Financial Aid Programs & Policies

Rockhurst University utilizes the need analysis information from the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to establish financial need. All students applying for financial aid based on need must complete the FAFSA need analysis form each year and designate Rockhurst University to receive the processed application. Need is determined by subtracting the family (student and parent) contribution as calculated on the FAFSA from the “cost of education”. The cost of education for FAFSA purposes includes tuition and fees, room and board, and allowances for books, transportation, personal expenses and loan fees. The student’s need for assistance can be met with any combination of grants, scholarships, loans or employment.

The following assumptions apply to Rockhurst University scholarships and grant awards:

1. Gift aid awards are available to full-time day students only (enrolled in at least 12 credit hours per semester) who are in good academic standing. In accordance with University policy, adjustments in aid resulting from enrollment changes will not be made after the first two weeks subsequent to the beginning of a semester.
2. Students who have earned a bachelor’s degree are not eligible for gift aid.
3. Gift aid is awarded on an annual basis and are subject to review at the end of each academic year.
4. Scholarship renewal is determined at the end of each academic year, not at the end of each semester. Students enrolled in summer school have their renewal GPA computed following the summer session. Scholarships can be renewed, but not lost because of summer school.
5. Students applying for renewal of gift aid must reapply each year. 
6. Gift aid is available for only four years or 8 semesters, except nursing students (who receive funding from Saint Luke's College of Health Sciences during their junior and senior years). Transfer students will have aid eligibility determined by taking the eight semesters of eligibility and subtracting the number of semester hours transferred from the prior school divided by 15. Transfer students will be advised individually regarding their remaining aid eligibility.
7. Students who have previously attended Rockhurst University, and who are readmitted or return following a leave of absence, will be classified as a transfer student for the purpose of gift aid eligibility if they have earned more than 12 hours since their last term of attendance at Rockhurst University. Students whose leave of absence has been no more than one year and has earned 12 or fewer hours since their last term of attendance may reenter under the criteria of any academic scholarship that they previously received, subject to available funding. 
8. For students receiving need-based financial assistance, the combination of self-help aid (loans/FWS) and gift aid (grants/scholarships) will not exceed the “hard cost of attendance”.  Hard cost of attendance is defined as total tuition (12-18 hours) and fees, room and board, and those items required for course completion (e.g. required books). Federal, state and other rules (such as athletic aid) may also apply.  Refunds will only be given on loans. 
9. For students not receiving self-help aid (loans/FWS), the total gift aid award (grants/scholarships) will not exceed “hard cost of attendance”.  Hard cost of attendance is defined as total tuition (12-18 hours) and fees, room and board (if living on campus), and those items required for course completion (e.g. required books). Federal, state and other rules (such as athletic aid) may also apply.   
10. Stafford loan eligibility is established by filing the FAFSA each year. Loan amounts are determined by class standing at the time of initial enrollment.  A student must be enrolled at least ½ time to receive a Stafford loan (6 hours UG/4.5 hours GR).
    • 0-29 hours earned       $  5,500
    • 30-59 hours earned     $  6,500
    • 60+ hours earned        $  7,500
    • Graduate                     $20,500
11. The Financial Aid Office is the only office at Rockhurst University authorized to offer financial aid to students. Only awards originating from the Financial Aid Office will constitute a commitment on behalf of the university. Recommendations for scholarships can be made by faculty or staff, and these recommendations are considered before the award is determined and communicated.

Any financial aid awarded is subject to review in light of assistance received from outside organizations or agencies. Funds received from outside sources that exceed the limits of gift aid and self-help aid will be coordinated to first reduce the self-help aid and then gift aid. Each award will be evaluated and adjustments made within University and program policies.

A student eligible to receive aid from Rockhurst University may continue to receive aid, if eligible, for approved off-campus study, such as an internship. The students must be enrolled for credit at Rockhurst University in order to receive assistance. Off-campus aid cannot be greater than aid awarded for equivalent on-campus course credit. Study Abroad students MAY NOT use Rockhurst funds to cover costs of the program. Only federal funding is able to be transferred and used for study abroad programs.

The U.S. Department of Education requires students to maintain certain academic standards to obtain or retain eligibility for federally sponsored student aid programs. In accordance with these standards, Rockhurst University has established the following standards to measure whether a student has achieved “satisfactory academic progress” (SAP). These standards will be applied uniformly to all undergraduate and graduate students when determining their eligibility for federal, state and university funding.

SAP Definitions

Attempted credits include successfully completed courses, courses dropped after the drop/add period, failed or not passed courses, repeated courses, course withdrawals and transfer credits that have been accepted by the Rockhurst University and apply to the student’s current program of study. Courses in which a student receives delayed/incomplete grades will be counted as hours attempted but will not be counted as successfully completed until a final passing grade is officially posted to the student’s permanent record. 

Successful completion is defined as credit hours completed with a minimum grade of “D” resulting in GPA credits being awarded, or with a passing grade of “P.” 

Payment period is defined as either the fall semester, or the spring semester, or the summer term.

Maximum Attempted Enrollment Credit Hours

Students receiving federal financial aid must complete their educational programs within a timeframe no longer than 150% of the published length of the educational program.  For example, the maximum attempted credit hours in which students may enroll to complete their university degree of study must not exceed 192 attempted credit hours for the completion of a 128 credit-hour degree program. For academic programs requiring less than 128 credit hours for degree completion, the maximum attempted enrollment credit hours for program completion is 150% of the total required credit hours for the program.

Pace of Completion

Students must successfully complete 67% of attempted credit hours for each payment period.

Cumulative GPA Requirement

Students must maintain a Rockhurst University cumulative GPA of 2.0 in order to achieve SAP. The cumulative GPA requirement applies to all federal, state, and university aid. NOTE: Certain university scholarships have GPA requirements that exceed 2.0 (see above).

Monitoring SAP Requirements for Federal Title IV/State Eligibility

At the end of each payment period, the student’s academic record will be reviewed for SAP, including Maximum Attempted Enrollment Credit Hours, Pace of Completion, and Cumulative GPA Requirement.

If the student does not successfully complete 67% of attempted credit hours or has not met the 2.0 cumulative GPA requirement, the student shall be placed on academic progress warning. Students remain eligible to receive aid during the warning period, and their record will be reviewed for compliance again following their next payment period. Students will have one payment period to achieve a 2.0 cumulative GPA and to have completed 67% of attempted credit hours. If at the end of the warning payment period the student has not done so, then the student’s eligibility for Federal Title IV/state aid will be terminated. Once the student has achieved SAP, Federal Title IV/state aid will be fully reinstated for future semesters.

Where the review shows that it is no longer mathematically possible for a student to complete within 150% of the published length of his or her educational program, or the student failed to complete within 150% of the published length of the educational program, the student’s eligibility for Federal Title IV/state aid will be terminated.

Monitoring SAP-Requirements for University Scholarships/Awards

At the end of each payment period (spring enrollment period), the student’s academic record will be reviewed for SAP. If the student has not successfully completed 67% of attempted credit hours or has not met the 2.0 cumulative GPA requirement, the student will have two payment periods to do so. If at the end of the two payment periods the student has not achieved these GPA and pace of completion requirements, then all university aid will be terminated. Once the student has achieved SAP, university aid will be fully reinstated for future semesters.

Notification

The University will notify students of academic progress deficiencies by sending a letter to the permanent mailing address on file with the University. Students are responsible for ensuring the accuracy of their permanent mailing address at all times. Students are responsible for being aware of the University’s Satisfactory Academic Progress policies and will remain ineligible, even if the University’s notification is not received.

Appeal Process for Federal Title IV/State Aid

A student placed who becomes ineligible for failure to meet the requirements stated above may appeal based on mitigating circumstances that are supported by documentation. Appeals must be made in writing within 30 days of the issuance date of the financial aid ineligibility notification letter to:

Director of Financial Aid, Massman #109, financialaid@rockhurst.edu.

After 30 days, no appeals will be considered.

If the appeal is approved, students will be placed on financial aid probation for one payment period and may continue to receive aid as otherwise eligible. At the end of the appealed probation period, the student’s GPA and pace of completion will be reviewed to determine if the student has met the 2.0 cumulative GPA requirement and completed 67% of the attempted credit hours, or has otherwise completed the requirements of a probationary academic plan. 

At the end of the appealed probation period, students who have, for the probationary period, a completion rate of 67% and a GPA of 2.0 or have otherwise completed the requirements of a probationary academic plan, remain eligible for Title IV/state aid and are removed from financial aid probation. Students who do not meet those requirements for the probationary period will become ineligible for Title IV/state aid.

Changing Majors, Repeat Coursework, Incompletes and Withdrawals, and Second Degree Coursework

In cases where students change degree programs, courses taken that do not contribute to the new degree program do not count toward the 150% credit hour maximum.

Any non-credit coursework, repeat coursework or coursework for which a grade of incomplete or withdraw is given count toward both 150% credit hour maximum and the 2.0 cumulative GPA requirement.

Any student pursuing a second-degree program is subject to both the 150% credit hour maximum and the 2.0 cumulative GPA requirements.

In most cases, one-half of the aid award is applied to the student’s account for each semester and billing statement received from the University’s Finance Office will reflect the student’s charges and financial aid. Earnings from campus employment are not credited toward a student’s account balance; rather, they are paid directly to the student as earned on a monthly basis. 

The University may terminate Federal Work Study employment at any time for failure to perform duties satisfactorily and the University is released from its obligation to find replacement employment. Work assignments terminated for this reason will not be replaced with any other form of financial aid funds. Termination of employment may jeopardize future campus employment opportunities, as the number of campus jobs available is limited.

Students who withdraw prior to completion of a semester are subject to the University’s policy concerning withdrawals and refunds. To secure a refund, students must complete the withdrawal process prescribed by the University. For students receiving financial aid, the refund will first be applied to Title IV programs, state grants and gift aid, in accordance with existing federal regulations and University policy in effect on the date of withdrawal. To the extent there are funds remaining, a refund will be made to the student. It is possible that students who withdraw will still have an outstanding balance due to the University.

Financial aid is not automatically renewed each year. In addition to specific requirements of the federal financial aid programs, students must apply each year by submitting the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or by notifying the Financial Aid Department that they do not intend to submit the FAFSA. The FAFSA should be submitted online as soon as possible after October 1, utilizing tax information from the prior prior calendar year.  Apply on-line at www.fafsa.gov.

Priority award consideration is given to all aid applications completed no later than January 1st of the year of fall enrollment. Students may apply for financial assistance anytime during the academic year. A completed financial aid file consists of a valid FAFSA need analysis and all required verification documentation. In addition, the student must also be degree seeking and registered for classes.

Each student must be able to provide documentation supporting the information submitted on the need analysis (FAFSA) with income tax forms and /or other data required by the University or federal government prior to the receipt of Federal Title IV financial aid (Federal Pell Grant, FSEOG, Federal Work Study, Federal Perkins Loan or Stafford Loan). Documentation requested for verification must be provided to the Financial Aid Office prior to the end of the semester for which it is requested; any additional deadlines established by the U.S. Department of Education shall also apply. Failure to complete verification will result in the withdrawal of all need based aid funds. Students whose application information must be corrected will be notified by the Financial Aid Office as to the corrections required.  Award adjustments may occur at any time during the year and may be the result of: 1) adjustments to the financial need calculations due to a change in the family’s financial condition; 2) errors made by the family or by the University; 3) additional funds available for award or reduction in funds from outside sources.

The Financial Aid Office will review a student’s expected family contribution (EFC) if the student and /or family experience a significant change in their financial circumstances. An increase in need will not necessarily result in an increase in the financial aid award. Such adjustments depend upon funds available at the time the request for review is made. Therefore, notification to the University of changes in financial circumstances should be made as soon as possible after they occur.

All students have the right to appeal or reject any aid awarded by the University, and to appeal any award decisions made by the Financial Aid Committee. Appeal of the financial aid award must be submitted in writing to the Director of Financial Aid. The Financial Aid Committee will inform the student of their decision concerning the appeal within a reasonable time following its receipt.

• Academic Scholarships: Academic scholarships ranging in value from $1,000 to full tuition are awarded on the basis of grade point average, ACT and SAT test scores, class rank, and in some cases, the student’s demonstration of leadership or outstanding community service. These are awarded upon admittance and do not increase due to academic performance.  Academic scholarships are renewable based on specific grade point average requirements. See the Financial Aid Counselor for a list of scholarships, qualifications, and application deadlines.   
• Talent Scholarships:  Talent scholarships are available in the areas of fine arts, forensics and athletics and are awarded based on auditions, interviews and recommendations from the sponsoring talent area. Awards are renewable based on ability and participation, as determined by the designated faculty, and maintenance of a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 at the end of each academic year. 
• University Grants:  University grants include dependent sons and daughters of Rockhurst alumni and/or families that have two or more undergraduates enrolled simultaneously at the University, and are based on need and other specific criteria. Endowed Scholarships are also available. Restrictions apply on these scholarships, as specified by the donors.