Financial Aid Policies

Loan Disbursement Procedures

Funds are typically sent by the U.S. Department of Education to CIIS electronically and will be posted to your account after the Financial Aid Office verifies your enrollment and Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). Excess grant and scholarship aid is usually disbursed to you during the refund period. You can check MyCIIS to confirm that your aid has been disbursed to your account.

Aid is disbursed for a use in a specific term. If your account has charges from a prior term, and you receive aid for the current term, only eligible charges for the current term are paid automatically.

Excess Funds

If your financial aid results in funds in excess of the amount required for your tuition and fees, you must retrieve these funds from the Business Office. You may retrieve them in person, or request that the Business Office mail the funds to you by check or directly deposit them into your personal bank account. If you do not retrieve your excess funds check within 15 business days from the Business Office, these funds will be returned to your lender.

When you pick up your excess fund check or receive your excess fund check by mail you are required to cash or deposit it within 15 days of receipt. If you don't cash or deposit your check within 15 days, these funds will be returned to your lender.
The date when the excess funds become available can be found in each semester's schedule of classes.

Bookstore Vouchers

If you are eligible for financial aid in excess of tuition, you may be eligible for a book credit for necessary books and supplies. Your vouchers for use at the CIIS Bookstore will be available if your aid has been approved (awarded) and you've registered for the term. You must pick up the voucher from the Financial Aid Office. Vouchers are typically available one week before the start of classes and stop a week before disbursements.

Work Study

Students on Federal Work Study (FWS) may work up to 25 hours per week. International students on Institutional Work Study may work up to 20 hours per week. International students may work up to 40 hours per week during holidays and summer semesters contingent upon available funds. If you are a new student, you may not begin employment until after your first day of class.

Audit Vouchers

When you earn 180 hours in Work Study hours, you will be eligible to receive an audit voucher. An audit voucher allows you to audit a class free of charge. Audit vouchers are:

• Accrue at least 180 hours during a semester (no roll-overs)
• Voucher is valid for two subsequent semesters (see chart below)
• You can not roll over hours to subsequent semesters
• Your voucher is not transferable (can not be used by another persons than the student employee)
• No replacement will be issued for expired vouchers.
• Audit vouchers may be used for classes at no cost, contingent upon space availability
• It is the student's responsibility to request their audit voucher within their eligible semester, otherwise, he/she forfeits their audit voucher.

Return of Federal Funds (Return to Title IV)

According to federal guidelines, (Section 668.22 of the Higher Education Amendments of 1998), withdrawing students who've received Title IV (i.e. federal) financial aid will have their financial aid recalculated according to the following guidelines:

Only the amount of financial aid that has been earned (disbursed or could have been disbursed) based on the prorated amount of time the student has been in school for the semester will be retained on the student's behalf. Any aid that is not earned (based on the prorated amount of time) must be returned to the appropriated federal account/lender.

The date of withdrawal is the date the Institute receives notification (formally, e.g. submitting a withdrawal request form, or informally, e.g. notifying by conversation, phone call, or email) from the student on her/his intent to withdraw.

The amount of refundable institutional charges (tuition and fees) will be set by school policy. CIIS's treatment of tuition and other fees related to student withdrawal may be found in the Schedule of Classes. If there is a balance due resulting from the calculation of unearned aid, the student may be responsible for payment.

For students who have received federal financial aid, any refundable portion of tuition and fee costs that has been covered by a Federal Stafford Loan will be refunded directly to the lender, who will credit it against the student's outstanding balance (Unsubsidized loans will be offset before subsidized loans). Any portion of federal grants (e.g. Pell, FSEOG) that have not been earned will be returned to the appropriate fund; if this results in an "overpayment" situation (i.e., the student has received a federal grant that has not been fully earned) the student may be required to return those funds. The Financial Aid Office determines specific amounts according to applicable federal and state regulations.

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy

To remain eligible for financial aid, you must meet all of these academic requirements (please note that these requirements are in addition to the academic requirements of CIIS). There are three methods of measuring your Satisfactory Academic Progress:

1. Time Frame, Qualitative Analysis, and Quantitative Analysis
I. TIME FRAME
You may not exceed 125 percent of your program-required units. 125 percent Formula: (Total Attempted / Total Completed) x 100.

• Example TF1
  Your program is 36 units. You attempted 45 units, but completed only 30 units. You are at 150% completion rate. Exceeds the 125% limit; financial aid is compromised. (45/30) x 100 = 150%. No corrective resolution available for Time Frame issues.
• Example TF2
  Your program is 60 units. You attempted 75 units, but completed only 55 units. You are at 136% completion rate. Exceeds the 125% limit; financial aid is compromised. (75/55) x 100 = 136%. No corrective resolution available for Time Frame issues.
• Example TF3
  Your program is 36 units. You attempted 50 units and completed 32 units. You are at 156% completion rate. Exceeds the 125% limit; financial aid is compromised. (50/32) x 100 = 156%. No corrective resolution available for Time Frame issues.

PsyD students must graduate eight years after starting their program. They must advance to candidacy within two years of starting their program. If you can not meet these guidelines, extensions must be approved by the Dean of Academics, Registrar and Financial Aid Office.

"Coursework" includes all classroom coursework, practica, internships, comprehensive exams, proposal writing, and proposal writing completion courses (as applicable). These limits begin accumulating on the first day of the semester to which the student is admitted.

"Thesis or Dissertation" includes all work done on the thesis or dissertation, the oral defense (required for dissertation only), and technical edits. These limits begin accumulating in the semester in which the student advances to candidacy.

Your financial aid eligibility is also determined by the requirements of your program. You will not be eligible for aid for courses in excess of the requirements stated in the CIIS catalog unless there is a revised academic program plan approved by your program advisor and the Registrar.

Repeating courses will not be eligible for financial aid, however, there are exceptions as described below:

Courses Maximum Semesters Allowed
PARA-6900 (3)
EWP-6900 (2)
PARP-6900 (2)
ANTH-6900 (4)
PSY-6900 (1)
PSY-7000 (3)
PSY-7900 (3)
TSD-6900 (4)
PARW-6900 (2)

II. QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS
Maintaining a minimum cumulative grade point average:

• Graduate level: 3.0 or above
• Undergraduate level: 2.0 or above

Avoid more than two unsatisfactory grades in your transcript:

• Graduate students may not receive more than 2 unsatisfactory grades (e.g.: Incompletes, Not-Passing, B-, C, D, or F)
• Undergraduate students may not receive more than 2 unsatisfactory grades (e.g.: Incompletes, Not-Passing, C-, D, or F)

For further details on grading policy, refer to the Registrar's Office page.

Financial Aid Probation

Students who do not make satisfactory academic progress will be placed on financial aid probation for a minimum of one semester. During this time, financial aid funds will be released. If the deficiencies are not removed by the end of that probationary period, financial aid is terminated until the deficiencies are removed. Undergraduates in the CIIS Bachelor's program do not have any probation periods. Note: If you are not enrolled during the probationary semester, your probation will roll-over to the following enrolled semester:

• Example FAP1
  Tanisha is in the BAC/BIS program (an undergraduate student). She has 2NP & 1 incomplete and since there are no probations for this program during the Fall semester; she is not eligible for further financial aid until her SAP is cleared.
  
  Corrective resolution: Tanisha covers her tuition out-of-pocket while repairing her SAP status by working to finish her coursework, for her incomplete to become a passing grade (P or A, B, C) thereby re-attaining SAP and financial aid eligibility for the subsequent semesters.

• Example FAP2
  Neil was placed on SAP Probation in Fall semester because he has 3 incompletes. Neil completed all 3 incompletes at the end of his probation period. SAP is re-attained and therefore eligible to continue receiving financial aid for subsequent semesters.

• Example FAP3
  Jorge was placed on SAP Probation in Fall semester because he has 2 NP and 2 incompletes. Jorge was not enrolled in Fall semester. He enrolls in Spring semester instead. Jorge's SAP Probation is rolled over to the Spring semester, his next enrolled semester.

• Example FAP4
  Jane reached his Maximum Time Frame of 125% and was placed on SAP Probation in Spring semester. At the end of her probation period (Spring semester), she will no longer be eligible to receive further financial aid. This scenario is terminal; no corrective action would be available to her.

• Example FAP5
  John was placed on SAP Probation in Fall semester for 3 incomplete grades. During his probation semester, John was able to complete one of his three incompletes; however, he has reached a Time Frame of 150% at the end of the Fall semester. John is no longer eligible for further financial aid after his Fall semester. This scenario is terminal; no corrective action would be available to him.

Academic Probation

Students who have been placed on academic probation by the Registrar will not have any financial aid eligibility until (1) the academic probation is removed or (2) the student provides an adequate explanation and a corrective action plan, which must be approved by the Financial Aid Office.

Appeals

If there are any "extenuating circumstances" to your situation and you feel that the Financial Aid Office should review for consideration, you may appeal to the Financial Aid Appeal Committee (FAAC). Here are the steps for appealing:

1. Write a letter to demonstrate your extenuating circumstance detailing how you would re-attain your Satisfactory Academic Progress. Letter should include hand-written signature and date, and statement of your case (e.g.: explain why you are appealing and why you feel your case warrants an extenuating circumstance).
2. Provide copies of your supporting documents (i.e.: documents that support the appeal). These documents may be doctor's notes, legal documents, invoices, etc. - all should have letterheads.
3. Submit your appeal letter & copies of the supporting documents to the Financial Aid Appeal Committee via mail (CIIS, Financial Aid Office, 1453 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94103) or e-mail (finaid@ciis.edu).

Allow 10 business days for the FAAC to respond with a decision. If you are not satisfied with the decision of the Financial Aid Appeal Committee, you may choose to undergo a secondary appeal. Your second appeal will be addressed to the Director of Financial Aid. The decision of the Director is final.

Leave of Absence Information for Student Loan Holders

The following information is based on Federal Regulations (CFR 668.22 (h)(2)(j)(B)(2) governing the rights and responsibilities of student loan holders who request a leave of absence from school.

1. A student who has been granted one leave of absence by the school in accordance with the following paragraphs is NOT considered withdrawn from school.
2. A school may approve a leave of absence to a student provided:
   • The student has made a written request to be granted a leave of absence, signed and approved by their advisor (Leave of Absence form available from the Financial Aid Office).
   • The leave of absence involves no additional charges by the school to the student.
   • In any 12 months, the student can have no more than one leave of absence, and the leave of absence can not exceed 6 months.
   • The Leave of absence is authorized under these stipulations: medical reasons, job crisis, significant family sickness or death and other extenuating circumstances.
3. If a student does not return at the expiration of an approved leave of absence, the Institute will notify the lender/guarantor that the student has withdrawn as of the last date of half-time enrollment.
4. Students who need to be away from school for longer than 6 months (e.g. for medical reasons, etc.) should contact their lender for the appropriate forms (e.g. forbearance).
5. The borrower MUST notify the lender when the borrower resumes schooling. Otherwise the borrower will enter re-payment. Upon returning to school, the student must request the appropriate deferment form(s) from the lender, complete the student portion, and submit the form(s) in a timely manner to the Registrar's Office.
6. No financial aid will be disbursed while the student is on leave.

The lender may not grant students deferment during an approved leave of absence. If the lender does not grant a deferment, the student should request a forbearance to prevent entering repayment after their 6 month grace period expires. A forbearance acts like a deferment with the difference being that Subsidized Stafford loans will accrue interest during any forbearance period.

Deferments and Enrollment Verification

It is the responsibility of the student to maintain contact with the lender regarding deferment policies and necessary forms to complete. The Financial Aid office has forms which may be used to notify most lenders. It is the student's responsibility to request these forms (either from the lender or the Financial Aid office), complete the student's section or give the form to the Registrar's office for school certification.

Typically, students enrolled at least half-time and have not used their six month grace period can qualify for an in-school deferment on payments to their student loans.
For students newly admitted to CIIS, with outstanding prior student loans, you can qualify to have those loans put on deferment from payment. It is important that you notify your lender that you are returning to school and request the appropriate enrollment verification forms.

Students who have had prior loans and who have exhausted their grace period (e.g., been out of school for more than six months) should contact their lender or loan holder to determine if they need to maintain full or half-time status. Students who have not exhausted their grace periods (i.e., have not been required to begin repayment on their loans), need only be enrolled as half-time in order to get those loans deferred.

The Registrar's office reports enrollments electronically to the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) three times throughout the semester (after add/drop, mid way through the term, and at the end of the term).

If the student fails to enroll for any semester, except the summer semester, or enrolls at less than half-time status, the Registrar will notify the student's lender to begin the student's grace period; the student's separation date will be listed as the last date that classes were held in which the student was enrolled on at least half-time basis. If the student resumes study after this period, but before the grace period has expired, the student must notify the lender of this fact.

Students must notify the Department of Education of any change in their enrollment status.

What Constitutes Full-time and Half-time at CIIS?

The following definitions are used by the Financial Aid Office and the Registrar's Office for the purposes of verifying financial aid eligibility and enrollment status:

• Graduate Full-Time: 9 units Course work (6 in summer)
• Graduate Half-Time: 6 units of coursework (3 in summer)
• Undergraduate Full-time: 12 or more units per term
• Undergraduate Half-time: 6 to 8 units per term