Navigating Financial Aid at Atlanta Technical College

Atlanta Technical College (ATC) is committed to helping students finance their education through a variety of federal and state Student Financial Aid (SFA) programs. These programs are designed to alleviate the financial burden of educational costs, enabling students to focus on completing their chosen program of study. ATC provides financial aid counseling and workshops throughout the academic year to assist students with the application process. The Financial Aid Office is available to provide additional information and clarification on SFA programs.

Overview of Available Financial Aid Programs

ATC participates in several Title IV federal aid programs, including the Federal Pell Grant, the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG), Federal Work-Study (FWS), and Federal Direct Loans. In addition to federal programs, ATC also administers various state aid programs, such as the HOPE Grant, HOPE Scholarship, Zell Miller Scholarship, Georgia HERO Scholarship, Law Enforcement Personnel Dependents (LEPD) Grant, and Georgia Public Safety Memorial (GPSM) Grant.

Federal Pell Grant Program

The Pell Grant Program offers federal assistance to students who demonstrate financial need, as determined by the U.S. Department of Education. To be eligible, students must be enrolled in an eligible undergraduate program of study and must not have already obtained a bachelor's degree or a first professional degree. Most associate degree and diploma programs qualify for Pell Grant funding, but many Technical Certificates of Credit (TCC) programs do not meet the eligibility requirements. Students may only receive Federal Pell Grants for the equivalent of twelve (12) semesters of full-time enrollment at any institution. Students do not have to be enrolled full-time to receive Pell Grant. Pell funds are initially awarded based on full-time enrollment status but may be adjusted and disburse a lesser amount based on a student’s current enrollment.

Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)

The FSEOG program supplements grant assistance for the neediest Pell Grant recipients. Funding for FSEOG is limited and depends on the amount allocated to ATC each year. Consequently, not all students who meet the eligibility criteria will receive this award.

Federal Work-Study (FWS) Program

The FWS program encourages part-time employment and participation in community service activities, such as the America Reads initiative. FWS students are typically employed in departments on campus and must maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 or higher. Federally funded, this program encourages part-time employment and participation in community service activities such as the America Reads initiative. Normally employed in departments on campus, FWS students must maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 or greater.

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HOPE Grant and Scholarship Programs

The HOPE program, funded by the Georgia Lottery for Education, offers two components: the HOPE Grant and the HOPE Scholarship.

HOPE Grant: Available to students enrolled in a certificate or diploma program of study. HOPE Grant recipients must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or greater at the required checkpoints (30 and 60 semester hours) to continue receiving funding.
HOPE Scholarship: Awarded to HOPE Scholars enrolled in an associate degree (AAT or AAS) program of study. HOPE Scholars are students who graduate from a Georgia high school with this distinguished honor or students who are ‘grandfathered’ into the program after attempting a minimum of 30 associate or baccalaureate degree semester hours with a 3.0 or greater cumulative GPA at the required checkpoints. HOPE Scholarship applicants must have a current year FAFSA or GSFAPP on file to be reviewed for eligibility. HOPE Scholarship will pay up to a maximum of 127. HOPE Scholarship recipients must have graduated from high school within the past seven years or received HOPE scholarship funding prior to summer semester 2011. Students become ineligible for HOPE scholarship seven years after the date they graduated high school or equivalent. Students who received a HOPE scholarship payment during the 2010-2011 award year will remain eligible through June 20, 2015, regardless of graduation date. Active duty military service time does not count against the seven-year period. Combined HOPE Grant and Scholarship Limit: In addition to the HOPE Grant paid hours limit and the attempted HOPE Scholarship paid hours limit, there is a combined limit of 127 semester hours.

Zell Miller Scholarship

The Zell Miller Scholarship covers 100% of tuition for students who are the Valedictorian or Salutatorian for their graduating class or received a score of at least 1,200 combined critical reading score and math score on a single administration of the SAT or an ACT composite scale score of at least 26 and graduated from high school with at least a 3.7 calculated GPA. Students must be enrolled in a degree program, and must have a 3.3 GPA at all checkpoints (30, 60 and 90 semester hours), at the end of spring and at the end of 3 term checkpoint for part time, beginning students. Students who lose eligibility may possibly regain the scholarship once. Students who lose eligibility for the Zell Miller Scholarship may continue to receive the HOPE scholarship if they are eligible.

Georgia HERO Scholarship Program

The Georgia HERO (Helping Educate Reservists and their Offspring) Scholarship Program provides financial aid to students seeking a postsecondary education who are current members of the Georgia National Guard and United States Military Reserves (or their children) who were deployed overseas on active service, on or after February 1, 2003, to a location designated as a combat zone. It is also available for spouses if the guard or reservist was killed in the combat zone, or died as a result of injuries received in the combat zone, or sustained 100 percent disability in the combat zone, or became 100 percent disabled as a result of injuries received in the combat zone.

Georgia's Law Enforcement Personnel Dependents (LEPD) Grant Program

Georgia’s Law Enforcement Personnel Dependents (LEPD) Grant program provides assistance to the dependent children of law enforcement personnel, firefighters, and corrections officers/prison guards permanently disabled or killed in the line of duty that plan to attend eligible public and private institutions in Georgia.

Georgia Public Safety Memorial (GPSM) Grant

The Georgia Public Safety Memorial (GPSM) Grant provides educational assistance for the cost of attending public Eligible Postsecondary Institutions in Georgia to the dependent children of Georgia Public Safety Officers permanently disabled or killed in the line of duty.

Dual Enrollment Program

The Dual Enrollment Program provides for participation in Dual Credit Enrollment for Eligible High School and Home Study students. These students earn post-secondary credit hours while simultaneously meeting their high school graduation or Home Study completion requirements. The Dual Enrollment program, REACH Scholarship, HERO, Public Safety Memorial Grant, HOPE Scholarship, HOPE Grant, HOPE Career Grant, and Zell Miller Scholarships pay a certain amount for tuition.

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for financial aid at Atlanta Technical College, students must meet certain general criteria:

Demonstrate financial need (for need-based programs).
Be enrolled in a Title IV eligible program.
Not have received a bachelor’s degree.
Not be in default on a federal student loan or owe a refund on a previously received grant.
Be lawfully present in the United States. Any student who cannot be verified as lawfully present in the United States is not eligible to be considered for in-state tuition, regardless of how long he or she has lived in Georgia. In addition to being lawfully present in the United States, students must meet the in-state tuition requirements as outlined in TCSG Board Policy and Procedure V.B.3 to warrant an in-state classification.

Acceptable documentation for verification of lawful presence includes:

A U.S. Certificate of Birth Abroad issued by the Department of State (DS-1350) or a Consular Report of Birth Abroad (FS-240).
A current military ID (service member only, not dependent).
A current, valid Permanent Resident Card (USCIS form I-151 or I-551). We require both the front & back sides of your Permanent Resident Card to be submitted.

Application Process

To apply for federal and state financial aid, students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA is used to determine a student's eligibility for federal and/or state aid. Applicants are encouraged to begin the application process as soon as possible prior to the academic year/term they would like to receive financial assistance. The academic year is July 1 - June 30, and the priority deadline date is July 1st preceding the chosen academic year.

Atlanta Technical College has partnered with the Educational Opportunity Centers (EOC), a TRiO Program at Georgia State University (GSU) which provides services to individuals in the Atlanta Metropolitan area with postsecondary enrollment services. This partnership provides all new and returning students with the opportunity to receive hands-on assistance with completing the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid).

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

The Department of Education requires institutions of higher learning to establish standards of satisfactory academic progress for students receiving financial aid. Students must declare a major and be working toward the completion of that major in order to receive financial aid. This SAP policy applies to all students regardless of status, e.g., fill-time, part-time, undergraduate and education programs established by Atlanta Technical College. In order to receive aid, a student must be making SAP regardless of whether he or she has previously received aid. Students are responsible for maintaining an acceptable level of progress regarding quality, quantity and time frame of work. Satisfactory Academic Progress will be reviewed at the end of every semester.

To maintain eligibility for financial aid, students must meet the following Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirements:

Qualitative (GPA): Students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher. The GPA is computed by the Registrar’s office on a scale of 4.0. The GPA is cumulative (includes entire Academic history). All attempts of repeated courses are included in the GPA calculation. Grades for Learning Support courses are not included in the GPA calculation for financial aid purposes. Grades included in the GPA calculation for SAP purposes are: A, B, C, D, F, and WF. Credit hours for which a student earns a grade of I, IP, W, and WF are counted as hours attempted for SAP purposes.
Quantitative (Hours Completed): Students must successfully complete at least 67% of all credit hours attempted at Atlanta Technical College. The completion rate is calculated by dividing the cumulative number of credit hours the student has successfully completed by the cumulative number of credit hours the student has attempted. All periods of enrollment at Atlanta Technical College are included when calculating completion rate, including terms in which the student did not receive financial aid. Credit hours for all prior terms of enrollment at Atlanta Technical College are included in the calculation, as this is a cumulative measure. All attempts of repeated courses are considered attempted hours in the completion rate calculation. Credit hours for which a student earns a grade of I, IP, W, and WF, as well as all Learning Support credit hours are counted as hours attempted for SAP purposes. Transfers of credit are counted as credit hours attempted and earned in the calculation of completion rate. Exemption exam credit, credit for previous experience, grades for audited courses, and articulated credit are NOT included in the completion rate calculation. Grades which are considered successful completions for financial aid SAP purposes are: A, B, C, D, TR, and S.
Time Frame: Students must complete their educational objective within a maximum time frame of one and one-half times the length of their program. Program length is measured in credit hours and is determined by the number of credit hours required for completion of the program. Maximum time frame is calculated by multiplying the number of credit hours required to complete the program by 150%. If it is determined that a student cannot mathematically complete his/her program of study within 150% of the program’s length, then he/she will become ineligible for financial aid.

Financial Aid Warning and Suspension

Students who fail to maintain either a 2.0 cumulative GPA or a 67% cumulative completion rate will be placed on financial aid warning. Students on financial aid warning will continue to be eligible to receive financial aid for one term only. Students on financial aid warning must meet all SAP requirements by the end of their warning period in order to receive financial aid in subsequent terms. Students who fail to meet one or more SAP requirements for at least two consecutive terms of enrollment are placed on financial aid suspension and are not eligible for any form of financial aid. SAP is evaluated at the end of each term after final grades have been posted by the Registrar.

SAP Appeals

Financial aid recipients who have failed to meet SAP and who have been placed on Financial Aid Suspension may appeal in writing to the Financial Aid Appeals Committee. Appeals will be considered for extenuating circumstances only, which may include, but are not limited to, the death of a family member, an injury or illness of the student or their immediate family member, or other special circumstances that are generally outside of the control of the student. Supporting documentation must be provided or the appeal will be denied. All appeals will be considered on a case by case basis. All students are required to submit an academic plan to the SAP committee along with their appeal. If the SAP appeal is approved, students are required to follow the academic plan to ensure that the student is able to meet SAP standards. Students who have been denied because of “no supporting documentation” will be allowed to resubmit an appeal 1 additional time. If a student was denied due to “no mitigating circumstances,” this does not constitute as a reappeal. A student who has been placed on financial aid suspension will regain eligibility for financial aid when he/she has met the minimum cumulative requirements for SAP. For all appeals that are approved by the committee, OFA changes the student SAP status to Academic Plan (AP). During the semester, students in AP status must be enrolled in courses outlined in the Academic Plan, maintain a 2.0 GPA and a completion rate of 67%. Withdrawing during the Academic Plan status will change your status automatically to denied status.

Other Important Information

Credits awarded through articulation with secondary schools are assigned the grade of AC.
Students are not eligible to receive financial aid for audit courses. Audited courses are not included in the number of hours attempted or earned for SAP determination.
Course work which is exempted through examination or experiential learning is awarded a grade of EX. Credit is awarded, but grade points are not calculated.Course work which is exempted through examination or experiential learning is awarded a grade of EX.
Any course with 'I' is counted in hours attempted (quantitative). When a grade of 'I' is changed to an actual grade, the course will be considered completed (qualitative). The student has four weeks in the next semester to complete the work.
Repeated courses are included in the qualitative and quantitative calculation. Students may repeat each successfully passed course only once for Title IV (federal aid) purposes.
Financial aid recipients must reapply for financial aid each academic year. Students who fail to renew their applications will be required to pay their educational costs until such time as their continued eligibility has been established.
Verification is required by the federal government to ensure that applicants are submitting correct information. This information is the determining factor in receiving Title IV funds and is of the utmost importance. The federal processor selects applicants for verification. The College will verify applicants selected by the U. S. The College will verify all Title IV eligible applicants selected by the U. S. The Department of Education has established several verification groups. We will report the verification results of identity and high school completion status for any student for whom you receive an ISIR with tracking flag V4 or V5-as selected by the CPS, not your school-and request verification documentation. The Financial Aid Specialist will resolve and document discrepant application information for all applicants prior to disbursing Title IV aid, and in compliance with 34 …
Non-Chapter 33 and 31 Students: All students who are not Chapter 33 or 31 are responsible for paying all tuition and fees by the first day of school, payment deadline, or whichever comes first. Atlanta Technical College encourages students to check their account summary by term (Banner Student Web) one week prior to the published payment deadline to confirm amount owed to the College.
Georgia residents enrolled in Certificate, Diploma or Degree programs at ATC, and have not earned a bachelor’s degree, may be eligible for State Aid.

Financial Aid Resources at Atlanta Technical College

Atlanta Technical College is pleased to announce our Financial Aid Tuesday sessions! in-depth information about the basics of Financial Aid and what programs we offer. In addition, we highlight the importance of maintaining Financial Aid eligibility. Sessions are typically held the second and fourth Tuesday of each month.

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