Financial Aid Questions, Deadlines & Resources

SAP APPEAL APPLICATION DEADLINES 2026-2027

Fall Semester 2026:
SAP Appeal Application Opens: July 30, 2026
SAP Appeal Application Closes: August 9, 2026 at Noon

Spring Semester 2027:
SAP Appeal Application Opens: December 7, 2026
SAP Appeal Application Closes: January 3, 2027 at Noon

Summer Semester 2027:
SAP Appeal Application Opens: April 29, 2027
SAP Appeal Application Closes: May 10, 2027 at Noon

SCHOLARSHIP DEADLINES

High School Pirate Scholarships

High School Scholarship Portal Opens (HS Class of 2027) : October 1, 2026
High School Scholarship Portal Closes : June 15, 2027

Current Pirate Scholarships

Current Pirate Scholarship Portal Opens (Spring Semester 2027): October 1, 2026
Current Pirate Scholarship Portal Closes (Spring Semester 2027): December 1, 2026
Current Pirate Scholarship Portal Opens (Fall Semester 2027): April 1, 2027
Current Pirate Scholarship Portal Closes (Fall Semester 2027): June 15, 2027

When withdrawing from all classes in a payment period, student recipients of federal Title IV aid (Federal Pell Grants, Federal Perkins Loans, Federal Direct Loans, and Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants) are subject to additional rules and regulations, which may result in cancellation or reduction of federal Title IV aid upon withdrawal from classes in a payment period.

If a student earns a passing grade in one or more of his or her classes offered over an entire period, for that class, the College may presume that the student completed the course and thus completed the period. If one instructor reports that the student attended through the end of the period, then the student is not a withdrawal.

Official Withdrawal 

A student who received Title IV funding (ex: Pell Grant, FSEOG, student loans) and withdraws from all classes before the 60% point of the semester will owe funds back to the U.S. Department of Education and to the College. The 60% point in the term is indicated on the academic calendar. For an official withdrawal, the date listed on the withdrawal form will be used to calculate the return of Title IV funds.

The Office of Financial Aid & Veteran Services performs an R2T4 calculation through BANNER to determine the amount of aid earned based on student attendance.

Title IV aid is earned based on the period a student remains enrolled. Unearned Title IV aid must be returned to the College and/or the U.S. Department of Education. Unearned aid is defined as the amount of Title IV aid disbursed that exceeds the amount of Title IV aid earned.

If a student receiving federal financial aid completely withdraws or stops attending school, the College must perform a Return of Title IV calculation to determine if any Title IV funds must be returned.  These monies may be charged back to the student’s account and the student will be responsible for the repayment of these funds. For Title IV purposes, the student’s unofficial withdrawal date will be defined as the student’s last date of academic-related activity/engagement as reported by the instructor or the mid-point of the semester/term to best benefit the student.  Students enrolled only in full-term coursework who do not complete at least 60% of the term will owe financial aid monies back based on the Return of Title IV calculation, exceptions apply to students enrolled in mini term/module coursework. Students should contact the Office of Financial Aid & Veteran Services for a full explanation of the Return of Title IV calculation process.

Unearned aid will be returned to each source of aid received by the student, up to the total amount received from each source, in the following order:

• Federal Direct Loan(s), Unsubsidized
• Federal Direct Loan(s), Subsidized
• Federal Pell Grant
• Federal SEOG

Federal Work-Study (FWS) funds are not included in the calculation. A federal aid recipient who withdraws from an enrollment period is subject to possible repayment of federal aid disbursed to the student (after payment of institutional charges) for living expenses and other educational needs. If the aid disbursed is greater than the “earned” portion of the aid at the point of withdrawal, it may be necessary for the student to repay all, or a portion of the federal aid received. Each student who owes a repayment will be notified through email by the Office of Financial Aid & Veteran Services of the requirement to repay Title IV funds. If a student completely withdraws after 60 % of the semester is complete, the student most likely will not owe a repayment. Students are highly recommended to contact the Office of Financial Aid & Veteran Services before withdrawing.

After the drop and add period, the following withdrawal policy is in effect:

Withdrawal from a course – A student must submit the drop form found on the CV website.

Note: Withdrawal is not official until all steps are completed.

Withdrawal from the College – A student must submit the withdrawal form found on the CV website.

Note: Withdrawal is not official until all steps are completed.

Unofficial Withdrawal

A student who leaves the College does not always notify the Admissions/Registrar Office of his or her withdrawal. There are two categories of these unofficial withdrawals for purposes of Return to Title IV calculation.

If it is determined that a student did not begin the withdrawal process or otherwise notified of their intent to withdraw due to illness, accident, grievous personal loss, or other circumstances beyond the student’s control, the 50% point of the semester will be used as the withdrawal date.

At the end of each semester, a program is run in ARGOS  to identify all Financial Aid students who made all F’s and I’s. This program includes the last date of attendance (LDA) for each class the student received an I or F for the semester. For all unofficial withdrawals, the 50% point of the semester will be used. If one instructor reports that the student attended through the end of the period, then it is not a withdrawal. A student that attended at least 60% of the term based on the ARGOS report has officially “earned” their aid and is not a withdrawal for R2T4 purposes.

At the end of the semester, a student who has incomplete grades will not be considered to have withdrawn. A student who has received one or more “Earned F” grades will not be considered to have withdrawn.  A student who takes their final exam and completes the course with an “F”, is considered to have earned the “F”.

After the R2T4 calculation is performed, the student’s account is updated, and the information is given to the Business office to review and send the required funds back.

A determination of withdrawal must be made no later than 30 days after the end of the earlier of:

• The payment period,
• The academic year, or
• The student’s educational program

Institutional or other refund policies (State, accrediting agency) do not impact on the amount of Title IV aid earned under an R2T4 calculation.

Withdrawal Date

Students who want to drop/withdraw from a course(s) must do so by the specified date on the academic calendar for each semester. Students will receive a grade of “W” for the withdrawn course(s).

OFFICIAL WITHDRAWALS

The Withdrawal Form can be found online at https://www.cv.edu/student-resources/records-office/student-forms/.  The date on the withdrawal for Official Withdrawals will be the earliest date on the withdrawal form.  This is the date that will be used for the R2T4 process. All parties must sign the dynamic form for it to be completed.

Next Step Processes:

• The form must be signed by all appropriate instructors or advisors.
• If the student is an athlete, the form must be signed by the Athletic Director or appropriate coach for approval.
• The Office of Financial Aid & Veteran Services will also counsel students about SAP before signing the form.
• The Office of Financial Aid & Veteran Services will also notify the students they are required to complete Exit Counseling via email.
• The form must also be signed by the Business Office and Library before form is routed back to the Admissions Office.
• Once the Admissions Office has processed the drop/withdrawal form, an email will be sent to the student and instructors stating the process has been completed, and the student has been dropped/withdrawn.

UNOFFICIAL WITHDRAWAL DATE

Although Chattahoochee Valley Community College is a non-attending-taking institution, class attendance is considered essential to the educational process and is integral to academic success. Students are expected to attend every class and laboratory session, to arrive on time and to remain for the entire session. Registering for a class makes the student responsible for attending the class unless the student acts to officially withdraw from the class. Students are responsible for course content, assignments, assessments, and applicable deadlines whether or not they are present for class meetings. Instructors are not required to review with students any material missed due to student absence nor are instructors required to notify students when their grades may be lowered because of graded work that has been missed.

Faculty are required to verify attendance on a specified day to capture census reporting data as required to comply with federal financial aid regulations.  Students are required to officially notify the college if they are withdrawing.  The last day of attendance (LDA) is required to be reported for at least one class. If not, the LDA will be requested from the instructor. In the absence of evidence of a last day of attendance at an academically related activity, a school must consider a student who failed to earn a passing grade in all classes to be an unofficial withdrawal.

Academically related activities may include, but are not limited to:

1. Class attendance.
2. Turning in a class assignment.
3. Taking an exam, tutorial, or computer-assisted instruction.
4. Attending a study group that is assigned by the College.
5. Participating in an online discussion about the course.
6. Initiate contact with a faculty member regarding the course material.

Academically related activities do not include logging into their Pirate Portal.

Formula Calculation

The calculation is based upon only the amount of Title IV aid for which a student is eligible.  The return policy applies to students who withdraw on or before the 60% point of the term. Withdrawal after this date will not result in any adjustments to your financial aid for that given term. Students who have returned aid will be notified in writing (email communication).

The formula to determine the percentage of aid earned is the number of days completed up to the withdrawal date divided by the total days in the scheduled period of enrollment or term (any break of five days or more is not counted as part of the days in the terms).

Any balance that a student may owe would depend on the amount of funding received, the date of withdrawal, the student’s charges, and if he/she is entitled to any refund of tuition and fees for the semester from which he/she is withdrawing. Even if there is a refund of tuition and fees, there may still be a balance owed to CVCC after the Return of Title IV calculation has been processed.

Refunds of tuition and fees, if applicable, can result in a student first receiving a refund and then owing a balance.  Any resulting remaining balance must be paid to CVCC.

Financial Aid must calculate any percentage owed and return the unearned percentage of federal aid within 45 days of withdrawal. Students are notified by email that their financial aid award has been reduced by Federal guidelines.

Post Withdrawal Disbursements

If the total amount of the Title IV funds that the students have earned as of the withdrawal date is more than the amount that was disbursed to the students, the difference between the two amounts will be treated as a post-withdrawal disbursement. If a student withdraws completely (officially or unofficially) during any time of the term, and they have not received a federal disbursement check from the school, a post-withdrawal calculation is performed on FPS, and the federal funds are adjusted according to the calculations. If there are outstanding charges on the student’s account, the College will credit the student’s account for all or part of the amount of the post-withdrawal disbursement up to the amount of the allowable charges.  The Post Withdrawal Disbursement (PWD) must be made from grant funds before loan funds.

The Business office reviews the calculations and returns the funds to the government or the student depending on the results of the calculation.

If disbursed directly to the student, Title IV grant funds must be disbursed as soon as possible but within 45 days of the Date of Determination.

Required notifications for PWDs of Title IV loan funds: The loan PWD must be offered to the student within 30 days of the date of determination and request confirmation that the PWD is accepted. The College must obtain authorization to pay for other than current charges.  If the student has signed the promissory note and has not received a check but withdrew completely, a letter and email are sent to the student within 30 days of the date of determination to ask if the student would like to receive the post-withdraw amount.  The student has 10 days to respond to the request.  If the student does not respond or denies the loan post withdraw credit amount, the amount is returned to the loan fund, and the student is notified in writing.   If the student accepts the loan post withdrawal amount within the time frame of 10 days, then the amount is sent to the Business Office for review and disbursement.

Federal financial aid (also called Title IV aid) follows rules set by the U.S. Department of Education. Because of these rules, financial aid cannot be applied to your student account until certain requirements are met.
Understanding how this process works can help you know when to expect your aid to appear on your account.

Financial Aid Cannot Be Applied Before Classes Begin
Federal regulations do not allow colleges to release Title IV funds before the semester starts. Your financial aid can only be applied after the term begins and your attendance has been verified.

Once your aid is released, it will first pay tuition, fees, and other eligible charges on your student account. If money remains after those charges are paid, the remaining amount will be issued to you as a refund according to the college’s refund process.

Attendance Must Be Verified
Before federal financial aid can be released, the college must confirm that you have started attending your classes. If you register for a course but never attend, that class will not count toward your financial aid eligibility. This could cause your financial aid to be reduced or canceled.

Federal Student Loans Require Half-Time Enrollment
If you are receiving Federal Direct Student Loans, you must be enrolled at least half-time before your loan funds can be released. Half-time enrollment is at least 6 credit hours within your program of study.
If your enrollment drops below 6 credit hours, your federal student loan cannot be disbursed.

Classes That Start Later in the Semester
Some classes begin later in the semester. If you are registered for late-start courses, part of your financial aid may be delayed until those classes actually begin and attendance is verified.

Example 1: Full-Time Student
Jordan registers for 12 credit hours in the fall semester.
Once classes begin and attendance is verified, Jordan’s federal financial aid can be applied to their student account to cover tuition and fees.

Example 2: Loan Eligibility
Taylor registers for two classes totaling 6 credit hours.
Because Taylor is enrolled at least half-time, their federal student loan can be released once classes begin and attendance is confirmed.

If Taylor drops a class and falls below 6 hours, the loan would no longer be eligible for disbursement.

Example 3: Late-Start Course
Alex registers for two classes that start in August (6 hours) and one class that begins in October (3 hours).
Financial aid may initially be based on the August classes. Once the October class begins and attendance is verified, Alex’s financial aid may be adjusted.

Important Reminder
Your financial aid is always based on your actual enrollment and attendance. Dropping or adding classes may change the amount of financial aid you receive.

If you have questions about your financial aid, please contact the Financial Aid Office for assistance.

Tuition and fees are due at the time the bill is calculated. If tuition and fees are not paid, all courses for which the student has per-registered will be dropped. Student will have to re-register for all courses.  The College reserves the right to change, modify or alter tuition, fees, charges, expenses and costs of any kind as approved or authorized by the State Board of Trustees.

• If you have enough aid to cover your charges, then you do not need to pay by the payment deadline and your charges will be paid when funds are disbursed.
• If you have some aid but not enough to cover your tuition & fees, then you must pay the difference.  If you are planning to use your students loans but they are not authorized to your student account, review your pirate web account to see if you have completed all of the requirements for your student loans.
• If you have not yet been awarded Financial Aid, then you must pay your charges by the due date.

Cash, check, money order, Visa and MasterCard are all acceptable forms of payment. For past balances owed on Return to Title IV debts, returned check debts and/or past tuition debts, the acceptable forms of payment include: Cash, cashier’s check, money order, Visa or MasterCard.  Make all checks and money orders payable to: Chattahoochee Valley Community College.

NOTE: There is no difference in cost of auditing a course and taking a course for credit.

Admissions

You may apply for financial aid prior to being admitted to the College, but the awarding process cannot be completed until an application for admission is received and you are “unconditionally” admitted.  Unconditional admission status means all required documents have been received including high school and ALL prior college transcripts.  If you review your Pirate Web account and you have an outstanding Admit Requirement for Financial aid, please contact Admissions at admissions@cv.edu for assistance.

Enrollment

Federal Pell Grants are awarded with the expectation of full-time enrollment.    Federal Pell Grant eligible students who are enrolled less than full-time will receive a prorated Pell disbursement.  See Freeze/Census Date Information for more information.

Federal Direct Student Loans require half-time enrollment.  Students who have accepted their loans and completed both the Master Promissory Note and Entrance Counseling but are enrolled less than half-time will NOT be eligible for their student loans.

• Full-Time = 12 or more credit hours in degree plan
• Three-Quarter Time = 9 to 11 credit hours in degree plan
• Half-Time = 6 to 8 credit hours in degree plan
• Less-Than-Half-Time = 5 or fewer credit hours in degree plan – not eligible for federal student loans

Freeze/Census Date

Once a semester, our office takes a “snapshot” of the number of credit hours you are enrolled that are required for your degree plan, which is referred to as the freeze/census date.

The freeze/census will occur every semester, after attendance verification and the reinstatement period for full term classes has ended, which is approximately two weeks into the semester. The classes in which you are enrolled in your degree program at the freeze./census date will determine Pell Grant eligibility. It is important to register for all classes for all terms prior to the freeze/census date. Credit hours added after the census date cannot be used to increase Pell Grant eligibility.

Fall 2026 Freeze Date:  September 1, 2026
Spring 2027 Freeze Date:  January 21, 2027
Summer 2027 Freeze Date: May 30, 2027

After attendance is verified, and the reinstatement period for full term classes has ended, your financial aid funds will disburse to your student account for classes that have begun based on the freeze/census snapshot.

• Fall Disbursement begins based on freeze/census snapshot and continues throughout the semester.
• First-time student loan borrowers will not receive a disbursement until 30 calendar days after the first day of class for the term.
• If a reduction or cancellation of aid creates a balance due on a student’s account, the student must make payment arrangements with the Business Office at business.services@cv.edu.
• After your aid has disbursed to your student account, per Federal Regulation the Business Office has 14 days to complete the refund process.
• It is recommended that all students set up Direct Deposit for their refund.

This page provides suggested verbiage to introduce your partnership with Inceptia and the Verification Gateway product for verification processing. We encourage you to complete the highlighted field with your school’s information and share on your website and in communications.

Federal and/or Institutional Verification Process We are pleased to announce we have established a partnership with Inceptia to expedite the verification process for Chattahoochee Valley Community College Verification Gateway (VG) from Inceptia is an online portal to guide students and parents through verification.

If your FAFSA application is selected for verification by the U.S Department of Education, you will receive an email from VGCS@inceptia.org, or postcard from Inceptia, containing Chattahoochee Valley Community College’s unique website link to start the verification process.

We encourage you to begin the verification process within 7 days of receiving notification from Verification Gateway to ensure you receive your financial aid in time for payments. Failure to complete the verification process could result in the delay or denial of your financial aid.

Follow these steps to complete your verification.
· Access our school’s unique website link in the email from VGCS@inceptia.org or listed below.
· Create your account* and choose preferences for text messages and e-signatures.
· Complete your Task List.
· Confirm your signature and review your information.
· Sign your account.

*If you are a dependent student, your parents also need to create their own account and complete each of these steps.

Chattahoochee Valley Community College Verification Gateway Links and Deadlines

2025-2026 Federal Verification: https://CVverificationgateway.org
Deadline for submitting these documents is 8/31/2026

2026-2027 Federal Verification: https://CVverificationgateway.org 
Deadline for submitting these documents is 9/09/2027

Questions about the verification process?

Contact Inceptia, Monday through Friday 8 am – 7 pm Central at 833.932.1877 or VGCS@inceptia.org.

About Inceptia

Inceptia, a nonprofit organization, provides innovation and leadership in higher education access and success through engaging and empowering students and streamlining processes. Our mission is to support schools in illuminating a path towards educational and financial success for students and families, allowing them to pursue their dreams of reaching their full potential. Our solutions are designed to support student success by helping schools maximize resources, so they can spend more time delivering meaningful learning experiences across the student lifecycle that fosters education and personal development.