47.3 Payment Schedule

Students are paid the 1st disbursement of their Federal Financial Aid at the beginning of the 1st pay period, approximately 4-6 weeks after their start date. Remaining payments are based on satisfactory grade average and attendance for the previous pay period. Pay period dates are different for each student depending on Program enrolled and start dates. Upon receipt of an award letter the student is issued a list of estimated financial aid disbursement dates.

In order to receive Title IV Federal Financial aid at Great Plains Technology Center, a student must be in good standing and making satisfactory progress according to the institutional standards. The standards are as follows;

Good standing is initially defined as the student being eligible for admission to an eligible educational program. Beginning with the 2012-2013 award year students must have a high school diploma, GED or complete his or her state’s requirement applicable to home schooling to receive Federal Financial Aid. Satisfactory progress in attendance and academic work is a requirement for all students enrolled at Great Plains Technology Center. Federal regulations require all schools participating in state and federal financial aid programs to monitor SAP. These standards are applicable to all students attending Great Plains.

Continued eligibility is based on meeting minimum standards in terms of conduct, grades and Great Plains Technology Center’s attendance policy. Students are allowed 8 absences per pay period.

Satisfactory progress is determined at payment period intervals.

Satisfactory progress reports are sent to instructors to complete at the end of each payment period.

Great Plains Technology Center requires its students to maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) as established by Great Plains in order to continue to matriculate at the school and to continue to be eligible to participate in the federal government’s Title IV financial aid programs. These standards apply to all students, regardless of their status (full-time or part-time). All students must comply with the following standards:

A. Satisfactory progress is defined by the institutional policy as having a grade of “C” or better at the end of a pay period AND student must complete work at a pace that enables completion in the allotted hours in the Program. Specifically, this means that a student enrolled in a 960 clock hours Program attending full time should complete the Program in nine (9) months. All students must maintain a cumulative academic average of “C” for all Great Plains Technology Center Program.
B. All students are held responsible for regular and punctual attendance. Great Plains Technology Center students may not be absent for more than eight (8) days per semester (pay periods for Federal Student Aid funded students).
C. All students must complete the program within one and one-half (1 1/2) times the normal length of time required to complete the program as defined in the enrollment agreement. 

Students who have more than 5 days of consecutive absences will be dismissed (unofficially withdrawn). This standard shall apply to all students except those on an approved Temporary Interrupt (leave-of-absence). Students who expect to be absent 5 or more days are encouraged to request a Temporary Interrupt (leave-of-absence).

In addition to attendance standards relating to Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP), students are also required to adhere to certain other general institutional policies relating to attendance and tardiness. These policies are outlined in the Student Handbook.

Quantitative Requirement:

All students must complete their educational program in no longer than 150% of the published length of the program. A Temporary Interrupt (leave-of-absence) will extend the student’s contract period and maximum time frame, by the same number of days in the temporary interrupt (leave-of-absence).

All clock hours at the Institution and transfer hours must be counted toward the 150% eligibility whether a student received Title IV federal student aid or not in order to graduate within the maximum time frame.

Students must also meet the attendance requirement as outlined in the Great Plains Technology Center Student Handbook.

Academic Year Definition:

Great Plains Technology Center academic year is defined as 960 clock hours and 30 weeks for Title IV purposes. For Title IV payments the student must meet both clock hours and weeks of instruction as well as complying with all standards for Satisfactory Academic Progress before they can receive further Title IV payments.

Evaluation Periods: 

Student compliance with the policy for Satisfactory Academic Progress is divided into evaluation periods and is assessed at each of the following times:

Example: For all 960 clock hour Programs, a student is evaluated at the increments in which the student is scheduled to reach 480 clock hours.

Example: For the 705 clock hour Firefighter Program, a student is evaluated at the increments at which the student is scheduled to reach 353 clock hours.

In the event a student reaches his/her scheduled graduation date and has hours remaining to complete, the student will receive additional evaluations; either at the time the student is scheduled to reach each additional 480 clock hours or at the time of actual completion of the remaining hours, whichever occurs first.

Financial Aid Warning Status:

Students who fail to meet minimum requirements (90% cumulative attendance for Great Plains Technology Center Program and a grade average of “C” for attendance and academic progress at the end of a payment period will be placed on a Financial Aid Warning. A student on Financial Aid Warning may continue to receive assistance under the Title IV HEA programs for one payment period. At the end of the payment period if the student has met the minimum grade and attendance requirement the student is considered to be meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP).

If the student is not meeting SAP at the end of the Financial Aid Warning period, the student will not be eligible to receive Title IV, HEA funds until student has reached SAP.

If a student is making SAP at the end of the Financial Aid Warning, they shall be returned to normal SAP status with no loss of Title IV eligibility.

Returning Student from A Leave of Absence or Withdrawal:

All students who have withdrawn or taken a Temporary Interrupt (leave-of-absence) and choose to re-enter into a course, will be placed under the same satisfactory or unsatisfactory progress status prevailing at the time of the prior withdrawal or leave.

Re-establishment of Satisfactory Academic Progress:

Students may re-establish satisfactory academic progress by meeting minimum attendance and academic requirements at the next evaluation period.

Reinstatement of Financial Aid:

Title IV, HEA funds will be reinstated to qualified students who have re-established academic program by meeting the minimum cumulative attendance and academic requirements at the end of a payment period and are able to complete their Program within the maximum time frame.

Noncredit and Remedial Courses:

Noncredit and remedial courses do not apply at Great Plains Technology Center. Therefore, these items have no effect upon the school’s Satisfactory Progress Standards.

Great Plains Technology Center will accept transfer hours from other schools based on an evaluation of the student’s comprehension of the course material.

Please note that students transferring to another school may not be able to transfer all the hours they earned at Great Plains Technology Center; the number of transferable hours depend on the policy of the receiving school.

Transfer hours accepted by the school are applied to the total number of hours necessary to complete the program and are considered for both attempted and completed hours for the purpose of determining when the allowable maximum time frame has been exhausted. Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) evaluation periods are based on actual contracted hours at the institution.

Transfer students must meet the following criteria:

A. If he/she is transferring hours from another school, he/she will be asked to request a transcript. Tuition and hourly credit will be awarded as verified by the transcript.
B. If the prospective student is transferring instructional hours from a school in another state, the instruction provided must be recognized and accepted by the State Board of Oklahoma.
C. Transfer students will not be allowed to enroll until they have officially terminated their enrollment at their previous school. Tuition and hourly credit will be awarded as verified by the transcript.
D. Tuition charges will be prorated for the remainder of instruction hours needed to complete the course as offered by the school. Remaining tuition charges for the course along with enrollment fees will be charged accordingly. Transfer students are eligible to receive financial aid, if qualified.
E. All tuition balances must be paid at previous schools to be eligible for enrollment at Great Plains Technology Center.

The SAP applies to students transferring from one Program to another. Students are responsible for progress in the first Program (even if they did not receive any federal financial aid) before being eligible for federal financial aid in the second Program. When a student completes one Program and enters another Program the Courses of Study in each Program are reviewed and students are given advance standing clock hours for repeat courses inside the Programs. The students’ end date and Federal Financial Aid are adjusted accordingly.