Page 29 of Boston College 2005-2006 University Catalog by Boston College University

they participate. Financial aid awards may be reduced or cancelled if the requirements of the award are not met. Students receiving a Federal Perkins Loan and/or a Federal Nursing Student Loan are expected to accept responsibility for the promissory note and all other agreements that they sign. Students must comply with all Federal Work-Study dates and deadlines. All financial aid awards are made under the assumption that the student status (full-time, part-time, half-time, enrollment in the Woods College of Advancing Studies) has not changed. Any change in the students status must be reported to the Office of Student Services as it can affect the financial aid award. Students receiving Federal Title IV funds are subject to the following withdrawal/refund process. The University and the student will be required to return to the federal aid programs the amount of aid received that was in excess of the aid earned for the time period the student remained enrolled. Students who remain enrolled through at least 60% of the payment period (semester) are considered to have earned 100% of the aid received and will not owe a repayment of Federal Title IV grant funds. If the University returns funds to the Title IV aid programs, it could result in the student owing Boston College charges that were originally paid at the time of disbursement. Students may also be required to return funds released to them for personal expenses. Monies will be returned to the Title IV programs and not to recipients. Monies returned to the Title IV aid programs will be applied first to loans to reduce the loan debt of the student and/or parent borrower. In addition, all financial aid recipients must maintain satisfactory progress in their course of study. Satisfactory academic progress is defined by the dean of each school at Boston College. Students should check with their respective deans for this definition. If a student is not maintaining satisfactory academic progress, the student should consult with his or her dean to determine what steps must be taken to reestablish his or her status and, thus, eligibility to receive financial aid. Financial aid recipients have the right to appeal their financial aid award. However, the student should understand that Boston College has already awarded the best financial aid package possible based on the information supplied. Therefore, any appeal made should be based on new, additional information not already included in the students original application material. An appeal should be made by letter to the students Financial Services Associate. When applying for financial aid, the student has the right to ask the following: what the cost of attending is and what the policies are on refunds to students who drop out. what financial assistance is available, including information on all federal, state, local, private, and institutional financial aid programs. what the procedures and deadlines are for submitting applications for each available financial aid program. what criteria the institution uses to select financial aid recipients. how the institution determines financial need. This process includes how costs for tuition and fees, room and board, travel, books and supplies, personal and miscellaneous expenses, etc., are considered in the students budget. It also includes what resources (such as parental contribution, other financial aid, student assets, etc.) are considered in the calculation of need. how much of the students financial need, as determined by the institution, has been met. Students also have the right to request an explanation of each type of aid, and the amount of each, in their financial aid award package. students receiving loans have the right to know what the interest rate is, the total amount that must be repaid, the length of time given to repay the loan, when repayment must start, and any cancellation and deferment provisions that apply. Students offered a Work-Study job have the right to know what kind of job it is, what hours are expected, what the duties will be, what the rate of pay will be, and how and when they will be paid. A student also has the responsibility to: pay special attention to his or her application for student financial aid, complete it accurately, and submit it on time to the right place. Errors can delay the receipt of the financial aid package. provide all additional information requested by either the Office of Student Services or the agency to which the application was submitted. read and understand all forms he or she is asked to sign, and keep copies of them. perform in a satisfactory manner the work that is agreed upon in accepting a Federal Work-Study job. know and comply with the deadlines for applications or reapplications for financial aid. know and comply with the Colleges refund procedures. notify the Office of Student Services and the lender of a loan (e.g., Federal Stafford Loan) of any change in name, address, or school status. complete the Entrance Interview process if he or she is a new loan borrower. complete the Exit Interview process prior to withdrawal or graduation. FIRST YEAR EXPERIENCE The Office of First Year Experience was created in 1990 as a response to the perceived needs of universities to orient and monitor more effectively the progress of first year and transfer students. Research has strongly indicated that the initial experience and the first months of a students matriculation are pivotal to overall success in college. The First Year Experience concept at Boston College has a dual focus. First, to introduce the new students to the resources of the University so that they might maximize the integration of their gifts and skills with the challenge afforded them at Boston College. Second, to assist in the inculturation process whereby these new students come to understand, appreciate, and act upon the uniqueness of Boston College as a Jesuit university in the Catholic tradition. The second stage is not seen as an exclusionary mark but rather as a foundational and guiding philosophy which underpins the efforts of all in the University community. The concept of magis, for the greater, is seen as a way of understanding personal development and service to others as integral to our pursuit of excellence. This vision we call Ignatian. The two elements of the First Year Experience practically come together in the first instance during the seven summer Orientation sessions which extend over three days and two nights. A student program runs concurrently with a parent/guardian program during each session. During the student program, academic advising and registration of classes along with discussion of issues concerning diversity, alcohol, sexuality, service, learning resources, and the intellectual and spiritual life are discussed. The forums for discussion are designed in a more THE UNIVERSITY: POLICIES AND PROCEDURES 26 The Boston College Catalog 2005-2006

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