has been received. As part of the review, our office will verify that academic credit was earned at each institution during the previous four years. If you did not earn academic credit at any institution where you received a Federal Pell Grant or Federal Direct Loans during the relevant award years, we cannot award financial aid to you.
MJC offers an Associate in Arts degree (AA) and an Associate in Science degree (AS), both which meet the minimum academic year definition as well as certificate programs which also meet the minimum academic year definition. For the most updated list of certificate programs approved for aid at MJC, refer to the MJCCC participation agreement with the US Department of Education. In addition, MJC is one of fifteen community colleges selected by the Board of Governors and Chancellor’s Office of the California Community Colleges to offer a bachelor’s degree program. MJC offers a BA program in Respiratory Care. More information can be found at Bachelor’s Degree Program.
The Student Financial Services Office establishes (within Federal, State, and regional guidelines) modest budgets that reflect the average student’s costs for a nine-month period. Taken into consideration are a variety of conditions, such as living accommodations and special additional costs. Sample expense budgets for a full-time student can be found at Cost of Attendance (link)
Every eligible applicant should receive a combination of financial aid based on the student's qualifications, financial need, preference, student's academic and family situation, and criteria developed annually by the Student Financial Services Office for equitable distribution of grant aid and self-help aid. The Student Financial Services Office has the right to modify awards subject to the availability of funds.
Financial aid will be awarded based on the following hierarchy until need/cost is met:
Once CCPG, Federal Pell Grant, FSEOG and FWS have been awarded, additional award information may be received from other campus programs or external agencies regarding other awards which then require an adjustment to a student’s aid package. This may include Cal Grant, Chafee, Scholarships, Student Success Completion Grant, etc. These aid sources when added, may require that other aid originally offered be adjusted (i.e. FWS and Student Loans).
Files will be reviewed on a “first come, first served” basis as determined by the date the file is completed. Awards will be packaged based on the FAFSA filing date of completed files.
The student’s cost (see Cost of Attendance section) and need will be calculated (cost of attendance minus EFC minus other resources equals need). Each aid type and amount in which the student is eligible will be subtracted from the need/cost as outlined in the awarding hierarchy. Awards are coordinated with other offices and agencies who give monetary awards or assistance.
Following packaging, students will be sent an e-mail notifying them that their Tentative Award information is available in their MyMJC account. The student’s enrollment status will determine the actual amount of each funded award. All awards are subject to change.
Included in the award email are links to disbursement dates, enrollment status i.e.: full-time, three-quarter-time, half-time or less-than-half-time information as well as school contact information.
In order to ensure compliance with Department of Education regulations pertaining to separation of duties for disbursement of financial aid funds, the following is established. Each student is emailed or mailed a BankMobile personal code once they have filed a FAFSA or CADAA and registered for classes. The student is responsible for creating a BankMobile account and choosing their refund option.
The Chief Business Officer and/or designee, shall be responsible for disbursing financial aid funds as outlined in the Blue Book published by the U.S. Department of Education and other generally accepted accounting procedures.
View our Institution’s contract with BankMobile, a Division of Customers Bank.
Cal Grant awards are determined by the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC). CSAC provides a weekly roster via Webgrants. The SSCG is awarded in conjunction with the Cal Grant award.
Students who are current or former foster youth whose dependency was established or continued by the court on or after the date on which the student reached 13 years of age are eligible for SSCG as well for up to $10,500 annually for students enrolled in 12 units or more.
The California Chafee Grant Program, administered by the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC), is designed to assist eligible California youths aging out of foster care with the costs of attending a postsecondary institution.
*Renewal applicants only need to submit the FAFSA.
Processing Chafee: Students complete one application for the year applying for the Chafee Grant though the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC). The application process will then continue year after year if eligible. A roster is made available to the Student Financial Services Office via Webgrants to notify us of students who require payment request.
The following processing steps are taken:
Student must show picture ID and provide a signature on the CSAC form. Once funds have been distributed, the Chafee Grant Coordinator updates and submits the Online Chafee Payment Roster on the CSAC website. Upon release of the first payment, information is provided to students about support services offered at MJC and the process for completing an Educational Plan.
The Middle Class Scholarship is for undergraduate students in the Bachelor’s degree program at Modesto Junior College. Students with family income and assets up to 217,00 may be eligible.
Students must meet the following requirements:
Students may receive the MCS award for up to 4 years depending on their education level when awarded. To learn more, visit the California Student Aid Commission, Middle Class Scholarship (MCS)
MJC awards Federal Pell Grants to eligible undergraduate students based on their COA, EFC and total percentage of Pell already received.
* Lifetime Eligibility Used (LEU) - Students are limited to 600% lifetime Federal Pell
Grant (6 years full-time enrollment). Students are notified on their ISIR once they reach 400%. In addition, students who are submitting a SAP appeal are asked to provide their LEU (link to the NSLDS website provided).
Federal Work Study is awarded on a first come, first served basis. Students must have enough financial need for two terms of FWS funds. Awarding will continue until all funds are exhausted regardless of enrollment status. Student must be enrolled in 6 or more units to utilize award.
Federal Work-Study Selection Criteria for 2023-2024 Academic Year:
*** Students on Warning or DQG, DQP, DQB for FA22 or SU22 were NOT included because they were not meeting SAP as of August 12, 2023.
Funding for FWS positions is limited. Receiving an FWS award does not guarantee an FWS position.
If a student is offered Federal Work Study as part of his/her financial aid package, the MJC Student Financial Services department will direct students to postings for part-time jobs on campus only. All Federal Work Study positions will be announced via Jobspeaker. If possible, students will be placed in work related to their studies or career plan. A student will generally earn minimum wage and be paid once per month.
Students are required to complete Fingerprinting and a Criminal History Background check at their own expense. If the student has answered “yes” to any Criminal History Questions on the Student Worker Application, student cannot work until fingerprint clearance has been received. Students are required to maintain a minimum of 6 units throughout the semester.
The MJC Student Financial Services Office awards these grants to undergraduate students who have exceptional financial need, with priority given to Pell Grant recipients. Unlike Pell Grants, there's no guarantee every eligible student will receive the FSEOG award since funds are limited.
FSEOG is awarded first to students with a zero EFC who are Pell eligible on a first-come, first- served basis regardless of enrollment status. If funds remain, it is awarded to those students with the lowest EFC.
*** Students on Warning or DQG, DQP, DQB for FA22 or SU22 were NOT included because they are not meeting SAP as of August 2, 2023.
The Dream Grant is ONLY for qualifying applicants who met the following eligibility criteria. CSAC uses data from the CADAA (California Dream Act Application), to calculate an EFC.
Additional information can be found at Dream Grant.
All EOP&S awards are determined through the EOP&S Office. Grant funds are added to a student’s aid package and disbursed through the Student Financial Services Office.
Modesto Junior College offers Federal Direct Student Loans: Subsidized and Unsubsidized.
A quick review of the Direct Subsidized Loan
The U.S. Department of Education will pay the interest on a Direct Subsidized loan
A quick review of the Direct Unsubsidized loan
You may visit the Federal Student Aid Website for current rate information.
Federal Direct loan limits are based on the student’s dependent or independent status; and class level (freshman, sophomore, and/or aggregated limit).
Before submitting a Direct Loan application, all applicants must already have a current FAFSA application on file with Modesto Junior College AND have an award letter from the Modesto Junior College Student Financial Services Office.
(Students can check their financial aid requirements and financial aid status online using MJC’s student web portal, Self-Service on MyMJC.)
Student Loan applications are available for pick up at the Student Financial Services Office.
The following documents need to be attached to the Loan Application.
The Federal Government requires first-time student borrowers to complete loan entrance counseling. Modesto Junior College does Direct Loan Online Counseling through https://studentloans.gov. The entrance counseling must be completed before any disbursements are made of either Direct Subsidized or Unsubsidized loans. This will be confirmed before any and all disbursements.
Borrowers will go to studentloans.gov to complete the entrance counseling as required in the FSA Handbook volume 2 chapter six. Borrowers will need to visit iGRAD and complete the budget worksheet handout.
Students are responsible for submitting a complete application. Any application that is not fully completed will not be processed or accepted. The loan review process will take 2-4 weeks. Students will be notified through their student email.
Loan funds are disbursed as follows:
The Direct Loan is delivered to students through Bank Mobile. Students can decide between receiving a check, direct deposit to a personal account or on the Bank Mobile Debit card.
All Direct Loan student borrowers who are graduating, leaving school, or dropping below half-time enrollment are required to complete exit counseling. As the borrower, students are required to do exit counseling. If the borrower does not do it electronically through studentloans.gov, Modesto Junior College will email/mail a paper exit form to the most recent email/home address on file within 30 days of borrower graduating, leaving school, or dropping below half-time enrollment.
Terms and Conditions of Direct Loans are included in the Borrower’s Rights and Responsibilities Statement, which the borrower receives upon completion of a Master Promissory Note with the Department of Education. Borrower may request copies of their Borrower’s Rights and Responsibilities at any time by contacting the Direct Loan Servicing Center.
Information regarding the various deferments available to students and parent loan borrowers is available at the Department of Education Website under “Manage Loans” click on “Lower My Payments”. Go to Manage Loans.
Using your FSA ID you can access your entire loan history including balances, interest rates, and lender contact information. Go to NSLDS.
The Pell Grant program is the cornerstone of the financial aid package for students at Modesto
Junior College. When a student submits the FAFSA, the Central Processor determines the student’s Estimated Family Contribution (EFC) and sends the student a paper Student Aid Report (SAR) or an electronic Institutional Student Information Record (ISIR). Unless changed through correction or verification, the amount of the EFC on the SAR/ISIR determines if the student will receive a Pell Grant and the amount of the grant.
Students must complete the FAFSA on an annual basis to establish Pell eligibility. The College draws the ISIR data down electronically for all students who list Modesto Junior College as a choice on the FAFSA. Once the ISIR data is received from the Central Processor, a file is established and tracking begins. When the file is complete and the information is verified, if appropriate, and determined to be accurate, the College can pay the Federal Pell Grant.
Even though the College’s Ellucian Colleague system has the ability to calculate or re-compute an accurate EFC from raw data elements, the student’s application must go through the Central Processor. The Central Processor submits the application to national data base matches to confirm eligibility requirements such as eligible non-citizen status and selective service registration compliance are met. The Central Processor also determines whether or not verification must be performed.
Eligibility for Pell can be determined by locating the student’s EFC on the appropriate full, half, three-quarter, or less-than-half-time Pell Payment Schedule. This represents the amount of the award.
Students must list the MJC College Code on the FAFSA and the FAFSA data must be drawn from the processor prior to determination of eligibility for all other federal financial aid.
When the ISIR is received in the Student Financial Services Office, it is checked to ensure that:
When all requested documents have been received, verification is performed if the SAR is flagged for verification.
The MJC Student Financial Services Office reports recoveries through Ellucian Colleague’s CODE screen after a negative transmittal has been made through the FATR process. Any necessary comments are made in Ellucian Colleague regarding a Pell Grant recovery.
Standard student budgets are developed by the Student Financial Services Office to reflect
average costs a student pays for tuition and fees, room and board, books and supplies, transportation and other expenses related to his/her attendance at Modesto Junior College. Student budgets are reviewed annually and updated as appropriate to reflect changes in student costs.
Modesto Junior College budge is based on the SEARS survey, wich is conducted and distributed annually by the California Student Aid Commission. The SEARS survey averages the costs students in California incur for indirect educational expenses such as books and supplies, room and board, transportation, and miscellaneous personal expenses. The Student Financial Services Office considers the averaged costs of the SEARS survey to be modest but adequate for students residing in the district and uses the survey as a guideline for establishing student budgets.
When establishing total budget figures used in the determination of student eligibility for financial aid, the college considers students within like categories as follows:
$10.00 maximum annual Student Center Fee and a Student Activity Fee of $10.00 per semester is then added to the total.
Less-than-Half-Time PELL Budgets: Students who enroll for less than six units may be eligible for Federal Pell if their student budgets meet or exceed the cost of education threshold on the Less-Than-Half-Time Pell Payment Schedule. Cost of education budgets for less-than-half-time is constructed using full-time figures for the following budget components only:
Adjustments to budgets may be made on a case-by-case basis when the student has other reasonable costs associated with attendance at the college. Such adjustments must be requested and documented by the student.
Nursing: Students recognize additional fees, books and supplies, and uniform costs.
Consortium Agreements entered into between Modesto Junior College and any other eligible school will apply to all student financial assistance programs as long as Modesto Junior College is the primary school or the “home” institution. The following conditions must be met for the consortium agreement to be considered for approval:
Modesto Junior College is participating in the California Virtual College Exchange (CVC Exchange). The CVC (California Virtual College) Exchange is an innovative, student-centered tool that allows students currently enrolled in a California Community College to instantly enroll in online courses offered at eligible colleges without filling out a separate application. This gives students the ability to enroll in courses that may or may not be available at their college, allowing them to achieve their goals faster and seamlessly without needing to complete a separate application and registration processes. MJC is known as both a Home and a Teaching School for the CVC Exchange. As a result, students may count courses taken at a Teaching school and have these units count toward the units enrolled at MJC. CVC students will need to follow the same steps listed about.
To request a consortium agreement please visit our website: Consortium Agreement
Modesto Junior College is required by law, in accordance with 34 CFR Part 668.14 (g) to report any evidence of fraud to the U.S. Office of Inspector General and perpetrators will be prosecuted.
In accordance with Federal regulations requiring institutions to report individuals who purposely provide false or misleading information in order to receive student financial aid, Modesto Junior College will report to the U.S. Office of Inspector General any individual committing fraud on an application for financial aid, or any individual who fraudulently manipulates the financial aid programs or process for personal gain.
Cases of suspected fraud, including knowingly misrepresenting family or financial application information, purposeful certification of false statements as true and correct, or intentional falsification or misrepresentation on or alteration of documents used in the financial aid process that results in the receipt of aid, will be reported for possible collection of funds and/or prosecution.
Examples:
In accordance with Federal Regulations students who receive federal financial assistance and completely withdraw from all of their classes before completing more than 60% of the semester will be required to return any unearned federal funds. As defined by the U.S. Department of Education, these students must have a Return of Title IV Funds (R2T4) calculation performed to determine the percentage of aid earned based on the amount of time the student was enrolled at the MJC. The amount of the return will be calculated on a pro-rata basis.
FWS earnings are excluded from the calculation. Students who do not begin attendance are “NO SHOW” and are not considered R2T4.
MJC is responsible for identifying students affected by this policy and complete a R2T4 calculation. The student will be informed, via email, of the results of the R2T4 calculation and any balance owed by the student. MJC will return any unearned Title IV Institutional share within 45 days of the R2T4 calculation. At 45 days if the charge is unpaid by the student, the Student Financial Services Office, with report the charges to NSLDS. 30 days after reporting to NSLDS, any unpaid balance will be assigned to the Department of Education for collection.
MJC has implemented a new grading symbol “FW” for students who have stopped attending and unofficially withdrawal. The Student Financial Services Office will complete an R2T4 calculation based on the Last Day of Attendance (LDA) reported by the instructor or available on Starfish. Additionally, if a student has any dropped courses in the semester, the Student Financial Service Office will use the latter of the LDA of a “stopped attending F” course or the date of a previously dropped course. If an LDA cannot be determined, the Student Financial Service Office will use the 50% point in the semester as the withdrawal date.
Modesto Junior College is not required to take attendance. Therefore, if the student has not earned a passing grade in any class and the Student Financial Services Office is unable to determine the last date of attendance, the Student Financial Services Office will use the 50% point of the period of enrollment as the withdrawal date.
If all F grades are listed on the report as N (student never attended), the Student Financial Services Office will charge all aid at 100% since the student never began classes.
Overpayments will be reported to the National Student loan Data System (NSLDS) if:
In addition to posting on NSLDS for students who failed to repay their debt (30 days after reported to NSLDS), a separate assignment letter will be sent to the United States Department of Education (DOE) Debt Collection Agency and the appropriate actions will be taken to block students from receiving any additional Title IV funds until official verification has been received from the US DOE indicating that the overpayment will no longer prevent the student from receiving additional Title IV funds.
A post‐withdrawal disbursement may be required if the total amount of the Title IV aid earned as of the withdrawal date is more than the amount that was disbursed to the student. To be eligible to receive a post-withdrawal disbursement, students must have a complete financial aid file (verification completed and all tracking requirements satisfied) and meet all eligibility requirements. Upon notification that student has 14 days to request their funds.
A student may owe a repayment of an overpayment when additional resources are received after aid has been disbursed, and the student has been determined to have received an over-award OR if it is discovered that the student has falsified any information in the application process. (SEE: AWARD MAINTENANCE & OVER AWARDS.)
When awarding a student within the academic year, sometimes the Student Financial Services Office determines that the student was not enrolled at MJC during the previous semester, (i.e. awarding for spring and the student was not enrolled in fall). In this case, MJC checks NSLDS to calculate what the student was paid in Title IV aid, (Pell Grants, SEOG, and loans), and determines if any of the student’s scheduled awards need to be changed. These adjustments are made manually to keep the student awards within the federal limits.
To be eligible for federal financial aid, students must maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). Modesto Junior College has adopted the following satisfactory academic progress policy, which contains elements specified in federal regulations.
GPA: All financial aid students are required to maintain a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA.
Pace Rate: To measure whether students are progressing on pace for completion of their course of study within the maximum time frame, Modesto Junior College evaluates the pace rate of financial aid students at the end of each semester. At each semester’s end, students are expected to have completed at least 67% of all units attempted. Classes with grades of A, B, C, D, and P (pass) are considered to have been completed. Classes with grades of W, F, FW, I, NP (no pass) are not considered completed. Classes with grades of Excused Withdraw (EW) will not be considered in the SAP Calculation. All classes taken at other institutions through a consortium agreement are also included in the pace rate assessment.
Maximum Time Frame: All financial aid students are expected to complete their program of study within 150% of the published length of the program.
The academic progress of financial aid students is evaluated, after grades are posted, at the end of each semester, including summer.
Financial Aid Warning
When academic progress is evaluated, students whose cumulative GPA is below 2.0 and/or whose cumulative pace rate is below 67% are placed on Financial Aid Warning. In addition, students who are either transferring to Modesto Junior College or who are continuing Modesto Junior College students, but never previously applied for financial aid, are placed on Financial Aid Warning if their cumulative GPA is below 2.0 and/or if their cumulative pace rate is below 67% at the time they enter the Financial Aid program. Students on Financial Aid Warning will continue to be considered for financial aid during the Warning semester. Students will be removed from Financial Aid Warning after the Warning semester if their cumulative GPA and pace rate meet the Federal guidelines minimum standards. Students who do not meet the GPA and pace rate standards will be placed on Disqualification status.
Students who do not meet all cumulative academic requirements at the end of a Warning semester or who reach Maximum Time Frame will be placed on Financial Aid Disqualification. Students who are disqualified from financial aid may re-establish financial aid eligibility by meeting all cumulative SAP criteria outlined in the Qualitative & Quantitative requirements sections of this document.
Students placed on Disqualification status are not eligible to receive financial aid except for a CCPG Fee Waiver, if eligible. Students who complete a semester on Disqualification must have their academic progress reviewed before financial aid eligibility is determined for the following semester. Due to the short time period between semesters, there will be at least a three-week delay in the notification of eligibility. If eligible, any disbursements of student aid will also be delayed.
Students placed on Disqualification may file an appeal for consideration of reinstatement of financial aid eligibility. Circumstance must have occurred during the deficient semester and should be beyond the student’s control.
The following are examples of reasons a student should file an appeal:
The following are NOT considered extenuating circumstances beyond a student’s control:
To file an appeal, students are required to submit a complete appeal packet prior to review which includes:
The Student Financial Services Office reserves the right to request additional information and/or documentation following the initial review of the appeal request.
Appeal deadlines are established each semester. Acceptance dates generally run approximately 4 weeks prior to the beginning of the semester and 3 to 6 weeks after. A FAFSA / CADAA submission deadline is also set so that students are notified regarding appeal requirement before the appeal deadline. Students are notified of the decision by email.
Students on an approved appeal will be placed on Financial Aid Probation. To maintain
Financial Aid eligibility, students must meet ALL requirements of an Appeal Contract each semester. Students who had an approved appeal in their most recent semester and met the appeal probation requirements will move forward automatically (Exception: Students on DQM from Summer to Fall semester will be expected to complete a Continuation Appeal).
FAILURE TO MEET THE CRITERIA LISTED ON THE APPEAL CONTRACT WILL RESULT IN TERMINATION OF FINANCIAL AID.
Students whose appeal is denied have the option to submit a Committee Review Appeal which includes a Grade Check requirement. Decisions made by the committee are final.
Students whose educational goal is listed as “certificate” only and are disqualified for Maximum Time Frame (reached 45 attempted units) can have their SAP recalculated when they change their educational goal to AA/AS or transfer. Students can update their goal by meeting with a counselor then notifying the Student Financial Services Office of the change. A recalculation will be done for the current semester only. Any student who wants to be considered for a previous semester, within the academic year, must provide documentation, such as an updated educational plan dated during the previous semester, to show the updated goal was in progress at that time.
Modesto Junior College, Student Financial Services Office will follow the Yosemite Community College District policy regarding repeated courses.
Students are allowed to repeat classes for financial aid purposes, provided the classes are allowed under the district’s repeat policy as specified in the college catalog. All repeated courses will be included in the maximum time frame assessment, cumulative GPA assessment, and cumulative pace rate assessment.
All courses taken at other institutions will be included in the maximum time frame assessment, cumulative GPA assessment, and cumulative pace rate assessment, provided the transcripts have been submitted, evaluated, and posted to the student’s academic record. Students with bachelor degrees are not eligible for the Federal Pell Grant. Foreign courses will be accepted and counted by the district if they have been professionally evaluated by a credible foreign degree evaluation organization.
ESL units will not be counted toward maximum time frame; however, they will be considered when assessing both the student’s cumulative GPA and pace rate. To ensure that students are making progress towards their educational goal, it is expected that after four (4) semesters of ESL instruction, students will begin incorporating coursework that is related to their educational goal/major.
Any remedial units in excess of 30 will be counted toward attempted units for maximum time frame. All remedial units will be included for GPA and pace rate assessment.
“I” (incomplete) grades will be considered “attempted”, but will not be considered to have been “completed”. It is the student’s responsibility to inform the Student Financial Services Office if an “I” grade changes during a term. If the change of grade will affect the student’s financial aid eligibility, the Student Financial Services office will perform a recalculation of aid eligibility during the semester. Otherwise, the change of grade will not be factored into the cumulative pace rate until the next SAP evaluation.
Units Completed ÷ Units Attempted = Pace Rate
Students who receive a grade of A, B, C, D or P (pass) will receive credit for the class and are considered to have completed the class.
Students who withdraw from classes or receive grades of “incomplete” will have those classes included in the pace rate calculation. “Withdrawals”, with the exception of Excused Withdraw (EW), and “incompletes” will be included with all other classes attempted.
Students who receive a grade of F, FW, or NP (no pass) do not receive credit for the class and are not considered to have completed the class. A grade of FW is given by the instructor when a student stop attending after the last day to withdraw from a class.
In cases of extenuating circumstances affecting a student’s financial eligibility, the student or the student’s parent can request special consideration by submitting a Request for Consideration of Special Circumstances to the Student Financial Services Office. After this request is reviewed, the Financial Aid Specialist will send the student the special circumstance paperwork and request supporting documentation.
The MJC Student Financial Services Office will determine each year when the office will start accepting requests for extenuating circumstances. Changes in financial eligibility are typically accepted beginning in July of each year.
Students or a student’s parent should consider requesting review of the student’s eligibility if either experience:
A student can request to be considered independent if the student does not meet the federal requirements by submitting the Dependency Override Request form. The form is available from the Student Financial Services Office. The required supporting documentation is listed on the Dependency Override Request form. Dependency Override Requests are reviewed by the Director of Student Financial Services for final determination.
Except under one of the special conditions described in this section, a student must provide written consent before an education agency or school may disclose personally identifiable information from the student’s education records.
The written consent must state the purpose of the disclosure, specify the records that may be disclosed, identify the party or class of parties to whom the disclosure may be made, and be signed and dated.
If the consent is given electronically, the consent form must identify and authenticate a particular person as the source of the electronic consent and indicate that person’s approval of the information contained in the electronic consent.
A school is required to:
✔ annually notify students of their rights under FERPA; ✔ include in that notification the procedure for exercising their rights to inspect and review education records; and ✔ maintain a record in a student’s file listing to whom personally identifiable information was disclosed and the legitimate interests the parties had in obtaining the information (does not apply to school officials with a legitimate educational interest or to directory information).
A student has the right to:
✔ inspect and review any education records pertaining to the student; ✔ request an amendment to his/her records; and ✔ consent to disclosure of personally identifiable information from education records, except when FERPA permits disclosure without consent.
FSA HB June 2016
To avoid any conflict of interest between a student’s documentation of their financial aid file, all
Student Financial Services staff will follow the IFAP regulations for confidentiality regarding student information.
No YCCD employee/staff working in the Admissions/Records /Student Financial Aid Services department will review, process in-take any student documents if the student has a relationship to the staff member as “family”. Family is defined as a member of an individual’s family; a parent, sibling, spouse, child, spouse’s parent or sibling’s, or child’s spouse.
From IFAP: 34 CFR 668.15(f)(3)
Adequate staffing to manage a school’s aid programs effectively, the aid administrator must be supported by an adequate number of professional and clerical personnel. The number of staff that is adequate depends on the number of students aided, the number and types of programs in which the school participates, the number of applicants evaluated and processed, the amount of funds administered, and the type of financial aid delivery system the school uses. What may be adequate at one school may be insufficient at another. The Department will determine on a case- by-case basis whether a school has an adequate number of qualified persons, based on program reviews, audits, and information provided on the school’s application for approval to participate in the FSA programs.
System of Checks and Balances: In addition to having a well-organized financial aid office staffed by qualified personnel, a school must ensure that its administrative procedures for the FSA programs include an adequate system of internal checks and balances. This system, at a minimum, must separate the functions of authorizing payment and disbursing or delivering funds so that no single person or office exercises both functions for any student receiving FSA funds. Small schools are not exempt from this requirement even though they may have limited staff. Individuals working in either authorization or disbursement may perform other functions as well but not both authorization and disbursement. These two functions must be performed by individuals who are not members of the same family and who do not together exercise substantial control over the school. If a school performs any aspect of these functions via computer, no one person may have the ability to change data that affect both authorization and disbursement. While electronic processes enhance accuracy and efficiency, they also can blur separation of functions so the awarding and disbursement occur virtually simultaneously. Schools must set up controls that prevent an individual or an office from having the authority or the ability to perform both functions. In addition, your system also should have controls that prevent cross-functional tampering. For example, financial aid office employees should not be able to change data elements that are entered by the registrar’s office. Finally, your system should only allow individuals with special security classifications to make changes to the programs that determine student need and awards, and it should be able to identify the individuals who make such changes. A member of an individual’s family is a parent, sibling, spouse, child, spouse’s parent or sibling’s, or child’s spouse. Separation of function for further guidance on the separation of functions, contact the appropriate School Participation Team (see “Contacts” on the Financial Aid Professional portal). Ch. 3—FSA Administrative & Related.
MJC has established a separation of the functions of authorizing payment and disbursing or delivering funds so that no single person or office exercises both functions for any student receiving FSA funds. Individuals working in either authorization or disbursement may perform other functions as well but not both authorization and disbursement. These two functions must be performed by individuals who are not members of the same family and who do not together exercise substantial control over the school. Modesto Junior College has set up controls where any individual or staff in the Student Financial Services office does not have the authority or the ability to perform both functions. In addition, the YCCD system prevent cross-functional tampering. A financial aid office employee does not have the ability to change data elements that are entered by the registrar’s office. The current system only allows individuals with special security classifications to make changes to the programs that determine student need and awards, and the Financial Aid Director is able to identify the individuals who make such changes.
