We notify you via your San Jac email when your aid is dispersed. Your award information is instantly available online in your financial aid account. Check the Scheduled Disbursement and Account Summary by Term sections to see the status of your account at any time via the My San Jac Student Portal.
If you are awarded before payment deadlines, tuition and fees may be paid directly from eligible grants, direct loans, and scholarships.
If you have money left over, you can use it to pay for books and supplies from the San Jac Bookstore. That money is sent directly to the Bookstore account, but it does take a day or two to get there.
Any money left after paying for tuition, books, and supplies is your refund. This money will be sent to your San Jac Card or bank account.
We’ll walk you through accessing your financial aid information!
Enrollment status is determined by the number of credit hours you are taking during the semester. They do not include audit courses, transfer work, credit by exam, and Continuing and Professional Development classes. You are considered:
Each type of financial aid has enrollment status requirements.
Direct Loans: Require you to be enrolled and attend six credit hours or more. If you are registered for parts of a term, your loan will not disperse until you reach six credit hours. If you received the maximum loans during the fall and spring terms, additional loans are not available unless you advance a grade level.
Additionally, grants and direct loans may only pay for one repeat class if it was passed with a grade of D or better.
Part of Term Classes (POT)
If you are taking POT classes, financial aid funds can cover charges until the classes
begin. Please note that refunds from POT classes may fall on different schedules.
They may also be delayed until the start date of your enrollment.
Transient Students
Transient students are not eligible for financial aid with San Jac. You are considered
a transient student if you are working toward a degree at a different school and only
attend San Jac for one semester.
Enrollment status is determined by the number of credit hours you are taking during the semester. They do not include audit courses, transfer work, credit by exam, and Continuing and Professional Development classes. You are considered:
Each type of financial aid has enrollment status requirements.
Direct Loans: Require you to be enrolled and attend six credit hours or more. If you are registered for parts of a term, your loan will not disperse until you reach six credit hours. If you received the maximum loans during the fall and spring terms, additional loans are not available unless you advance a grade level.
Additionally, grants and direct loans may only pay for one repeat class if it was passed with a grade of D or better.
Part of Term Classes (POT)
If you are taking POT classes, financial aid funds can cover charges until the classes
begin. Please note that refunds from POT classes may fall on different schedules.
They may also be delayed until the start date of your enrollment.
Transient Students
Transient students are not eligible for financial aid with San Jac. You are considered
a transient student if you are working toward a degree at a different school and only
attend San Jac for one semester.
Being enrolled in classes isn’t enough to maintain your financial aid eligibility. You must also attend class. We review attendance twice during the semester - after the census and in the middle of the semester. Please be aware of the following attendance policies to maintain your financial aid:
Students enrolled in online and distance learning classes follow similar attendance
requirements. The U.S. Department of Education defines attendance for these classes
as:
Documenting that you have logged into an online class is not sufficient to demonstrate attendance. Failing to meet these requirements could result in your financial aid being adjusted.
We know that sometimes plans change. You might receive financial aid, register for a term and then decide not to attend. That’s why we have a withdrawal process in place, so you don’t incur any unnecessary expense.
If possible, formally withdraw yourself from your courses before classes begin. That way you won’t receive any unintended grades that could impact your GPA. More importantly, you won’t get hit with any financial aid charges.
Unofficial withdrawals happen if you stop attending class. When this happens, your instructor will submit your grade as FX at the end of the term. You will likely be required to pay back at least a portion of your financial aid. Keep reading to find out how.
According to the law, if you withdraw before you complete 60 percent of the term, you must pay back at least a portion of your federal financial aid (Title IV funds). This includes if you stop attending class, or unofficially withdraw. We make this process easy for you. After you have officially withdrawn, we will recalculate your aid. We will notify you if you owe anything. This law applies to:
After grades are posted at the end of the term, we will complete a return calculation for you. If we can not determine an official withdrawal date (for example if you stopped attending classes and unofficially withdrew) we will use the midpoint of your enrollment period.
We will notify you of any debts. Notifications are sent to you at the address on file with the College.
Any debts you owe to San Jac for the current term will be deducted from your financial
aid before refunds are processed.
Prior-year debts are debts occurring outside of the current school year. These, along with debts you owe from previous terms are usually paid from personal resources. This payment is usually required before you can register for additional classes. There are some exceptions:
Funds owed to San Jacinto College are subject to collection procedures and will incur a 30 percent collection fee. Please check with a financial aid advisor or coordinator for more details on your situation.
If you owe the Department of Education, your eligibility to receive federal aid at
any school will be lost until either:
San Jac uses the 4.0 GPA system. It is broken down as:
4.0 = A, 3.0 = B, 2.0 = C, 1.0 = D, 0.0 = F
The minimum GPA required to maintain financial aid is 2.0. This is based on your total credit hours at San Jac. It includes any hours taken before changing majors, and all classes if you are pursuing multiple degrees or certificates. However, it does not include transfer hours. Additionally, only the highest grade is included for repeated, developmental, and ESOL courses.
You are expected to complete your educational objective within the first 90 credit hours attempted. This includes if you have changed majors or are pursuing multiple degrees or certificates. It also includes credit hours from coursework transferring into San Jac from other institutions, repeated, developmental, and ESOL courses, as well as the following grades:
Your SAP status is based on which requirement you fail to meet. SAP statuses are:
Warning
If you haven’t met the GPA or pass rate standards, you will be placed on a financial
aid warning. Think of this as a heads-up, a way for us to let you know what you need
to do. Even under warning status, you can continue to receive your financial aid.
This status lasts one term.
Suspension
If you are not in compliance by the end of your warning term, or we receive transfer
work while you are on a warning that does not improve your status, you will be placed
on suspension. While in a suspension status, you are no longer eligible to receive
financial aid. But that doesn’t close doors on your educational journey; there are
still options for you to regain eligibility.
Maximum Time Frame
If you have attempted more than 90 hours (including transfer hours), you are no longer
eligible to receive financial aid. However, there are still options to regain eligibility
through the appeals process.
Probation
If you fail to make satisfactory progress, and you have appealed to have your financial
aid reinstated, you will be placed on probation for one term. While on probation,
you must meet all the conditions stated on your appeal approval contract to get off
probation. If you do not meet the conditions, you will be placed on financial aid
suspension.
Academic Plan
If you completed the conditions of the appeal during the probation term, but you still
are not making satisfactory academic progress, you will be placed on academic plan
status. While on this status, you must continue to meet the conditions of your appeal
within a specified time, as stated in your appeal packet.
Regaining Eligibility
You have the option to submit a written appeal to the Financial Aid Office. Learn
more about the appeal process below.
Appeals are considered for extenuating circumstances including injury, illness, a death in the immediate family, or undue hardship. Written appeals should be submitted to the Financial Aid Office. Please check with them for term-specific deadlines.
Making an Appointment
To start the financial aid appeal process, please set up a meeting to visit our office in person or to meet virtually. Please allow plenty of time to
complete the process, as it requires you to:
Appeals appointments can be made Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. If you need an appointment outside of these times, please contact the Financial Aid Office.
To cancel or reschedule, please contact 281-998-6150. Please give us 24 hours notice, and note that canceling or rescheduling may cause a delay in your appeal processing. If you arrive more than 15 minutes late to your appointment, it must be rescheduled. Appointments are based on a first come first serve basis.
First Time Appeals
If this is your first financial aid appeal, your appeal will be reviewed on campus.
The advisor will let you know the outcome of your appeal at the end of your meeting
(virtual or in person). You will also need to complete a Program for Financial Education
course. Get more information on that in the next tab!
Multiple Appeals
If it is not your first time to submit a financial aid appeal, your packet will be
collected and forwarded to the appeal committee for further review. Written appeals
must be submitted no later than one week prior to the appeal committee meeting date.
Appeal decisions will be emailed to your San Jac email before the next scheduled meeting.
If your written appeal is denied by an advisor, or by the committee, you have the option to request a personal appearance with the appeal committee. If you need to request a personal appearance, please note the following:
The Committee meets every other Wednesday. For the 2023 Spring/Summer terms it will meet:
Financial literacy provides helpful tips and strategies for college students looking to improve their knowledge of budgeting, saving, and avoiding the pitfalls of poor credit.
If this is your first time submitting a financial aid appeal, you are also required to complete a financial literacy component. This includes attending one virtual Program for Financial Education (PFE) workshop. Failure to complete this requirement will result in your suspension at the end of the term.
PFE Financial Literacy Workshop Directions
Once you choose a time that works for your schedule, log in to complete the course.
(Summer 2023 appeal approvals only.)
If this is your first time to submit a financial aid appeal and it has been approved, you are required to complete a financial literacy component.
Assistance
If you have any questions regarding your username and password, you may contact SJC IT at 281-991-6137.
If you have any questions regarding the PFE class enrollment or navigation, you may contact the instructor at 281-991-2645.
If you have questions regarding the requirements of your appeal contract, you may contact your Campus Financial Aid Office at 281-998-6150.
Building 27
Room C-27.1307
Fax: 281-478-2710