Contents
Catalog Links

2022-2023 Catalog

Financial Aid

Financial aid is available to Moraine Valley students who prove eligibility and are enrolled in approved programs. Types of funds available to assist students include the following:

Federal Funds

Pell Grant

Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG)

Work-Study Program (FWS)

Direct Loans (Stafford and PLUS)

State Funds

Illinois Monetary Award Program (MAP)

Police/Fire Officer Survivor Grant

Grant Program for Dependents of Correctional Officers

Other Funds

Adjunct Faculty Organization Scholarship

Joanne Casolari Memorial Scholarship

Chicagoland Regional College Program

Jane E. Crawley Scholarship

Faculty Association Scholarship

Barbara J. Lehrman Memorial Scholarship

Moraine Valley Community College Foundation Scholarships

Moraine Valley Distinguished Scholar Award

Student Government Association Book Scholarship

Student Life Award of Excellence

Support Staff Association Scholarship

Detailed information about these awards is available in the Financial Aid Office or at morainevalley.edu/financialaid.

Application for Financial Aid—To apply for financial aid at Moraine Valley, applicants should complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and complete all required verification documents through the MVConnect Self-Service portal. The FAFSA application is available online at fafsa.gov. Early application enhances students’ chances of obtaining financial aid. Qualified applicants whose files are complete by May 1 will receive priority consideration. Eligible students must have all paperwork turned in to the Financial Aid Office by July 1 to be considered for a fall semester book voucher, Dec. 1 for a spring semester book voucher, and May 1 for a summer semester book voucher. Since processing financial aid can take up to four weeks, students must plan well in advance of the time they will begin their course of study. Specific deadlines can be found at morainevalley.edu/financialaid. To qualify for financial aid, a student must meet the following criteria:

  • Be a citizen of the United States or an eligible non-citizen.
  • Be enrolled at Moraine Valley in an eligible program that is at least 16 credit hours in length. The Department of Education requires that no more than 25 percent of an eligible program be offered at a location other than Moraine Valley or its extension sites (the Education Center at Blue Island and Southwest Education Center in Tinley Park). Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn is an approved location for the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) degree program only. The EMS certificate is not financial aid eligible.   
  • Meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP).
  • Demonstrate financial need.
  • Have the potential to complete the educational program chosen. Must possess a high school diploma or high school equivalency certificate. Students who qualify for federal and or
    state funds will be informed of how and when they will receive their financial aid award through an Offer Letter on the MVConnect Self-Service Portal. All financial aid eligible students must sign their Offer Letter annually to complete the financial aid process. Students who are interested in an educational loan must complete a Federal Loan Request Form to initiate the loan process.

Pell Grant Eligibility

Pell Grant Duration of Eligibility—The duration of a student’s eligibility to receive Pell Grant funds is 12 semesters or 600 percent. A percentage is calculated for students not attending full-time.

Summer Pell Grant – Year-Round Pell – Year-Round Pell Grants

The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2017 allows a student to receive Federal Pell Grant funds for up to 150 percent of the student’s Pell Grant Scheduled Award for an award year. This provision is effective beginning with the 2017-2018 financial aid award year.

To be eligible for the additional Pell Grant funds, the student must meet all general eligibility requirements to receive financial aid for the payment period and must be enrolled in a minimum of six eligible credit hours in the payment period for which the student receives the additional Pell Grant funds in excess of 100 percent of the student’s Pell Grant scheduled award.

Students who have not used 100 percent of their scheduled award may be eligible for the summer Pell Grant if they received Pell Grant funds for only fall or spring, or if the students were paid less than full-time in either fall or spring. For financial aid purposes, 12 credit hours or more is considered full-time; 9-11 credit hours is considered three-quarter-time; 6-8 credit hours is considered half-time; and 5 or less credit hours is considered less than half-time.

Satisfactory Academic Progress for Recipients of Financial Aid

All students at Moraine Valley who receive federal and state financial aid must maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) toward completion of their degrees/certificates at the end of each semester they are enrolled. This policy applies to all federal and state financial aid funds, including military Veterans’ benefits.   

The U.S. Department of Education requires a policy to use both the qualitative (GPA) and quantitative (completion percentage) criteria when measuring SAP.

Moraine Valley reviews SAP at the end of each semester and has approved the following standards defining SAP in accordance with regulations issued by the U.S. Department of Education.

SAP Standards

  • Cumulative GPA is a minimum 2.00 or higher, and;
  • Cumulative completion rate is a minimum 67% or higher, and;
    • Completion rate is calculated by dividing credit hours successfully completed by credit hours attempted.  Successfully completed courses are courses where student earns a grade of A, B, C, or D; grades of I, W or F are not considered successful completion.
  • Completion of program within 150 percent maximum time-frame allowed.
    • The maximum time-frame for the completion of a degree/certificate program is defined as no more than 150 percent of the normal time-frame required to complete the degree program. For an undergraduate program, this is measured in credit hours. For example, a normal two year degree program requires 62 credits to complete (graduate). Students must complete the degree within 93 hours in order to remain eligible for Title IV funding. Coursework that transfers into an eligible program will be included in a student’s credit hours attempted and completed.

SAP Statuses

The following are the SAP statuses assigned to students. All courses earned at Moraine Valley and transferred into a student’s program are used when determining SAP statuses, including credits earned while not receiving Title IV funding.

  • Satisfactory - Assigned to students who are meeting all of the SAP standards.
  • Warning – Assigned to students who do not meet the cumulative GPA and/or completion percentage requirement(s) portions of SAP standards, they are placed on warning and notified accordingly. Students remain on warning until the next time SAP is reviewed; which is at the end of the next semester the student is enrolled in. During the warning period, students remain eligible for federal financial aid for one semester only.
  • Termination – Assigned to students with warning or probation statuses who do not meet the SAP standards.  Students on termination status are ineligible for federal financial aid, and are notified accordingly. Students have the option to appeal their termination if they have mitigating circumstances.
  • Probation - Assigned to students who are within one term of meeting SAP standards. Students who have appealed and received an approved appeal contract are placed on probation, and are eligible for Title IV funds. Students on a probation status must meet SAP standards.

Appeal Procedures

Students not meeting SAP requirements have the option to appeal their termination of financial aid. It is the responsibility of the students to initiate any appeal. Students must submit their appeal between the dates noted on the appeal form in order to be considered for the requested term. The appeal form can be found under the SAP section on the Financial Aid Self-Service portal. Removal of an academic restriction by Cashiers, Advising, Counseling and Career Development, or another Moraine Valley office does not constitute reinstatement of federal aid eligibility. All appeal decisions are final. Please note: Sitting out for an enrollment period(s) is not sufficient to re-establish eligibility for Title IV aid.

Appeals are based on a documented mitigating circumstance that directly impacted the student’s academic performance.  When submitting the appeal form the student must include a letter detailing the mitigating circumstance, any supporting documentation, and describe how the student is able to be academically successful. 

Appeals will not be granted for repeated circumstances. For example, an appeal can be granted due to a medical issue (i.e., back surgery in 2010), which would place a student on probation or an academic plan. If a student is placed on termination again, the same medical issue (i.e., back surgery in 2010) cannot be used as the basis for the new appeal.

The latter appeal must be based on a reason different from the first appeal with updated documentation that matches the period(s) of enrollment.

Note: Circumstances related to the typical adjustment to college life such as working while attending school, financial issues related to paying bills and car maintenance/travel to campus are not considered as mitigating for purposes of appealing suspension/termination of financial aid.

Examples of mitigating circumstances to be considered for appeal:

  • Serious illness or injury to students or immediate family member that required extended recovery time
  • Death of an immediate family member
  • Significant trauma in students’ life that impaired the students’ emotional, physical, or mental health
  • Withdrawal due to military service
  • Second degree or certificate
  • Other unexpected circumstances beyond the control of the student
For this purpose, immediate family member is defined as (parent, spouse, sibling, and child, grandparent (step or in-law respectively).

Approved Appeal Contracts 

Appeal contracts are developed for students that have an approved appeal and must be signed by the student before they can receive financial aid. If the student complies with the contract, students will be able to meet SAP standards by a specific time period. If at any time while on the contract, the students do not meet the conditions at the end of a semester, they return to the termination status (ineligible status).

Students who previously were on Warning, Probation, Termination, or an Academic Plan status will return back to a satisfactory status if the following conditions are met:

• Cumulative GPA equals 2.00 or higher, and;
• Cumulative Completion Rate equals 67% or higher, and;
• Completion of program within 150 percent maximum time-frame allowed.

 

The Following Categories Will Be Calculated as Follows:

Passing Grades 
A student earns credit by receiving final grades of A, B, C, or D in courses attempted.  

Course Repeats
A student is only allowed to repeat courses to replace previously passed courses one (1) time and receive Title IV funds. When evaluating SAP, both attempts will be calculated in the student’s GPA, attempted and completed (if applicable) credits. This repeat policy applies to all courses whether or not financial aid was utilized.

A student may be paid for repeatedly failing the same course (normal SAP policy still applies to such cases). If the student withdraws from a course that they are receiving Title IV funds for retaking, the course is not counted as their one allowed retake. However, if the student passed a class once but fails the second time, the failure counts as their paid retake and they may not use Title IV funds for retaking the class a third time.

Courses That Were Academically Forgiven
Schools are not allowed to ignore hours attempted, hours completed or earned grades on coursework applicable to the student’s program of study from previously enrolled periods. All courses will be included in the GPA, attempted, and completed SAP calculations.

Incomplete Grades
When a student does not complete all course requirements by the end of their semester, some instructors may assign a temporary grade of (I) for incomplete. In these cases, instructors assign traditional grades after the students complete the course requirements.

Incomplete grades may inaccurately reflect a students’ GPA and/or pace. Incomplete grades are not considered passing grades and will be counted in SAP calculations for attempted credits as unsuccessful completion; however, these grades will not affect a student’s GPA until the final grade is recorded. The student’s SAP will be updated and recalculated to include the new grade. Should the new calculation make the students ineligible for Title IV funds and aid has been disbursed; the student will be responsible for all aid and balances incurred. All future disbursements will be cancelled.

Withdrawal Grades
Courses in which a student receives “W” grades will count as hours attempted but not as hours earned. Withdrawals will not be included in the grade point average.

Transfer Credits
Transfer credits accepted toward the student’s program from another institution will be counted in both attempted and completed in a student's SAP evaluation. 

Remedial (Developmental Education)/Prerequisite Courses
Remedial (Developmental Education) coursework is counted as attempted and completed credits and included in the student’s GPA whether they are completed successfully or unsuccessfully.

Consortium Agreements
A student’s coursework earned at Moraine Valley on a consortium agreement will be evaluated using this SAP policy.

Grade Changes
The Registrar will inform the Financial Aid office when a grade change occurs. The student’s SAP will be updated and recalculated to reflect the changed grade for the term the grade was changed. Should the new calculation make the student ineligible for financial aid and aid has been disbursed; the students will be responsible for all aid and balances incurred. All future disbursements will be cancelled.

Notifications to Students

The Financial Aid Office sends students notifications via email and letter based on their SAP status at the end of every semester:


Warning Letter
Warning letters alert students that although they remain eligible for Title IV funding, they must return back to a satisfactory status at the end of the next payment period enrolled.
 
Termination

Termination letters notify students that they are no longer eligible for Title IV funding. The termination letter also offers guidelines on how to regain Title IV funding.

 
Maximum Timeframe Warning
Maximum timeframe warning letters notify students who are at or reaching 120 percent of their program of study to meet with an academic advisor. The academic advisor will determine how many credits remain for the student to complete their program. This notice also alerts students that they must complete their program within 150 percent maximum timeframe.
 
Maximum Time
Maximum timeframe letters notify students that they are no longer eligible to receive Title IV funding because they weren’t able to complete their program within 150 percent time-frame allowed.

Return of Federal Funds Policy

According to the updated version of the Higher Education Amendments of 1998, students receiving Title IV funds (Federal Pell Grant, Federal SEOG and Federal Direct Loans) and who withdraw from all their classes (officially or unofficially) within any time-frame of the semester will be subject to the federal and Moraine Valley’s refund policy.

Moraine Valley’s refund policy related to student withdrawal states that it is a student’s responsibility to drop a course within published deadlines. Courses dropped within the refund period will not appear on the student's record. No-shows do not constitute a drop. 100 percent refund up to 8 percent of the course taken. Contact Cashier’s Office for refund dates based on number of weeks in class.

A student is entitled to a full refund for any class that is cancelled by the college. Refunds for short-term classes vary according to the length of the course. More information is available in the Cashier’s Office or online at morainevalley.edu/cost-and-aid/tuition.

The federal refund policy states that the student may retain only the amount of aid that he/she has earned (as a result of the prorated amount of time the student has been in attendance for the semester). Any aid that is not earned must be returned to its source. Some federal programs, such as grants, may have smaller amounts to be refunded based on the particular aid program and the student’s date of withdrawal. The student will be responsible for any tuition and fee balance resulting from the refund(s).

A student who withdraws from coursework in a semester may be required to return a portion of the federal financial aid that had been applied to their account. The final amount of financial aid earned will be based on the period of time the student participated during the semester.

A student receiving federal funds, who fully withdraw, either officially or unofficially, before the conclusion of the semester, are subject to a “Return of Title IV Aid” calculation established by the federal government. This calculation determines the portion of federal funds that were earned by the student up to the time of withdrawal. The withdrawal date (last date of attendance) will be determined by official withdrawal from classes by the student, or as reported by the instructor in cases of unofficial withdrawal. If the student withdraws beyond the 60% point in the semester, they are considered to have earned 100% of the federal financial aid they were scheduled to receive. A student enrolled in classes that do not span the entire semester are considered withdrawn if, at the time of the withdrawal, they are not actively attending another class and have not provided written confirmation of anticipated return in the semester for a late start class.

Federal financial aid disbursed in excess of the earned amount must be returned to the federal government. The college will perform the “Return of Title IV Aid” calculation within 30 days of the date of determination that a student has completely withdrawn and return any unearned federal funds it is responsible for returning within 45 days of the date the school determined the student withdrew.

If the student previously received a refund from financial aid, which was to be used for education-related personal or housing expenses, they may be required to return a portion of those funds to the college. When the college returns a student’s unearned funds to the government, they will be billed for any balance due for any unearned refunds received or institutional charges that are now unpaid as a result of the return of federal funds.

If it is determined through a “Return of Title IV Aid” calculation that the Federal financial aid already disbursed to the student is less than the earned amount, the school will generate a post-withdrawal disbursement to the student no later than 45 days after the date of the school’s determination that the student withdrew.

Funds returned to the federal government based on the “Return of Title IV” Aid calculation referenced above, reduce the outstanding balances in individual federal aid programs. Federal financial aid returned by the student, the parent, or the college, are allocated in the following order:

  • Federal Unsubsidized Direct Loan
  • Federal Subsidized Direct Loan
  • Federal Direct Parent Loan (PLUS)
  • Federal Pell Grant
  • Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG)
  • TEACH Grant
If financial aid is awarded after the conclusion of the semester, federal aid is awarded based on the courses completed for that semester.
Students receiving Federal financial aid and considering withdrawing from registered coursework are encouraged to make an appointment with a Financial Aid expeditor to examine the implications to their financial aid.

Recalculating Financial Aid For Enrollment Changes

The Department of Education (ED) requires schools to disburse the Federal Pell Grant based on a student’s level of enrollment (i.e., full-time, three-quarter time, half-time or less than half-time). Stafford Loans and other financial aid programs also have minimum enrollment requirements.
The following information pertains to the Federal Pell Grant and explains how enrollment status is determined for awarding purposes:
The census date, also known as the Pell Recalculation Date (PRD), is the last day for students to add or drop courses before ”locking in” their enrollment status for Pell Grant awarding purposes. Moraine Valley uses the award period census date for all students who attend classes at the start of the semester. For students who begin attendance after the term has begun (and are NOT enrolled) the census date will be the date the Pell Grant is first awarded. The award period census dates can be found on our website.
Note: All registration activity must be completed by each term’s census date to have the courses count toward the student’s enrollment status. Any registration activity that occurs after the census date will be excluded from receiving financial aid.

Pell Recipients Selected For Verification

If a student is selected for verification, all documentation is submitted and the funds are disbursed during the semester, the student’s Pell grant will be based on hours locked in at the Moraine Valley’s census date also known as Pell Recalculation date (PRD) and the valid Estimated Family Contribution (EFC).
If the student completes the financial aid process after the term has ended, the amount of disbursement will be based on the valid EFC, Moraine Valley’s census date also known as the Pell Recalculation date (PRD) and the hours completed. Earned failing grades (F) are considered hours completed for this purpose only. Withdrawal grades (W) will not be eligible to receive financial aid in this instance.

MAP Grant Eligibility

To receive a MAP grant, a student must:

  • be a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen or meet the “undocumented student” criteria of the RISE Act;
  • be a resident of Illinois (if the applicant is a dependent, the parent whose information is used on the FAFSA must be an Illinois resident);
  • demonstrate financial need;
  • be enrolled a minimum of three credit hours in a degree or certificate program at an approved Illinois college, for either a semester or quarter term throughout the institution’s tuition refund/withdrawal adjustment period;
  • be an undergraduate student who has not received a baccalaureate degree (graduate students are not eligible for MAP assistance);
  • maintain the satisfactory academic progress standards of the institution (the institution must certify that the student has met its satisfactory academic progress standards at the time MAP payment is requested);
  • not be in default on any student loan, nor owe a refund or repayment on any state or federal grant or scholarship. Students in default may reestablish MAP eligibility by:
    • repaying the debt in full;
    • making satisfactory payment arrangements with the holder of the loan;
    • rehabilitating the defaulted loan(s); or
    • making payments on the defaulted loan(s) to consolidate the loan(s)
  • not be incarcerated; and
  • not have exceeded the equivalent of 135 semester credit hours of MAP benefits paid. Eligibility may be extended for one additional term if the recipient has accumulated fewer than 135 MAP Paid Credit Hours, but does not have enough credit hours of payment remaining for the number of hours for which he/she is enrolled for the term.

Retention of Illinois Students & Equity (RISE) Act

The Retention of Illinois Students & Equity (RISE) Act allows eligible undocumented students who are disqualified from federal financial aid to apply for state financial aid, including programs administered by ISAC.

The Retention of Illinois Students & Equity (RISE) Act provides a pathway for these qualified students to apply for a Monetary Award Program (MAP) grant, the state's largest need-based grant program for low-income college students.

Eligible Noncitizens

Effective January 1, 2020, the definition of “eligible noncitizen” for ISAC gift assistance programs was expanded to include criteria from the RISE Act. Illinois residents who do not meet the federal definition of eligible noncitizen, but who meet the state criteria, as defined in ISAC’s Administrative Rules, are eligible to apply for state financial aid.

From ISAC Administrative Rules, General Provisions, Section 2700.20, Definitions:

  • “Eligible Noncitizen” – A noncitizen who is eligible for federal student assistance pursuant to section 484 of the HEA (20 USC 1091); or a noncitizen or person who is not a permanent resident of the United States, who does not meet the eligibility criteria for federal student assistance pursuant to section 484 of the HEA but who meets all of the following criteria:
    • the individual resided with his or her parent or guardian while attending a public or private high school in this State;
    • the individual graduated from a public or private high school or received the equivalent of a high school diploma in this State;
    • the individual attended school in this State for at least 3 years as of the date the individual graduated from high school or received the equivalent of a high school diploma in this State;
    • the individual provides an affidavit stating that the individual will file an application to become a permanent resident of the United States at the earliest opportunity the individual is eligible to do so; and
    • the individual has not established a residence outside of this State.

If you meet the eligibility criteria listed above, you are eligible to apply for state financial aid. If you do not meet the eligibility criteria listed above, you may contact the Multicultural Student Affairs, Building S, Room S216, for more resources for non-eligible noncitizens.

For information on the federal definition of eligible noncitizen, visit the Federal Student Aid website.

Class Cancellations

The college has the right to cancel courses. In the event a course is canceled, students will be allowed to register for another course to replace the canceled course. The replaced course will be given the same registration date as the canceled course. To receive financial aid, all courses you register for must be applicable to your program of study. All other Title IV rules will apply to the newly-added course.

Financial Aid Program Limits

Pell Grant Lifetime Eligibility Used (PLEU)

The amount of Federal Pell Grant funds you may receive over your lifetime is limited by federal law to be the equivalent of six years of Pell Grant funding. Since the maximum amount of Pell Grant funding you can receive each year is equal to 100 percent, the six-year equivalent is 600 percent.
Percent used: To determine how much of the maximum six years (600 percent) of Pell Grant you have used each year, the Department of Education compares the actual amount a student received for the award year with a student’s scheduled award amount for that award year. If a student receives the full amount of their scheduled award, that student will have used 100 percent. It is possible a student might not receive their entire scheduled award for an award year. There are a number of reasons for this, the most common is the student was not enrolled for the full year and/or are not enrolled full-time (12 or more credit hours).
The Financial Aid office will calculate the used portion of a student’s Pell Lifetime Eligibility Units (PLEU) and report the information to the Department of Education on a semester-by-semester basis. For example, if a student’s scheduled award for an award year was $5,000, but they enrolled for only one semester, receiving only $2,500, 50 percent of a student’s PLEUs for that award will be reported. If a student received only $3,750 for the award year, because the student enrolled three-quarter-time (9-11 eligible credits), only 75 percent of the student’s PLEUs will be reported.

Illinois Monetary Award Program (MAP) Limit

Limit for each term: Payment for each term is made according to the equivalent number of credit hours eligible for MAP payment, with a minimum of three and a maximum of 15 MAP Paid Credit Hours. If a student is enrolled for the equivalent of 15 or more credit hours, the number of MAP Paid Credit Hours assessed to the student will be 15. If a student enroll in a different number of credit hours during the various terms of the same academic year, their actual MAP award may be different for each of those terms.
Limit for freshman and sophomore students: There is a limit on the number of MAP Paid Credit Hours that can be paid while a student is classified by the school as a freshman or sophomore. This limit is the equivalent of 135 MAP Paid Credit Hours. If this maximum is reached, a student must attain junior status at whichever school the student is (or will be) attending for their MAP grant eligibility to resume.
Please note: Moraine Valley is limited to a sophomore status.
Total limit: The maximum number of MAP Paid Credit Hours is capped at the equivalent of 135 MAP Paid Credit Hours.

Students with Bachelor's Degree Limits

Once a student has a bachelor’s degree or a first professional degree, they are generally not eligible for MAP, Pell or Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (FSEOG).  A student may be eligible to apply for Federal Work Study and Federal Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans if a student have not borrowed your maximum loan eligibility.

If a student’s bachelor’s degree was received in a foreign country, it must be evaluated by an accredited agency to ensure it is the equivalent of a U.S. bachelor’s degree. Moraine Valley recommends Educational Perspectives (edperspectives.org). For assistance with finding other accredited agencies, visit the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services website (naces.org).

 

If a student has a bachelor’s degree, whether it was earned in the U.S. or a foreign country, and the student is pursuing a Moraine Valley Associate in Applied Science degree or certificate that is at least 16 hours and financial aid eligible, the student must meet with an academic advisor to obtain a signed Degree Audit Worksheet. 

A student’s program on record must match the program listed on the student’s Degree Audit Worksheet to be eligible for financial aid.

A student is not eligible for federal financial aid if they are not degree/certificate seeking at Moraine Valley. If a student needs assistance with choosing a program of study, they may call the Academic Advising Center at (708) 974-5721 to schedule an appointment.

How to Calculate the 67% Completion Standard

1. A student should get a copy of their transcript from the Registration Office.

2. Total all attempted credit hours. These are defined as enrolled hours on or after the first day of class. Courses in which students receive an A, B, C, D, F, I, W, and/or X will be counted toward hours attempted.

3. Total all successfully completed credit hours. These are defined as those with a grade of A, B, C, or D.

4. Divide all successfully completed credit hours by all attempted credit hours.

5. If the resulting percentage is 67% or greater, then a student has met the 67% completion standard for financial aid. Example: 19 successfully completed hours divided by 27 attempted credit hours = .703 or 70%.

 

Repeated courses will be counted in hours attempted, but only the most recent grade received will be computed into the grade point average. The hours for the original course will not be added to hours earned.

How to Calculate Grade Point Average Standard

See the Grading section of this catalog.

Up one level