Receiving Financial Aid

When a student’s application is complete, the Financial Aid Office will determine the student’s eligibility for aid and notify the student with an award letter.

Incoming freshman/transfer students will receive a paper award letter. Continuing students will receive their award letter in an electronic format. This allows students immediate access to their financial aid information through a secure network, 24-hours a day, and 7 days a week.

Accessing Your Financial Aid Information

Disbursement of Funds

Recipients of financial aid and scholarships will receive funds on the first disbursement day of each semester only if:

  • You have signed and returned all requested documents promptly.
  • Your file has been reviewed and finalized. Your Federal Direct Loan has been certified (and if you are borrowing for the first time, you have completed your Master Promissory Note (MPN) and completed Loan Entrance Counseling).
  • You are enrolled at least half-time.
  • Outside awards (Private scholarships etc.) will be credited once funds have been received by the Financial Aid Office.
  • Private loans are credited upon receipt of funds.

First possible disbursement dates for each term during the 2021-2022 academic year:

Summer 2021 - July 5, 2021
Fall 2021 - September 27, 2021
Winter 2022 - January 3, 2022
Spring 2022 - March 28, 2022

Work Study earnings are earned and paid biweekly based on the number of hours worked.

Students whose financial aid awards are greater than the semester charges for tuition, fees, room and board may receive a bookstore voucher to cover text book and school supply costs at the bookstore. Students wishing to use this option must go to the Financial Aid Office to make this request.

If financial assistance exceeds billed charges and leaves a credit on your account you can request a refund from the Student Accounts Office. Checks are drawn on Friday only. Student Accounts must receive your request by Tuesday to issue a check on Friday. If a student’s credit is caused by the disbursement of a Parent PLUS Loan, the parent who borrowed the loan must submit written authorization/permission for student to request and receive the refund.

Verification Process

Each year, the U.S. Department of Education selects certain applicants for a process called verification. Verification simply means information provided on the student’s Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) must be reviewed by the Financial Aid Office for accuracy and completeness. The verification process ensures that eligible students are offered the financial aid they are entitled to receive and also prevents students from receiving aid they do not qualify for.

NOTE: Federal law restricts the way in which documents are submitted to the Financial Aid Office. For your safety and security, Personally Identifiable Information (PII) should never be sent via email. Documents attached to an email are no longer accepted to protect the privacy of student information. The most secure methods to submit documents to the Financial Aid Office are by fax, postal mail or in person.

Verification selection

Typically, students can expect to receive notification that they have been selected for verification within 2-3 business days after the Financial Aid Office receives the student’s FAFSA results from the federal processor. The Financial Aid Office will mail requests to incoming students and email requests to returning students who have been selected for verification. These requests will list the necessary documents the student must submit for review.

Verification review

If your FAFSA is selected for verification, immediately submit all requested documentation to the Financial Aid Office. Failure to provide required documentation by stated deadlines may negatively impact your financial aid award package.

The Financial Aid Office will not disburse federal, state, or need-based institutional aid until the verification process has been completed. Thus, it is very important for students to submit required documentation as soon as possible. For students whose applications are selected for verification, financial aid awards are considered estimated until the required evaluation related to the verification process is completed.

Please note that during verification review, additional information may be required from the family in order to clarify inconsistencies. The Financial Aid Office will contact you via University email if additional clarification is needed. It is important to respond to any requests for additional information immediately.

Participation in the verification process is not optional. If the student does not submit the requested documentation, the student will not be eligible to receive federal, state or institutional need-based financial aid and the parents of a dependent student will not be eligible to receive a PLUS loan.

Financial aid change due to verification

During the verification process, information is compared to the original data on the FAFSA and corrections may be necessary. These corrections may lower or raise the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) figure. Because financial need is determined by the EFC, aid eligibility may be impacted when changes occur during the verification process. If verification is completed after a student is initially awarded financial aid, changes to the original aid package may occur. The Financial Aid Office will notify you of any changes to your aid package via mail to incoming students and via University email accounts to returning students. In some cases, when financial aid has already been disbursed but the EFC increases after a late verification review, certain forms of aid may need to be returned to the U.S. Department of Education.

Actions That May Reduce Your Financial Aid Package

Be sure to review the following as any one of these actions or issues will cause a decrease in the amount of financial aid you are eligible to receive.

Dropping classes

If you drop below 15 credit hours prior to 5th week Monday of an academic term, your Financial Aid will be adjusted accordingly (see credits below). This includes Federal, State and Institutional Aid. Please contact the Financial Aid office for details as to how your financial aid will be reduced.

Student Status

Full Time - 15 credits or above
¾ Time - 9 -14 credits
½ Time - 6 - 8 credits

Five (5) credits or below are not eligible for Financial Aid

Withdrawing from Kettering University

If you withdraw from Kettering University, a portion of your financial aid may have to be refunded to the source (i.e. the Federal or State Government, the lender, etc.). Kettering University uses a formula provided by the U.S. Department of Education to determine the exact refund and its distribution. If you do not return to school (either Kettering University or another institution), you will be required to begin repayment on your Direct Loans and alternative loans after a six month grace period.

Not completing your financial aid file

If your financial aid file is not completed by the time you cease to be enrolled at least half-time you will forfeit your eligibility. If you fail to complete verification by the end of the academic year you will forfeit your eligibility. All required documents must be submitted and the process of verification completed before loans can be processed, need-based grants released to your account, and Federal Work Study (FWS) jobs made available.

Back to back school terms

Attending two academic terms within one semester (July- December or January-June) may severely limit your aid eligibility. Be sure to speak with a Financial Aid representative if you are planning to do this.

Receipt of additional awards such as scholarships, vouchers, fee waivers, or other benefits

The student's total financial aid awards cannot exceed his or her cost of attendance. If you receive additional awards that put you over your cost of attendance we will need to revise your financial aid package. We will reduce loans and work study first, but may also need to adjust other forms of gift aid (including State, Institutional, and Federal sources).

Satisfactory Academic Progress

In order to maintain financial aid eligibility, you must make Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) toward obtaining a degree. Satisfactory Academic Progress will be monitored at the end of each academic term whether or not you have received financial aid.

This policy applies to all federal, state, and university funded grants, along with some alternative loans.

Minimum standard requirements

  • Qualitative Measure (Cumulative GPA) - Must maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.0 at the end of each academic term.
  • Qualitative Measure (Term GPA) - Must maintain a term GPA of at least 2.0 at the end of each academic term.
  • Quantitative Measure (Pace of progression to ensure completion within the maximum time frame) - Pace of progression is determined by dividing the cumulative number of credit hours successfully completed by the cumulative number of credit hours attempted, including transfer hours that have been accepted. Undergraduate students must maintain a pace of progression of 67% for all course work attempted, including transfer credits.
  • Credits Attempted - All classes for which a student receives a passing grade (“D” or better), or an “F”, “W” or “I”.
  • Credits Completed - All classes for which a student receives a passing grade of “D” or better.
  • Audit Credits - Do not count as credits attempted or completed.
  • Repeated Courses - Count as credits attempted during each term the student is enrolled in the course; however they will be counted once as credits completed the first time a passing grade is received for the course.
  • Transfer Credits - Credits transferred to Kettering University from another institution count toward attempted and earned credits.
  • Withdrawals - All withdrawal grades are considered to be not successfully completed, and negatively impact satisfactory academic progress. This includes official withdrawal grades W and WN, which are not calculated in the grade point average.
  • Course Incompletes - Incomplete grades are considered to be not successfully completed until the final grade is submitted.
  • Changing Majors - Students changing majors will be limited to financial aid for up to 150% of the number of credits required for their new program, including all previous credit hours attempted, regardless of the major declared at the time.
  • Additional Degrees - Students pursuing additional undergraduate degrees are required to maintain a 2.0 GPA and complete (earn) 67 percent of the remaining courses for the additional degree. Maximum time frame will be calculated based on 150 percent of the remaining requirements to complete the additional degree.

Graduate Students

  • Minimum cumulative grade-point average (GPA) - Graduate students must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0.
  • Maximum timeframe to completion - Graduate students are required to complete their programs of study within 6 consecutive years.
    Maximum Time Frame to Complete a Degree

    Federal regulations require that the student complete their degree within 150% of the credits required for their program. For example, a student pursuing a bachelor's degree requiring completion of 161 credits must meet the degree requirements within 241 attempted credits.

    Attempted credits include all earned, unearned, repeated, and transfer credits. All attempted credits count toward this limit even if financial aid is not received or there are extenuating circumstances for not completing credits.

    A student's record will be evaluated to determine if they are able to complete a degree within the maximum time frame allowed. When it is determined a student will not complete their program within the 150% credit limit, the student will be suspended from receiving financial aid.

    Financial Aid Warning/Probation/Suspension

    Students who fail to meet the minimum standards for Satisfactory Academic Progress at the end of the academic term will be placed on Financial Aid Warning. A student may continue to receive financial aid for one semester while on Financial Aid Warning.

    If, at the end of the financial aid warning period, the student is meeting the minimum requirements for Satisfactory Academic Progress, the financial aid warning is lifted.

    Students who fail to make Satisfactory Academic Progress after the financial aid warning semester will be ineligible for financial aid. You may appeal this status. If your appeal is approved, your financial aid eligibility will be reinstated, and you will be placed on Probation for one term. If your appeal is denied, your financial aid will be suspended for the next academic term.

    If, at the end of the financial aid probation period the student is meeting the minimum requirements for satisfactory academic progress, the financial aid probation is lifted.

    Students who fail to make satisfactory academic progress after the financial aid probation semester will be ineligible for financial aid and placed on Financial Aid Suspension, and you will not be eligible to receive aid for your next period of enrollment.

    Appeal

    If extenuating circumstances exist which caused a student to fail to meet one of the above standards, a written appeal may be submitted. Examples of extenuating circumstances include, but are not limited to: unexpected death or major hospitalization of an immediate family member, extended hospitalization or medical condition of student, house fire, victim of a violent crime. The appeal should address and document these extenuating circumstances AND include:

    • Why you failed to make Satisfactory Academic Progress
    • What has changed that will allow you to make Satisfactory Academic Progress during your next academic term

    The appeal form is available on the Financial Aid Website. The appeal form must be turned into the financial aid office within thirty days of the notification that you are not meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress. Appeals must include supporting documentation. Incomplete appeals or those missing adequate documentation are typically denied.

    Those suspended due to attempting more than the 150 percent of the program credits are not eligible for appeal.

    Repeating Courses

    The following is a recent change to federal regulations governing federal student aid programs.  This change may have an impact on the awarding of federal student aid for repeated coursework. 

    • A student may receive aid when repeating a course for the first time (course was previously failed or passed first time).
    • A student may receive aid when repeating a course that was previously failed, regardless of the number of times the course was attempted and failed. (Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy still applies)
    • A student may receive aid to repeat a previously passed course one additional time.
    • Once a student has completed any course twice with a passing grade, he/she is no longer eligible to receive aid for that course.
    • The federal regulation change applies whether or not the student received aid for earlier enrollments in the course.

    Leave of Absence

    In accordance with applicable financial aid regulations, under certain conditions, such as personal, military service, illness or health, employment, humanitarian or church service, family responsibilities, and financial obligations, students may request a leave of absence from the university. A leave of absence will allow the student’s status to remain as “in school,” making the student eligible for a deferment on student loans during the approved time while not actively registered with the university.

    A student who takes an approved leave of absence is not considered to have withdrawn from the school. For federal financial aid programs, a leave of absence must meet the following guidelines:

    • The student has made a written request for the leave of absence
    • the leave of absence does not exceed 180 days
    • The school has granted only one leave of absence to the student in any 12-month period
    • The school does not charge the student for the leave of absence

    If a student's leave of absence is not approved, the student is considered to have withdrawn from the school, and the federal refund requirements apply.

    A student who takes an unapproved leave of absence or fails to return to school at the end of an approved leave of absence is no longer enrolled at the school and is not eligible for an in-school deferment of his/her loans.

    Return of Title IV Funds

    Kettering University returns unearned funds received from Federal student assistance programs to the proper program accounts or lenders in accordance with federal Title IV student assistance regulations, as amended, under 34 CFR, section 668.22(d) of the Reauthorization of the Higher Education Act of 1965. 

    A student receiving assistance from Federal Title IV programs is required to complete a minimum number of hours for which assistance was received.

    • If the student completely withdraws from all classes before completing 60% of the semester, a pro-rated portion of the federal aid received must be returned to the federal aid programs equal to the percentage of the semester remaining.
    • If the student remains enrolled and attends class beyond the 60% mark of the semester in which aid is received, all federal aid is considered earned and not subject to this policy.
    • If the student does not officially withdraw from classes, and stops attending all classes, a pro-rated portion of the federal aid received, based on the documented last date of attendance, must be returned to the federal aid programs.  If Kettering is unable to document the last date of attendance, one-half of all federal aid received during the semester must be returned to the federal aid programs.

    Return of Federal Title IV funds will be distributed according to statutory regulations. Worksheets/Formulas provided by the U.S. Department of Education will be used to determine the amounts and order of return. If a student's share of the return amount exists, the student will be notified and allowed 45 days from the date of determination to return the funds to the Business Office of the University for deposit into the federal programs accounts.  If the student does not return the amount owed within the 45-day period, the amount of overpayment will be reported to the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) via the National Student Loan Database (NSLDS) and the student will be referred to the DOE for resolution of the debt. Unearned aid will be refunded to the appropriate program(s), if necessary based on these regulations.

      Refund distribution order

      1. Federal Unsubsidized Direct Loan
      2. Federal Subsidized Direct Loan
      3. Federal PLUS Loan
      4. Federal Pell Grant
      5. Federal SEOG Grant
      6. Other Title IV aid
      7. Other federal, state, private or institutional aid
      8. Student