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Financial Aid Processes and Polices

The financial aid department is committed to assisting students through the entire process of applying for aid and getting the best financial aid package available.  The following information will help you learn more about Financial Aid here at WVNCC but please do not hesitate to contact our office by email or phone for additional information and assistance.  This information is subject to change by WVNCC and/or inconjunction with the U.S. Department of Education at any time as policies and processes are reveiwed and updated annually.  Periodic changes will be published and/or in specific financial aid information sent directly to financial aid students. 

Applying for Financial Aid

WVNCC is pleased to assist high school seniors, and new and returning undergraduate students in the application process for financial assistance in helping them pay educational expenses in their pursuit of an academic degree or certificate of applied science here at WVNCC.  Please click on Applying for Financial Aid and follow the steps provided to start your application today!


Consumer Information

The Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA), as amended by the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 (HEOA), requires institutions to disclose certain information to prospective and current students, and employees.  The purpose of the content in the link above is to provide the information required to be disclosed by the HEA in an easy to find location.  These federal regulations require that colleges that receive Title IV federal funding provide specific consumer informaiton about the college.  Listed on the attached page is the information WVNCC is required to disclose and the web links, or catalogs/handbookss where the information can be found.  There is also a link at the bottom of each page that a student can click on to access consumer information instantly.


Cost of Attendance (COA) or Financial Aid Budget

Cost of Attendance is the total amount it may cost a student to go to school. A student's cost of attendance is composed of all educational expenses that student may accrue while pursuing their degree for the semester and/or year.  A student's financial aid cannot exceed their cost of attendance for financial aid.

Budgets or the (Estimated) Cost of Attendance are subject to change based on mandates from the Board of Directors due to changes in economic circumstances.  The COA determines how much financial aid a student may be awarded.  Tuition, which makes up part of the Cost of Attendance or Budget is $150 per credit hour for the 2022-2023 school year.  Full-time tuition is $1800 per semester for 12 or more hours.

Out of State Tuition is $482 per credit hour for 2022-2023, running $5784 per semester for 12 or more hours.  Our  Metro Rate for Washington, Greene, Beaver, Butler, and Allegheny counties in PA and Washington County in Ohio for tuition is $337 per hour or $4044 a semester for 12 or more hours. 

The cost of attendance includes direct costs (costs the student would need to pay WVNCC) and indirect costs (other costs a student may have that are not charged by the College).  There is an allowance in the Cost of Attendance for items such as Transportation, Living Expenses, Room & Board, and other educational expenses.  Please see our current catalog for further details.  Your award letter and NOW accounts will also show the COA for a student's enrolled aid year.


Dependency Status for Financial Aid Purposes

A student's dependency status  determines whose information must be reported on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).  If you're a dependent student, you will report your and your parents' information.  If you're an independent student, you will report your own information (and if married, your spouse's).  Click the link above to read the definitions, find out who has to provide parental information, and learn what to do if you aren't in contact with your parents.

If you believe you have a special circumstance which does not allow you to provide parent information, you may qualify for a dependency override.


Electronic Bookstore Vouchers

Akademos is WVNCC's official campus bookstore.  Click here to enter online.  Once your financial aid is processed and your financial aid review complete, if you have funds available after your tuition and fees are paid, you may use your financial aid during specific times of the semester to purchase your text books.  This is also known as the electronic bookstore voucher process.  Each student will receive an email during the book voucher period once they are eligible for a voucher.  They should follow the instructions within the email to purchase their books online.  Please review our financial aid home page for specific dates and times when electronic bookstore vouchers will be available.


Federal Direct Loans

WVNCC students can apply for Federal Student loans through the Federal Direct Loan program.  A loan is borrowed money that must be repaid, along with interest that may accrue.  Students applying for a Federal Direct Loan must complete a WVNCC Federal Direct Loan Application, a Master Promissory Note, and complete Entrance Counseling. All Federal Student Loan Borrowers are then required to complete Exit Counseling upon graduating or leaving the college, including dropping below half-time enrollment. Exit counseling is also completed online at https://studentaid.gov


Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

This policy is different from the Standards of Academic Progress Rule reviewed by the Registrar's Office at the end of each term.  You can learn more about this rule in the college catalog.  Please click on the SAP heading above to learn more about the Financial Aid SAP policy. 


Notice of Federal Student Financial aid Penalties for Drug Law Violations

The Higher Education Act (HEA) of 1965, as amended, suspends aid eligibility for students who have been convicted under federal or state law of the sale or possession of drugs, if the offense occurred during a period of enrollment for which the student was receiving federal student aid (grants, loans, and/or work-study). If you have a conviction(s) for these offenses, call the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243) or click here to complete the “Student Aid Eligibility Worksheet” to find out how this law applies to you. If you have lost federal student aid eligibility due to a drug conviction, you can regain eligibility if you pass two unannounced drug tests conducted by a drug rehabilitation program that complies with criteria established by the U.S. Department of Education.


Private Student Loans

WVNCC does not endorse or provide information regarding any single loan product or loan provider.  Students may independently explore private student loan options.  Please remember that you may qualify for Federal Direct Loans by completing a FAFSA.  If you decide to apply for a private student loan, you must complete, sign, and provide a copy of the U.S. Department of Education’s self-certification form for private student loans to your lending institution.


Special Considerations

WVNCC students can submit an Application for Special Consideration if a student believes they have special circumstances that may justify an adjustment to their financial aid eligibility.  Documentation supporting this situation must be submitted and in most cases verification of FAFSA is required.  For more information and examples click on the Special Consideration link.


Student Loan Code of Conduct

Student Loan Code of Conduct – West Virginia Northern's Financial Aid staff are committed to providing the highest quality customer service to our students and families.  It is our goal to provide information and advice, in keeping with federal requirements, and to base decisions solely by consideration of the best interests of our students (and their parents).  To ensure students and their families continue receiving sound and impartial advice from the financial aid office, and to avoid the potential for, or appearance of, conflicts of interest regarding student loans, the Office of Student Aid shall abide by this Code of Conduct in its relationships with lenders, guarantors, and servicers of education loans.  The WVNCC Financial Aid Office prohibits all of the following:

  • Revenue sharing agreements with lenders
  • Conflicts of Interest
  • Accepting gifts above a nominal value from lenders or guarantors
  • Accepting private loans conditioned on the use of a lender’s Title IV loans
  • Contracting arrangements with a lender that provides compensation to school staff
  • Assigning a lender to a borrower or refusing to certify a loan for a borrower’s choice of lender or guarantor
  • Accepting from lenders any staffing assistance
  • Accepting compensation for service on an advisory board, except that reasonable expenses associate with that service may be reimbursed by the lender or guarantor

We are committed to the highest standards of professional conduct.  We are members of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) and adhere to their Statement of Ethical Principals and Code of Conduct as well.


Summer Financial Aid

Summer semesters at WVNCC are considered the trailer semester of the ending academic year.  This is the last term of each academic year.  Please click on the Summer Financial Aid link to learn more about applying for financial aid for the Summer term.


Treatment of Title IV Aid When a Student Withdraws (R2T4)

The Title IV programs that are covered by this law are:  Federal Pell Grants, Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grants, Direct Loans, Direct PLUS Loans, and Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (FSEOGs).   Please click on the R2T4 heading above to learn more about this calculation.


Unsatisfied Requirements

Unsatisfied requirements on your NOW account for financial aid can cause financial aid delays.  They can prevent students from receiving financial aid offers or prevent aid from disbursing.  Students are notified they have unsatisfied requirements via their student Northern email accounts.


 

Verification

In accordance with Federal Financial aid regulations, the data entered on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by many students must be verified for accuracy. The U.S. Department of Education selects approximately one third of all FAFSA filers to undergo this process. The Financial Aid Office at WVNCC also has authority to select applicants, and require them to complete the verification process.  Please click on the verification heading above to learn more about this process.