Financial Aid Frequently Asked Questions
To receive financial aid at Davidson-Davie, students must:
- Be accepted into an eligible academic program; these include all Associate degree programs and a limited number of diploma and certificate programs.
- Have earned a recognized high school diploma or high school equivalency such as GED; verification may be required
- Complete the FAFSA for each academic year
- Respond to all requests for additional documentation such as tax documents, etc.
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is a standardized form students must complete in order to be considered for financial aid from the federal government and the state of North Carolina. The FAFSA collects demographic and financial information about the student and, in some cases, their family. It must be completed for each year a student is enrolled and is available both in English and Spanish. The FAFSA is filed at fafsa.gov.
The information collected by the FAFSA is used to calculate what is called the Student Aid Index. As the name implies, the Student Aid Index is a numerical index of a student’s eligibility for financial aid. The Office of Financial Aid uses a student’s Student Aid Index to determine what types of financial aid a student can receive. The lower the SAI, down to -1,500, the greater potential the student may be eligible to receive need-based aid such as grants, certain types of student loans, and work-study.
Your dependency status determines whether or not information about your parent(s) must be included on the FAFSA. The FAFSA asks a series of questions to make this determination. You can review the current list of questions here: https://studentaid.gov/apply-for-aid/fafsa/filling-out/dependency
No. Federal grants may be available for as little as one (1) credit hour, depending upon the results of your FAFSA. Federal loans and state grants require you to be enrolled in at least six (6) credit hours (half-time).
While all associate degree programs qualify, some diploma and certificate programs only qualify for a prorated amount of financial aid (Alternative Transportation & Light-Duty Diesel diplomas and Esthetics Technology and Cosmetology Instructor certificates), while some certificate programs do not qualify at all. List of Eligible Programs
Please note: financial aid is not available for audited classes, continuing education classes (except BLET and CNA for VA purposes only), credit-by-exam courses, or courses not required by your academic program.
Yes, the FAFSA must be filed for each year you’re enrolled in college.
Yes, an eligible applicant must have a high school diploma or a GED certificate or been homeschooled and graduated in accordance to state guidelines. When completing the FAFSA, the student will be asked the name of the high school, city and state where located and the high school code which can be retrieved online. Failure to report this data will result in the student being required to document graduation through an official high school transcript. Students with a GED are required to verify this to the Office of Financial Aid with a copy of their GED test scores. Homeschooled students must provide a copy of the district’s release to the parents to homeschool their student and a transcript created by the homeschool teacher that includes a graduation date.
Withdrawing from a single class will not affect the financial aid you are receiving for that term. However, it may impact your future eligibility for financial aid. Review the Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements for more information.
If you withdraw from all of your courses in a term, the Office of Financial Aid will determine if you are able to keep all of your financial aid or if a portion must be returned to the federal government or the state of North Carolina. This may result in you being required to repay some of the financial aid you received. More Information about Withdrawing from Classes
No, only borrow what you need. The Federal Direct Loan can be a useful resource to help pay for your educational expenses. However, they are still loans with interest and fees. Please use them responsibly.
Students are required to meet certain academic standards in order to maintain their eligibility for financial aid. More information about the Satisfactory Academic Progress Requirements
Yes. Students may only receive aid for up to 30 credit hours of remedial coursework.
Yes! Financial aid is available during the summer term. Some forms of financial aid may have different requirements or limitations compared to the fall and spring semesters. Check with the Office of Financial Aid for more information.
If the student’s financial situation has changed significantly from the previous year, they may complete a Special Circumstances Form and submit it, along with supporting documentation, for consideration to have their aid eligibility re-evaluated. Examples of circumstances may include loss of job, divorce/separation, large medical bills, etc.
Yes. A student may only receive a Federal Pell Grant for the equivalent of 12 full-time semesters or 6 academic years. There are also aggregate limits for Federal Direct Loans. Dependent students may borrow up to $31,000, while independent students may borrow up to $57,500. NC grants are limited to 10 full-time semesters.
The census date is the point in a semester after which Federal Pell Grants will no longer be adjusted up or down based on changes in a student’s enrollment.
Yes, in general, a student must maintain at least a 2.0 cumulative grade point average and complete 67% of the coursework attempted. In addition, financial aid is limited to 150% of the length of a student’s current academic program. More Information about the Satisfactory Academic Progress Requirements
