Using Your Aid


Overview

After your financial aid application has been processed, a notification will be sent to your A-B Tech student email account indicating that your award letter is ready to be viewed in Self-Service.

Please be aware that under federal guidelines, financial aid will only pay for courses required for your academic program.

 

Important Enrollment Status Information

Grant award amounts for students attending less than full-time (12 in-program credit hours) will be subject to proration. You must be actively attending or have already completed, a minimum of 6 in-program credit hours to receive a loan disbursement. State grants require students to be actively attending a minimum of 6 in-program credit hours.

Courses that begin after the first week of the semester will not be factored into your financial aid eligibility until 10 days prior to the course start date.

If you are enrolled in a clock-hour program, you will be paid on the basis of clock hours completed based on a schedule determined by the U.S. Department of Education.

If you are enrolled in a Clock-to-Credit Conversion Program, you will be paid on the basis of contact hours (not credit hours) using a conversion formula determined by the U.S. Department of Education.

 

Registration Charges/Paying for Classes

If you have been awarded financial aid, your classes will be held through the payment deadlines. However, you may still receive state-mandated registration balance notifications from the college.

Note: If the amount of financial aid for which you are eligible is less than your registration balance, you will need to contact the Business Office to make payment arrangements.

 

Bookstore Charges

If your aid package for your enrollment status exceeds your registration fees, any remaining aid can be used in the college bookstore during dates identified by the bookstore. Please note that you cannot charge more than $200.00 outside of required textbooks, materials, and food. Bring your student ID card and a schedule of your classes when you come to the bookstore. The dates for charging books and supplies will be listed on our Bookstore page.

Students are not required to purchase textbooks and materials in the A-B Tech Bookstore. Using financial aid funds to charge in the bookstore is a service provided by the college as a convenience.

 

Financial Aid Refunds

Your registration balance and bookstore charges will remain on your account until your funds are transmitted. Visit our Dates & Deadlines page to review disbursement dates. You will receive a refund of any remaining aid for which you are eligible once your charges have been deducted. All financial aid funds, except work-study paychecks, are disbursed through BankMobile Disbursements, a technology solution, powered by BMTX, Inc. The date by which you will receive your funds depends on the refund option that you select. Follow these steps to set up your profile to receive your refunds:

  • Log in at Self-Service
  • On the left, click Financial Information
  • Under Student Finance, select Refund Setup
  • Set up your profile to select how you want your money delivered

Visit this link for more information: BankMobile Disbursements

Please consult the section below to learn how different types of aid refunds are disbursed.

  • Pell Grant funds will be disbursed according to the disbursement dates posted on our Dates & Deadlines page.
  • State Grant funds will be disbursed according to the disbursement dates posted on our Dates & Deadlines page.
  • Direct Loan funds are issued according to the lender’s disbursement schedule sent to the student by the lender in conjunction with the disbursement dates posted on our Dates & Deadlines page. Please note, that if you are a first-time borrower, your loan will be subject to a 30-day hold from the start of classes.
  • Work-Study paychecks are disbursed according to the payroll schedule located on the timesheet. Work-Study paychecks will be mailed to the address in the student's academic record.

 

Satisfactory Academic Progress

According to federal and state regulations, students receiving financial aid must maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). Review our SAP Page for details.

 

Appeal Process

Students who are not meeting the Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress (FASAP) policy may appeal for reinstatement of financial aid eligibility. Check our Dates & Deadlines page for appeal submission deadlines.

Please note that the Financial Aid Appeals Committee will not be able to review your appeal unless all items are completed. If they are unable to review your appeal, your appeal will be denied:

Completed FASAP Appeal Request (all blanks must be filled in order to be considered complete).

Outside documentation of circumstances for each unsuccessful semester.

Program Evaluation, if you are appealing Maximum Timeframe.

Examples of reasons which are not considered suitable justification for appeals:

  • I was young; I attended high school; I didn’t take school seriously before; I made mistakes.
  • I attended many years ago and have come back to school recently.
  • I changed majors a lot and did not know what I wanted to do.
  • I did not realize how much my withdrawals would hurt my financial aid.

Students will be notified by email of the committee’s decision and will be provided with further instructions.

 

Helpful Links