Financial Aid

Financial assistance at DACC is available in the form of scholarships, grants, loans and part-time employment. In-depth information and financial aid counseling may be obtained from the Financial Aid Office located in Vermilion Hall, 1st floor, West Wing. The office is staffed by professionally qualified financial aid specialists and administrative personnel.

To be eligible for most financial assistance programs at Danville Area Community College, a student must:

Be enrolled and accepted at Danville Area Community College in a certificate, degree or transfer program.

Apply for financial aid using the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Provide verification documentation to establish accuracy of FAFSA information.

Meet the Standards of Academics Progress.

Have earned a high school diploma or general education degree (GED).

Eligibility for financial aid is determined by individual “Financial Need.” Financial need is the difference between the costs of attending college for a period of attendance and the amount a student’s family can be expected to contribute from their income and assets.

Because various sources of funds are limited, it is usually necessary to meet a student’s need by combining several forms of aid. This combination of more than one kind of aid is referred to as a “financial aid package.”

Loans and Grants

Danville Area Community College participates in need-based programs. The US Department of Education and the State of Illinois supports these programs. Descriptions of these need-based programs are as follows:

Monetary Award Program (MAP)

A resident of Illinois (who is a US citizen or permanent resident of the United States), enrolled in an eligible program at Danville Area Community College, and demonstrating financial need as determined by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission, may receive a grant of up to full tuition. There is no separate State application, a student need only indi- cate Illinois residency, to be considered for the monetary award when the FAFSA is completed. The college notifies the student of eligibility. (Note: Dependent student's parent must be an Illinois resident).

Federal Pell Grant

The Pell Grant is available to eligible students at Danville Area Community College. To apply you must: Complete the FAFSA application for financial aid. The application is via the Internet at www.fafsa.gov. The resulting family contribution will be used to determine your eligibility for all financial aid programs.

Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant Program (FSEOG)

This program is for students with exceptional need. This is determined from the results of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as those students with a zero (0) or negative Student Aid Index (SAI). Those eligible are notified by the college. Not all applicants with a zero (0) or negative SAI will be awarded FSEOG. Funds are limited and awards vary each award year.

Federal College Work-Study Program (FCWS)

Students are eligible to participate in the College Work-Study Program if they qualify under the following terms:

• applied for financial aid using the FAFSA
• in need of earnings determined by student's financial aid budget calculation
• capable of doing college work
• accepted for enrollment as a student or already in good standing as an undergraduate student.

Students in good standing may be employed by Danville Area Community College for up to 20 hours per week.

Students interested in student employment should apply online at Human Resources website www.dacc.edu/hr.

Federal Direct Education Loan Program (DL)

To be eligible to apply for any of the Title IV student loans you must:

• Apply for financial aid using the FAFSA, have the FAFSA results verified as accurate and complete the DACC Loan Request Form accurately
• Be enrolled in an eligible program in at least half-time enrollment status
• Meet DL Program Regulations per 34 CFR part 668

All previous college's official grade transcripts must be submitted to the Records Office and be evaluated for "transfer in" credits.

Additional information regarding the Federal Direct Stafford Loan Program (DL subsidized and unsubsidized)

Repayment begins six months after the student graduates, leaves school or drops below half-time enrollment.

Loans cannot be certified until after the add/drop period of the semester.

Loan disbursements are made in two checks (one per semester) released no earlier than thirty days after the beginning of the semester.

Federal regulations for First Time borrowers (after July 1, 2013) may impact the eligibility to borrow or amount to borrow. The School will notify students if applicable.

Important Processing Notice:

34 CFR Section 668.202(e)(1) of the Federal Direct Education Loan (DL) Program provides that a school may refuse to certify a DL Stafford or PLUS loan application or may reduce the borrower's determination of need for the loan if the reason for that action is documented and provided to the student in writing provided the determination is made on a case-by-case basis.

Federal Direct Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students (DL-PLUS)

Parents may borrow for their undergraduate students. Parents would be eligible to borrow up to the cost of educa- tion minus any financial aid. Contact the Financial Aid office for further information.

Division of Rehabilitation Services (DORS)

Students qualified to receive this aid should contact their local Office of Vocational Rehabilitation.

Veterans’ Educational Benefits

Beginning August 1, 2019, Danville Area Community College will not take any of the four following actions towards any student using U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Post 9/11 G.I. Bill or Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment benefits, while their payment from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs is pending to the educational institu- tion.

• Prevent their enrollment
• Assess a late penalty fee to;
• Require they secure alternative or additional funding
• Deny their access to any resource available to other students who have satisfied their tuition and fee bills to the institution

GI Bill© is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government Web site at https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.

1. Montgomery GI Bill© (Chapter 30).
2. Post 9/11 GI Bill© (Chapter 33).
3. Vocational Rehabilitation (Chapter 31).
4. Veterans’ Educational Assistance Program VEAP (Chapter 32).
5. Survivor and Dependents Education (Chapter 35).
6. Illinois National Guard/Selected Reserve members (Chapter 106).
7. Illinois Veteran's Grant (IVG).
8. Illinois National Guard (ING).

School Refund Policy Military Tuition Assistance (TA)

Service Members should speak with their Educational Services Officer (ESO) or counselor within their Military Service prior to enrolling in classes. If an eligible Service member decides to use TA, educational institutions will enroll him or her only after the TA is approved by the individual’s Service. Service members will be solely responsible for all tuition costs without this prior approval. This requirement does not prohibit an educational institution from pre-registering a Service member in a course in order to secure a slot in the course. If a school enrolls the Service member before the appropri- ate Service approves Military TA, then the Service member could be responsible for the tuition. All Military TA must be requested and approved prior to the start date of the course. The Military TA is approved on a course-by-course basis and only for the specific course(s) and class dates that a Service member requests. If a military student “self-identifies” their eligibility and the Service has not approved the funding, then the Service member will be solely responsible for all tuition costs, not the Service. For assistance with Military TA, you must contact our Business Office at 217-443-5892.

School Refund Policy

If a student officially withdraws from a class during the refund period a 100% refund will be issued.

State and/or Accrediting Agency Refund Rule

The State of Illinois has not established a mandated refunding rule for community colleges.

Federal Refund Rule (Return of Funds)

The Department of Education mandates that unearned federal financial aid funds are returned to the specific pro- grams if a student withdraws from a semester. The amount of the refund is determined by the days of the semester that the student was in attendance verses the remaining days (after withdrawal) until the semester ends.

Students are notified by mail of their debt to the Department of Education. This debt must be paid in a timely manner in order for the student to receive future financial aid.

Owing a debt to the school results in restrictions for future enrollments.

Payment Plan

To assist DACC students in meeting their educational expenses, the College offers Nelnet Business Solutions (NBS), which is a convenient monthly payment plan. NBS is a tuition management plan that provides the student with a low cost option for budgeting tuition and fees. NBS is not a loan program. The student pays no interest and no finance charges are assessed. The only cost to the student to budget monthly payments through NBS is a $35.00 per semester non-refundable fee. Students may budget their tuition and fees in one of two ways through NBS; Automatic Bank Payments or through the Credit Card Option. Enrollment in the NBS payment plan is online. To learn more about NBS, pick up a brochure available at the student kiosk in Lincoln Hall or connect to the e-CASHIER site on the DACC home page, http://www.dacc.edu/finaid/shortloan. NOTE: Students enrolled in the Payment Plan who later qualify and receive any type of student aid (including loans) will have these funds applied towards any balance due on the payment plan at the time the student aid is disbursed. The student will receive an updated statement of these actions.

Standards of Academic Progress (SAP) for Financial Aid Recipients (effective 7/1/11)

The Danville Area Community College (DACC) Office of Financial Aid is required by federal regulation (HEA Subpart B, 34 CFR 668.16(e), Subpart C, CFR 668.32, 668.34, 668.42, 668.43) to monitor academic progress toward a degree or certificate for all degree seeking aid applicants. As a result, the Office of Financial Aid reviews the academic history of all attempted credit hours of all applicants prior to the awarding of Title IV Federal Student Aid and/or Illinois State Student Aid. These standards must have components of a Quantitative Measure (the Pace at which the student must be completing their Program of Study) and a Qualitative Measure (the grades a student must be obtaining in their coursework) and be reviewed at stated intervals. At DACC SAP is reviewed at the end of each enrollment period.

Academic progress is evaluated the first time a student is awarded student financial aid and at the end of each term thereafter.

The Standards of Academic Progress (SAP) apply to the following programs.

Federal Title IV Programs: Pell Grant, Supplement Educational Opportunity Grant, College Work-Study, Direct Loan Program (Stafford Loan Program), and the Direct Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students

Illinois Student Assistance Commission Programs: Monetary Award Program, Veteran’s Grant (only GPA re- quirement), National Guard (only GPA requirement) and the MIA/POW Scholarship (NOTE: IVG and ING are exempt from Pace maximum time to complete component.)

Veteran’s Educational Benefits: All Chapter’s and Post 9/11 Benefits

In order to maintain eligibility for financial aid, a student must make adequate academic progress toward their degree as required in 34 CFR 668.34. Satisfactory academic progress (SAP) for federal financial aid (Title IV funds) is determined using both a quantitative and qualitative measure.  Federal Regulations require that all enrolled students must be making Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) toward completing their degree and/or certificate.  All students are monitored for SAP regardless of their eligibility or intent to receive financial aid.  This policy applies to all periods of enrollment.  Students who do not meet SAP requirements may lose their eligibility to receive financial aid.

These requirements are mandated by federal regulations - satisfactory academic progress is the law. The SAP policy applies to all students including first time financial aid recipients. Past academic history (if any) is evaluated before financial aid is awarded.

SAP “GOOD STANDING” REQUIREMENTS

To be in SAP “GOOD STANDING” a student must meet the minimum standards each enrollment period which are:

1. a cumulative GPA of 2.0

● Successful completion of a class is a letter grade of A, B, C, D, S. 
● Unsuccessful completion of a class is defined as Failure (F), Withdrawal (W), Incomplete (I), or Unsatisfactory (U). 
● Remedial classes are graded as: passing "S" for satisfactory or "U" unsatisfactory (Unsatisfactory is considered not completing the course work). The completion rate requirement also applies to remedial classes; however remedial coursework does not calculate into a GPA.  

2. a success rate of 67% of all credits attempted

3. complete the program of study within the appropriate time frame.  

OVERALL COMPLETION PACE- MINIMUM CREDIT HOUR COMPLETION

At the end of each enrollment period, SAP is reviewed. Cumulatively students must successfully complete a minimum percentage of all credit hours attempted to stay on pace for completing their program before reaching the maximum time frame allowed. 

Attempted hours include credit hours in which the student was enrolled in after the census date. (Note: Students with Illinois Veteran Grant [IVG] or Illinois National Guard [ING] Grant ONLY are exempt from this component).

Students who have attended other post-secondary institutions are required to have an official transcript from these schools on file in the DACC Records office. Transfer credit that is applied towards a program of study at DACC will be included in the overall completion pace calculation.  All classes that are repeated (including grade “exclusions”) are also counted.

Minimum Percentage - A student must complete 67% of cumulative hours attempted to be on pace for completion of a program. Students will be placed on financial aid warning the first time they fail to successfully meet the minimum percentage of credit hours. 

MAXIMUM TIME FRAME - HOURS ATTEMPTED 

Time of Completion: Title IV and/or Illinois State Student Aid eligibility will be suspended if a student exceeds 150% of the program of study timeframe for all cumulative credit hours attempted (not earned). Remedial coursework credit hours attempted will be counted as part of the program of study timeframe. Students who require remedial coursework are limited to a maximum of thirty (30) credit hours of attempted remedial coursework. Students are advised to work with their academic advisor to “stay on pace” to complete their educational goal. Students on SAP Suspension due to exceeding the maximum time frame are no longer eligible for student aid funding.  Students on SAP Suspension who cannot finish their program within the maximum time frame are also no longer eligible for funding. (Note: Students with IVG or ING ONLY are exempt from this component).

The credit hour maximum time frame counts all credit hours attempted (not earned) including:

● hours completed successfully.
● hours transferred in from another institution.
● hours that were dropped or withdrawn after the census date, 
● hours marked as incomplete. 

All attempted hours will be counted regardless of how many times the program (degree and/or certificate) has changed or if there are multiple degrees. Maximum time frame violations will result in automatic suspension of financial aid.

FINANCIAL AID (SAP) STATUSES

WARNING

SAP Warning status occurs the first time a student fails to meet the minimum standard in any one of the components. If a student is placed on SAP Warning, they will still be eligible to receive Student Financial Aid for one more term without appealing the circumstances.
Upon the end of the next period of enrollment, if the student meets the minimum standards they will “automatically” be reinstated to SAP “Good Standing”.
If upon the end of the student’s next period of enrollment, they have not met the minimum standards they will be in a SAP Suspension status. An Appeal of the circumstances would need to be submitted for any future consideration of using Title IV and/or State student aid at DACC.

SUSPENSION

Failure to complete the minimum cumulative standards of either component while on SAP Warning will result in the SAP SUSPENSION of a student’s future aid eligibility.
Students placed on SAP SUSPENSION are NOT eligible for future Federal and/or State student aid at DACC.

PROBATION

If the student’s appeal is approved, they will be placed on SAP Probation and be awarded Title IV and/or State student aid programs for which they are eligible. 

REINSTATEMENT OF AID ELIGIBILITY (APPEAL PROCEDURES)

Students may appeal the SAP Suspension. An appeal is a statement from the student with supporting documentation explaining the circumstances surrounding the appeal and the plans to be successful in future semesters. A Degree Audit from the academic advisor is required. Other support documentation may include documentation from an academic advisor, medical professional, clergy or counselor.

The Appeal Form is located here: Appeal Form (SAP)

Students may still enroll during the appeal process, but if the appeal is denied, the student will be responsible for the balance.

Students are strongly encouraged to work with their academic advisor to develop a plan that successfully meets the requirements of both the academic program and the SAP financial aid policy.

Appeal approvals may have certain limitations and specific conditions that must be followed to continue using financial aid funding. An Academic Plan for Success (APS) may be mandated by the Appeals Committee. The APS would be prepared and agreed upon by the student and the academic advisor/counselor (or other pertinent DACC staff). The student must be successful with their APS each semester to continue receiving aid.

Student status will change from Probation to Good Standing when the minimum standards are met.

GLOSSARY OF TERMS:

Academic Plan for Success (APS) is prepared by the student’s academic advisor/counselor (or other pertinent DACC staff) and the student would need to agree to the plan before further student aid would be awarded.

Good Standing means a student is meeting the minimum standards each enrollment period.

Maximum Time Frame is 150% completion of the published program time frame. This calculation considers all cumulative credit hours attempted (not earned).

Minimum Standards is when a student has a Cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.0 and is staying on pace with a success rate of completing 67% of all credit hours attempted and is completing (on pace) their program within the published time frames formatted in credit hours.

Pace is the timing at which the student must be completing their Program of Study which must be monitored for completion before maximum time allotted for program is reached.

Program of Study is the educational program the student has indicated they are pursuing at the College. A Certificate, Associates or Transfer program that must be eligible program per Federal guidelines.

SAP Probation is when the student has an approved Appeal for reinstatement of Title IV and/or State student aid for an additional term (unless an Academic Success Plan (APS) is being met).

SAP Suspension means a student failed to meet minimum standard by total withdraw in a semester and/or being on a warning status and/or reaching maximum time frame for Program of Study.

SAP Warning is when a student fails to meet the minimum standard in any one of the components for the first time.

Standards of Academic Progress (SAP) is a Federal requirement applied to all students who have Federal Student Aid funding (pending, actual or estimated awards).