Rights and Responsibilities

It is the student’s RESPONSIBILITY to:

  1. Meet all requirements before attending classes under the financial aid programs. To be eligible you must:
    1. be a U.S. citizen or an eligible noncitizen.
    2. have a high school diploma, its recognized equivalent, or for financial aid purposes, a recognized alternative.
    3. have on file a valid electronic or paper institutional student information record that shows student’s financial need.
    4. enroll as a regular student in a required number of credit hours of eligible course work in a regular curriculum.
    5. meet the satisfactory academic progress standards of Shawnee Community College.
    6. not have already received a baccalaureate degree (for Federal Pell, FSEOG and MAP programs). Students with baccalaureate or higher degrees may qualify for loans, work-study, certain scholarships, or certain non-Title IV programs.
    7. not be in default on any federal student loan.
    8. not owe a repayment for any federal grants or ISAC gift aid.
    9. be registered with Selective Service, if required.
    10. not receive a Pell grant for more than 12 full-time semesters.
  2. Find out about application procedures and deadlines.
  3. Provide correct information. If you purposely give false or misleading information, you will be reported for potential fraud. You will be denied further financial aid, and you could also be fined and face criminal prosecution.
  4. Read all of the correspondence and information about your financial aid provided to you before asking questions about things you might not understand.
  5. Progress satisfactorily towards the completion of your course of study.
  6. Let Shawnee Community College know if you receive any other scholarships, grants, employer tuition benefits, public aid educational benefits, or other financial aid for educational purposes.
  7. Keep your own student financial aid file, with copies of all of the correspondence, applications and notifications you have received regarding your financial aid. It is not the school’s responsibility to keep your records for you.

It is the student’s RIGHT to:

  1. Receive a fair and objective assessment of financial aid eligibility.
  2. Expect prompt and courteous personal service from Shawnee Community College staff. We are anxious to be of help and want to hear from you if you have comments about our service.
  3. Ask Shawnee Community College staff to explain or reassess your financial aid if you feel we made a mistake or didn’t have all of the facts.
  4. Know where and how to get help. The Federal Student Aid Information Center (1-800-433-3243) or website, www.studentaid.ed.gov, can be contacted for general information about financial aid or to request a duplicate or corrected Student Aid Report (SAR). Call 1-800-899-4722 to obtain information about Illinois grants and loans. Of course, you can always call the Shawnee Community College Financial Aid staff at (618) 634-3200, Option 1, and then Option 2.
  5. Know the Shawnee Community College Satisfactory Academic Progress Standards and know when and how financial aid is disbursed.
  6. Know that your file may be chosen for verification. This means that you may be asked to provide proof that you gave correct information on your financial aid application. Your application may be chosen for verification by the U.S. Department of Education, ISAC, or Shawnee Community College. You must provide any additional information requested. Failure to do so in a timely manner could result in loss of your financial aid.
  7. Know more about student rights and responsibilities. Additional information is provided in the free booklet “The Student Guide: Financial Aid from the U.S. Department of Education.” You can obtain a copy in the Shawnee Community College Financial Aid Office.