A Parent's Guide to UACCM

UACCM offers personalized assistance with completing admissions requirements and financial aid paperwork.  If you need assistance, come to the Enrollment Services Office located in the University Center, Room 101.  We have qualified staff members eager to step you through the process of enrolling and applying for financial aid. 

1. Students need to complete their FAFSA yearly.  New documents for Pell and loan eligibility will be required annually.
2. The 2023-2024 FAFSA should be completed at this point if your student is attending in the fall 2023 and/or spring 2024 semesters.  If not, please complete this immediately.  Students and parents will use 2021 taxes for this FAFSA year.
3. The 2024-2025 FAFSA should be available online at studentaid.gov/fafsa October-December 2023. Due to changes happening on the FAFSA form, it is uncertain the exact timeframe of release, but it is required by law to be released by January 1, 2024.  It will be based upon 2022 taxes.  Students that plan to return to school in 2024-2025 are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. 
4. Students are often surprised that they not only have to apply for federal aid every year, but that they must be in good standing with their Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) which is based on their and completion of classes taken. 

• To be in good standing for SAP, a student must:
  1. Maintain a 2.0 cumulative grade point average (GPA) on a 4.0 point scale.
  2. Successfully complete at least 67% of all attempted credit hours.  Example of percentage:  Student attempts 12 hours, but only passes 6.  6/12=50%. This student would not be meeting the requirement as they should have completed 67%.
  3. Complete degree program within 150% of the published length of the educational program.  Example:  Associate degree program that requires 60 hours to complete.  60x150%=90 attempted hours maximum.
  4. Remain on track to complete a degree program within the maximum time frame.
• The first semester a student does not meet the GPA or 67% requirement, the student is placed on warning for the next semester he/she attends.
• If the student does not meet SAP requirements at the end of the warning semester, the student is placed on suspension until he/she meets SAP requirements.  Students on Financial Aid Suspension may appeal to have their aid reinstated or pay for semesters they attend (or have some other funding source).
• Changing majors can influence a student’s eligibility.  If a student has taken over 30 hours toward an associate’s degree and then decides to change his/her major, it may affect his or her eligibility.  If the Financial Aid Office sees that the student cannot complete his or her new degree within the maximum hours allowed then the student will be on Financial Aid Suspension.
• Students receiving Pell/student loans must attend classes through the 60% point of the semester in order to “earn” their aid for that term.  If a student withdraws before the 60% period of the term, he/she could owe all or a portion of their aid back to the Department of Education or UACCM.  Be aware that your instructor keeps record of your attendance, and your last date of attendance in the class could affect your date for 60% of the semester.

5. UACCM encourages students to think before borrowing.  Student loans are a great way of funding a student’s education if the funds are truly needed.  However, taking out a student loan in order to purchase a new vehicle or pay for wants (rather than needs) is not encouraged.  Remember, this is money that the student will have to pay back with interest.
6. New traditional students on AR Challenge will be limited to 5 semesters at a 2 year institution.  Students are eligible for $1,000 for the first year and $3,000 for the second year.  Their first semester, they can enroll in 12 hours to be eligible. Beyond that semester, they must be enrolled in at least 15 hours.  The first year, they will be required to complete at least 27 hours with a 2.5 GPA; at the end of the next year, it will be 30 completed hours with a 2.5 GPA. At the end of the spring terms, UACCM Financial Aid Office will report to the Arkansas Division of Higher Education (ADHE) with the total number of hours completed and the GPA.  If students do not meet the requirements at the end of the spring term, they do have the summer term immediately following to make up this work.  If a student takes summer classes to meet his or her eligibility requirements, he/she must report that information to ADHE.  At the end of their summer courses, he or she will need to send a copy of their transcript to ADHE.

• If your student isn’t eligible for the AR Challenge this first year, make sure they apply next year at sams.adhe.edu.  They could qualify with college hours and a 2.5 college cumulative GPA.  They should request their transcript be sent to ADHE in the Registrar’s Office after applying.

7. Students on Academic Challenge are required to take all their remediation hours in their first 30 hours of coursework.
8. The ArFuture Grant and AR Workforce Challenge are based on degree programs and can be applied for at sams.adhe.edu.  
9. Students on various UACCM academic scholarships need to review the eligibility requirements for the particular scholarship they are receiving.  Eligibility for these is checked at the end of each semester.  There is no probationary period on the scholarships; once a student loses the scholarship, there is no regaining it.
10. If a student is eligible for Veterans (VA) benefits, he/she will need to contact the Financial Aid Office to complete all paperwork.
11. Students receiving private scholarships can turn in proof of their eligibility to the Financial Aid office, and these funds will be credited to the student’s account provided that the scholarship money will be sent to UACCM and not directly to the student.
12. Many students who have financial aid in excess of their campus charges (tuition, fees, bookstore charges, etc.) will be eligible for a refund for the excess amount of their federal aid, and in some cases, state, institutional, and private aid.  UACCM has implemented an early refund policy for students if their financial aid and admissions documents are submitted and students are enrolled in classes by July 1^st.  If students meet this criteria, they may be eligible for a refund of excess Pell and Federal Loans on the first day of classes.  If students did not meet that criteria, students will receive a refund of excess aid on approximately the 5^th week of classes.  Refunds for state aid, such as Arkansas Challenge will be available to students after the state has sent the institution the needed funds.  Pell and loan refund checks will be available for pick up on campus for 21 days, and then all checks not picked up will be mailed to the student’s home address.  Direct Deposit is available and strongly recommended instead of paper checks; please note that direct deposits will not be available for the early refunds on the first day of class.  These refunds can be used for various educationally related expenses that the student may incur, such as living expenses, transportation, computer, etc.